Tie Dye Projects with Children ages 5-10

What a fun week we've had! This was tie Dye week at KAF. All ages participated, found success and had a great time!

The children in my classes are always so excited about their work that they want to take it home right away! As a result I researched using the Dylon dyes on line and found a reference that they can be heat set in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Though the colors are not as intense as if they are left on overnight or simmered in a pot which would allow only one color way, the children were more happy to take their proud posessions home, than have to leave them until next week to get a brighter color.

I had spent some time as always doing prototypes before the class to better assess the need for any adjustments to the procedure to

accomodate the childrens ages and limitations if any. I want them to find success and it always surprises me to learn that something that I take for granted is difficult for them to accomplish.

With this project, the 7 yr olds went first. Some of them had difficulty figuring out how to twist the rubber bands to bind them to the cloth. Though they were successful with a little guidance, I immediately knew that the 5 yr olds would never be able to get through it without great frustration to them and chaos for me:-) As a result, I ammended their procedure and used the time tested Shibori binding method with thread which they simply had to wind around the fabric. I took that even further and prepared a BBQ skewer with a large bead attached which the students used to drape their 18" square of cotton over. I told them they were making an umbrella which they all understood. Once they had their umbrella, the stick gave the fabric some stability and something for the children to hold onto as they    wrapped the thread around. The only possible glitch I found with this method is that once they get half way down they sometimes get the thread caught on the end of the stick and tangle it up. To further address this issue, the children can work in teams; one holding the stick horizontally and turning while the other keeps tension on the thread. This made a quick job of it and was an easy task for them to accomplish.

The older children chose to mix it up. Some used rubber bands while others used the thread depending on how complicated they wanted to make their designs. The beauty of doing the same project with all ages is to allow the older children to take their projects further either with design concepts or simply because they have better motor skills and can be more creative especially with the binding of the cloth.

In the end, the 5 yr olds were the most impressed with themselves and the transformation on the fabric from bright white to multicolored dyed designs. Those boys were so proud of their bandanas it was a joy to see!
The 7 yr olds were proud as well and were glad to take home two projects this week since they were able to complete their paintings on silk as well as their tie dye projects.
The older class is all girls and I always like to push them further when I can. I decided that their tie dyed bandanas would be turned into fun summer halter tops that they will embelish with beads, some of which they are dyeing themselves! They completed their tie dyes, worked out their designs and began stitching the straps on during this class. Next week they will complete them so be sure to check next week's post for pictures of their wonderful creations!
Until next time........

Children's Fiber Art Projects: Patchwork Clocks & Painting with Wool

It was a short week here in Bermuda. Monday was a holiday for us so my Monday class was off.

This week's class news......

The little 5 yr olds had a wonderful time creating a patchwork clock this week.This project was educational in several way. Not only did they get to practice the concept of patchwork and using their motor skills, but they ended up with a functional tool to help them learn to tell time! Using pre-cut pie shaped fabric, they glued the sections in place and arranged the clock face numbers which they also glued down. We used foam numbers which I  learned needed a full strength tacky type of glue. Hot glue would have been ideal but the children would not have been able to

do this by themselves so a good  fabric glue like tacky would be a good one to use. After they glued the numbers on they added a fat yarn around the edge to frame it up. The hands were made up of a tongue depressor and popsicle stick with holes drilled in one end and fastened with a brass fastener that has a head on it. They were all pretty proud of their accomplishments this week!

The older girls finished off their paintings with wool. After they finished needling on the wool to complete their scenes they wet felted them creating durable pictures that they can turn into pillows, bags or wall hangings. This project was about them designing their own holiday scene to be submitted for possible selection by local businesses as a holiday greeting card image. I was very pleased with their accomplishment. Each has a different style that reflects a holiday sentiment without words. I'll let the photo of their work speak for itself. Great work for 10 year olds with very little assistance!

The term is winding down now with only three weeks left before school is out for the summer. So much to do! So little time! I'm beginning to miss my students already :-( This is my last term of teaching here in Bermuda as my husband and I return to the states in the fall. I will get a last blast during mid term break next fall teaching fiber arts during camp as well as the Annual Bermuda Fiber Festival but will then be re-adjusting to life in the states and looking for another teaching opportunity where I can share my passion for fiber with interested children! If you know of any events seeking somone to teach children fiber arts, let me know!

Fiber Art Projects for Children: Painting on Silk, Painting with Wool and Mixed Media Wind Socks

This week two of my groups finished up incomplete projects.....
The monday class of 5-7 yr olds finished up their Solar System Mobiles  and began the planning and staging process of painting Silk Suncatchers which will be done using Kool Aid and food coloring for their paints. I love these non toxic dyeing options for children! The only draw back is the lack of color intensity that you get with chemical dyes. At this stage, children can learn all of the techniques which they can experiment with at home later, using easy to get supplies! A win/win situation......

They began the class by doing simple drawings. I had asked them to think about their subject as they left class last week. I offered simple creature shapes I have in the classroom for those who needed some inspiration and soon they were quickly putting them on paper. Of course some children have more aptitude for drawing than others but this is the norm. By the end of class, each child had done a drawing. They then traced them on the blank silk circles with washable gel glue which will act as a resist or dam. This resist will allow them to color in various parts of their creatures using different colors and prevent the colors from running into one another. Blank silk circles are available from Dharma Trading Co. on line.

Next week they will paint the dyes onto their silk. I can't wait to see the end results!

The five year olds also finished up this week. The Wind Sock projects needed to have their fabric glued on and hangers attached. A few still had to complete the "cow hitch knots" of yarn around the bottoms. Since I was busy with the hot glue gun, those who had finished first, helped the others by guiding them through the knotting process. I think they may have done some of the work for them but they loved being the helpers and the benefactors were appreciative:-)
This is my roudy group as I have mentioned before. I had an epiphany last week regarding this group though. One child indicated that he has a hard time focusing since it gets so noisy. He becomes distracted. I had no idea he was having an issue and thought it awesome that he would know this about himself at such a young age and tell me about it. I felt the need to address this in the classroom so I rearranged our seating so that they are seated in small groups and purposely assigned seats to specific groups of children. It seemed to work well! I will know better as we move to a project that they don't need me to participate in so much but I'm thankful to have learned this now while I can at least attempt to address it and have impact. I am told by this child's mom that she has noticed improvement in his focus since coming to my class. So, even if he is slow to complete a project, apparently the experience of working in a noisy and sometimes chaotic space has helped him to learn to deal with it better and what he does do, he does well! Bravo! I may have never known this and I'm so glad to know it now..... My mentor and education director at KAF has also given me some things to try to help rein in the mustangs when necessary. Hopefully a combination of things will bring greater sucess for us all!
They were all pleased with their work! They always are easy to please anyway. When they get to take something home that they made, regardless of how big or small or how well it is accomplished, it is an accomplishment and they beam because of it.... so do I :-)...............

My older group of girls is coming along so well! They love everything we do in class and this week one of them asked if the class could be extended from 2  to 3 hours! If all teachers could have this problem!

This weeks challenge was to come up with a Christmas season image for a drawing. This drawing is being Painted on wool pre felt with the needle felting technique and, using wool as the paints. KAF  was looking for holiday artwork that can be photographed and used as  holiday greeting cards by corporations who make a donation into the Holiday greeting card program. Our children produce the artwork, the corporation makes a donation and gets exclusive use of a photograph of children's Holiday art that they will use for their corporate greeting cards. The children of course keep their artwork but might have the honor of having one of their pieces selected by a KAF donor to be used as their holiday greeting card and sent to their many clients and business associates! How fun!
Drawings were completed and the paintings begun.... They are looking great and I can't wait to see the final products!

So, progress at KAF continues in the Fiber Arts!

Until next time..........

Yarn Windsocks and other Fiber Projects for Children

We are half way through the term already! WOW! When did that happen :-)

This week, the only new project that I began was with the 5 yr olds. The other two age groups are finishing up their projects from the weeks before and all is going well!

The Monday class of 5-7 yr olds is at the final stage of their Solar system mobiles. Only one child who started the term after we began this project, has not completed his planets. He has however made great strides and will spend our next class getting most of them done and strung. Good work! The rest of the students will also finish up and begin designing for the next assignment which will be Suncatchers painted on silk!

The Five yr olds did some great work this week! Their new project is to create a wind sock made from  yarns that they have to attach  to holes punched into the bottom edge of  the milk cartons with a "Cow" hitch knot. Using a crochet hook to pass the hanks of yarn through the punched holes in the carton, students found it challenging but managed to get he hang of it. Each found success. Though not everyone's work is even or tidy, they got the job done :-)  Yeah!

These will be very fun when done! As usual, students worked at varying paces but I foresee that we will finish this project in next class. At that time they will finsih up their knotting and then add pre cut fabrics with glue to cover and decorate the cartons. These little guys needs lots of attention so I find it hard to get action shots. I'll see if I can get some for next time :-) As well as the finished projects....

Above is an example of me doing the Cow hitch knot.

And then there are my 10 yr old girls... This week they finished up their Nuno fetled purses. Each did a bit more fulling to finish up and then they worked on their stitching skills to attach the straps. These purses are great and completely functional. I have hopes that this little item will remain with them for years to come!
Next week we will begin working on designs for a christmas card project that will be "painted" with wool on wool, using the dry needle felting technique. I know it's early for Christmas cards but this is a joint effort as a fundraiser for our school, Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation. A group of local corporations are each making a donation for the use of a holiday themed design created by Kaleidoscope students in various mediums. Selections will be chosen and photographed, and turned into holiday greeting cards exclusive to each individual corporation. A grand idea!
We have no idea if any of our pieces will be included but we will make a grand effort to bring them our best work for this project! At the same time, my class will be learning a new fiber art technique in the process! Wish us luck!
Maybe you know of a company who would like to have their very own exclusive piece of holiday themed art to be used for their holiday greeting card. If so, contact Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation at 441-542-9000 or email director@kaf.bm
Until next time................

Weaving, Felting & Nuno with Children!

This week has been a mixed bag. A little bit of everything! I often like to have children doing related projects but it hasn't been going that way lately....

The 5-7 yr old children are still working on their Solar System mobiles. Although I am feeling a little anxious about how long it has taken to complete them, they don't seem to mind and are having a good time. They especially are concious of the proportional relationship of size for their planets and worry about it much more than I do! I keep reminding them that it's ok if they aren't exactly correct :-)
We did make great progress this week and the only child who has not completed all planets just began class with us this week. He made great strides though and completed three planets. Great job for a first time felter! He may get most of them done while the others are stringing theirs together in the next class. I am including a picture of the class sample for you to see. It is not perfect... but it is perfection :-)

My 5 yr old group continues to be a very active bunch. 5 boys and 2 girls make this a roudy group! I sometimes feel like I have a group of wild mustangs that I am trying to rein in! I'm sure our class can sometimes be heard throughout the building :-) The good news is that we are having fun!

This week I prepared some burlap strips that they turned into bookmarks. Last weeks' class was a practice for the stitching/weaving used in this little project. I was unsure how successful they would be since the stitching was completed with mixed results. I worried that the small strips of burlap would be difficult for them to handle. But, they did a GREAT job! I was so pleased. Their only task was to weave their chosen yarn through the cloth from top to bottom so that the ends could be tied in a knot to hold them in place.

It was interesting how each child worked the piece. Several chose to use very small, evenly spaced stitches. This of course allowed them to only weave in one or two threads BUT, their work was very good; straight, even and very good quality as a result. It looked more like adult stitching! I'm sorry I missed a photo op for a sample of one of these but the child was still working on it when I took the pics.

The remaining children were at pretty much the same level. They completed three to four threads duirng our class time with varying degrees of eveness. I really was not worrying about how even it was or straight, I was more interested in them getting the concept of weaving in and out and having them complete the work. I believe that last weeks' practice had impact on this weeks results.
You will note from the photos that the shiny threads were of most interest and chosen most often over a large selection of various colors. They loved the bling! Don't we all.....

The older group continued to work on their nuno bags. No complaints about the labor intensive process, and they are getting the feel of the wool and how it changes at various stages of the felting process. They are noticing that it gets stronger by how it feels; that it gets thicker as it

shrinks and that it feels less fragile. They are beginning to sess out on their own, how much pressure they can exert without damaging the piece. This was a very nice revelation to experience with them! Though their bags are not quite there yet, they have enough integrity to not have to worry about damaging them between classes. They are well under way in the fulling process and will be able to finish fulling and stitch them together next time. I anticipate being very proud of their work when they are done as I am already! This is a very mature project for them and I hope a piece that they will proudly use...............................................

Until Next Time............

Bermuda Papers Feature Upcoming Show!

The count down has begun as the show opening fast approaches!

It's satruday morning and my goal is to have all pieces completed by tomorrow night with the exception of pressing out the wrinkles in the garments that need it.  I see no reason not to be with the two pieces remaining that still need some work. YEAH! It's been a long but very rewarding two months of creating new and exciting things!
My compatriots and I have enjoyed some very nice publicity in the last few days with feature coverage in the two major newspapers on the island and we are scheduled to be interviwed on the David Lopes show on ZBM radio (am 1340) Bermuda on monday morning at 7:30am. Tune in to hear all about our show!

Helen Jardine of the Bermuda Sun ran an article last wednesday and the Royal Gazette's Jesse Moniz ran one in yesterday's paper with a front page teaser which was an awesome extra! Photos in the Gazette and the one I have posted here were taken by Mark Tatem who is one of the local favorite news photographers.

I hope that if you are on the "rock" that you will find a way to pop in to our event, and an event it is indeed! Ronnie Lopes is a musician and a few of his talented friends will be playing live keyboards and classical guitar in the background. Coming from a Portuguese heritage, Ronnie's family will be making and serving several Portuguese soups and Bermuda native Ronnie Chameau is providing a Bermuda fish chowder. Let's not forget our purpose though :-) On exhibit and all available for purchase will be Ronnie Chameau's rarely seen water color collections, Ronnie Lopes' rustic furniture with some fun yard art pieces and lots of new work from me will be seen on live models, so don't miss this event! A fun time will be had by all who come!

March 11th, 6 - 8 pm at the Elliot Gallery, Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation in Devonshire on the corner of Jubilee & Parsons Road.

See you there!

Weaving with Children 5 - 7 yrs old

We are now in week 4 of classes and everyone seems to be settling in. It always takes a few classes for us to get to know each other so that children can focus on their work.
Last week we dyed yarns with Kool -Aid which they began weaving with this week. The 5-7 yr old group was given a cardboard circle loom which they warped on their own pretty well. I asked them to follow my step by step instructions and found that their biggest challenge was making sure that their first warp thread cut the circle in half which makes sure the center of their weaving is in the center of the circle.
Usually if left to their own choices I find that instead of students choosing complementary colors to weave with, that they choose colors that they like with no regard for how they look when put together. I like to give hte children choices but I am often heart sick when they do a great job with the technical part of their projects but end up with a caucophny of color that is more distracting than atracting. I of course always complement their work as wonderful in spite of their color choices! Since the yarns they were weaving with were dyed with a limited number of colors, I put out a variety of warp thread colors that would go well with all of the yarns that they had. It worked! They got to make a choice that I too would enjoy :-)
The tricky part of circle weaving is the center but once they got that taken care of, they all managed to finish their pieces enough so that with a few extra minutes in class with patient parents, we were able to get all but one tied off and ready to be taken home! Yeah!
I quite enjoy the 5 yr old class falling on the day after the 5-7's. I like to have them do the same projects if possible and I am able to  assess that easily after the 5-7 yr old class does their project. It was obvious to me that the 5's would not be able to deal with the fussy center of the circle weaving as a first weaving project. We also have only one hour in class and whenever possible, I like to have them complete a project in one session. I knew that the circle weaving would be too agressive for the little ones so I chose to do a simple weaving on a frame loom. No need to warp it. I did that for them ahead of time. I simply wanted them to begin to understand the concept of over and under to create a cohesive piece using the yarns they had dyed in a previous class. This groups attention span is short. Not having the older children in class as role models for focus, attention and discipline, seems to make a difference. They feed off of each other's energy which isn't always directed at their work. In spite of that, they do great work when they do focus so I k now they are gretting it. Getting them to work at it is sometimes another story. We did not get our weavings finished in one session but they all get it and are doing nice work!
Next week is a school vacation week so there will be no regular KAF classes. 1/2 term csmp will be in session and I will have a week off to spend extra time working on my own artwork for my upcomming show at the Elliot gallery in March.
Until next time.........

Hand Spinning with Children at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation.....

This was spinning week with two of my classes.....

 I use an unconventional method with a clamp to teach them the basic concept of what's happening when a yarn is being spun. We used a coarse, short narrow piece of wool roving; A breed that might be good for needle felting so that it is less slick. The smaller narrower piece makes it easier for them to draft from and will spin less than a yard of yarn. I begin by demonstrating how to draft which each of them has encountered in my felting classes. I then show them how to twist the tip and clamp it to the table. Once they have done that They begin drafting and twisting in a clockwise manner until they reach the end. There was very little difficulty with over drafting to the breaking point and though there was not a consistent twist in their yarns, each was successful at creating a length of plied yarn! Next week we will add their yarns to some factory spun to do some kool - aid dyeing.
Once they completed their yarns, I demonstrated the drop spindle and each of them got a chance to try with my assistance. Spinning continues to amaze everyone who sees it being done. It's like magic!

The 5 - 7 yr old group worked with me as I had them draft....slide...
and pinch while I held the work and spun the spindle. Unfortunately I couldn't take photos while doing this but maybe next time I can try to get one of my student to be acting photographer!

I did the same with the 8 and up group but after they had a turn at the spindle with me, I gave them each a spindle to use. I was impressed that although it was challenging for them, they managed to spin without too many breaks. The hardest things for them to grasp are to add another length of roving to their work and which way to spin the spindle. Their insecurities kept me hopping so I never got a shot of them spinning on their own. I plan to have them work on their yarns during class down times  so will make a point of getting a photo of them in action another time!

In the end, I asked how much they enjoyed learning to spin in spite of it's challenges and they all were enthused and glad to be doing it! Another successfule class!

Felting with 8 - 10 Year Olds.......

I've now met all of my new students for the term at KAF and it's a great group of kids! The newest ones are the 8-10 yr olds and they are so enthused! Two of them are returning students glad to be back, and the others seem genuinely glad to be in class. All are looking forward to our next time together. What more can a teacher ask for?

In this class students learned to make a multi colored felt roll that was cut into slices and strung onto elastic thread to make a bracelet. The two hour class time didn't allow for us to string the remaining beads for necklaces but we'll finish that up next week.

Students did such a  good job of felting that it was a bit difficult to thread the beads! We had to use pliers to pull the needle through their work. Well done! This means the beads will hold up and not easily fall apart. It helped that we used Merino this time!

One of the lessons they learned is that felting is a labor intensive job. Children in my classes are always asking if they are done felting; is it enough.... I always try to get them to keep going but give them the option to make an informed decision by telling them they can be done, but that if they continue, their efforts will pay off with a stronger felt that will stand the test of time. Most respond by continuing to work but ultimately, it's their choice.

These students kept at it and have created some great beads! They can be proud of their work!

Next week, we spin a yarn! Stay tuned..........

Children's Fiber Art Classes have begun!

The ball is rolling now! The first week of children's classes has begun and I'm so excited about the success of registration this term!

Children's options began on Sunday with a mom & child fiber class. Children range in age from 6 to 11 and our first project was to felt a vessel. All of the children and some of the moms' already had some felting experience. I think the mom's who had never felted before may have found a new respect for their children's efforts:-) It's hard work to felt!

My monday class is for 5-7 yr olds and I have a large class for this type of work. I usually have a cut of of 8 children so that I can give them the attention they need but somehow a ninth one got under my radar. I have boys this term! Three of the nine in this group are boys. That's great but will keep me challenged for two reasons. Fiber arts projects tend to lend themselves to girlie things and boys have a lot of energy! They keep me hopping! In the end, we managed to get some beads felted that were made from a roll of felt and sliced into discs. I had some Harrisville batts that I used so they could avoid laying out fibers for a first project but it took a bit longer to felt so would not use it again in this situation. Good old Merino felts so fast and the children have a hard time concentrating when they have to work the fiber for too long to get it to felt. Everything is relative of course but it's important to make it as quick and painless for them as possible.

Tuesdays I have a group of 6, 5 yr olds and 4 of them are boys!!! I am so surprised! Most of them had participated in workshops at the Bermuda fiber festival and wanted to return! The atmosphere in my classrooms this year is definitely different with all of that energy from the boys. We'll see how it goes and if I can keep their interest. It was slow going but all students managed to felt one small ball that either got strung as a necklace or on a loop for a key ring. Success was had by all:-)

Today, Wednesday, I have a smaller group with only one boy. WE will do roll beads in this class but this time I will use my reliable merino. I'll let you know how we do!

Teaching Fiber Arts at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation

The new Winter term of classes has begun at KAF and I am one busy teacher! Now that classes have begun I will bring you updates on my sutdents progress as the term unfolds....

Fiber is really catching on in Bermuda after three years of success with the annual Bermuda Fibre Festival event. Enthusiasts are developing in both children and adults. My class schedule is proof enough that our efforts are paying off and we are creating interest in this wonderful artform! I am teaching five classes this term!

The term began with an adult "play date" which is scheduled for twice a month over the three month term. The classroom is busting to capacity with women who had never done any fiber arts until they attended one of our festivals. Two are the exception, a handspinner whose schedule has each year prevented her from participating and another who missed our events but loves any artform and was looking for a class to fit her schedule.

These sessions are intended to allow us to gather, create, share and mentor each other in a supportive environment. We all lead busy lives and often find it difficult to make time for ourselves to do what WE like to do, and this seems to be providing that space. There was a mix of projects going on that included wet felting placemats, a three dimensional fish which had been learned at fiber fest, and two newbies followed my instructions as I created a prototype of a bowl for a future class. The newbies were thrilled! They could not get over how successful they were and how pleased they were with their creations. They can't wait to return! The phot above is a vessel made by a first time felter. Nice work!

There was some tough love learning going on as well. One woman is working on felt samples of various fibers to help her decide what fiber she wants to use to ultimately create a felted quilt. She is a new felter and purchased samples of various wool fibers to experiment with. She learned some hard lessons that day.

Lesson # 1. Smaller samples are best - By the time I noticed what she was up to, she had layed out a two foot square; agressive for any sample and a new felter. It turned out in the end, that the fiber would not felt! I regret to say I don't remember what breed it was but it was a coarser fleece and though in the beginning it looked like it was doing ok, the surface had formed a skin but once she began the fulling process the layers just wouldn't bond.

Lesson # 2. felt a ball from the fiber first - I recommend if you have a fiber that you would like to felt something out of and no experience or information about it's ability to felt, begin by felting a small ball. In just a few short minutes, you will see whether or not the fiber felts in the first place and move on from there.

Lesson # 3. A little research can save time and money. Refer to a micron count chart or fiber charts available in many felting books as a guide. Finer fibers tend to felt quicker and give a softer finished product. Felting books will tell you what fibers they are using in their projects and the list is not that long. Certaily there are many wools that can be used but the most popular ones and easiest to buy are most commonly used. Additionally, a search on the web for a specific breed of wool and felting (IE: dorset & felting) will give you a pretty good indication of the felting qualities of a breed. Often you might only find reference to needle felting. This is your clue that it may not be the best bet for wet felting.

I left my camera at school so have no pictures to show but will add one as soon as I can!

Watch for new posts on class projects with both children and adults coming soon!

Felting Flowers with Children for Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Children in my 7-9 year old Fiber Art classes at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation created Felted Hibiscus Flowers for their moms for Mother's Day. Some of the children had felted before but many hadn't. Although they still need more experience for a good quality harder felt, each was very successful at finishing a flower for their mom!

I get so involved with the classes that I often either forget to ask them to allow a group photo of their work or don't allow enough time for documenting their work in photos as parents are ready at the door for pic-up after class to go on with their busy lives. I need to do better at that! I remembered before the last two children left class to take a few pics. Unfortunately I do not have any that show the calyx end of the flower which they all did a great job with but you at least get the idea of what we were trying to accomplish.

I had a blast and the children seemed to as well!

Kool Aid Dyeing with 5 & 6 yr olds at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation in Bermuda

My 5 & 6 yr old students had a great time yarn painting this week!

Using the handspun that they did last week and adding some lopi thick and thin, students had a hand at painting their yarns with Kool - Aid!

It was little Maxine who first discovered that the orange placed next to the blue turned a section of her yarn green!

The children were very excited with the transformation of their yarns from the drab white to rainbows of color using what they referred to as "yummy" smelling non toxic dyes.

They each took the strand of yarn in their hands home for show and tell but the remaining yarns are being kept at KAF for safe keeping to be used in a future weaving project! They can't wait!

Next week the children are on winter break but when we resume we begin our weaving segment of the term. Our first project will be fast and fun! We will weave "Mug Rugs" using a small frame loom, colored cotton warps and fabric strips for a quick study on weaving. This class will act as a tutorial for subsequent weaving projects; a woven yarn coil pot and a wire and fiber amulet which they will turn into either a pin or a pendant. It is this project that I plan for them to use their beautiful hand dyed, hand spun yarns!

Watch for more photos of their accomplishments!

Children's Fiber Art Projects

As promised!

I have finally decided to at least show you photos of my samples for the children's Fiber Art Classes that I have taught so far to give you some idea of what we are doing.

The first one is a sample of the design for Felt Bead Jewelry. We in fact made the bracelet since our class time is limited and it is important to me that children do not have time to get bored or bogged down in details beyond their attention span.

Both classes, the 5 & 6 yo and 7 & 8 yo children created the bracelets by first felting the beads. They then braided two worsted weight strands of dyed cotton string together with a finer matching heavy weight thread for stringing the beads onto. I clamped the end of the braid to the tables using medium sized plastic clip clamps and when they had braided enough to add a bead at an appropriate spot, they strung it on and then continued with the braid until they added additional beads. One end has a loop knot and the other a tripple knot so that it is fat enough not to come out of the loop. This forms the fastener which I helped them with.

Both groups found success and went home with their finished piece after one class. The younger children is a class of four and spend one hour with me. The 7 & 8 yo class is also four students and stays with me for one and a half hours so they were able to complete three beads instead of two for their bracelets.

They were all very pleased with themselves. I especially enjoyed hearing parents comments.... "did you make that? YOU made that?" They were very pleasantly surprised at the quality and completion of a wearable peice of Fiber Art that their child had made.

This next project was a flat felted treasure pouch. Students were guided through the flat felting process; layering their fibers, felting and fulling. This project took two classes. What I found is that it takes them a while to figure out that once they get past the initial need to be gentle that they can add pressure and more agitation. Additionally, I had to be careful not to make the water too hot for their tender young hands and some of my students are still little and don't have the strength and dexterity to exert the kind of pressure necessary to make quick work of felting. Never the less, they got their soft felt completed with surface designs embedded into their piece during the first class. They were spent, but when they returned the following week, they were all eager to continue with their projects, fulling them to completion and adding the pull strings to form the pouch.

Though their patterns were round, most ended up with more rectangular shapes but each was thrilled with their completed pieces and couldn't wait to show their moms after class!

This week I have begun the bare basics of how wool is spun. I am again using my plastic clamps to hold a piece of pencil roving to the table which allows them to twist the fiber into a yarn. When they have done their short length of roving, I have them hold the two ends together and I help by holding tension on the center of the strand. Once I let go, if there is enough twist in it, it will automatically ply to itself. It is magical to them!

My one mistake was that once they prooved that they understood the concept (this did not take long) and were successful at making a very good yarn, I gave them too long a piece of roving to work with. This was the younger group and they seemed unable to go beyond a certain length of time without dropping their work. The result of course, was that it came untwisted and they had to do it over. I will use this learned lesson with my 7& 8 yo group tomorrow! I believe that when they are unsuccessful, that it is I who have failed to either present the concept in a way that they can understand or, that I have over estimated their ability in some way and that I must re-adjust to suit them better.

The plan is that the yarns they have created will be used in the following class to experiment with Kool-Aid dyes preparing the yarns they spun for use in a future weaving project.

Great Fun is had by all!