Some Chapter Headings:
Create something FUN with paint and markers!
Make some FUN with paper!
Let’s have some holiday FUN!
Go outside and find some FUN!
Sculpt some FUN with clay and beads!
Try something new (it’ll be FUN!)

I liked:

• The supply list listed on page 7.
• The “out-of-the-box” ideas for everyday objects.
• The easy watercolor techniques. (I even trust the 3-year-old to do these.)
• The idea of using kitchen utensils as stampers (page 62-63).
• The “Good Manners Napkins” (page128-129)
• That the book has ideas for young children as well as for middle schoolers.

My dislikes:
None really.

Conclusion:
While not actually a sewing reference, I do think this is a great tool for inspiring creativity in children. This book outlines some great beginning techniques that children can learn. From these, the creative possibilities are only limited by the child (and how big a mess Mom will tolerate!).

Would I buy it for myself (and my kids)? I probably wouldn’t have picked it up for my kids, but Mom gave it to them. We love it. I especially love the fact that their are some techniques that are appropriate for the Little Man as well as my Big Girl.

Sunday…we picked pears …and more pears

Monday… I taught sewing and thought about the pears.

Saturday…we played with Charlie and I ignored the pears.

Sunday…I quit!!!! Yes, you do still see pears in the background (another 15 pounds or so).

75 Pounds of Pears = 12 quarts canned pears + 8 pints canned pears + 5 pints pear butter + 4 half-pints pear preserves + 1 pint pear preserves + 15 pounds left over pears

Some Chapter Headings:
Minutes to Organize
Fast Fashion Elements
Serging, the Ultimate Time Saver
Super-Quick Knits
Elastics–Fast and Fun to Sew
Needle Know-How and Feet Smarts
Begin to Sew

I liked:

• The idea that I don’t have to spend a whole day to do some worthwhile sewing.
• The tip about using a recipe card file to keep track of alterations for yourself and others you sew for.
• That she writes out this tip (I knew this, but I’m not sure how I knew it, so seeing it in writing was reassuring that I was doing it correctly): “When you are sewing together 2 fabric pieces of different lengths, stitch with the longer layer down (next to the feed dogs of the sewing machine) and the shorter layer up (next to the presser foot). The feed dogs will gently and evenly ease the longer layer to meet the shorter layer.” (page 25)
• The great introduction to a serger.
• The “Seams Great Elastic Casing” ( I wish I’d used this on this dress.)
• Her “Favorite Gathering Method” (page 133) that uses a zig–zag stitch rather than 2 rows of basting stitches.

My dislikes:

• Some of the fashion ideas are a little dated.
• Her centered zipper instructions (pages 35-36) didn’t work for me.

Conclusion:
This book works to dispel the notion that “I have no time to sew”. As she points out in her introduction, so much of sewing is the prep and the pressing, rather then the actual time stitching a seam. With that in mind, it becomes easy to take a project and break down into smaller steps that fit much better into a crazy, busy lifestyle.

On a side note, McCalls patterns are now offering some “10,20,30 to Sew” patterns that are supposed to have Zieman’s tips include in the instructions. I haven’t looked at them, but I’d be interested in knowing if they break the project down into smaller steps like the book suggests.

Would I buy it for myself? I probably would have never chosen it for myself, simply because the book screams 1990! However, I grabbed it off Mom’s shelf on a lazy weekend at her house and discovered the tips. I still haven’t returned it. Oops!

Would I buy the book for a beginner? I think a beginner could benefit from this book, particularly if she is having trouble finding the time to start and finish her new projects. Plus, the elastics and serger chapters are great for trying new techniques.