Fall Fun: Traced Leaves- Wall Hanging

Inspired by our traced feather bookmarks, we wanted to create various projects using traced leaves.  We incorporated some of our other found treasures- pinecones and a branch.  This is a perfect activity to use up scrap squares you may have of felt, fabric or different kinds of paper, rather than simply recycling them.

This project was featured on The Crafty Crow.  Check them out for all sorts of amazing projects!

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2015/11/fall-mobile-wall-art.html

Materials

* If you don’t want to use real leaves for the projects draw some from your imagination or use craft leaves as tracers.*

• Leaves
• Crepe paper
• Felt
• Fabric
• Fabric scissors
• Scissors
• Pencil & Eraser
• Cord, twine, ribbon, embroidery floss etc./Needle
• Sewing markers (or pencil crayons)
• Embellishments (optional)
• Fabric glue
• Beads
• Pine cones
• Branch/larger stick
• Craft tray, paper liner (for items such as glitter, micro beads)
• Smock

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and collect several different types of leaves.

• For the leaves that you are making out of fabric or felt, trace them using a sewing marker (or a fabric marker) and then flip them over once they are cut so you can’t see the lines.

• Cut these leaves out with fabric scissors.

• We decided to sew around the edges and create sewn midribs and veins on the felt leaves.  You could do this optional step by hand or with a machine.  We added a bit of fabric glue and micro beads to some of the fabric leaves.  It is a good idea to do this on a scrap piece of paper in your craft tray to contain your beads and to be able to make the paper into a funnel shape, putting the extras back into the container.

• Now onto the crepe paper leaves.  Trace around your leaves using a pencil and cut them out.

• Depending on where you want the leaves to hang from on your garland, make a gentle fold and a tiny snip with your scissors or fabric scissors.  (This will make a slit for you to lace the leaves.)  We chose the stem for our small hole.

• Lace your leaves onto your cord or ribbon.  If you want them to stay in a certain place, make a knot on either side of them in the cord and/or add beads to create spacers.  For the strand that we did using embroidery floss we used a needle to poke through the leaves, making little groupings.

• We also created some strands with pinecones, knotting the stems onto cord.  Hang your long strands of leaves onto your branch.  Our eldest son was quite interested in the patterns one could create with this activity.

• Tie a ribbon on both sides of your branch to hang your creation, bringing a little nature indoors!

Purpose

• Getting out into nature
• Using nature as inspiration for creating
• Learning how to make replicas of real objects
• You could also explore patterning

Safety Notes

• Fabric scissors can be quite sharp, please use them with caution and direct supervision.
• Wear a smock and use a craft tray to prevent damaging clothes and/or surfaces, especially when using fabric glue.
• If you use beads, be aware that they may be a choking hazard and should be kept out of reach from those children 0-3 or those who tend to put things into their mouths.