Stitch Village by Joan Gorman
Stitch Village from Joan Gorman of Nini Makes is a great example of a beautifully designed, well-executed e-book for crafters. It’s a great collection of charming and easy-to-tackle projects that will have you firing up your sewing machine and threading up your embroidery needles faster than you can scroll through all the pages in the book. It’s the first in her series of Stitch Village books wherein she hopes to provide instruction and resources for crafters looking for a new challenge.
A lot of contemporary crafters are skilled at multiple crafts yet want to learn more. Though we live in a modern, disposable world, I think many of us still need to craft but for 21st century reasons, mainly just to switch off. I hope these simple projects will allow people to do just that, and lose themselves in little stitches.
Projects in Volume 1 include delightful mushroom canisters made from repurposed containers, embroidered tote bags, iPod cases and more. Each is clearly explained (and in some cases, include step-by-step pictures, a treasure in craft books!) and includes full-size patterns. Perhaps my favorite thing about the book is that all the patterns can be printed at 100% and used with no changes. No worries of reducing or enlarging, just print and craft. I love that!
Joan brings her friendly voice and delightful aesthetic from her blog right into the book, making it fun, easy to read and very engaging. Her mix of projects combine ones that are simple and fast with ones that will give you just enough of a challenge to feel like you are learning something new. It’s a perfect blend, and a beautiful book.
Stitch Village, Volume 1 can be purchased in Joan’s shop and comes with a free Cheeky Cherub embroidery pattern. A percentage of sales from every volume of Stitch Village will go to charity. Volume 1 donations will be made to the British Red Cross for the Haiti appeal.
Book giveaway time!
Two lucky Craft readers will win a downloadable copy of Stitch Village. Just leave a comment telling us why you’d like this book. All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Thursday, March 11 and winners will be announced Friday on the site. Good luck, and be sure to check out Joan’s blog over at Nini Makes!
94 thoughts on “E-Book Review + Giveaway: Stitch Village by Joan Gorman”
Comments are closed.
I really need to make the toadstool button jar covers.
HI,
I would be a good person to receive this book because I love to sew. I am a full time artist (painter) and a full time mom. I am always looking for creative toys I can make for my daughter. The best toys are handmade ones because a child can bring a lot of their own imagination into their play. I plan on teaching my little girl to sew as well when she is 4 or 5. She’s only 17 months right now. She is painting and doing play doh. But she does seem to love our handmade toys the best!
Thanks, Anna
I would absolutely love this book, and would cherish it. I want to delve into embroidery. :)
Hello! My name is Ann and I live in Poland. I visit your site every single day and admire the works you’re showing. I’ve been stitching for seventeen years now (I started as a little girl). I make mostly tote bags and I’d like to try something new. This book would really help me. Regards! Ania
I would love this book for the adorable doll pattern! I have several little girls in my life who would love that doll!!
That’s what my girls would say when they saw this!
I am really into embroidery right now, and I’m a big fan of nini makes – I’d love to win this!
love all things sewn!
I love a project and this looks like so much fun and a great outlet for my creative passions!
I am also an embroiderer, but more than that, I love finding new tools to create the environments that I and my friends and family long for. That’s what makes creating so essential! Thanks for making this giveaway possible.
I love making dolls (although lately I’ve been making knitted dolls rather than sewing), and I LOVE Swedish horses. It seems like embroidery is the new knitting, and I can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks for offering a chance to win an e-book. Am excited to have some new ideas for crafts. Thanks again.
As a grad student who spends my days buried in books, I cherish any work that involves my hands. I would love this book – it would be a way to combine my love of texts and textiles (pun intended, but how can I help it? – the connection is so beautiful!)
Joan’s aesthetic is great! I’d love to make some of her charming projects to brighten my space, and to give to others.
I would really like this book to use as idea fodder and instruction for the weekly “craft night” at my local craft consignment store! We’re always trying upcycle whatever we can find into something fun and new, and embroidery looks like an awesome way to spruce things up. The book looks so pretty and it would be used by a lot of people who would in turn spread the word.
This book is totally adorable. I would love to make some of these projects as gifts for my nieces and nephews! I love to sew, embroider, and create items out of recycled material! I am really excited about this e book.
love all things craft! those mushrooms are adorable!
I need this book because I’m staring at the images with stars in my eyes, with my jaw hanging open stupidly, salivary glands threatening to drool. I am dumbstruck by the adorability… that horse, those mushrooms! Please, please, please!
I would like this book for ideas and instructions for things to make for my boyfriend.
I really dig the mushrooms i would use them for my pin jar and also use it as a pin cushion!
I have a crafting blog, http://fastercraft.com/ and I would love to have a copy of this eBook so that I can review it.
Thanks!
I have to have this book, not really for me, but for my 4 yr daughter, who screamed (and I am not exaggerating when I say screamed) when she saw the cover on my laptop. She wants me to make everything she saw on the cover for her. She’s really into crafting and can’t wait to be old enough to really start crafting!
I’ve just recently acquired my grandmother’s sewing machine and many crafting supplies. While I’m pretty crafty, I know nothing of stitching and sewing and would love to learn!
This book looks full of fun! I’d love to play around with the patterns and information inside!
This book looks delightful. I need some new projects to occupy my mind!
My house needs less ugly plastic containers and more mushrooms. To go with the many that already dominate my craft room :-)
And certainly a recipe binder will help the madness!
I too need to make those toadstools. They would fix up my desk so nicely!
My house needs less ugly plastic containers and more mushrooms. To go with the many that already dominate my craft room :-)
And certainly a recipe binder will help the madness!
I’ve been saving up jam jars for a while now, waiting for the perfect project to come along. Those sweet little toadstools are definitely craft worthy! :o)
each of the projects are so sweet… would love to make them!
What a lovely book! I like to recycle and to reuse things, so I think in this book I will find inspiration. I like the two dolls most
Eleni
What a great way to start the addiction of needle crafting!! I’ve seen so many great projects on Craftzine, but never confident enough to just jump in. Maybe Joan’s book can give me a gentle nudge!
Just bought my first sewing machine since moving to the UK, and want to make my niece a schoolbag for her 5th birthday. The horse embroidery would be perfect!
I very much want an opportunity to do the projects and equally desire this prize. I hope I win!!
I would love to have this ebook! The toadstool jar cap is adorable and I have about 15 of the exact jars to do this with!
I would love this book to expand my textile arts practice–both in skill & glean inspiration!
I would love this book because I love to craft, but not as creative when it comes to making my own projects.
I would love this book. I work at a call center and although I love reading all day, it would be nice to have some fun projects to do between work!
I would live to win a copy of this book. Every month I run a craft group in my neighborhood. To motivate people to craft I teach something different each time. There is no charge to attend and I provide all the supplies needed. I’m always looking for new ideas and could really use this book.
I have been so busy being wife, mom, working full time and farming that I have not been able to express my creative side for a long time.This has so many ways to express my creative side that is screaming to get out. Help!!!!!
I’ve got to admit, most of the reason I want this book is because of the buzz, but even if I’m not sure if I’d make any of the projects, step-by-step process stuff always inspires me
I would love to win this book!
i’d love this book! it a fabulous excuse for me to spend my spring nights crafting!
I would love this book. I love to sew, mostly by hand to keep my mind still! Would love to look at these projects and make some for gifts. I find the best gifts are the ones you make!
Thank you!
I am just getting back into sewing after many years. Would love to start my way back with this book. Thanks.
Both the tote bag and the mushroom containers are *SO* my cup of tea.
This book looks amazing!
I would very much love to win this book! My best friend and I are starting a weekly to monthly craft group to bring together some of our creative college classmates, make new friends, eat good food, and let our creativity be outletted into creative, fun, and cute projects! We are all art majors that need some alternative inspiration from what we can find in our art books, we crave the ability to not only express ourself in graphic and digital media, but also hands on projects such as sewing, crafting, knitting, and ceramic works. It would be a great addition to our creative minds!