Big Little Felt Universe: Sew It, Stuff It, Squeeze It, Fun! Paperback – March 1, 2011

I'm homeschooling my toddler and something I've gotten into recently(after finding a wholesale craft store and going crazy with felt) is making felt toss for my 2 year old. I'm usually a free pattern type of gal but I had to buy this book. The projects look fun. The only reason I'm rating 4 stars is because I haven't made anything yet. Well update when I do but I will say the patterns look well worn and the templates are clear.

It's AMAZINGLY cute and the projects look so wonderful and the book makes it all look very easy. I will say, however, that it doesn't get too into detail about how to do a lot of the things they're telling you to do in the book so I can imagine some beginners getting frustrated or feeling a little lost as to how to do certain things. If you know how to sew by hand and have some experience with things like this, you'll likely love it. I was VERY excited to get started when I received this book and was looking at everything in it. I want to make almost everything. So far, I've made one slice of cake and a kiwi slice to go on top of it and I must say, I had a lot of frustrating moments. The pattern, at least for those two items, was not perfect... the cardboard form for the slice of cake BARELY fit into the outer felt shell and the whipped cream pieces on the top at the edges of the cake were more difficult to sew together than I anticipated... I guess it's kind of hard to explain the things that I found frustrating when making it all. I've been sewing things out of felt for months and by the looks of the projects, I thought it would be a breeze. I just wish they had given more detail about little things here and there that proved to be challenging. I can't understand why some pieces of felt that I cut out exactly as the pattern indicated ended up being too small once I was halfway through sewing them together. The kiwi slice, for example. I had to improvise when sewing the two faces of it to the thin side piece as the side piece turned out to be over half an inch shorter than it was supposed to be to complete the piece! I was so annoyed. I had to add another piece to it and thus had a seam at both corners of the slice which was fine but not how the book was supposedly instructing you to make it. I just don't understand why that happened - more than once. The thin, long piece of felt that made the "filling" of the slice of cake was also too short. I had to cut a piece much longer than indicated and once I got to the other end of sewing it on, cut off the excess to make sure it was long enough. Little things like that. It could TOTALLY be my fault, for all I know, perhaps my hand sewing isn't perfect (although I've been sewing by hand for around ten years so I can't imagine what I could be doing wrong) or perhaps it's because I'm using acrylic felt rather than wool felt and the book clearly indicates that they are totally different materials and that wool felt is far superior to acrylic which I'm sure is true, it's just more expensive and I couldn't budget for it at the moment. Oh, well. So long as you're careful, precise and follow the instructions closely while watching for problems where you might have to improvise, it should come out just fine. I'll upload a photo of my cake slice and kiwi slice after completing this review. I still intend to make every little piece of fruit for the cake because I think they are so cute and still insist that they must be easy enough to make. Haha... and will likely make almost everything else in this book as well! It all seems so do-able and very cute. I can't deny that I'm still happy with how my two pieces have come out so far. I've looked at a lot of other craft books, especially those working with felt, and feel that the finished results of the projects in this book look much more clean, real, professional and awesome than a lot of other things I've seen in the other craft books. I love things made of felt that look realistic. :) As a final note, the book calls for you to make a lot of forms out of taped together thin cardboard - like the kind cereal boxes are made from - in order to achieve the clean, solid look in some of the projects. Just FYI. It seems to play an important role in making the finished product look so neat and perfect and cool. But as a result, many of them aren't squishy like a plush child's toy. So, if you're making things for a baby or a small child, just bear in mind that if they smash it, it will probably kind of ruin it. :P I'm sure you can opt not to use the cardboard forms otherwise, though! And not all of them call for cardboard, either.

I like the plushies that are in this book very much. The designs are interesting and creative and not to mention done very well. Templates are also included so it makes life much easier ;)However, there is a catch. Most of the plushies require cardboard to be added to make its sturdier. I'm fine with a little of that for example when making a box coz obviously you wouldn't want the box to collapse when you store stuff in it, but almost all the designs in this book asks for cardboards. I've not tried yet but i suppose you can choose not to add the card board, but then your finished result might not be like what it looks like in the book. To me, plushies should be squishy and soft but with card board, you wouldn't be able to press down on them. So i don't really like that idea.In conclusion, i'll recommend this book to those out there who would like to use these projects for decorations only because you wouldn't be able to play with them. Unless you're playing RPG games with your friends like hospital or cooking and stuff..then that probably will work fine :)

I was hesitant to get this book as I have been using free online patterns and tutorials. I do not regret it. I have only been sewing for a couple years but with two little ones I wanted to try and provide them with some great handmade toys. I have gotten through 3 of the projects (cake, campfire, and fruit sets) and I can't believe how great they turned out on the first try! Now I've been making various sets for family and friends-everyone loves them. The attention to detail really sets this book apart from others! The only down side is that the directions aren't as detailed as I would like, especially when it comes to what type of stitch & when. It's not the end of the world though. Besides the ideas and photos more than make up for it. Great Book- I've completely fallen in love with the world of Felt!

Great toys. The instructions are not in depth, but I could figure it out.

i've been making felt creations from my own patterns for years, but i was looking for a book that had more complex patterns to help me be able to create more detailed toys. this book is EXACTLY what i was looking for! the patterns are adorable and just complex enough to be more challenging than other felt pattern books, but not so much that they're frustrating or difficult. i got the book just a few days ago and i've already made the adorable african violets and the cute little doctor's kit!if you're looking for a book with cute patterns to take your felt crafting to a new level, this is it! also, definitely check out the author's etsy store. all the patterns there are not included in the book and they are also AMAZING!!!!! i especially love the little tea set and the variations on the cake pattern from the book available there. i wish i could give this book (and the author) a hundred stars!

Love this book! I’ve made practically everything in this book for my son. It makes me so happy when he wants to play with what I’ve made rather than the toys he already has.

Easy to read, excellent patterns, very well written.

Came with patterns and easy-to-understand instructions, just cut and sew!

My son loves to just look through this book, and I love to make things from it for him! The only drawback to felt food is when it gets played with a lot, it does not hold up well. I have made a few items for home and for gifts, and they have been very well received!

great for beginners