Pretty Little Presents (Lark Books, $17.59 US, $23.50 CAN) is a compilation of 29 gift-related sewing projects created by 17 different designers. As the title indicates, each project is “little,” which for the most part means not overly time intensive or involved.

Many of the projects can be recreated using scraps such as the “I Heart You Coasters,” “All Buttoned Up” napkin rings, and the “Keep Your Place” book mark. Other projects use a minimal amount of fabric, so phat quarters are ideal if you are like me and enjoy collecting those for your fabric stash.

When I picked this title from the book club I joined, I anticipated that I would probably want to make most of the projects, but after looking it over, I can’t really say that. I could see myself maybe finding the desire to making about half of them, which isn’t too bad. Now, this is me. If you are the type of person that needs to make lots of small gifts (for the baby sitter, teacher, house keeper, third cousin once removed), you may have a different opinion.

The main appeal of this book for me were the simple projects that would probably not take much time, especially for anyone with some sewing skill. For those who haven’t sewn very much, the projects aren’t too difficult, though the instructions may not be enough for the total newbie.

If you were thinking of paying full price for this, my suggestion is to check it out in person at a book store first.