I have been "friends" with Kajsa Wikman online for a long time now and have been following the
Syko blog since 2006 when I started my own Etsy shop. I love that I have gotten to know a lot of amazing people through Etsy and flickr, so I was really looking forward to this craft book.
Scandinavian Stitches leaves little to be desired. It's organized by season which allows for a lovely spread separating each section of projects. It's nice to have a little bit of breathing room.
Like most craft books, it's got useful information at the beginning. The patterns are hand-drawn and right after each tutorial so you don't have to go hunting them down in the back of the book. There is a lot of variety in the types of projects too, from her signature mix of applique quilting which has come to be known as Interactive Piecing to some useful 3-dimensional items.
It's hard to comment on what level this book is intended to reach. I think the projects are simple enough for most beginners but I also feel that to make anything look as good as she does, it takes a lot of practice. It's not easy to make things look so effortless!
If you have time, check out Kajsa's
Etsy shop and
Spoonflower designs. Her work is just lovely and maybe one day, I'll be able to actually buy one of her Tomte stuffies!
