Table of Contents

Materials Techniques Glossary of Stitches Projects SOMEWHAT PIPSQUEAK Budgerigar Cozy Petite Pocket Pouches Finger Puppet Friends Doggy Brooches Platypus Peekaboo Bed PERFECTLY PIPSQUEAK Elephant Love Blushing Bunnies and Kitties Koala in a Gum Leaf Bed Chirpy Chickens Mister Mousy UTTERLY PIPSQUEAK Happy Birthday Cakes Time for a Picnic Teeny-Weeny Bear Strawberry Earrings Dainty Dog Ice-Cream Treats About the Author Supplies/Resources

About the Author

Sally Dixon is an Australian girl who loves to create. She owns and runs a small business called Razzle Dazzle Creations. Her imaginative, tiny, and playful designs can be found in her online shops, sallydixon.com.au.

Reviews

Discover 31 tiny little felt animals that will delight children and adults alike. Even beginners can make these animals as you'll find tips and techniques. These delightful felt miniatures can be made with ready made sheets of felt. Create your own mini animal world or menagerie, or turn them into brooches. Template patterns are included and the instructions look easy to follow. Itsy bitsy and very sweet creations include elephants, mice, bunnies, birds, bears and also strawberries and ice cream cones.

June 2016

Whether you're young or just young at heart, this book will satisfy your appetite for cuteness. There are 31 tiny hand-sewn felt projects ranging from pint-size koalas and elephants to miniature strawberries and ice cream cones. Only a handful of supplies (embroidery floss, felt, a few beads) is needed to bring these adorable critters and accessories to life. A glossary of stitches and a techniques chapter are included, along with easy-to-follow
patterns for each project. The projects are also tiny enough to be transformed into quirky earrings or whimsical brooches.

I've mentioned my love of tiny, miniature things before, back in the day when my daughter was into Sylvanian Families/Calico Critters in a big way. Even now, we still stop by the local toy shop window and admire their display! When I saw Pipsqueaks pop up in the Search Press new releases, I leapt at the chance to review it. I hadn't heard of Sally Dixon before but I had a sneaky feeling I was going to love her book...
It's book of miniature felt creatures and creations. All are simple enough shapes but it is the details that makes them standout. There's the usual detailed techniques section at the start of the book. Sally is an experienced writer across a range of genres and her instructions are easy to read and with an informal friendly tone. Then it's just a question of choosing which tiny cute creature/food item to make? Sally is Australian so there is a leaning towards Koala's and Platypuses alongside kittens, rabbits, dogs and picnic foods! The patterns are included with each project and can be traced or scanned and printed off. I scan mine and then print them onto freezer paper sheets- easier than drawing on felt! I Like National NonWovens wool blend felt- as used in When Posie got Cozy's Maggie Rabbit and Pretty Little Fabrics stocks a good range of colours but you can use any sort of felt from wool to acrylic, it's down to personal preference.
Everything is tiny. The finished size of the mother elephants is 1 " high! The cakes take me back to the world of Sylvanian animal picnics. And the tiny dogs tweak the heart strings. There are suggestions for dog hanging decorations and brooches.
It's a book packed full of simple patterns to be made in felt with the occasional fabric addition. They will be a little fiddly to sew but all the shapes are straightforward and I get huge pleasure in the miniature magic of sewing tiny things. Looking at Sally's original Razzle Dazzle Creations blog, she has shared a huge amount of her creative ideas from the last few years in this one book. I also noticed she trained to be a cook and pastry chef which may explain the many tiny cakes in Pipsqueaks. I found it a delight to look through and I will be making felt Christmas gifts from it this year. I'm at our local sewing meet up this weekend and I've packed a bag of felt and threads to stitch tiny elephants, rabbits and dogs!

http://verykerryberry.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/book-review-pipsqueaks-by-sally-dixon.html