Sewing is the new shopping. In these cash-strapped times it's more fun to get together with friends and stitch something handmade and special, whether for yourself or a friend, than to go out and spend that hard-earned money - plus to be given a gift that someone has created and spent time making is always heart-warming. Following the huge success of last year's MAKE!, Cath Kidston has now put together a treasure trove of fabulous simple projects for stitchers to get their needles into - bags, clothes, soft toys and many more - and all designed to be made with her popular printed fabrics. As an inspirational kick-start, Cath is giving away with the book a length of a unique fabric specially printed for the book, together with handles, a label and button to make up into a bag. The book itself is packed with 48 projects with full instructions to make a range of fun and useful things, divided into sections on Home, Babies, Bags, Clothes, Accessories and Gifts. All the sewing techniques are clearly explained in an introductory section so that even an absolute beginner can be sure of success, together with details of how to embroider, applique and adorn your items in other ways. Stunning photographs, colourful contemporary design and step-by-step pictures make everything absolutely clear and user-friendly. The book also contains trace paper with cut-out patterns.