Kids Craft Activities - Make your own creature out of cloth (sewing machine activity)

Kids sewing machine activity - the magic of making something where there was nothing before. And quickly too!

My first cloth animal when I was a kid was a simple whale shape - half black and half white cloth, a killer whale or orca. The fins were just cut out flaps of cloth.

Troy's fishes
(her design)

This activity does need guidance but they can use machine, stuff it, design it from the outset - pick materials, choose eyes, draw it pin it etc. I would help sew the tail on. It's a stepping ladder - once they discover the joy of making, they will be hooked and grow skill. It doesn't need to be laborious.

 

 

 

Lucan's megalodon

 

Lucan said, please will you make me a megalodon! (Very very gigantic shark from dinosaur times.).

 

Okayyyyy I said.

Lucan did not sew or design this, except I did have him sew the tail on the machine. He loved it. He was worried he would sew over his fingers but soon was starting stopping doing sharp turns (needle rolled down foot up) like a pro.

Sewing machines are easier for kids to use than sewing by hand...

If you notice something missing it's the dorsal fin. Forgot to save fabric for it! But he told me he prefers it that way. Easier to hug?



After doing this with Troy and Lucan, I designed, with Troy's feedback, sew your own colourful fish kits and held my first kids craft class at our community's new hall.  It was hectic, but great.

For this activity I precut and pinned the fish in such a way that all the kid had to do was sew round the shape, sewing over the fins, fastening them same time.  When you turned the fish right side out, it had fins (though flat).