Children at Craft

Children seem naturally drawn to handwork, creating. Whether they are constructing caves and houses from mud, drawing, painting or coloring, gluing and cutting paper or stringing beads,when a child realizes they can create with their own two hands something that simply wasn't there before, it's such a magical experience and they crave more.
My six year old has recently taken up finger knitting, simple chains for now. I taught her how to do it last year but she wasn't ready to focus and frequently 'forgot' how to do it in the middle of a stitch. She asked to be taught again a week or so ago and now she she sits quietly for an hour more, knitting away. After she gets dressed and eats breakfast in the morning she wants to know if she can knit. So far, she has made many bracelets for everyone in the family and has made long lengths we will tie together for the solstice tree this year. Next we'll move on to four finger, finger knitting.
When she's not knitting she and her little sister pull out every craft supply they know they are allowed to have and craft for hours. Currently it's the thing to do in our house. Paper, glue, stickers, crayons, popsicle sticks, stamps, beads.... It is one big happy and creative mess.
I believe it is there in all of us, this desire to make something, anything. Sometimes not so obvious as the child hard at work with glue and scissors, but it remains. Perhaps it is our own divine nature, the creator in us that drives us to build and shape, and children are so very close to that nature.
Their crafting sessions get pretty chaotic and there are always stickers stuck to the floor and tiny bits of paper shredded everywhere. But in using their hands they're learning so much. They're learning there is value in what they can make themselves, they're learning that if they can dream it they can make it come true. They're are learning that their world is not built by what they can buy or by what others can do for them but by what they can do and make for themselves. And that the world does not only consist of what can be explained and reasoned but of what they can imagine. When we create, the world is what we make of it!
We will begin our first year of home school this year with my six year old. But crafting will not be taking a back seat to academics. It will actually come front and center this year as I allow her to stretch her imagination like a muscle in training. This creative thinking and concentration will be the perfect foundation for later studies.
Let them craft! They will amaze you with what they come up with.

Article by Julie of This Cosy Life

Knitting a Community

Every Tuesday my mom and I go to meet up with our knitting circle. It consists of a group of six ladies, more or less. Most weeks it's not all six of us. We each have our families and responsibilities that keep us away some of the time.
Nancy is a senior citizen and she has been pre- diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Her speech is labored and she is often difficult to understand. But it's well worth it to listen closely. She is so full of life. Makes one think the 'Golden Years' really are the best years of our life!
Tammy and my mom are about the same age, have grown children and grandchildren. They're both so full of wonderful advice for a young mother like myself. Tammy is an avid knitter but my mom is just learning. I try very hard to remain patient!
Katy is a little younger than those two. She's a single woman, no children but loves her dogs like they are her children! She's very crafty and sews tea towels for her little Etsy shop. Katy is moving to Wilmington North Carolina today, to be near the beach. She will be missed.
And then there is myself and my friend Alison. We're both mothers in our 30's. She's married, I'm separated. She sews handbags and pouches, I knit toys. She doesn't knit.. at all. But she sometimes brings along a project, or just comes and talks and drinks coffee.
And we all talk, and knit (or crochet, or hand sew, or just talk). We talk about our families and our work. About fiber and knitting and selling crafts. We talk about new babies and grown 'babies' and family troubles. We talk about transitions and longings. About new adventures and old habits and songs we are fond of and contestants on television shows.
We are all different and yet a common bond, a humanity and need for community bring us together... through craft. Through working with our hands and creativity.
In the end, we've got a little knitting done (or not), but we walk away with much, much more.

For Love of Dolls

This past weekend I got to spend 3 wonderful days with a fellow team mate, Dayanara from Pin Pon. We spent our time crafting, eating yummy food, and watching crazy reality TV. When the rest of the family was asleep D. and I would spend hours talking and crafting.

Free Form Cutting

An Artist at work

Watching her hands work as she lovingly brought the dolls to life was magical. We shared fabric and collaborated on combination of colors, so much fun! I loved to see her work with just an idea in her head... no pattern just free form cutting. Almost as if the doll had already been in the fabric and she was setting it free.

Finished Doll, Miss Kitty

D. dog guarding the supplies

The following day we had great fun setting up a photo shot with the kids. My daughter had the best day getting to do dress changes, she was in princess heaven! The boys and dogs got in on the action  too and we all had a great time. At the end the we all promised to do it all again!!

D. setting up the shot. Swing Top by Imogen's Garden

Apron by Pin Pon

Rainbow Playsilk by The EnchantedCupboard

Post by Beccijo of The Enchanted Cupboard

What's New, and, Well Natural from the Natural Kids Team on Etsy

Welcome! I continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most wonderful and imaginative treasures. They are all handmade with natural materials from...yes! the NaturalKids Team on Etsy! This week, we feature wonderful variety of artist from who have one thing in common - they all work with natural materials!

Darial Lvovski hails all the way from Israel. She is a wonderful needle felter using eco wool and is the mother to three girls. In her shop you will see "only a tiny part of an amazing world populated by the little beings I create. My works have become the ultimate toys for my own children and the children of my friends. " Here is her One of a kind needle felted wool collectible, Pig Soft Sculpture.

Dad's Wooden Toys from Grand Rapids, Michigan is not only a wonderful craftsman of eco-friendly wooden toys, but a wonderful poet as well. Here is how he describes how he got going on behalf of his children..."I want the best for them all/and that's how I started rolling this ball/The toys everywhere made noise and light/but I think the kids not the toys should be bright/So my wife and I were searching to find/toys that were natural and good for their mind." Here is his Great Dane Wooden toy.

Cute Little Thing, is from Farmingdale, Long Island. She took her genetic predisposition for “cute,” a bachelors of fine arts degree in interior design, an absolute love for natural materials and designing with them, to create the tools, and kits and more for “cute little thing.” Cute Little Barn Owl Needle Felting Kit DIY

Those are the featured new items for this week, from one of a kind needle felted treasures, to natural wooden toys to do-it-yourself kits, all from natural materials and from the hands of folks who love nature, children and open ended toys. This is just a small sample of the quality and variety our customers enjoy from the fine crafters and artists of the NaturalKids team.

Thanks for joining us this week and please do return again next Monday as we continue to feature all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on Etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.

Warmly,
Rebecca aka Nushkie
Nushkie on Facebook

Tutorial: Upcycled Easter Baskets

This week's How-To is Tutorial - Upcycled Easter Baskets by Liz, from The Sitting Tree here on the Natural Kids Team. This great basket tutorial makes a wonderful start of the Spring and Easter themed tutorials I plan to do in the upcoming weeks. It is a perfect size for a child to tote around their natural toys or as a basket for Easter goodies!

Tutorial - Upcycled Easter Baskets:

Looking for an all~natural, eco~friendly alternative to the standard toxic easter baskets you find on the shelves of the big box stores? Make your own this year out of recycled clothing!

Materials::

1 linen skirt/top at least 18" wide (or any thin fabric) for the lining

1 thick wool felted sweater/blanket at least 18" wide for the body

Directions::

1. Cut out a square 18" x 18". Then in each of the 4 corners, cut out a 6" square. You'll end up with an x shape. The middle square will be the bottom of the basket, and the outside pieces will fold up to make the sides!

2. Now bring your neighboring corners together. Pin and sew all four edges together.

Repeat these steps again with the thick wool fabric.

3. Cut out two pieces of linen 2.5" x 5" for the handles. Press each edge to

the middle and then press the whole thing in half again. Sew them closed.

4. With right sides together, match up the corners and pin lining to the body.

Pin the handles upside down, in between the two fabrics. Do the same thing on the opposite side. Sew along the edge of THREE SIDES ONLY {Make sure to include both handled edges in three sides ~ I didn't of course!}

Next, take out all your pins and turn the basket right side out. Press your top seam flat and adjust the lining. Hand sew the opening closed and you're done! {My wool was so thick that the top seam didn't want to stay flat so I stitched along the top again to hold it down}

Not just for Spring, these upcycled baskets are great for home organizing and storage too! Fill them with toys, food, or {gasp} yarn!!

Need a few non~toxic, all~natural items to compliment your new basket?? I've added several new Spring items to my shop this week ~ Bunnies, eggs, and a seriously sweet pinafore!

This tutorial is brought to you by Natalie, of Woolhalla

Please visit Liz at her blog The Sitting Tree where you can see her original post and get to know her better and "for stories about my life as a wife to my best friend, proud mama of three homeschooled boys, obsessed knitter and lover of Mother Earth"

Visit her Etsy shop at The Sitting Tree "handmade, free spirited design".

Tutorial - Needle Felted Toadstool.

This week's How-To is Tutorial - Needle Felted Toadstool by Donni, from Fairyfolk here on the Natural Kids Team. If you've ever had a chance to check out her blog The Magic Onions then you'll know you're in for a treat with a very detailed tutorial that you can follow even if you've never needle felted before! Enjoy!!

Needle Felted Toadstool:

I am so excited to share a tutorial on needle felting. So many of you have shown interest in giving it a go and I encourage you to dive right in. Those others of you who are hooked will agree, it is such a fun hobby and you'll be amazed at the things you can make. When I picked up my first needle three years ago, I was surprised at how quickly I took to it. One of the things I love most about needle felting is that you can finish a project in one sitting. You can sit down with a basket of wool and be holding a delightful bunny in your hands an hour later. Of course, you can make wonderfully elaborate creations that take hours and hours but you can also make something in twenty minutes too. I like that.

This is a tutorial on how to make sweet, needle felted toadstools... a simple and fast project for beginner needle felting.

Equipment - Needle felting requires three tools; wool roving, a felting needle and a protective foam board.

Wool roving looks like cotton candy. When the sheep is sheered, the fleece is washed and dried and then it is 'carded' - brushed so that all the knots and clumps are brushed out and the fibers of the wool all run the same way. It is then dyed... any wonderful color under the sun :-)
This roving can then be spun into yarn (for knitting) or it can be felted.
The protective foam board is not absolutely necessary but it is definitely recommended when you are learning to needle felt. The needle is very sharp and if you don't have a board upon which to steady your work, you will find yourself painfully stabbed more than once.
The felting needle is about 3 inches long. As I said before, it is very sharp. The tip of the needle has a number of small barbs and it is these barbs that felt the wool. It works because the outer surface of each fiber of wool has tiny, microscopic scales on it. When the fiber is agitated, the scales hook into one another, forming a tighter and tighter mass. The needle works because the barbs of the needle 'grab' the fibers as you stab it into the wool, depositing the fibers deeper into the wool. The little scales on the fibers lock together, ensuring that the fibers stay in their new place. By stabbing the wool hundreds of times with your needle, you have control over the form of your wool and can shape it as you wish. You can see the barbs clearly in this next photo...

To make a toadstool, break off a length of red

wool roving about the length of your hand.

Roll it between your hands as you would

roll a ball of playdough into a snake.

Roll the wool 'snake' into a tight spiral.

The tighter you can get it, the easier it will be to felt.

I find that rolling is key in many of my felting projects... if I can roll the wool

tightly to begin with, I can greatly reduce the time my form takes to felt.

When my red wool has been rolled into a tight spiral, I set it down on the felting board and stab it with the needle many times around the outside of the spiral. Be slow and deliberate with your stabbing in the beginning, and concentrate, please... it hurts like getting an injection when you stab yourself... it's definitely not the end of the world, but it is better avoided :-)

You will soon see that this stabbing holds the wool in

place and your spiral will not unravel if you let it go.

Now for the underside of the toadstool. Set your spiral upright and

stab the top gently many times so that it becomes a nice flat surface.

When your underside is nice and flat, turn your spiral over to what will be the top side of your toadstool. With your thumb and forefinger, gently pull the outside layer of wool a loose, just a little.

Fold this pulled layer over the spiral shape and needle felt it gently.

Continue needle felting it until it is a smooth round dome.

Now for the white spots. Get a small tuft of

white wool roving about the size of your fingernail.

Roll it in the palms of your hands until it becomes a nice firm ball.

Place the white ball onto the red toadstool and needle felt it into the red wool.

Needle felt as many dots as you'd like onto your toadstool.

Now for the toadstool's stalk. Take a piece of white wool as long as your finger and roll it in your hands until it becomes a 'snake' (as before).

Roll it tightly into a spiral (just like you did with your red wool to start your toadstool).

Put the stalk onto the felting board and felt it around

the outside until it is firmly felted and holds its shape.

Leave one end of the stalk fluffy. Gently needle felt the other end of the stalk until it is round.
Place the fluffy end of the stalk onto the underside of your toadstool (the flat side) and attach it by needle felting it into the red wool of the toadstool.

Gently felt around and around the stalk until it if firmly and neatly secured.

Voila! You have made a darling little toadstool!!

For those of you who want to give this a try, I've put together a needle felting toadstool kit and listed it in my shop. In the kit you will get two needle felting needles, a protective foam board and all the red and white wool you will need to make 10 little toadstools (or 4 bigger ones).
I also have beginner's needle felting kits with lots of gorgeously colored wool if you'd prefer to try your hand at something different now that you know how easy it is. And, I have felted rock kits and felted soap kits available too. And, and, I have also put together a kit for making your child a felted playscape which is a fantastic project. So, no excuse not to try needle felting if you aren't already hooked :-) C'mon... it'll be fun!

Happy felting,
Blessings and magic,
Donni

This tutorial is brought to you by Natalie, of Woolhalla

Please visit Donni at The Magic Onions where you can see her original post and also visit her Etsy shop Fairyfolk.

In Donni's own words: "I am consciously trying to be mindful of each and every moment; embrace life with love, laughter and learning and give freely, knowing that what I have is considerable. I am also trying to show my kids the beauty of nature in our concrete jungle; enter Waldorf, my new-found passion!"