I have done a couple of Library workshops in the past couple of weeks- Nipomo and Santa Margarita. I am happy to say that both were very successfull I think. They were both fabric based. In Nipomo I had no idea how many kids I would have or how old- and, having decided that paint was perhaps too messy for library carpet, I followed my natural interest in fabric. Tibetan prayer flags was my inspiration, so I cut 30 8x8" sqaures out of 3 pillowcases and then sewed a long string out of the scraps. I talked to the kids about the prayer flags and the meanings of the colors. We called these ones Wish Flags. Most of the kids were too young to do a fabric collage based on a theme, so I just let them have fun cutting and gluing the fabric. Afterwards I sewed them together and they will hang at the library for a while before the kids take them home.
In Santa Margarita there were sign ups and I knew they were older kids, so we did an upcycle workshop, turning tshirts into book bags. Despite most of the youngsters forgetting to bring their tshirts ( I had xtras!) it all turned out. Most had a chance to try using the sewing machine, some for the first time. The project can be as simple or complicated as you want. Basically:
In Santa Margarita there were sign ups and I knew they were older kids, so we did an upcycle workshop, turning tshirts into book bags. Despite most of the youngsters forgetting to bring their tshirts ( I had xtras!) it all turned out. Most had a chance to try using the sewing machine, some for the first time. The project can be as simple or complicated as you want. Basically:1. Cut off arms and neck of tshirt.
2. Turn inside out and sew along bottom. Voila!!
You can embellish as much as you want. A fun idea is to sew on one or both of the sleeves as a pocket....
You can embellish as much as you want. A fun idea is to sew on one or both of the sleeves as a pocket....
The librarians were wonderful, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work in these spaces!
