Simple Patchwork Projects: 20 Animal-Themed Projects to Sew & Quilt

Smith’s 20 animal-themed designs offer cheerful projects for the home that are irrefutably cute and graphically sophisticated. Smith (Proggy Menagerie) links her designs to the English paper-pieced patchwork she learned as a child. Instead of the basic hexagon, she creates animal-shaped pieces so geometric that sometimes they don’t always immediately register as the shape of an animal. Smith uses a silhouette Scottie dog motif for bolster pillow cover, while a herd of sheep come together to create a play mat for a child’s nursery. There’s a delightful cow teapot cover and a practical angelfish brush roll to keep one’s makeup brushes organized. Smith helpfully labels each project by skill level; there are a handful of easy projects like the tote bag with a row of Labradors at the bottom, but most of the projects are intermediate. The written instructions are clear and broken into steps that are augmented by Neil Reid’s photographs at every step. The last section covers techniques—tools, fabrics, and template tips—for cutting, basting, fastening, and embroidering. Smith calls out sewists’ inner M.C. Escher to take patchwork skills to a new level. (May)