1 comments about Madame Alexander: 2005 Collector's Dolls Price Guide (Madame Alexander Collector's Dolls Price Guide).

1. Excellent, concise, up-to-date

5 comments about Toy Tips: A Parent's Essential Guide to Smart Toy Choices.

1. I'm a stay at home dad who bought toys for my 5 kids this Christmas. I bought this book to learn how to choose and what kinds and types are better to buy. This book gave me the confidence I needed to figure out what toys were best for Lilly, Max, Zoe, Kate and Nick versus what they asked for (Xbox and Ipod, Barbie and My Little Pony) I made some good choices and I was pleased that they actually play with them. It seemed we have so many toys from last year that are just sitting in the playroom. I really like the chapter that talks about family board games. I never really thought about this before and now we play games every friday night (weeknights are out because of homework, ballet practice and swimming!) My wife thinks I am a genius and I'm never telling her this book helped me but I think it can help other guys like me so I felt compelled to write this review for all the other dads out there like me!



2. I am a pediatrician living in Ireland. A friend of mine in the United States told me about this book that he uses as a reference to help his patients with toy-related questions (categories of toys appropriate by developmental age, safety, etc.) He bought me a copy for Christmas. After reading this book, I realized that not only is this book helpful to parents but also to physicians. Toy safety and selection is not a course that is taught in medical school and this book is ideal for all pediatricians. I am familiar with other toy-rating and toy-suggestion books published and none come close to the detail and amount of research put into this book. If anyone is looking for a gift for their pediatician, this is IT!



3. I read this review from Fagan (below) and have to add to it. I am an emergency room nurse and we see many toy-related injuries. Most could have been prevented. I think if parents took the time to understand the importance of buying age-appropriate toys and then took the time to play with their children, we might see less accidental injuries. I bought a copy to keep at the hospital for our health care workers who will benefit from reading this book. It's nice to see two authors who care so much about what they write about. Thank you to Ms. Marianne Szymanski and Ms. Ellen Neuborne.



4. I can't stop reading this book! Each chapter is better than the previous one and there is SO much I learned about toys. I'm pregnant with my first child and my mom bought me this book as a gift. She told me that I need to know everything about toys now so I do not make the same mistakes as my siblings who bought way too many toys that my nieces and nephews rarely play with. This is an amazing resource for preschool and kindergarten teachers too and the best part is that this book does not dictate what toys are the best. The reader is left to decide that based on what the authors have taught you. It's really a parenting book and class all in one! They have a website too.... toytips.com lists tons of toy reviews based on research for you to review. I LOVE that! I've looked at other websites that have reviews and opinions of a few parents and their experiences with specific toys but this is so much better than that! Great find. Great buy! Thanks, Mom!



5. I received a tip about this book from my daughter's preschool teacher. They use it for school and when I picked it up, I expected this to be a teacher's manual. It does have lots of education material and should be a class! My husband and I enjoyed the funny little stories and I really got some great tips on the kinds of toys to buy for our preschool daughter and her newborn sister. Already, we have more toys that we probably need but this is a great guide to help us as the girls get older and then ask for everything. It really helps you put a value on the dollars you spend on toys these days. This is a great book for first time parents to read before they start toy shopping. There is a great chapter about technology toys.

No comments about Tiny Treasures (Quilters Workshop).

No comments about Classic Knits for Girl Dolls.

No comments about Easy-to-Make Dollhouse Quilts (Dover Needlework Series).

4 comments about Famous Couples Fashion Doll Patterns: 20 Patterns.

1. The new Hazel McMahon book of patterns for 15" dolls, Famous Couples Fashion Doll Patterns, just arrived. It is a 2003 imprint, and you can smell the fresh ink.

   I have her Period and Contemporary Patterns for Fashion Dolls, but this features mostly costumes of Gene's period - 1930s-1950s - which means there are similar Simplicity and Vogue patterns. I enjoyed the book, picked up some good ideas, but have only used a few of the patterns, which work well. And, of course, I haven't yet sewn from this one at all.

   However, I have looked through it, and it is a hoot. McMahon takes 10 famous couples from fact and fiction, and designs costumes that would be appropriate for them. Her couples range from Cleopatra and Marc Antony to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. For most of the costumes, she is inspired by movies about these characters, or ones set in their period. She tries to be faithful to history in designing her costumes: the Lauren Bacall suit is almostidentical to one Bacall wears in a photograph. She also gives "bonuses": photographs of variations on her costumes and a description of how to do the variation, which means there are actually more than 20 costumes available. As in her last book, her accessories are a particularly wonderful bonus: hats and purses for the gals, and boots and sandals for the male doll.

   As in her previous book, McMahon's illustrations are very clear. Her instructions seem vague when you read them, which can make a project seem a little daunting. However, I found that in her previous book, what you needed to do became very clear as you went through the project. Although McMahon has designs rated for beginners, I think her presentation might scare them off.

   McMahon designs for all the 15" and 16" fashion dolls, and has various dolls modeling various costumes, with some astute judgment (I mean, Madra would just have to be Wallis Simpson). She cautions readers in the intro that, although all the costumes can be made for all the popular dolls, if you want to make a costume for one doll that is modeled by another, you must be very careful to cut extra margin, and to fit it on your own doll. But then she doesn't indicate which doll is modeling a particular costume, and it can be hard to guess, in particular in the case of dolls that seem to have been custom painted.

   While the fact that there are many female dolls in this size range muddies that issue, the opposite happens for the male dolls. There is only one male doll currently available, and costumers can only hope that, as other male fashion dolls in this size come on the market, they will have the same dimensions.

   McMahon rates her costumes for difficulty. Her patterns are not full size, and need to be enlarged on a photocopier - but, as she points out in her introduction, this means she was able to put in an additional 4 patterns. I enjoyed looking at this book very much, and am a confident enough sewer to expect to try and succeed with the patterns. In particular, I am very pleased that McMahon provides costume patterns for these dolls that are most original, and very different from the ones available at the fabric store.




2. I read rave reviews for this book (and also for her other book)but my question is "has anybody really tried Ms. McMahon's patterns?!" because if you have I doubt the reviews would be as stellar as they are. There are mistakes in this book -- very basic is the seam allowance which is 5/8" or 1.5 cm. This is too large and it does not work! Also, there are steps which are missing in some of the instructions. Either that or she is assuming that we are all experts sewers. Many times, also parts do not fit properly into each other. I just wonder if she used the same patterns to create the outfits shown in the photos. It is really very frustrating to be inspired by the nice-looking photos and not be able to make them properly for yourself.



3. I own both of Hazel McMahon's books and have enjoyed making some of the outfits. I especially love this one because, 1. I'm a sucker for period costumes, 2. I'm also a sucker for romance and 3. There are costumes for my men dolls (Trent, other males have come out since this book was published).
   I was surprised to read the other review putting this book down. It's always a good idea to fit the pattern before you sew since different materials can make a big difference when sewing in such a small scale. You can always email Hazel for questions if you are having a problem with a pattern.



4. I had good intentions when I had purchased this book, (a year ago) but I have YET to make anything from the pattern book. Lots of interesting ideas, but nothing that really stood out and grabbed me. I'm more of an era clothing designer and was hoping for more ideas/patterns for 1950's clothing for my Gene Doll. Some of the outfits were very creative, but the patterns NEED to be ENLARGED.
   
   Here are some pointers for those seeking additional doll patterns/designs. You can take virtually ANY pattern and enlarge or shrink by placing them over a scanner and printing from your printer. I've recently taken a Barbie pattern and had it enlarged for a Tyler Wentworth doll. Very easy. If you don't own a printer, you could do this at a printing shop very cheap. Also, mix/matching pattern pieces works well too. Perhaps there is a doll pattern that you enjoy, but you want to shorten the sleeves or add a medieval twist, etc. You can always switch out the sleeves of another pattern.
   
   Either way, the book has some good examples, but I wasn't too impressed with the patterns offered or the book as a whole. Considering the book has been collecting dust on my shelf, SPEAKS VOLUMES.

No comments about BRITISH TIN TOYS.

1 comments about Designing and Making Rocking Horses.

1. I purchased this book for my father for a gift and he absolutely loves it. He sat down immediately and started to read the book and plan out how he was going to make his first rocking horse. The book is filled with so many pictures and great illustration. If you are interested in learning how to make the rocking horses, this is the book to buy. My dad loves it and I can't wait to see his finished product!

3 comments about The Art of Making Beautiful Fashion Doll Shoes: "From Beginning to Last".

1. I make and design clothes for the Madame Alexander doll Cissy and have always been frustrated with the scarcity/lack of selection/high price of shoes that I can buy for this doll. So, when I saw this book advertised in one of the many doll magazines I browse monthly, I knew I had to have it. The instructions are fairly easy to follow though sometimes the photographs showing the various steps are not located on the page facing the written instruction (the sole reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5). The instructions for making a permanent last were very helpful. This book contains patterns for lasts & shoes for Cissy and Gene in particular, but the instructions and methods in this book could be applied to many dolls though I wouldn't recommend it for people wanting to make anything for Barbie. There are also instructions for making molds for heels (if you have a high-heeled doll like Cissy or Gene). Following these instructions, I successfully made my first pair of shoes, and, because I made them myself, I was able to customize them to the outfit I had made. A great book for making shoes for dolls for whom you cannot cheaply and easily buy decent shoes.



2. I really loved this book. I have no experience in creating clothing for my 15½" Franklin Mint fashion dolls & the shoes that came with the dolls are a major disappointment. I hope to be able to rectify that soon with my husband's help in creating lasts & molds.

   I gave the book 4 stars because, although the creation & design processes are detailed very thoroughly, there is a dearth of good photos of finished shoes. Many of the shoes that are shown tend to be somewhat hidden under the hem of a doll's outfit, the folds of artistically draped fabric, or the lid of a colorful candy box.

   As suggestions for a second edition: If I could re-edit this book, I would add more finished shoes, add patterns for other popular fashion dolls (such as Franklin Mint vinyls,) & change the typeface font to something less fussy, with full margin justification.




3. This book is pretty on the inside and outside. Lots of colored photos. Plenty of photos of the shoes they have made and who they were made for. But no patterns to go with any of them except two. Very involved detailed process for making the solid shape to build your shoes upon. Brief explanations of various shoes over the centuries is nice, but don't expect to be able to design a shoe from many of the line drawings of shoes. The drawings are crude with no variations for each time period. They are not in color and mention no fabrics or popular colors for the time period. Nice glossary of tools used, shoe parts and techniques. There are 8 sources where you can purchased parts, etc. And last but not least there is a nice full page plug for the new upcoming book. I gave a three because the book is pretty, photos done nicely and process explanations were clear.

No comments about The Paper Airplane Book The Official Book of the Second Great International Paper Airplane Contest.