In my spare time, I teach drama classes for children. I decided that wasn't enough chaos this summer and added a craft club to my class lineup. It gave me the chance to put together some easy DIY crafts for kids. It's good practice for when my toddlers are old enough to do more than color on my walls, right?
I intended this project to be an easy no-sew fleece doll sized blanket, but the kids decided they wanted to make pillows instead. I usually have a vast amount of polyester stuffing on hand, so I said...sure, why not? So, technically you can make it either way. Stuff it for a doll-sized pillow craft, or leave it without stuffing and it makes a great little blanket. Or - make one of each and you'll have a matching set!
Here's the supply list.
-2 pieces of coordinating fleece fabric. Mine measured 14.5"x16.5" each.
-Polyfill or another type of stuffing
-Scissors
-Ruler or Measuring Tape
Start by cutting a 2" square out of each corner. It's up to you if you prefer to do all four as the first step (as I did), or if you prefer to cut them as you go. Either way works fine.
Cut 2" square from each corner, on both pieces of fabric. |
Fleece pieces with corners cut out. |
Next, cut strips that are about 1" wide by 2" tall all the way across each side of the fabric.
They don't have to be exactly even, but you can measure them if you want. The important thing is to stay right at 2" tall - if you cut more than that, you'll end up with an odd-shaped pillow. I cut both pieces of fabric at the same time to keep them the same size.
Two layers of fabric with strips cut. |
Once all the strips are cut, it's time to start tying! This part is a little time consuming, but really simple. Just take one strip from each fabric and tie them in a double knot.
Finished corner. |
Keep tying your way around the pillow. I plan to pull out this craft for birthday parties when the kids want to watch movies - it's a great way to keep their hands occupied.
Three sides done. |
Tie three complete sides and most of the fourth, as well (unless you're making a blanket - then just tie them all up). For the pillow, leave 2-4 pieces untied to allow for stuffing.
Stuff the pillow through the hole, then tie up the remaining pieces. And, boom! You're done!
Note: if you are making this for very young kids, it might be better to use a pillow form as the stuffing may escape through the holes in the pillow. The tighter you tie the strips, the less likely you will have stuffing escape. The kids I made this craft with thought it was fantastic and didn't care in the least that they could poke their fingers through to the stuffing inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment