This is an introduction to crepe paper flower making for older children.  We should offer a disclaimer, however, once you make one, there will be bouquets, many, many  bouquets…

Materials

• Crepe paper rolls (we recommend this heavy weight form for maximum pliability, but you could also use crepe paper folds)
• Double sided crepe
• Child safe cotton swabs
• Scissors
• Fringing scissors
• Tacky glue
• Artificial stamen
• Floral tape
• Branches
• Craft feathers
• Vine Leaf wreath
• If you are giving this as a Mother’s Day gift, we attached a set of tags for you: HappyMothersDay

Source List

Here is a list of some of the stores that we have used in making crepe paper projects.  We selected them both for the products and the customer service that we received.

Double Sided Crepe

This is the fold type and is lighter weight, but what makes it special is that it is often two colours put together so it draws attention in a project.

• 32° North http://www.vintage-ornaments.com/  or http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/32NorthSupplies (ships world wide)

• The Paper Place http://www.thepaperplace.ca/ (Canadian)

Crepe Paper Rolls

This is the heavy weight variety and has amazing pliability.

• Carte Fini http://www.cartefini.com/

Floral Tape

• Irina Boutique http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/irinaboutique or a florist shop

Stamen

• 32 ° North http://www.vintage-ornaments.com/  or http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/32NorthSupplies (ships world wide, has a large, unique selection)

• Irina Boutique http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/irinaboutique or a florist shop

• Duchess Trading http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/duchesstrading (vintage and one-of-kind)

Directions

TAKE A PEEK AT OUR STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO!

Flower Centre (Stigma)

• For children (or adults) just learning, it is good to start with a child safe cotton swab, as it is easy to hold and manipulate.  (You can later progress to spun cotton shapes and floral wire or many other pre-made centres on floral wire).  Cut off one end of the swab.  Cut off the little tip on the remaining end.

• Cut out a small square of crepe paper (that you have already stretched out).  Depending on the size of your swab, it will be approximately 2.5-5 centimetres/ 1-2 inches by 2.5- 5 centimetres/1-2 inches in size.

• Using tacky glue, fill in a circle of glue in the centre of the crepe paper square.  Place the swab in the glue and twist the paper around the stick portion of the swab. Secure with floral tape.  One way to do this is to hold the swab in one hand and twist it, while pulling the tape almost up and over (it must be stretched to activate the glue).  Once you have wrapped around the bottom edge of the paper, securing it to swab stick, then wrap down the stick at a diagonal angle to hold it in place.

Stamen & Fringe

• To cut a fringe, stretch out your crepe paper and then fold it in half.  Cut down from the fold (either with fringing scissors or with regular scissors cutting about 3/4 down the height of the crepe, making parallel cuts).  If you plan on making many flowers you can do a long strip and then cut it into portions about 2. 2.5-5 centimetres/ 1-2 inches by 2.5- 5 centimetres/1-2 inches for each flower.

• If the stamen is double-ended, fold it in half.  Put some glue on the bottom of the fringe, making a thin line.  Put your stamen in between the flower centre and the fringe, wrapping the fringe around.  Secure it in place with floral tape, wrapping down the stick of the swab.

Petals

• We show a very basic petal.  You can experiment with various shapes and/or ones that are joined.  This is just one example to get you started.

• Cut strips of crepe paper and stretch it horizontally.  You can then stack the strips and cut a few petals at a time to make them uniform or each on their own for a more organic look.  You can then stretch the upper portion of the petal (between your thumbs and forefingers, pulling outward to give some shape to the petal (making almost a slightly boat like shape.)

• Put a thin line of glue at the bottom two petals and place them opposite each other on the swab stick (slightly overlapping them).  Cut a longer piece of floral tape and secure those two petals (leaving the excess tape for the next few sets of petals).  Repeat with another two petals, placing them in the open spaces and secure with the tape.  Continue until you reach your desired fullness.  When you have completed, wrap your floral tape down the stem.

Embellishments

• Some basic embellishments might include adding a stripe or dots with a metallic pastel or marker to the petals before attaching or adding similar details with glue and microbeads or fine glitter post forming the flowers.

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We then attached the flowers to branches with floral tape.

We took the branches and wove them into the grape vine wreath (you could glue them into place with a glue gun should you like)

We added a further bit of texture by adding some craft feathers.

Attach the provided Mother’s Day gift tag, should you like to give it as a gift.

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 Once you have mastered this basic technique, explore these amazing titles and websites to inspire you to the next level:

• Paper to Petal: 75 Whimsical Paper Flowers to Craft by Hand, by Rebecca Thuss & Patrick Farrell
  • http://www.papertopetal.com/

• The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers: A Guide to Making Unbelievably Realistic Paper Blooms, by Livia Cetti

• http://www.thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/

• http://www.marthastewart.com/search/results?keys=crepe%20paper%20flowers

Purpose

• Developing fine motor skills, using a variety of materials to create a likeness of an object, item

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with adult supervision

This is a perfect activity for capturing your child’s drawing skills at a moment in time…

Materials

• Canvas (can be purchased at an art supply, craft or dollar store)
• Embroidery thread (sometimes called embroidery floss)
• Needle (if a child is doing the sewing, choose one that is larger and more dull in nature)
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ribbon
• Gift tag HappyMothersDay

Directions

• Turn the canvas upside down.

• Draw a picture (we drew our family) lightly with a pencil.

• Thread a needle with the embroidery thread.  Be sure to tie a knot at the end!

• Put your canvas up to a light source (like a bright window) so you can see the pencil markings through the canvas.

• Sew the outline of the drawing- be creative.  We did a simple version, but we would love for you to share what you did. You can also fill it in or paint the canvas prior to.

• Sign one’s name and the date on the corner, write an inscription on the inside should you like.  This is a great gift for Mother’s, Father’s, Grandparent’s Day or for a teacher at the end of a year.  We attached a Mother’s Day tag: HappyMothersDay so which you could attach with ribbon.  There is space for the child’s name and multiple copies per page for classroom use.

Purpose

• Fine motor skill development, thinking of others

Safety Notes

• Be sure to use scissors and a needle with adult supervision.

http://www.owlkids.com/reader-art-of-the-week-april-13-19/

Check them out!

Materials

• Balloon
• Old bowl
• Scissors
• White glue (several bottles)
• Water
• An old spoon or fork for mixing
• Shades of brown and/or tan yarn
• Raffia
• Shredded paper or cut up brown paper bags
• Brown craft sand
• Feathers
• Plastic table cloth or newsprint
• Smock

Directions

• Prior to making the nest, as it can be quite messy, it is a good idea to cover your workspace with an inexpensive plastic table cloth or old newspaper. You might want to wear a smock for this reason as well.

• Have an adult blow up a balloon for the craft. Choose the size of balloon based on the size of nest that you would like to make. To hold the balloon steady, place it in an old bowl so that it is snug (the part that blew into and tied should be inside of the bowl as you will only be covering the bottom.)

• Cut lengths (approx. half a metre/ one and a half feet) of various shades of brown and/or tan yarn.

• Have an adult shred various shades of brown paper and/or paper bags for you. (Or cut it into thin strips using scissors). Other suggested items might include raffia, embroidery floss, craft grass, craft moss etc.)

• Take white glue and dilute it (about two parts glue to one part water). You can mix brown craft sand (this gives it colour and texture) with it to make it appear more mud like, although we liked the effect of sprinkling it on later. Take one length of yarn and dip it in the glue mixture, assuring that it is completely covered and well absorbed. Then place the yarn in between your thumb and fingers and pull downwards to remove the excess glue. Holding the end of the yarn with one hand and pulling it through your pointer and middle finger is an other helpful technique. Try to get it back into the container for re-use. (See our video for a demonstration of this.)

• Circle the yarn around the bottom portion of the balloon. Repeat, assuring that you overlap the yarn pieces so that they will adhere together. It is helpful to tuck the ends under another piece of yarn. Take small handfuls of the shredded paper and dip them in the glue. Weave the pieces underneath the yarn. You may want to weave in other items such as feathers. If you notice any dry looking spots, put an additional amount of the glue mixture on. While it is wet, sprinkle with brown craft sand to create a muddy texture similar to a real nest.

• Let this dry for several days. When you see that it appears dry, pop the balloon (with a pin or scissors) and carefully peel it out . The inside of the nest may be still damp, therefore allow it to dry overnight before use.

• Use your nest as a centre piece, for storing special items or for the games you will soon find on our website. How can you make it your own by what you put inside?

Purpose

• Making a replica of an item, development of fine motor skills (scissor use, weaving etc.)

Safety Notes

• An adult should blow up the balloon and it should be discarded after use as balloons pose a choking hazard.
• Be sure to cover your workspace as glue may damage certain surfaces.
• Use scissors and/or a pin with direct adult supervision.

Materials

• T-shirt
• Tracing paper & pencil
• Felt (large piece for the wings & sheets for the feather rows)
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing Machine/ Thread (optional- you could use fabric glue should you like)
• Fabric glue
• Fabric paint
• Craft gems
• Pins
• Iron
• Iron-on Adhesive
• Feather Template (download here)
• Smock

Directions

• Purchase or re-use a t-shirt to use as the body for your bird and the “base” for your wings.

• Have your child lie down over tracing paper (with their arms outstretched) and draw out a basic shape for one wing based on his or her size.  (This will attach to the shoulder portion of the shirt, down to the sleeve end.  However, as seen in the photograph, the tip can extend further based on your preference).

• Cut out the tracing paper wing and pin onto a sturdy fabric (we chose felt).  For symmetry (and ease) it is suggested that you fold over the fabric that you use to make two wings at a time (flipping the second wing over so it folds out the opposite way).  It is suggested that you make two separate wings rather than one large set of wings so as to distribute the weight onto the t-shirt.

• You can attach the fabric with an adhesive (bought from a fabric store) that comes in a roll and is activated with the heat of an iron.   If you chose this option (for limited sewing), be sure that your felt is not synthetic as it may melt. Chose a wool based felt.

• If you feel like your child would be quite active in the costume you can also sew the wing bases to the shirt. We did a combination of both.

• Depending on the type of bird you chose to make, cut out a base for the tail.

• We decided to use felt for our costume.  We purchased felt sheets (letter size) and cut out rows of feathers.   We have provided a simple template for inspiration.  For efficiency, we folded the sheet in half and cut out two rows at the same time.  This was aided by a sharp pair of sewing scissors and required some slight touch-up cutting following.

• We then sewed a basic stitch around the feather (using the sewing machine foot as our guide) to provide detail/interest.  You could embellish the feather rows with a variety of techniques (such as sewing a double line down the centre, or sewing the shaft and barbs).  We’d love to see what you came up with!

• We chose to use yellow, orange, light brown and dark brown feathers. Based on the size of our son, the t-shirt used and the size of the wings we used approximately 15 sheets of the yellow (making 2 rows of feathers each), 15 sheets of the orange felt, 15 sheets of light brown felt and 20 sheets of dark brown felt.  It is always advisable, however, to purchase several extra sheets to allow for a margin of error.

• We then started with the bottom feathers and glued them in layers (using fabric glue purchased at a craft store).  Before starting your gluing, you may want to arrange your rows to see how they may fit.  You may have to trim some of them, tuck them under each other or overlap them.

• Around the neck (breast type feathers), glue on single feathers to fit the curve of the t-shirt.

• We then did a simple embellishment on the feathers to add interest using craft gems, glued on with fabric paint.

• Glue either the front or back of your costume, then let it dry for 24 hours before you do the other side.  (Note: If you wanted to sew on your feathers on for longevity, it would be advisable to do so before you attach the base to the t-shirt.)

• Have the child try on the costume to measure where to put the wrist bands to control the wings.  We took a strip of fabric and sewed on Velcro (be sure to pin it on and test that it will wrap around to match each other, before sewing or gluing it on).  Then sew or glue it to the interior of the wing at the appropriate spot.

• Hope you have a “hoot” with this idea.  We would love if you shared a photo of your finished work with us!

Purpose

• Imaginary play
• Developing planning skills, creativity and fine motor skills.
• Transferring/ recreating visual knowledge into a physical form.

Safety Notes

• Be sure that scissors, sewing machine and iron are used with adult supervision.
• Wear a smock when using fabric glue & paint

Materials

• T-shirt
• Tracing paper
• Felt (a large piece for the tail, a strip for the headband and several colours for the feather details)
• A thicker interfacing such as flexi-foam
• Sewing scissors
• Sewing machine/thread (if you decide to go with this option)
• Fabric glue
• Craft gems
• Velcro (we recommend extra strength)
• Child’s belt (we used one that was elastic in nature so the costume could fit any child)
• Sewing marker

Directions

• Purchase or re-use a t-shirt to use as the body of your bird.

Tail

• Place lightweight paper such as tracing paper over your t-shirt.

• Make your tail shape, making the larger, middle curve over where your child’s head would be.  Make two smaller curves on either side (try to make them approximately the same size.  Follow this by two more, for a total of five. (The size of the curves will vary with the size of the t-shirt and the child.)  You could use a measuring tape for this process as well.

• Cut out your tracing paper tail.

• Hold the cut-out up to your child’s back to see if it fits. Alter it until it is the right size for your child.

• Double your felt over (we used dark green) to form two layers.  Put the fold at the bottom of the tail (where you will slide the belt in).

• Take your tracing paper tail, pin it to the felt and then cut out two layers.  If it helps, go around the edges with a sewing marker. (As suggested, don’t cut the bottom where it folds over to save a step.  We cut it apart for the photograph, but on the second version of the costume, this was a great trick!).

• Remove the tracing paper pattern and pin it to the interfacing to make one layer to go in between the felt to help provide structure.   You will want to then trim about 5 centimetres/ 1 inch around the interfacing so that it will be covered by the fabric on the edges when you sew the layers together.

• Sandwich the interfacing in between the felt tail pieces and pin it in place.

• Measure the width of your belt and then allow for about 1 centimetre on either side. Measure this distance from the bottom of your tail (where the fold is) and then sew (or glue) across this part.   This will provide the channel for the belt to go through.  It is important that you do this step first before you sew around the edges of your “sandwich”.

• Sew around the edges of the tail (removing your pins upon approach), be sure to start at the line where you made the channel for your belt (don’t accidentally sew it closed!).  Use the foot of the sewing machine to help you create an even margin.  You could also use fabric glue for this process.

• To provide further structure to the tail, we made sure there was a needle on our machine meant for “tough jobs/thick fabric” and we sewed up the edges of each curve.  This holds everything in place and provides some visual interest.  Trim the edges of the tail if need be (as some shifting may occur during sewing) to assure that there is an even, clean finish.

Embellishing the tail with feathers

Your child will be able to wear the tail in two positions- one up and one down, so that is why it is important to make enough decorative finishes to cover both sides. The amount of feathers that you will make depends on the size of your child.  We made approximately 30.

•  Take various colours of felt (we used greens, blues, yellows and purples) and cut out layers of oval shapes, getting smaller with each one. We completed this with a circle.   Glue them on top of each other with fabric glue, finishing with a craft jewel in the middle of the circle.

• If you want to create more detail, sew from the middle of the circle to the outside of the feather with a light coloured thread. (We sewed once through the middle and twice off to the sides in diagonal lines before gluing the jewel down (As shown).

• Glue the feathers onto both sides of the tail, staggering them and adding craft jewels in between.  We recommend glueing one side, letting it dry overnight and then repeating this process for the other side.

Trick for holding the tail upright

• With the top most feather (on the largest curve) on the side that would fold up (going towards the child’s head), only glue the top of the feather.  Then sew or glue one side of a hook and loop closure (Velcro) under that feather.  

• Thus, when the tail is down it is hidden, but when you go to put it up, gently fold the feather up and attach the Velcro to its match which will also be hidden on the back of the t-shirt.

T-shirt (Body of the peacock)

• Glue feathers around the front neckline.

• On the back of the shirt (for the purpose of completing a hiding spot for the other side of our Velcro)  sew or glue only the top of the feather with the match of the Velcro piece underneath.  Thus, when the tail is down you simply hide the Velcro, but when it is up you lift it (and slightly move it off to the side) so that the Velcro pieces can adhere to each other and the tail stands on its own!

Belt

•  We used an elastic belt that we dyed using fabric dye to match the colour of the t-shirt.  You could re-use a belt you have or dye thick elastic.

• The belt we used had metal clasps on each end that fit into each other which was perfect for pushing it through the channel of the tail.  (You could use a safety pin clipped to elastic for this).

• Once you have slid the belt through the channel, secure the belt to the child the child for wear or cut off the clasps, sewed the ends to prevent fraying and then sew one piece of Velcro onto one end and another onto the other end.  We recommend that you pin this first, test it out for size with your children and then sew it.  If you were doing this for a classroom resource this would allow for all children to access the costume if either the belt sizing was restricted by the clasps or they were too complicated for children to do independently.

Headpiece

• We used the 1920s as an inspiration.

• Take two strips of fabric (to make it a bit more structured), sew the edges together and then adhere a long strip of Velcro to one side on the inside and the Velcro match on the outside of the other (we always recommend pinning and testing it out before you sew so you can make alterations and assure that the opposite sides of the Velcro line up correctly).  We then glued on some of our embellishment feathers to the side on the front and let this dry overnight.

Putting it Together

• Don your costume and strut your stuff- like a peacock!

• Imaginary play
• Developing planning skills, creativity and fine motor skills.
• Transferring/ recreating visual knowledge into a physical form.

Safety Notes

• Be sure that scissors, sewing machine and iron are used with adult supervision.
• As this costume uses a belt, it is recommended that you review safety of this (that it is intended for use around the waist only).  Direct supervision is recommended.

• Blank stationary cards (you can purchase these at dollar or craft stores)
• Craft feathers (more of the downy type)
• Glue
• Craft eyes
• Orange card stock,  construction paper or foam
• Scissors
• Thin orange felt marker

Directions

Purchase blank stationary cards or simply fold card stock in half.

Glue a craft feather on the centre, trimming off the quill first.

Glue on craft eyes.

Cut off the corner of a piece of orange paper or foam for the beak & glue on.

Draw legs and feet with a thin orange felt marker.

(This is just a starting point- be sure to “Make it Their Own”- our child’s Kindergarten teacher may have ended up with a “Merbird” (half bird/ half mermaid)!

A message can be written in the inside once the card has dried over night.

Send to friends and/or family.  Attach to a celebratory gift (birthday, arrival of a baby etc.).  It is perfect for spring or Easter cards.

Purpose

Creating an image of a real creature in a simple manner.  Using fine motor skills: gluing, cutting etc.

Safety Notes

Use scissors with adult supervision.