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| Washcloth Tortoise |
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| TerryGami, Animals, Birds, and Gnomes |
The new book will be out in a couple of weeks!
Woo Hoo!
Welcome to washcloth crafts!
TerryGami -- The softer side of origami!
Bag clips work quite well as a "third hand" for kids learning how to sew. The amount of pressure they provide is perfect for holding the material together without actually ruining the material. Use the bag clips instead of pins, if you want to avoid mishaps. Older children usually will not require anything to hold the material together, but if you have a little one who wants to join in, the clips should do the trick.
Bag clips can be found in packages at Dollar stores and grocery stores. Just make sure when the clip is opened, it will at least fit around your thumb. They work great, too, for holding the material together after it is glued. Many of the TerryGami items can be glued instead of sewn, but of course, a critter that has been sewn is a bit nicer. Another benefit is children will learn a life skill when they sew instead of glue the critter.
Remember, kids love color! They are more apt to want to make a pink and white monkey as they are a brown and cream one colored one. Don’t be surprised if the tortoise and hare are yellow and purple.
Originally, I was concerned that kids wouldn’t want to be bothered to stuff the critters. Wrong!! They love it! The fatter the better! If the critter gets too fat, have them use rubber bands to hold the material together. Rubber bands can always be cut off so as not to snag the material. Buy quilt batting because it can be cut in strips and used to fatten the legs easily.
Another thought on rubber bands. Try using dreadlock rubber bands found in drug stores or try using your child’s orthodontic elastics, which actually come in colors now. Perfect! These smaller rubber bands will be easier to cover and sew over. I recently purchased 500 dreadlock rubber bands for $l.50. I wish I had known about them sooner! I also believe they will be easier for the younger children to manipulate these bands. No twisting and turning. However the twisting and turning of the rubber bands does improve their manual dexterity.
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| Washcloth Hare |
A perfect place for the dreadlock rubber bands is around the ears of the hare. Since the bands are black, you may want to use them around the legs of both the tortoise and the hare instead of yarn or Craft Trim! Have the children put them on before they sew, and then the legs will stay together and it will be easier to sew.
And forgive me. I always put bows or hearts on the critters. They aren't necessary; I just can't help myself! In fact, now that I look at it, I think I should have put a heart on the hare!
Happy Crafting!
Terry
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