Fiber Arts

Fabric is one of my favorite materials to use with kids. It is such a versatile material to use with kids and luckily we have so many amazing families who donate gorgeous fabric for our kids. It's a material that is suitable for any age. From age 2 to age 10 here are some fiber arts projects for kids.

In our family classes for ages 2 and 3 most of our projects are process oriented exploring the potential of the materials, but every once in a while I like to make something that is more instructional. This octopus kite made from fabric is a wonderful example. It has an active life after it's made. The kids have such a great time dancing and playing with it.

I gave the kids circular cut fabrics that were stapled together (which is so much easier than sewing it) but with an opening so they could add fluffy stuffing before they painted on it. After painting it the parents then stapled on the fabric tentacles that the kids chose.

I stapled on another strip of fabric at the top and tied it to a dowel and voila an octopus kite it made.

For ages 4 and 5 we used fabric with paper maché goop to make little hot air balloons. The fabric made them so colorful with all those different patterns and colors. This is just paper maché on a blown up balloon. The kids wove string and fabric into a plastic berry basket on the bottom. 

This is such a great decoration for any kids room and they can play with it, adding figures to the basket. 

For ages 6-10 we used fabric strips to weave into a gown in our Fashion Lab. The girls chose their fabrics, cut or ripped them into strips and then warped and wefted their way into these amazing gowns. We left long strips hanging down to make whimsical bottoms of the dress.

Making of the gowns is a fantastic process for the kids but the fashion show is an incredible experience for everyone. We invite families and friends to see the kid's creations. 

 Happy weaving!!!