Alaskan Craft Project For Kids
For the last month or so, we have been studying Alaska. We just finished up, with our grand finale of an art project. I can’t tell you how tired I am of doing ‘crafts’ with the kids. Since we began doing more ‘unit’ studies in our homeschooling around geographical regions, I have been trying to step up the art that goes with each area, and avoid the ‘craft’.
I have faith that kids can do more than popsicle stick activities. Give them real art sensations and tools, real pastels, real fabrics, real photographs to explore. Why does it so often have to be paper bags and crayons?
I digress.
I got the idea for this hunting Inuit quiver project from a book in the library called Hands On Alaska. Again, the craft idea was to use a paper bag to make the quiver. Instead, I went to the sewing store and got some 40% off suede, on sale due to the end of season.
They were pretty easy to make, if a bit time consuming to make three of them.
1- I started by cutting the shape I wanted on the fold of the fabric to get two sides. I then turned it inside out and sewed around the outside edge, leaving a two inch hole at the bottom next to the fabric fold to put the strap in later.
2- I folded a half inch over the top of the bag and sewed around that. Then turned the bag right side out.
3- I then cut a long three inch piece of fabric, measured to my kiddos backs, turned it inside out and sewed the edge together, then turned it right side out again. I then sewed both edges at the 1/4 inch, to make the edges flat, but also to give it that ‘hand sewed’ look.
4- I inserted one end of the strap into the opening at the bottom of the bag, and sewed around the bag on the outside edge, again, for the hand made look.
5- To sew the top of the strap in, I sewed it to the opposite side edge of the top of the bag, taking care to actually SHOW the stitches!
This was the last one completed, so it turned out the best of course!
Here are all three bags finished.
To decorate my bag, I made slits with the scissors around the edge and threaded another piece of suede through the hole. Then I put a bead on over both ends and hot glued a real bird feather to the inside of each one! The kids did all their decorating with the glue gun, beads, and feathers directly on the bags wherever it suited them. Which is totally the plan!
Here are our finished Inuit quiver bags! A fine ending to a fun unit studying igloos, the Iditarod, lots of famous dogs, lots of cool animals, and the wildness of Alaska.
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April 6th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
you are the coolest mom. EVER.