Creative Craft with Kids: 15 fun projects to make from fabric and paper

By Jane Foster

15 creative projects to make with children from popular designer Jane Foster.

Creative Craft With Kids is the second book from up-and-coming designer Jane Foster and includes fun projects for parents to make with and for children to encourage creativity and experimentation.

Using fabulous fabrics and papers from her own enviable collection, Jane, who is a former teacher, demonstrates how to cut, sew and stick with your children to create bold, colourful games, toys and accessories for your child’s bedroom or play room.

Whether you’ve got stacks of vintage fabric or papers or prefer to buy new designs, or even print your own, this book is packed with practical and inspirational ideas.

Projects such as felt-faced toys, customized T-shirts and a patchwork quilt will need some simple sewing skills, but there are also no-sew projects including covered matchboxes to hide precious trinkets in, simple printing projects, and paper bunting.

With bright colours and friendly animal motifs, Jane’s fun and easy-going approach to her work shines through in each of the 15 projects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jan 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781910496411

Jane Foster

Jane Foster is a British designer living and working in Totnes, Devon. Her work has been featured in many publications including: Vogue, Homes & Antiques, and Mollie Makes. Her products are stocked throughout the world in major shops such as Heals. She is a designer for the iconic British company Clothkits and has also had her work published by the Art Group. She has recently been commissioned to produce limited edition artwork for Ikea, which will be sold in their stores internationally in 2013. Her home has also been selected to feature in the Ikea magazine Live next year. Jane’s designs have recently been chosen to be featured in Kirstie Allsopp’s upcoming Channel Four series, ‘Kirstie’s Vintage Home’. For more information, visit www.janefoster.co.uk.

Book preview

Introduction

My name is Jane Foster and I’d like to welcome you to Creative Craft with Kids. I live in Devon, in the southwest of England, with my partner Jim and our six-year-old daughter Polly. We run a business called Jane Foster Designs from our studio in Dartington. It’s here that I design toys, illustrate, screen print and sew. It’s a wonderful, peaceful space looking out onto fields and the Devon countryside.

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Polly has grown up in a very creative household, in which the majority of our weekends are spent at the large kitchen table drawing, painting and making things. The lower half of our kitchen larder has turned into an art cupboard that’s full to the brim: paper, card, empty cereal boxes, ribbons, pens, paints, cardboard tubes – you name it, it’s there waiting for inspiration! Polly loves making things next to me and I love the freedom of expression that children have. She gets such pleasure from her handmade creations, which are immediately placed on the mantelpiece and fridge door to be admired. Polly also loves coming along to the studio and playing with my fabric off-cuts and whatever else she can lay her hands on. The studio environment really encourages her creativity and she refers to it as her second home.

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It was the projects I’ve made with and for Polly that provided the inspiration for this book, and I’d like to say a big thank you to Polly and all her friends for participating in the book with me. All the projects are relatively inexpensive to make and can be adapted to suit children of different ages. Some are things that you can involve your own children in, while others are quick-and-easy toys and accessories that you can make for them, to give their bedroom a really unique, special look. The 1960s and 70s feel of the projects reflects my own design tastes; they’re great for children, as they will love the bold colours and shapes.

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I really love the idea of introducing children to crafting as early as possible. The benefits are enormous – for all the family. Not only does it help young children improve their hand-to-eye co-ordination and stimulate their creativity and self-expression, but it is also a way of the whole family bonding in a common interest. Yes, it can be a bit messy sometimes – but that’s all part of the fun and the learning process! What does it matter if the stitching is a little wonky or the colouring-in a bit slapdash? The pride and pleasure that you and your children will get from your creations is beyond measure. Join me in this crafting journey: I hope you find it inspiring and fun.

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Basic craft kit

It’s a good idea to have a small collection of tools available so that you are ready to get going as soon as creativity strikes. These are my essentials, but it is always fun to build your collection!

Pencils

I use standard HB pencils – they are easy to buy and easy to rub out.

Scissors

Sharp medium-size scissors for cutting paper (be sure to keep a separate pair for