Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects

To begin with: of course I was attracted to the cover of this enchanting book, Warm Fuzzies, by Betz White! It hit a home run with me visually, instantly! What is more charming and delicious looking than a collection of adorable, felted cupcakes, complete wth cherries on top, and each tied up with a felt bow, or decorated with a rim of ric rac? The sprinkles just completely do you in: they are decorative pearl straight pins and they add the final touch to a thoroughly clever and charming pincushion project! I momentarily wondered if Betz White's creations would be too overly sweet or too young for me. Or would they potentially be too difficult for a neophyte (that's me, again!)to actually make? OR...could I conceivably accomplish what I hoped, which was success as a recycling felter: what Betz promises in the early pages of her book? Would I be able to skip the knitting you commonly do before felting wool, and cut to the chase, making the projects I really liked employing used sweaters found at thrift stores? This is such a great idea! Recycling is so important. So are fun craft projects! This delightful "green" book did, ultimately, really fullfill my needs in each way! Betz has some projects which are easy (some little brooches which I especially like stand out, for me!). She also has some projects which are slap down chic. Two I love in particular which I wish to mention are her "Just Right Tote" which IS in fact "just right" for my low key New York area where I live, and any other place where you might underplay your sense of style but at the same time want to show it, in a sense. And to be able to say, "I made it myself?" That is the best feeling of all! The second project I would just love to mention is her incredible Shibori scarf, another laid back yet uber cool looking project. I love that scarf! It reminds me of a running brook wth river rocks. It is kind of like a meditation in a scarf form. The textures AND the holes in it, the curves, as it gently hangs to the side of your jacket--well--you don't get any better than that! As a garment project it is really worth the price of the book alone! It's great! You might not have the same taste as me, but she has all sort of other choices, as well. Hats, sweet mittens, you name it. I am reading this indoors and we have a foot of snow lingering outdoors. The hand puppets to entertain my kids are looking mighty tempting. We also have pets: The Kitty bed and the Doggie coat are fabulous! Love those! I am trying to picture reading this in the summer, and I think this craft book is so good that you would be tempted to work on your Christmas ornaments at that time, and get them ready to go. Why not? Also if not that, try for Betz's ice cream cone tape measure. It is a great summer felting project! As you can see, I think Warm Fuzzies has it all! I think this book is exceptionally well done and well thought out. The photos are lovely. There isn't a poorly thought out project in the colle

These projects are cute. And they use recycled sweaters. I love the felted sweater projects and have several craft books that use this method. This book is the best! The instructions are very clear. The projects are good, I made a one the day I got the book. I am so happy to have purchased this book. I will be using it many times- I found several gift ideas. I am buying copies for my teenage nieces and grown daughters. Can not wait to make some of these projects with them.

I am absolutely delighted with this book. This is the sort of book you show to all your friends and then refuse to lend out because you don't want to be parted from it. :-) I teach a lot of craft classes, and have a fair amount of experience with all sorts of textile crafts. This book is one of the absolute best craft books I have seen, for a variety of reasons: -The projects require no expensive supplies - just old sweaters ($4/ea or less at the thrift shop) and any old sewing machine (no fancy stitches needed). -The techniques are clever but very, very simple and quick. This is a fabulous book for those of you who don't like to get bogged down in the fussy details on your way to a finished product. -The techniques are clear enough for anyone to follow. -The projects themselves are clever and attractive, and made of all-natural materials. -It's all recycled, but beautiful anyway - not many books pull that off. -The techniques presented can all be combined to let your creativity run free. -The book is well laid out, beautifully photographed, and blessedly free of typos (a pet peeve). I got this as a Christmas present, and while everyone else was out hitting the mall the day after, I was at the thrift shop gathering sweaters. My first project was a pair of mittens, which, from cutting out to finished product, took perhaps 20 minutes. Then, I went out and shoveled snow for an hour in the completed mittens. My hands were still dry and warm when I was done; they're some of the best mittens I've ever made, including several pair that I painstakingly handspun, handdyed, and handkknitted, in what was probably well over 20 hours each. (Perhaps the instant gratification has something do do with that?) My husband didn't believe I made them - he said they looked too good. :-) Buy this book! But stay away from the wool sweaters at my thrift shop. They're mine, all mine!

Warm Fuzzies is a charming book featuring such projects as scarves, poncho, blankets, flowers, journal cover, hats, flower and ornaments. The projects are given in step by steps instructions with big colored pictures. Very easy to follow. All projects will inspire one to create beyond the author's design....Betz White has generously given tutorials for other felted projects on her blog. I can't wait until her next book comes out in 2009....

I ordered this book because those cupcakes looked so yummy, so I hoped that I might find one or two more projects that I wanted to try. When I got it, I found myself getting more and more excited as I turned each page. Every project looked easy, fun, and so beautiful that I immediately wanted to run out to goodwill and buy a bunch of wool sweaters to throw in the washing machine. The projects are so varied--from hats and scarves to bowls and bags--that I know I'll get a lot a great projects out of this. Definitely worth the money. I cannot wait to start!