Jane Foster - Creative Craft with Kids: 15 Fun Projects to Make from Fabric and Paper

Creative
Craft with
Kids

My name is Jane Foster and Id 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. Its here that I design toys, illustrate, screen print and sew. Its a wonderful, peaceful space looking out onto fields and the Devon countryside.

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 thats full to the brim: paper, card, empty cereal boxes, ribbons, pens, paints, cardboard tubes you name it, its 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.

It was the projects Ive made with and for Polly that provided the inspiration for this book, and Id 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; theyre great for children, as they will love the bold colours and shapes.

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 thats 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.

Its 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 cutting fabric).

Glue stick

Use a Pritt Stick or a cheaper equivalent they are easy to use, not very messy and wash off hands and clothes. They are very affordable and available from the high street.

Ruler

A cheap 30 cm (12 in.) plastic one is fine for measuring, but you will need to use a metal ruler as a cutting/scoring edge when using a craft knife!

Cutting mat and craft knife (for adults use only)

A great advantage of cutting mats is that they usually have squares on them; these are very handy for registration and for cutting accurate right angles. I prefer to use either an A4- or A3-sized mat. If you dont have a cutting mat, use a thick sheet of cardboard instead.

Masking tape

This is available to buy online or at most DIY shops. The cheapest version will be fine.

Tracing paper

I find tracing paper really useful its cheaper to buy it as an A4 pad. If you dont have any tracing paper, thin, white printing paper works too!

I am a child of the 1970s and part of me seems to have been stuck in this era all my life! I love 1970s fabrics, colours and designs. I have a particular soft spot for vintage picture dominoes dating from this era, which Ive now been collecting for years. Ive sourced these from a variety of places car boot sales, charity shops, eBay and Etsy. Theyre relatively inexpensive and often have the most amazing artwork and illustrations on them.

Among my favourites are the Ravensburger Memory Game cards, Dick Bruna Memory and Lottino sets and the ones that were sold by the toy company, Galt Toys. These include a fabulous set by the well-known childrens illustrator, Kenneth Townsend. Another favourite uses illustrations by the French illustrator, Alain Gre. Some of these date from the 1950s and 60s. These classic cards are so well designed and illustrated that they never seem to date, and children today enjoy them just as much as I did at their age.

Instead of leaving my collections of vintage picture dominoes in boxes (and I have lots and lots of them!), many of my favourite ones are framed and hung up around our home so that we can enjoy them every day. I find them so uplifting to look at.