I love squeezing time into my busy schedule to get crafty with my eleven year old daughter Jessica. She is always looking for something to do and I have found it pays to have crafting inspiration easily accessible because deciding what to do, and finding the right supplies, is often the most time consuming part of the creative process. So I was delighted to receive a copy of the Kids' crafternoon felting book. The minute Jessica laid eyes on it she got excited - but unfortunately I had a little too much to do at the time and promised her we would get to it during the holidays.
Well that wasn't nearly good enough for a keen crafty girl and to my delight she took charge of the situation herself, went off and found my box of felt bits and pieces, along will some embroidery cotton, ribbon and glue and proceeded to produce some very cute bookmarks, and quirky pencil toppers called Eraser Heads.
I loved the fact she could do these independently. Later on during the holidays we did have a couple of book inspired crafting sessions. This first one involved making our own piece of felt using wool roving.
This was great fun involving a lot of water, liquid soap, bubblewrap and elbow grease. We were making thin pieces of felt to create wrist cuffs but got addicted to the felt making process and started adding pieces of cotton and wool and anything else that was on hand, and making different shapes and sizes... Jess also made little felt balls for the Magic Balls and Sweet Felt Acorn projects.
The next session we had was making up little Plush Pins. Mine is the rain drop and Jessica stitched the Rain Cloud.
We still have plenty of untapped inspiration waiting for us in the pages of this book and it will be a while yet before it finds it's way into the bookcase permanently. I definitely want to have a play with the Zombie Critter Charms pattern - maybe one day when Jess is at School...
There are a few more photos in the Kids crafternoon felting photo album.
More information:
Title: Kids' crafternoon felting - 25 projects for a crafty afternoon
Edited by Kathleen Ricketson
This is a spiral bound hardcover book with 127 pages including detailed instructions to create 25 projects as well as a section on Tools and Materials, and Basic Techniques. It has a pocket of paper templates that are FULL-SIZED. Yay! No enlarging on the photocopier.
You can purchase it from your local bookseller, online at Fishpond (currently on sale at NZ$27.99 plus free shipping in NZ), or through Amazon. I have placed links on the middle column to take you through to the correct pages.
ISBN:9781742700441
Fiona and Jess xx
You almost make me wish I had grand kids to be crafting with - almost. Lovely work Jessica.
Thoughts are with you all down there in this sad week of remembrance.
Love Glenys
Posted by: Glenys Wild | February 20, 2012 at 11:13 AM