First of all let me get the legal information out of the way. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Creative Publishing International, at no cost to me.

Now that that's done I have to say Palm-Size Softies, Patterns and Ideas for 44 Stuffed Pets and Dolls That Fit in the Palm of Your Hand, by Hitomi Takahashi, Mikiko Matsui and Akemi Tsubo, is an absolutely delightful, fun book. As soon as it came in the mail my Mother-in-Law and I started turning pages. We were both oohing and aahing over how cute and adorable all the stuffed dolls and pets are. What makes them even better is that they are all sized to fit in the palm of your hand and range in size from about 2 inches to 7 inches. These are the perfect size to attach to your bag or cell phone, or carry in your pocket. What fun!

The photos of all the little dolls are lovely and there are included some items to give a sense of size, such as a pack of gum or a tea cup! They are all so cute, but I think my favorites are the Chihuahuas, the Pugs and the Cutie fashion dolls.

These dolls, as shown, or made according to the directions, are not safe for children under age three because of tiny button eyes and noses as well as other tiny, removable parts. This is the only problem I see with the designs, and this can be changed if you want to make a small friend for a toddler, to make it safer, such as embroidering the faces and stitching the small parts of the outfits to the dolls.

All the designs include full size patterns and detailed instructions. There is also a page with photos of the tools required and a page of embroidery how-tos. The book does not require any advanced sewing skills, instructions are even given for how to transfer the patterns to fabric.

This book is a great choice for doll lovers both as a resource for ideas and just for the fun of looking at all the tiny creations. Many of the little dolls include patterns and instructions for clothes, which make them that much more fun.

The book is not yet available, but can be pre-ordered from Amazon, your favorite book store, or ask your local library to order it.


Making and Dressing Cloth Dolls
Ebook with patterns and instructions to make 5 cloth dolls as well as chapters on general doll making techniques.The book includes 21 inch Lalena Doll, 21 inch David Doll, Bear Dolls, 9 inch Destiny Doll and 15 inch Annie Doll, all together in one handy book. 53 pages.Making and Dressing Cloth Dolls