Editors of Quarry Books - Kids Ultimate Craft Book: Bead, Crochet, Knot, Braid, Knit, Sew!--Playful Projects That Creative Kids Will Love to Make

Bead Crochet Knot
Braid Knit Sew!

Editors of Quarry Books

Making crafts is a great way to foster creativity, learn new skills, and build confidence. This book does all that and more, with specially selected techniques and projects from five books in the Creative Kids Complete Photo Guide series: Bead Crafts, Braiding & Knotting, Crochet, Knitting, and Sewing.

Kids will love creating fun jewelry and accessories, eye-catching room dcor items, unique stationery, and toys. Among the projects featured from Bead Crafts is a chic nightlight shade; from Braiding & Knotting, a striking paracord bracelet; from Crochet, a colorful granny square scarf; from Knitting, an attractive and useful pencil roll; and from Sewing, a customizable pillow with a secret pocket. Projects are designed for a range of ages and skill levels, including beginners, and each section includes information on basic techniques, tools, and materials.

Step-by-step instruction and lots of photos help to ensure satisfying results. Besides building creative skills, children will also learn how to read and understand patterns, measure accurately, develop hand-eye coordination, and focus on patience and mindfulness.

Crafting is always more fun with family and friends, and parents can guide and encourage their kids as they discover how far their imaginations can take them. Using materials found around the house can spark ideas and add individuality to finished pieces. Projects make great craft sale items and gifts, and can be personalized with select colors, favorite styles, and handpicked embellishments.

The authors of these books put an enormous amount of expertise and passion into their work, and wed like to acknowledge their efforts: Bead Crafts, Amy Kopperude; Braiding & Knotting, Sherri Haab (with Michelle Barnes); Crochet, Deborah Burger; Knitting, Mary Scott Huff; and Sewing, Janith Bergeron and Christine Ecker.

Ready to dive in? Hours of crafty fun start right now!

When I first began playing with beads as a child, I had a cardboard box filled with pipe cleaners, yarn, plastic pony beads, buttons, and more. I liked to experiment, but I didnt have anything near the range of supplies that are available today for kids bead crafts. Walk into any craft store, and the aisles are not only packed with beading and stringing materials, but also cover an experience level ranging from novice to artist. You can be any age, any experience level, with any range of ideas for projects and be absolutely stellar at beading, if only you have an imagination (and sometimes, patience). Thats all it takes!

If you can dream, then the gamut of bead crafting is endless. You can start out with large-hole beads like pony beads and work your way toward more intricate glass beads. Some beads, like fusible beads, are rarely strung, but instead melted together to make works of art like drink coasters or window decorations. You can even make your own beads, and Creative Kids Complete Photo Guide to Bead Crafts will show you how to do that, too!

If youre just starting out with bead crafts, then stringing beads onto pipe cleaners or jelly cordand using your fingers to bend, loop, and tiewill be much easier than learning to manipulate various wire gauges with round- and flat-nose pliers. But the more you experiment with new techniques and the more you practice, the better you will getand the better your final work will be.

Dont let fancy tools and supplies scare you. Many times, you can substitute one tool or supply for another with a little ingenuity. This book will also show you how to use tools ranging from simple household items like scissors and cylinder-shape dowels and bottles to more complex bead craftspecific pliers and snips. In addition, these pages will teach you how to tie parachute cord and jute twine using macram techniques, how to weave beads onto string by following a pattern, how to make projects ranging from jewelry and accessories to sculptural pieces and decorations, and much more.

The projects in this chapter are designed for both boys and girls at a variety of skill levels, so theres something for everyone. Parents and kids can create together, or parents can be on standby to help with safety steps like ironing or intricate steps like finishing touches. So prepare yourself for hours of creative fun, and lets get started!

Amy Kopperude

You will be amazed by what you can create with so many different kinds of beads which are easily found online and in craft stores. Most craft stores sell variety packs of colorful plastic shape (A) and pony (B) beads. These are excellent for starting out. In addition to being colorful, some of the beads for children are metallic (C), or they can be linked together, as is the case with tri-shape and sunburst beads (D). Fusible beads (E) are placed on a peg board in a pattern and then heated with an iron until they melt together, but they can also be used for beading. If you want to work with more natural beads, craft stores also sell wooden and nature-tone beads (F). Glass beads (G) because of their detail and sophistication. Seed beads (H) can be used by experienced and patient crafters for embroidery work. This is only the beginning of what youll find when you start looking for beads. Specialty shops carry beads made from recycled materials and even mood beads! You might not use all the materials and tools pictured here in the projects that follow, but they are handy to know about for future projects.