Snow babies appeal not only to Christmas enthusiasts, but to collectors of dolls, figurines, and miniatures. Principally manufactured in Germany in the early part of this century, these tiny grouted figures decorated cakes in England and mantel pieces in the United States. Today they are avidly sought by collectors, who still use them to create little winter scenes. This carefully researched and documented book explores the origins of snow babies. (Were they created to honor Marie Peary, the daughter of Admiral Peary and the first white baby born in Northern Greenland?) The collection of 700 color photographs, the largest ever published, displays exquisite all-white pieces and the smaller action snow babies. It also introduces the reader to the rare blue and pink snow pieces. Included are chapters on bisque Santas (over 150 of them), elves, dwarves, snowmen, buildings, animals, and other pieces that are collected and displayed with snow babies. A rarity scale and price guide are included.

Learn to sew beautiful toys and soft furnishings for children with this stunning collection of projects from the creator of the popular Tilda brand. World-renowned craft designer Tone Finnanger of Tilda brings her talents to soft toys and gifts for children - from adorable dolls to funky monkeys and swashbuckling pirates - in this paperback edition of her bestselling book. Tilda's Toy Box will show you how to make a wide range of beautiful soft toys and gifts for kids, plus beautiful quilts and pillows for children's bedrooms. Discover simple sewing patterns for adorably plump dolls with a range of outfits and accessories, cute jungle creatures such as monkeys and parrots, and sea-themed creations such as pirates, whales and fish. Exquisitely presented in her trademark style, this book will delight Tilda fans everywhere with its achievable patterns and charming styled photography.

This charming book contains 25 characterful little birds to crochet in amigurumi style! These cute and colourful tiny birds, including a peacock, swan, owl, toucan, penguin, flamingo and even a mini egg, can be crocheted with small amounts of yarn and are perfect for using up your stash. Each of the little fun birds can be used as keychains, baby mobiles, bag pendants or simply to make and collect! Clear and easy-to-follow crochet techniques and diagrams make it easy to get started.

This is an illustrated history of Australian manufactured toys from 1900-1965, drawing on the authors authoritative collection. The book documents the production of each toy with beautiful colour photographs accompanied by relevant text about the toy and manufacturer.

Discover a colourful world of adorable animals and fantastical creatures in this fun collection of sewn toys and gifts, brought together into one volume for the first time. Children and adults will adore this collection of cute and quirky stuffed toys and home accessories by leading soft toy designer, Melly McNeice. There are a total of twenty projects to choose from so there is something for everyone. Pick your favourite from a pretty butterfly mobile for a new arrival, a cuddly spaceship for a curious kid or a handy ladybug bag for a little fashionista - there's something to delight kids of all ages! The stuffed toy sewing patterns that are featured in this collection include friendly monsters, affable aliens magical mermaids, circus lions, pretty unicorns and much, much more. This selection of 'huggable' creatures from Melly McNeice will capture your imagination as much as your child's. Each of the animals and creatures featured in this selection has their own personality, and they are perfectly proportioned for little hands to hold. They also make the perfect prompts for story telling or a bedtime tale. Maybe your little one dreams of transforming into a high-spirited princess or a flying superhero? As well as the toys there are projects to brighten up the nursery: choose from a butterfly mobile, a wonderfully colourful, applique floral quilt, and a ladybird bird backpack for fun days out. These simple patterns will have you sewing toys and gifts in no time. Each of the twenty brightly coloured projects is suitable for sewers of all abilities and comes with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and full-size templates so you can start sewing straight away. Melly recommends reading through all the patterns before starting a project to decide whether it's a quick and easy make which is perfect for last minute gifting or a longer project which will help you to build your toy making skills. Enjoy making your super cute toys and gifts and we hope that the resulting toys will bring the special little people in your life many hours of imagination-filled play, memorable moments and comforting cuddles.

Pour your favorite yarns together and stir them with your best crochet hook: the crochet spells in this new collection will bring the most fantastical amigurumi to life! 14 enchanting characters have opened the door to a magical world, and you'll be swept off your feet before you know it. Chase after the untraceable yeti, take a nap with a sleeping baby dragon, don't look into Medusa's eyes for too long and hitch a ride on the back of a hippogriff. And there's much more at the end of this amigurumi rainbow! Beginners as well as advanced crocheters can conjure up these fabulous fantasy creatures with a flick of their hooks. All patterns are written in US English crochet terms and accompanied by easy-to-follow step-by-step pictures as well as video tutorials of all stitches used. They are easily customizable, so it's a small step to imagine your very own fantasy amigurumi!

Whether they are budding palaeontologists or dream of being a Tyrannosaurus, children will love these fun crafts. Containing fantastic dinosaur-themed projects to make, The Dinosaur Craft Book will get children crafting and creating in no time. 15 fantastic dino-themed projects to craft with kids 3+ Projects come with handy templates and make use of otherwise-wasted household items Grown-ups need little or no crafting experience to help! From award-winning parenting bloggers Little Button Diaries

The fair is coming to town in the form of these adorable sewn, stuffed toys by Melly & Me. Sew colourful fairground themed animal toys with this fun and fabulous collection by Australian designer Melly McNeice. This book brings you all the Fun of the Fair - choose from five adorable fairground animals including a pretty pony, ric rac lion, performing seal, cheeky monkeys and a family of elephants. These fun and fabulous designs will have you sewing adorable toys in no time! Children and adults alike will love these gorgeous soft toys which make the perfect gift for friends and family. Each of the brightly coloured projects is suitable for sewers of all abilities. Easy to follow step by step instructions, quirky photography and templates make this an irresistible addition to your sewing collection.

An irresistible felting book for cat lovers! From playful tabbies to fierce black cats, this book shows you how to create felted felines in every shape and posture: crouching, preening, stretching, napping and ready to pounce! Master Japanese felting artist and teacher (and a great cat lover himself) Housetsu Sato shows you how to become an expert in capturing a cat's essential form and character--especially at the kitten stage, when they are full of surprises. In this book Sato teaches you how to: Form the basic shapes and cat body parts Create a variety of familiar cat poses and postures Add realistic textures and markings to the fur Give unique expressions to your cat faces Along the way, he shows you how to infuse your felted friends with a playful sense of "cattitude," including how to incorporate fur from your real kitties into your felted models. Detailed instructions and photos for each cat piece, fur texture and marking make these projects friendly even if you are new to felting. Full-size templates help you form the correct shapes and proportions, and brief lessons in cat anatomy help you make your felted cats truly lifelike. Photos showing variations on the poses and markings make it easy to envision your own cat's likeness emerging from your hands.

No other craft so brilliantly captures the magic of turning a handle, icking a switch, or pulling a lever to see the unexpected come to life. "Automata and Mechanical Toys" is a book for anyone drawn to simple, entertaining mechanics. The book features 21 leading makers, each with a distinctive style. With 160 color photos and 100 delightful examples of the craft, the book is a feast for collectors and enthusiasts. A substantial section of the book is devoted to making automata mechanisms, ideal for novices or those wishing to learn new techniques. Illustrated, step-by-step instructions explain how to make a bearings box, which separately houses all the main mechanisms used in automata. The box can then be converted to any mechanism you choose. Rodney Peppe is a winner of the British Toymakers' Guild Toy of the Year Award; he has had exhibitions of his work at the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood. He is also the author of "Rodney Peppe's Moving Toys."

Delight your children and grandchildren by making these fabulous vintage toys. Author Chris Reid takes you through the making process, giving clear advice and helpful tips to show how to make toys from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. There are 15 projects to choose from, including diabolo, yo-yo, skipping rope, spinning tops, quoits and skittles and more complicated toys such as a kaleidoscope, walking cow, dog and pig. This book includes basic techniques, such as making jigs and turning spheres and cylinders, as well as advice on wood and finishes that are safe for children's toys.

Moo, Oink, Knit
Knit up your favorite furry or feathered critter, or make the whole barnyard The colorful characters in this book--including a clever pig, a gentle donkey, and a family of chickens--would love to be your friends. Children and grown-ups alike will fall for the fifteen bighearted, oversize farm animals designed in Sarah Keen's signature style.
All of these roly-poly toys, made with child-friendly yarn and durable finishing techniques, are quick to knit and can withstand years of affection. Whether you're a beginner or you simply need a refresher, a comprehensive reference of knitting basics and toy-making techniques will help get your needles clicking--or clucking--right away.
Also available as an ebook

This book features 20 imaginative designs for classic wooden toys that walk, wiggle, waddle or whirl. It is a perennial favourite with woodworkers, these push-and-pull animals are timeless keepsakes. Detailed patterns, concise instructions and step-by-step colour photographs make this a suitable book for beginners. All children love animals, and all children love toys. Build plenty of good old-fashioned fun for any child with these clever designs for classic push-and-pull toys. Inside you'll discover 20 imaginative projects for making wild and wacky wooden animals that come alive with delightful lifelike motion. Create a chomping crocodile, waddling duck, jumping frog, timid turtle, howling wolf or terrifying T-Rex. Each animated marvel features an ingenious design to make it walk, wiggle, waddle or whirl. With detailed patterns, concise instructions, and step-by-step colour photographs, these charming projects are simple enough for even a beginner to complete in a weekend. Fun to build, fun to give and fun to play with, they'll provide hours of pleasure for woodworkers and children alike.

This beautiful book draws on Robert Race's extensive collection of traditional moving toys, looking at the ways the makers have achieved remarkable and varied results, often with very limited resources. Each chapter begins by looking at the mechanisms and materials used in some of these traditional moving toys, goes on to consider possible variations, and describes how to make a related moving toy. It continues, from this basis, to develop a design for an automaton. The book shows that designing and making these simple but wonderfully satisfying mechanical devices is fun, and that good results can be achieved in many different ways, using a variety of materials, tools and equipment such as wood and wire, card and paper, bamboo, string, tin plate and feathers.

Cute creatures with personality plus! Crochet yourself a family of fun furry animal friends that are guaranteed to make you smile. Instagram sensation Isabelle Kessedjian has created this adorable range of forest and farmyard animals with their very own stylish wardrobes - all in crochet! Using Isabelle's easy patterns, discover how to crochet your furry friends and then personalize them with your choice of clothing and accessories. Each animal is presented as a mini story to bring your new friend to life, with a whole heap of extras to complete each scene. Go on a day out with Family Rabbit and their baby Bunny, take a romantic trip to Paris with Koala and Panda, have fun on a camping trip with Bear complete with satchel and camera, explore the forest with Reindeer and Fox, and enjoy a feast with the pink and perky Pigs. These fantastic animals have bags of personality and as gifts will delight your family and friends - but you'll want to make a set for yourself first!

The most ambitious carving Tom has ever presented in a book, this may also be the most charming. Tom leads the carver step-by-step through the process of constructing and carving a kid's size rocking horse. This is the perfect project for a Christmas present that will be cherished generation after generation. And even though it is ambitious, the instructions and illustrations will enable even the novice carver to complete a work of which they can be proud. The book covers every step from cutting the lumber through carving, assembling, and painting. Measured drawings are included as is a pattern for a smaller toy version of the rocking horse.

More than 220 color photos, together with descriptions of over fifty dollmakers' richly varied works and techniques, make up this fascinating overview of the state of the dollmaking art right now. The diverse range of designs, styles and media-from plastic to wood, metal to found objects-serves as an inspiration, a reference, and a summary of the dollmaking world in the early 21st century. The doll artists featured, working across the U.S. and the world, share personal insights about their own experiences with the creative process. They also discuss challenges of aspects like facial detail and expression, material integrity and longevity, embellishments, and construction. For designers, artists, craftspeople, and others, this breathtaking summary captures and reveals today's dollmaking art.

Enter the world of the reclusive yet mischievous Impkins! I’m sure you have seen them out of the corner of your eye from time to time, racing from hiding place to nook or cranny—odd little creatures of stitch and stuffing, of endless variety in form and manner. In these pages, you will not find a taxonomy of their features or a list of the names by which you might call them, you will find guidance on something far more important—the techniques and methods by which you might craft one of these little stitchlings of your very own. It is a wonderful thing, I assure you, to bring an Impkin to life with hook and yarn, and herein you will find the detailed instructions necessary to craft one, with an endless array of options for ears, antennae, hats, wings, tails, scales, horns, hairstyles, clothing, and accessories. Each Impkin is unique, and only you can listen to find out what yours longs to be. Stitch by stitch, you’ll cast a spell, until at last you have made a brand-new creature. Don’t be surprised if it asks for a snazzy vest or a satchel to hold its treasures! Though hard to spot at first, when you see one Impkin you can be sure there are more around. Impkins are social little creatures; once you make one, it is sure to clamor for a multitude of friends from your hook!

From selecting yarns and learning basic crochet stitches to assembling your doll or animal and adding whimsical details, The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls and Animals makes any amigurumi project possible! Hundreds of photos demonstrate the best crochet stitches to use, along with lessons on how to assemble amigurumi figures correctly and give them more personality. All the basic stitches and steps are explained in detail, including extra directions for left-handed crafters. This is the official guide created by The Japan Amigurumi Association--whose thousands of members are found all over Japan, the original home of amigurumi. It provides an authoritative overview of techniques and includes all the information that amigurumi enthusiasts need to know to create their own toy. This indispensable book shows you how to: Shape and proportion expressive heads, limbs and tails Assemble all the pieces together in a way that makes your toy come alive Add armatures so your toys can bend and stand on their own Create facial features that give your toy attitude and personality Make cute little accessories (zakka) like mittens, scarves and purses The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls and Animals includes 3 start to finish project lessons to practice the skills you learn. Then style your own amigurumi with over 1,500 color photos and detailed diagrams instructing more than 100 crochet stitch techniques. This is a book you'll refer to again and again. Open it up, and get ready to crochet!

The reader of this exciting new title will have as much fun making the projects as they will playing the games! All of the 20 projects are designed to be made with the beginner woodworker in mind and using only basic woodworking tools and equipment, so they really are accessible to all. The comprehensive, step-by-step instructions are based on standard sizes of wood so that pieces simply need to be cut to length with some basic shaping. All accessories required will be readily available making each project as straightforward as possible to create. Alongside step-by-step photos each project will also include drawings where necessary. Each project will also include instructions on how to play the game along with the all-important rules! Projects include: Skittles, Giant Jenga, Giant Chess, Croquet, Lawn Darts, Giant Dominoes, Quoits.

Crochet 15 iconic women who changed the world with this collection of amigurumi crochet patterns. Whether it's Greta, RBG or Malala, this collection of crochet patterns celebrates 15 women who have made an impact on the global stage whether in politics, sport, medicine or education. Learn more about each of the characters featured in this collection and make unique gifts to inspire and delight all generations. Marie Curie * Cleopatra * Queen Elizabeth II * Malala Yousafzai * Rosa Parks * Billie Holiday * Ruth Bader Ginsburg * Serena Williams * Greta Thunberg * Jane Goodall * Amelia Earhart * Jane Austen * Florence Nightingale * Audrey Hepburn * Emmeline Pankhurst

Explore amigurumi , the Japanese art of crochet design, with 30 unique patterns. Whether a novice or an experienced crocheter, anyone can pick up a needle and complete these cuddly creations. Author and amigurumi guru Lauren Espy inspires crocheters with her easy-to-follow patterns, pictures, and helpful instructions. Lauren always takes the patterns one step at a time to ensure that your finished product is as cute as the creation on the page!. The book features fanciful patterns in a variety of themes, including: In the Garden; At the Aquarium; Down on the Farm; At the Bakery.

A new collection of sewing patterns from the author of Making Luna Lapin and Sewing Luna's Friends. Luna Lapin: Making New Friends is a collection of five brand new animals and their wonderful wardrobes. Choose from Daisy the sheep, Ramsey the ram, Hugh the hound, Rowan the squirrel and more. Fans of Luna will love these patterns for five of her best friends and their outfits and accessories. Author, Sarah Peel takes classic garments and recreates them on a miniature scale with exquisite fabrics including Liberty cottons, wool tweed and French lace. Full-sized patterns and step-by-step instructions are included - as well as a collection of charming stories about the characters and their adventures.

Over 50 color photos, 80 patterns and mechanical drawings, with clear, concise, step-by-step instructions, reveal all the reader must know to successfully create twelve original whirligig projects made from wood and/or metal, including imaginative, original designs that all will enjoy. Each project has been designed, built, and tested by the author to ensure success. The detailed text provides tips for simplifying layout and construction techniques, the proper use of bearings and balance to spin whirligigs in minimal wind, along with practical woodworking, metalworking, and decorating techniques. This book is a must for every craftsperson with a flair for things mechanical!