A Handmade (by Children) Birthday

For our Little Gal’s recent birthday, we wanted to resist the temptation of giving her plastic toys that only cost $1 (bargain!) but that break within 24 hours (not a bargain!).  Still, we needed to give Little Gal something for her birthday. So we turned to the overflowing craft drawers/bins/shelves/baskets/closets and found things to make.  Everyone got involved in the creating, especially our 10 yo Ballerina, but also the boys.  Well, actually, Daddy didn’t get involved this time.  He bought her M&Ms (that she “doesn’t have to share with Daddy” as per her wish list) and a My Little Pony.  That pony was our bit of store-bought plastic this year, but it had a good use, as you’ll see.

Our 10yo Ballerina designed the above doll for her sister with no direction or help from me.

The details:

• She cut a piece of muslin fabric into a circle shape
• Tied a head off with ribbon and stuffed it with polyfill.
• Hand-sewed patchwork squares onto the dress
• Painted the bodice with red craft paint
• Hand-embroidered the face with sewing thread
• Hand-sewed brown wool yarn as hair
• The doll’s purse is hand-sewn with a charm attached

Also from our 10yo is a peppermint-and-lavender herb bag.  The embroidery stitches are her own design.  I love that children don’t see the need to pull out the “Encyclopedia of Embroidery Stitches” or another equally large book and follow the rules.

The details:

• She sewed a tube out of the white fabric
• Filled the tube with dried peppermint & lavender
• Sewed the tube closed
• Embroidered an “A” onto pink fabric, using sewing thread
• Sewed the sleeve onto the white “pillow”

After two months of working so hard in our Tuesday Afternoon Knitting Class, our 10yo finished this knitted hat just in time for her little sister’s birthday…

I don’t have the details to give you on that one, as it wasn’t our design.  It’s a basic stockinette stitch hat.

Here is a gift from a big brother:

This “Pink Cadillac” is a purchased wooden car painted pink and detailed with charm stickers:  a butterfly for the hood and a ladybug on the bumper.  Later, he added a pipe cleaner person to be the driver and, using ribbon, attached the My Little Pony from Daddy to pull the car.

I wanted to share these photos, not as a Mama bragging about her offspring (I would never! Would I?), but hopefully to inspire you to leave out the paints and the fabric and the yarn and paper (oh yes, even the scissors and needles!) for your children, too.  Don’t worry about whether or not you are artsy or crafty.  They can do it without help.  Children are naturally creative.