Girls Get Stitching

With a reassuring tone, McLauchlan certainly does get girls stitching, no sewing machine required! She uses 10 basic embroidery stitches to make the 20 charming projects in the book and that can then be used to branch out creatively to keep embellishing clothes and accessories. Introductory materials include a list of needed supplies, instructions for making the stitches and for the various techniques mentioned ( such as bonding fabrics and transferring templates), and an explanation that natural materials work best. One need not spend a lot of money to get natural materials: why not turn to the clothing department at thrift stores?! Each project has at least one color photo and step-by-step instructions. End materials are reproducible templates with a statement of the percentage of enlargement needed and a glossary. Two female models are used in the photos, one looks to be a teen and the other looks to be a preteen, so I can see this book being used by crafty girls of many ages. I’m enjoying the fun and creative youth titles coming from the FunStitch Studio of C&T Publishing and look forward to many more. Girls Get Stitching is recommended for ages 10 and up. Ingram Content Youth e-newsletter, 11/6/13 Today’s kids are all about being uniqueand Shirley’s project book is loaded with fun and fashionable ways to make something scream Mine!” And the personalization comes through adorable embroidery ideas that can be used on shirts, aprons, bags and other fabric items.Understand that this book is mostly about embroidery, which also includes wool felt applique. Most of the embellished items are purchased or up-cycled, but Shirley does include some simple plans for pillows and cards, which are then embellished.Most kids will be able to work through the projects and ideas in this book on their own. As with all of the FunStitch Studio books, this one is carefully written for children, offering many tips and illustrations to easily follow. Generation Q Magazine, January/February 2014

Recipient of textile design degrees from the prestigious Glasgow School of Art and St. Martin’s School of Art, Shirley McLaughlan was a partner at Kim & Clark for 10 years. Currently, she sells her own hand-stitched designs. Shirley lives in Scotland with her family.