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Alicia writes...

When my son was born, my husband’s very cool cousin Chuck sent a very cool gift: Where the Wild Things Are, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. It’s one of those books that you loved yourself as a child and thought you had outgrown, but now that you look again you realize you haven’t. It is full of spirit and imagination and beautiful artwork. I’m betting you all know this book as well as we do.

So when Cindy asked me to guest post here, I had to do something Wild Thing related. We decided to
make our own Wild Guys. They turned out pretty cute and were super easy! These little creatures are
essentially just pillows. So for you sewers, there you go. Have fun! But for those of you who aren’t, here are the steps to take:
Draw your creature. We used used fabric markers (fabric crayons or fabric paint would work too), so I cut each kid two pieces of white cotton from a thrifted cotton sheet- one for the front and one for the backing. Tape down the edges so the fabric stays tight.

I told them that they could use the whole piece of fabric, but that they needed to leave some little space all the way around for the stitching. Then they drew their guys. J wanted to use the book for inspiration, N wanted to create her Wild Guy from scratch. Next follow the directions on the markers to heat set the ink.

Now cut around the guys with about a 1” border for stitching. (We didn’t decorate the guy’s backside, but you surely could. Just be sure to do it before you stitch, so the markers don’t bleed through to the front.) Turn the drawing right side down against the backing fabric, pin and stitch around the critter leaving a space for turning and stuffing. I used my machine, but you could easily sew these by hand. An older child could even do this step him/herself. Trim to about 1/4” from your seam.

Next turn the Wild Guy right side out and stuff him full. My kids loved this step. We used polyfill so they will be washable. Hand stitch the opening closed and you’re ready for business!

You could do this with any book really, making existing characters or adding new ones for reenactments, inventing sequels, or just for snuggling.

Enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing. There is nothing sweeter in the world than seeing your older child reading to the younger one. Nothing. If you haven’t experienced this yet with your kids, just wait. You’ll melt into a puddle- you’ll see.
Thank you, Cindy, for including me here and for your efforts encouraging the love of reading and raising
awareness for the Read to Feed program- such an incredibly worthwhile cause.

You might also be interested in:

Making Creatures with Fabric Crayons

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Michelle writes....

When I need to set my book or magazine down, I just grab whatever happens to be the closest, flattest thing available to use as a bookmark.  It's usually a receipt or a magazine order form (you know what I mean, those horribly annoying things that fall out whenever you pick up a new periodical).  My daughter, on the other hand, who is more than just a little proud of the fact that she has started reading chapter books, really gets a kick out of using a proper bookmark.  Since I'll do anything to support a love of reading, I'd like to share a simple way to make bookmarks that can be customized for each individual book.

The materials are simple and inexpensive.  Scrap of ribbon cut about an inch longer than the book you need to mark, some felt, embroidery floss or perle cotton, needle, and maybe some craft punches, if you want to get really fancy.

Pick two elements from your book, such as a flower and key if you're reading The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  I punched some of my designs out of wool felt using paddle punches and a mallet, but you could just cut out your shapes freehand or use this brilliant tutorial and some craft punches.  If you use the craft punches, do yourself a favor and only try it with the good wool felt, not the fuzzy acrylic stuff.  You'll save yourself a mess (literally) of trouble.

Cut two of each shape.  In this case, two flowers and two squares (mine have wavy edges, it's not your eyes playing tricks on you).  I also cut a leaf to go with the flower.

Position the ribbon behind one of the flowers, and tack into place with French knots.

When you've finished one side, flip over and match up the two flowers, repeating the French knots on the other side, slip in the embellished leaf, and finish the edges with buttonhole or other decorative stitching.  Embroider a key on each of the two remaining squares of felt, then sandwich the opposite end of the ribbon in between.

Let your imagination go wild, the variations are mind boggling.  A horse silhouette and horseshoe for Black Beauty, a star and crown for The Little Prince, a magnifying glass and flashlight for Nancy Drew, or even just the initials of your favorite reader.  You need never give someone an unadorned book again.

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To learn more about Read to Feed go here. Please consider supporting this worthwhile cause. It is a wonderful way to empower our children and help them make a difference in their world. Reading logs and printable information can be found here. Enjoy fun and games online here.

First up is Stacy, from MamasDoodles. Visit her site for a heaping load of fun crafts and colaborative art you can make with your child. Stacy is also known for her unbelieavable tails and tutus.  We are so lucky to have her sharing a tutorial on how we can make a "NO SEW" tutu after reading the book, Fancy Nancy!

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Stacy writes.......

We're a household of two kids including Kenzie (age 4) and Rylan (age 5 months).  Kenzie is a fancy girl at heart, enjoying all things princessy, fairy-like and frilly.

The book, Fancy Nancy, by Jane O'Connor ranks high with her.

In true Fancy-Nancy spirit -- Kenzie finds it perfectly acceptable & necessary to get really dressed up before heading out on a worm hunt.  We're sure Fancy Nancy feels the same way!! (about dressing up.. but maybe not about worms!)

In support of Fancy Nancy's embellished-to-the-hilt style, we offer the super-fluffy "NO SEW" tutu tutorial.  This tutorial is for those Mama's who don't want to wrestle tulle, invisible thread, and a sewing machine in order to create the tutu of your little girl's dreams.  It's so easy - a child can do it herself! (that is, if she can tie her own shoes!)  Your finished tutu will appear similar to the following picture:

Tutu Tutorial

Step 1:Cut and sew elastic to form waistband. I use 20 inches for most of my tutus, which fits most kiddos.

Tutu Tiplet: If you wanna go all pro - there are even fun colored elastic cords that can be used instead of plain old elastic. Or you can use a belt!

Step 2: Cut 4-5 yards of tulle into strips. And, cut, cut, cut some more. I do some thicker strips, some thinner.

Tutu Tiplet: You can use solely tulle. You can also add in streamers of ribbon, or other whimsies tied in here and there. You can use a solid color tulle, or alternate amongst a few different colors.

Step 3: Tie your strips onto the elastic. I vary the length of some, just to give it more poof and visual layering. Align your knots all on one side of the waistband, of course. They don't HAVE to be crammed together. As long as you use 4 yards worth of tulle, the tutu will be immensely fluffy.

Tutu Tiplet: I put the waist band around my leg, slide up thigh-high..and it makes tying and controlling the tulle a lot easier!

You might find that your little girl can't stop there with her desire to embellish, if she's anything at all like Fancy Nancy. In the book, Fancy Nancy gives lessons to her family on how to be just as fancy as she is...  Our resident Fancy Nancy offers FREE Fancy lessons to her little brother.

To help our son with feeling good about himself ...in feathers...we also enjoy the following books:

Look At Me! A Book About Differences, by Allia Zobel-Nolan

I like Myself, by Karen Beaumont

Be Fancy ...& READ to feed!!

Donations to Read to Feed can be made at Team Skip to my Lou. We will accept donations through September 15th.  Thanks so much for your support!