Klutz - Sew Mini Treats product reviews

I've seen Klutz products before but this is my first time experiencing one of their kits first hand. I was drawn to it by the super cute pictures on the front and while hand stitching isn't one of my strong points, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a play with this product. I'm a crafty person and I like to keep my hands busy, especially in the evenings when I'm watching mindless TV, so this kit was perfect for me.

The kit includes the instruction book and everything you need to complete each project minus a couple of household products - pen and scissors. I was also extremely happy to see that they had the eyes and cheeks pre-cut. If you have ever tried cutting tiny uniform circles out of felt before then you'll know that it is extremely frustrating if not impossible.

I'm a dive in head first and hope for the best kind of person but for the purpose of this review I restrained myself and started at the beginning. The first project in the book is for a super cute donut. I don't recommend skipping it especially if you're new to hand stitching as it is the project with the most detailed instructions and contains useful skills for completing the other projects. That being said, the book frequently directs you back to certain key pages just in case you need a reminder of how to do something.

There's a great selection of projects to choose from varying in both difficulty and detail. The finished items are small and took a while for me to complete but they turned out so cute. It does require a good bit of concentration and dexterity to keep your stitches neat and even as they are visible on the outside of the project and I thought that the instructions were a little vague on the amount of stuffing required for each project - some items definitely require more or less stuffing than others.

This kit would make a really neat gift for a crafty person or young teenager. I'll definitely be checking out some of Klutz's other kits both for myself and for giving as gifts.

Klutz products are favourites of mine. I love the way that they teach new skills or help develop the skills you already have. As a child, I learned some basic hand and machine sewing skills. I won't say that I am amazing but I can get two pieces of material to join together with a bit of cotton! When I saw the "Sew Mini Treats" by Klutz, I thought that it would be a lot of fun and I was sure I would learn something along the way.

The kit has got everything that you need to be able to complete the projects (with the acceptation of a a few househould items such as scissors and a pen). The book is attached to the box with the supplies in. This is helpful for storage while you are completing the projects. Once you have finished with the supplies, there is the option of carefully peeling the box off the back in order to leave you with the book for future use. The supplies in the box are easy to purchase from local craft stores (or even $2 type shops). With this in mind, the book can be useful to either pass on to someone when you have finished or use again to recreate the projects in the book over and over.

The first project in the book is the donut. It is recommended to start with that one as it gives the skills necessary to continue with the other projects. It is also the most comprehensive with de4tailed instructions. The projects further on in the book have more simple instructions and assume some base knowledge from the initial project. The illustrations and text work well together to help guide you through the creation of each project. The more I created, the more I just wanted to keep going. I think I will have to limit it to one project a night. It seems to take me about an hour to complete each project. Of course, someone with better and fathers sewing skills than me could do it quicker and I am sure I will get quicker as I continue through the book. I think that most children who would like to try the kit would need to be at least eight years old. This is because the fine motor skills required to cut, stitch etc may not be developed enough in a younger child.

I had a friend round for dinner last night and she decided that she wanted to make the cupcake. She did this without doing the donut first. She was able to follow through the instructions and would flick back to the relevant pages to work out how to do the eyes etc. She approached things a bit differently to me. She likes to measure things and she used a ruler when a measurement was suggested in the book, whereas I just estimated the measurements.

As I was about to choose the second project to make, I realised that the letter of the week at my daughter's kindy is the letter 'i'. Each week they can bring in things that start with the letter of the week to share. Of course I had to make the icecream and ice block (called a popsicle in the book). The kids and the teachers loved them at kindy. This coming week I am going to make the lemon and the lime. Many people I have shown the creations to have been very impressed by this Klutz kit and I think that they are likely to want to try it for themselves.

When I use a Klutz kit, I am always inspired as to what I could make next. My imagination runs wild with thoughts. The great thing about kits like this is that you learn the skills to then move on to your own creations. My thought is that it would be great to create my own templates for Christmas ornaments or perhaps an alphabet set. This was a fun kit to use and I am going to continue enjoying it as we move into the winter months.