Family Crafts

Making Peg Dolls

Invite yourself and every child you know or teach into a playful world that delights at every turn!  Making Peg Dolls joyously shows how to easily make simple, lovable toys for children that can also be used as table puppets for storytelling.  These little Waldorf-inspired dolls are so engaging that all of us here wanted drop everything so that we could make peg dolls and play with them.

Truly, there are worlds to be created for children (and by children age 10 and over!), just waiting for you between the pages of this wonderful book.  You can see for yourself by watching this video that is just too sweet not to share:

You will find complete patterns for  creating bluebirds and butterflies, flowers and fairytale figures, gnomes, winter angels, and more!

Included are:

• Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for children and crafters of all levels and experience
• Beautiful color illustrations and photos
• A range of over 60 designs and patterns for peg dolls
• Ideas for peg dolls as gifts and toys, for seasonal nature tables or fairs
• An inspiring section on storytelling with peg dolls

You can find peg dolls like those used in the book from our friends a www.achildsdream.com

 

Getting out the sewing basket is never more fun than when it is to create a new doll for a child.  Karin Neuschütz's Sewing Dolls can make such a project even more joyful.  She shows clearly how to make just about every sort of soft doll I've ever seen or heard of, and she does this with step-by-step instructions, patterns you can trace or photocopy, and beautiful color photographs and drawings that give you every detail you'll need to make your own dolls for the children in your life.  Sewing Dolls will become a treasured resource and an uplifting inspiration for both beginners and dollmaking experts wherever it is used.

  

Making Waldorf Dolls

Since The Doll Book went out-of-print many years ago, I have been searching and hoping for either a reprint or a book that could genuinely take its place. This is that book - and it is a gem to be treasured!

Maricristin Sealey is a professional dollmaker who is able to convey her techniques both clearly and with a full heart for the world of childhood. Making Waldorf Dolls shows how to create - with love - handcrafted dolls from natural materials. The ten different dolls include soft, baggy, pouch, angel, sack and limbed dolls - all of them sure to be loved by both children and the adults who make them. These dolls are old favorites, happy companions of children and beloved residents of Waldorf kindergartens.

And there's more - in addition to the ten doll types that are so fully described, you'l also find clear suggestions for colorful and pretty ways to make dolls' hair, twelve basic clothes patterns with variations, help with tools, techniques and materials, safety guidelines, recycling tips and resources.

There is no better gift to a child than a doll made just for him or her with love. This book promises to bring many such gifts to our children. Outstanding!

Making Flower Children

What sweet wee folk you can make with this book! Charming little flower children for every season and mood -- wonderful for nature table or play. These are just so adorable I want to hug them all. Directions are clear and simple to do, too.

Making Flower Children offers detailed, step-by-step instructions and illustrations for making a range of lively and creative flower figures. Many are recognizable from Elsa Beskow's popular picture books, and from Sybille von Olfers's Story of the Root Children.

Activities are organized by season, making the book ideal for decorating a nature corner or seasonal table in the home or classroom.

Making More Flower Children

From buttercups to blackberries and poppies to mistletoe, this illustrated book contains patterns, photographs and clear instructions for making a broad range of flower children.  The beautiful figures are made from easy-to-find materials, such as wool, felt and cotton, and some of the patterns are simple enough for children to join in with, too.  Arranged by season, the dolls are ideal for decorating a nature corner or seasonal table, for all the family to enjoy.

This sequel to Making Flower Children includes all the basic instructions and offers an entirely new set of flower children to make.

Feltcraft

This book is so charming and the little people and animals so delightful that we couldn't resist having it as part of our bookshop. We can imagine homes where children and visitors find these little fellows tucked into all sorts of surprising places. What fun! And so easy, too!

Felt is a durable and flexible material that is perfect for children to work with. Feltcraft contains a range of simple creative items to make using felt: from dolls and animal figures, to wall hangings and jewelry. All fo the projects are accompanied by step-by-step instructions, patterns and colour photographs, and all are suitable for making with children.

Green Fingers and Muddy Boots

Here is a beautiful, wonder-filled introduction to the joys of gardening! Packed with photos and drawings of birds, bees, flowers, vegetables and much, much more, Green Fingers and Muddy Boots is so evocative of the pleasures of working with nature that you'll find yourself setting it down frequently in favor of going out and getting your hands into some soil. Which I know the author would love for you and children everywhere to do.

Green Fingers and Muddy Boots—with worksheets on the accompanying CD—presents practical and fun activities in the garden for every month of the year, come rain or shine. Activities range from growing flowers and vegetables to spotting birds and tracking the weather and keeping a garden diary.

The activities are suitable for seven- to fourteen-year-olds. Although older children will be able to work independently, it can be fun to work together as a family or school class.

This book is based on the original “Plant and Grow” course developed with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, which has been used successfully by many families and schools for several years.

We recommend it as wonderful for children of all ages! You can never be too young or too old to get out into the garden.

Making Picture Books with Movable Figures

What a treat this little book is! Brunhild Müller shows parents and teachers how to create their own books with moving figures, the sort of book children delight in and Rudolf Steiner said were among the books that most captivated him when he was a child.

The joy felt by a child that someone he/she loves has created a book just for him or her cannot be overstated. My most treasured possession from my own childhood is a simple little book bound in a report folder and written and illustrated on typing paper. My mother wrote and illustrated it for me: a sweet story about me and all my stuffed animal friends. To me, it is beautiful beyond belief - and is the sort of book you can create using Brunhild's dear little book. Her instructions are clear and easy to follow, her ideas for stories are inspiring, and the book is complete with full color examples of real pages created in this way.

Papercraft

Paper is a remarkably versatile, easy-to-use, and easy-to-find material for use in arts and crafts. In this book, Angelika Wolk-Gerche presents detailed instructions for making hundreds of things out of paper. Papercraft includes easy-to-follow instructions for cutting out paper stars, folding birds and animals, making windmills, masks, and gift-bags. You can even cut a hole in a postcard that you can climb through!

Papercraft also includes instructions for making papier mâché and handmade paper and for working with pulp.

Puppet Theatre

This is just such a charming, happy book! Maija Baric' opens up the world of puppetry to young children and adults in ways that will make you smile and will lead you and your children on and on into the worlds you can create on a tabletop. Her puppet "recipes" range from those that are so simple a kindergarten child can make them to puppets that will require a kindly adult to bring them to life. Likewise, the staging: from the very simplest intended for the children to create themselves , to more complex stages for adults to use for the children's enjoyment.

I love the way all the instructions are illustrated with colorful drawings which somehow all manage to evoke warmth and love. Maija Baric's instructions follow the drawings to their conclusion as storybook characters and more, and are peppered with good advice all along the way.

Altogether a wonderful book for families, teachers and adults with exuberant inner children!

Creative Felt

People have been making felt for thousands of years and Angelika Wolk-Gerche invites you to discover its fun and practicality. Within these pages, beautifully illustrated with clear photographs, she shows us one step at a time how to create toys, garments, household items in stunning felt. The best part? That making them is as much fun as using them. Do enjoy!!

For those of you without a local source for such things, we offer the highest grade Merino tops for felting. See them at our sister site, www.feltersparadise.com. Your shopping cart will follow you.

Woolly Thoughts

Here is a book to delight knitters and teachers of mathematics - all at the same time!

How do they do this? Well, they are both mathematics teachers, amazing in their ability to make everything clear and fun. Right from the start, they forge a pathway to knitting heaven by having you take out whatever yarn you like, your choice of needles, and a small calculator. What happens next is a guided tour through a mosaic of shapes and colors -- all of them easy, all of them fascinating and beautiful. With Pat and Steve at your side, you can truly forget about conventional knitting patterns and follow your imagination where ever it leads you. Your students will begin absorbing and delighting in geometric and mathematical relationships without even noticing that's what they are doing. They will also being to love the time they spend knitting simply because they can follow their own inspiration so easily.

Happily and heavily illustrated throughout, with a section of color plates showcasing some of Pat's creations, Woolly Thoughts brings you everything you need for a lifetime of discovering the joys knitting and mathematics. This is a book that students and teachers will love equally - each will discover their knitting and their mathematical skills just get better and better, one stitch at a time!

A beautiful way to unite handwork with mathematics!

The Knitted Farmyard

I have had a copy of this little book for over 20 years - and have regretted more than occasionally that it was no longer in print. When I bought mine (for the same price as this new edition!), our oldest daughter had just started first grade and I was part of a craft circle whose members were also mothers at the same school. Everyone just loved the book and soon we all had copies and were knitting away at chickens and pigs and horses. I know that none of us actually finished a whole farmyard, but that all of us still have the little animals we made together and cherish them as reminders of precious times with each other and with our own children.

Anyway, the little farm world that Hannelore Wernhard has created is filled with rich imagination and love. She gives complete instructions for creating all the animals, people, buildings, streams, ponds and fields that make this knitted farm such a treasure. It is a joy to see it spring to life again for new children and the knitters in their lives.

Knitted Animals

Delight a child while using odds and ends from your stash!

Here is an irresistable collection of animals to knit in soft, natural materials: ducklings, teddy bears, lambs, piglets, hedgehogs, a handsome rooster and clucking hen, mice and more and more. Most of the projects can be quickly and inexpensively knit with odds and ends of yarn, and many can be completed in an hour or two. Not to mention that then you can present them to a beloved child and watch their eyes light up at the sight of their new friend.

Knitted Animals includes:

• Step-by-step, clearly written instructions for making over 20 dear little animals
• Beautiful full-color photographs throughout
• Many projects that are suitable for older children to make themselves

Beginning and experienced knitters alike will love this charming book.

Freddie's Blanket

Join Freddie Platypus and his family as he learns that his own big bed might just be the best place to sleep after all!  At the end of the story you will discover a series of five knitting patterns which bring Freddie's story to life.

As with Phoebe's Sweater, this is a very sweet story made sweeter with the invitation to knit.

Ages 4-6

Phoebe's Sweater

Come enter the wold of Phoebe Mouse as she lives and grows through the changing seasons.  Join her adventures in her woodland world as the year brings a special surprise for her family.  At the end of the story you will discover a beautiful series of knitting patterns bring Phoebe's story to life in a very special way.

Really dear stories made even better by an invitation to create for a child.

Ages 4-6

Knit One Knit All

This is simply the best collection of interesting, simple-to-knit, classic family knitting anywhere, and as such deserves a very warm place among our other books.  For beginning knitters and master knitters alike, you and your family can knit happily together and emerge with beautiful, useful clothing that teaching something about construction and technique at each and every step.  But mostly, this knitting is really fun and really engaging without being at all taxing - what could be more perfect to share with every member of the family?

Knit One Knit All is a love fest you can knit - and a beautifully scrumtious book to boot!  Seeing all of Elizabeth's garter stitch designs in one place, beautifully photographed and with patterns and asides so nicely described is just about as good as it gets for anyone interested in knitting, in clothing construction, or even just in the wearable nature of geometry.

It is also a fantastic tour through the mind of a remarkably creative knitter and the woman I consider to be the Godmother of Modern Knitting.  Although I've read every one of Elizabeth's books and even all her old newsletters from my subscription "way back when," putting her garter stitch designs all in a single volume  shines a light on Elizabeth's creative process as it developed over the course of her life. 

It also offers up an inexhaustable menu of things to knit and love.  You'll find 39 different garments - hats, mittens, gloves, socks, booties, slippers, baby things of all description, vests, sweaters and jackets.  Each is wonderfully different from the rest, with innovative construction at every step. And each will set your fingers a-tingle with the urge to pick up your needles and knit! 

Knit One Knit All is a treasure and on the must-have list for anyone who loves knitting.

The Nature Corner

The Nature Corner is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to add this to their child's experience of home. There are detailed instructions on setting up the basic table, including directions for making the draping cloths. Themes of the seasons and some of the festivals (most, but not all with a Christian theme), are portrayed with full directions for making the animals and dolls shown in the color photographs. There are instructions for making some of the dearest little mice, fluffiest of sheep, and the most charming gnomes ever. Do enjoy your creative romp through nature's year!

Hanky Panky

Hanky-Panky is a never ending source of laughter and delight disguised as an unassuming booklet of ideas. Inside you will find a white handkerchief, just like my own father carried every day, and page after page of instructions for transforming it into the most delightful toys ever. From Twins in a Hammock to a wriggling Mouse to Rabbits and Ballerinas -- the joy just never stops. All you need is a handkerchief and a small child for one of the sweetest ways to celebrate life.

Fingerweaving Basics

Weaving is a wonderful handcraft for older students and adults.  It gets the two hemispheres of the brain talking to each other, develops eye/hand/touch coordination, enhances cognitive awareness -- and it's fun and produces useful and beautiful things.  The problem of teaching weaving usually amounts to a question of resources and space: full sized looms are expensive and take up a lot of space.  The solution in many situations has been to simply forego weaving altogether and move on to other things.

Needless to say, we are delighted to have found Fingerweaving Basics.  This method of weaving using only dowelling for the initial tye-up and finger dexterity to create weft patterns ranging from very basic to imaginatively complex is a beautiful way to offer students the full experience of genuine weaving with very simple tools.  The book is fully illustrated with clear and lovely drawings that demonstrate each technique in a step-by-step way; there is a full discussion of materials and methods, including making a warping board for measuring lengths of weft.

Part of the charm of this exhaustive tutorial is the Native American history and cultural notes that appear throughout the book - there are inspiring photos of many Osage belts, along with brief notes as to their use and a bits about traditional fingerweaving in the tribal context.  To me, all this history makes the craft even more inviting.

Highly recommended for eager students in 6th grade and up; for everyone grade 10 and up.

 

Zen and the Art of Knitting

This book has an enormous amount to say about the value to human beings, young and old, of working with our hands. It also happens to contain two wonderful chapters devoted to someone who is an amazing handworker and the best Waldorf crafts teacher it has ever been my privilege to know: Elizabeth Seward.**

Bernadette Murphy has given the most detailed, life-filled descriptions I've ever read of knitting classes actually taught to first and fifth graders in a Waldorf school (Highland Hall). Even better, what you'll find in these descriptions is what I have always hoped someone would do for these classes -- Elizabeth presented everything to the children in ways that united their hands with the hearts and heads, and left an opening for spirit and soul to thrive. We can all be inspired by the simple, yet deeply resonant way she guided the children through the techniques and leads them into a loving, caring relationship with the work of their hands. All this, while maintaining an atmosphere of joy along with setting high standards for the outcomes of that work! What she accomplished is truly what we all want for our children.

N.B. Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, it is not a treatise on Buddhist meditation, though Murphy's exploration does include this. It is a heartfelt consideration of the core essence of what knitting evokes in the inner life. Interestingly, about 80% of the people she interviewed or observed are practitioners of Christian prayer and meditation. It is a book whose contents and intents are still living in my heart, well past the reading of it. I think you'll love it, too.

**Elizabeth is no longer active as a Crafts Teacher, but does still offer classes and workshops to adults and makes herself available as mentor and guide to Waldorf Crafts teachers. I have known Elizabeth for about 20 years and can think of no one better to call upon in this role. Whether you are involved with a Waldorf School, public or private, that is ready to deepen its crafts program; or are part of a home school cooperative and would like a workshop to help the adults become more skilled at both the crafts and teaching them; or are an adult wishing to enrich your own life with a deeper, more joyful relationship to handwork -- Elizabeth Seward, in my opinion, is some one you could call upon with confidence that your needs will be met and your time and resources more than well-spent. Elizabeth can be reached through her web site: www.workofourhands.net

Knitting Without Tears

This is simply the very best "how-to-knit" book ever written - it not only gives you clear, easy-to-master instruction on all the basic techniques of the craft, it sets you free to knit whatever wonderful hat, sweater, vest or anything else your imagination can envision. And, you will be able to use any yarn that strikes your fancy. Did I mention how easy this all is? You'll see that I'm not making any of the up when you read Knitting Without Tears - the only knitting book I know of that is so entertaining to read that I used to cozy up with it at bedtime.

If you have never knit before, this is the best possible place to learn - you will enter the ranks of the "expert" by the end of the book - without strain, I might add. If you already know how to knit, but want to move beyond patterns and into freedom, there is no finer guide than Elizabeth Zimmermann. Whatever your level of knitting - you will love this book.

". . . properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either."

- Elizabeth Zimmermann, Knitting Without Tears

Learn-to-Knit Afghan Book

This book caught my eye because I'm someone who doesn't like to waste time or materials on the sort of projects that are often suggested as ways to learn a craft. It also intrigued me because I had concocted such an afghan way back when I was in high school, and I wanted to see what Barbara Walker's approach was to the task.

Barbara's approach is an enticing combination of clear, orderly, progressive instruction and great design. The squares that comprise the afghan, and upon which you will practice your new-found skills, are presented with each one building upon the skills of the one before it. Her sense of design -- which she teaches you -- results in an afghan which is as lovely to look at as it is warm and cozy to snuggle up in.

By the time you finish the 63rd square, there will be very little you do not know about stitch pattern techniques, finishing techniques, and basic design strategies -- and, you will have a snug and beautiful afghan as a bonus.

Very highly recommended. A plus is that the publisher, who also sells great wool yarns, will create a kit for you with the yarns used in the book!

Magical Window Stars

Who would have thought that by simply folding colored tissue paper, you could transform a window into a source of a truly magical, captivating beauty?

Frédérique Guéret provides step-by-step instructions for making twenty-five window stars. Each is graded for difficulty, allowing the beginner to progress with confidence. She also shows how the stars can be painted with additional color accents that allow sunlight to create a dazzling veined effect.

Magic Wool

Magic Wool unveils the secrets of captivating children with feltboard pictures "painted" with colored unspun fleece. There is nothing more magical to a child than to see a story spring to life as a parent or teacher "draws" it in wool during the telling. Because of the texture and nature of the fleece, these pictures invite the young child to enter the activity of the scene - it springs to life in their imagination. You'll love it, too!

Also include are instructions for making figures from fleece to grace your nature table or for your young ones to play with.

More Magic Wool

When Magic Wool first appeared, I thought, "It just doesn't get any better than this!" Now we have More Magic Wool and I have to say, "It may not get better, but the journey can certainly unfold in wonderous ways!"

The scenes that have been created in this book are so enticing, so imgination-inspiring that, frankly, I just wanted to jump into the page and meet the little people who lived there. I think your children will want to do that, too. More Magic Wool picks up where Magic Wool left off, adding little hand dolls, three-dimensional landscapes, gnome caves, and much, much more into the captivating mix. There's a goodly dash of practicality, too, as the author shows you how to card and dye and make beautiful wool ready (and willing!) for your projects.

Here is a craft that will be as nurturing to the heart of the adult as it is for the child for whom these wonders are created. The possibilities are without end - the beauty beyond compare!

Freya Jaffke managed to breathe her many years experience as a master Waldorf kindergarten teacher into a volume capable of inspiring, guiding and reassuring new parents toward a balanced, beautiful life with their children. This is a hands-on approach that is deeply suited to working with and understanding young children. This is a book to enjoy in the deepest sense of the word, and makes an excellent companion to Work and Play in Early Childhood.

The new edition adds color photographs, more toys to make (more joy to bring!), and wonderful discussions of which toys to give to children at what ages, how to create a beautiful, nurturing environment, even tips for clean-up! I have loved this book since it was first published - this most recent incarnation elevates it from "wonderful" to "must have."

Painting with Children

This wonderful book is once again available to parents and teachers wanting to explore with children the world of liquid color. And, it is still the best guide ever for those new to wet-on-wet painting and to painting with young children. Here is everything you need to know, even if you've never painted (or never painted this way) before:

• the author begins with a lovely discussion about how children experience the world of color
• she goes on to offer some thoughts on what she calls "the morality of color." I find that this section inspires me to become more imaginative when I work with colors - it really brings them to life in a very unique way
• there is a long section, filled with color photographs of both children painting and the paintings they produced, that takes us into the world of children painting with watercolors. This can become a welcome guide for parents who have never done this before - it should help everyone to paint joyfully
• then, there are clear instructions for mixing the paints, preparing the paper, distributing the water jars, paint pots and brushes
• ah! and then comes the painting! and the color stories! and the sheer wonder of it all!
• the author adds suggestions for seasonal painting themes, how to create the stories and what their basis is, the experience of color and the moods of nature
• finally, there are even instructions for preparing plant pigments for painting and photos showing the soft, inviting colors they produce.

There is so much joy to be had here - I've waited for years hoping for this book to reappear. What a treasure!

The Christmas Craft Book

Simply made decorations for home or school are a lovely way for children to become involved in the celebration of Advent and Christmas.  Over the years, Thomas Berger and his family have developed the holiday decorations included here.  You will quickly learn to make creche figures, candles, lanterns, angels and more, all fully described and illustrated with color photographs.

Crafts through the Year

Here's the book to carry you beautifully through the entire year. Thomas and Petra Berger have completely revised their previous books, The Christmas Craft Book, The Easter Craft Book and The Harvest Craft Book and combined them into this one sumptuous volume. All the tricky techniques are well illustrated, and the results are beautifully presented with full-color photographs. These simple crafts elevate daily life to a rich artistry - there is enough here to gift both child and adult with a lifetime of wonder.

The Gnome Craft Book

Gnomes, gnomes, gnomes - of all sizes, shapes, colors, and styles! All yours for the making when you follow the simple instructions in The Gnome Craft Book. You can never have too many gnomes!! This book offers fun and delight with whatever materials you have available.

Rose Windows

Remember the paper snowflakes we used to make? The ones where you fold the paper and cut delicate, interesting shapes out of the resulting triangle? And then, you unfold them as though you were opening a mysterious package, never quite certain what you would find inside? We remember them, too, which is why we love this book. Using the exact same technique, but with layers of different colored tissue paper, you and your children can create breathtakingly beautiful transparencies to hang in your windows. And each one will be so wonderful, you'll still feel like you're opening a present when you unfold them!

Field and Forest Handy Book

A year's worth of outdoor activities and projects from the author of The American Boy's Handy Book.

This is the Handy Book I wish I had when I was growing up. I longed to know how to go out into nature and create shelters, find food, keep myself safe. It's all here in this great book which introduces young people to the pleasures and challenges of camping. There are chapters on packing a horse, on making clothes and moccasins, on camp cooking, on building piers, boats, and sleds. Not to mention the serveral designs for simple shelters - from lean-tos to cabins sturdy enough to last the whole summer.

Beard also suggests any number of projects, plans, and schemes to entertain those whose travels take them into the open fields and forests, who want to know everything from how to build kites and birdhouses to snow houses and snow men.

Hard to imagine ever hearing "I'm bored" with this book around!

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots

In this high-spirited, biggest of all third book, Sharon Lovejoy presents 12 enthusiastic, easy-to-implement ideas for theme gardens that will have parents and children discovering more and more reasons to stay in the garden! Lovejoy's ideas, as always, are so alive with possibility that we bet you don't finish the book before you start a new garden. If you have access to land, check out the Zuni Waffle Garden, the Flowering Maze Garden. If you live in an apartment, the Buckets, Boxes and Boots Garden will make your heart sing. May every seed you plant, flourish; may every garden you dream spring to life!

Sunflower Houses

"Once you care about gardens, birds, bugs, and flowers," says author Sharon Lovejoy, "you will never have a boring day. Even the tiniest experience can seem like a miracle." As if this weren't reason enough to introduce children to the burgeoning life of a garden, Lovejoy has given us a book (actually, two books - you'll want to see her Hollyhock Days also) packed with all manner of simple pleasures and treats. Make clover chains, maple seed spectles, firefly lanterns. Have you ever checked your watch when the Four O'Clocks bloomed? Made a teepee from runner beans, morning glories or sunflowers? Hundreds more delights and diversions are gathered together in this book which will make gardening a joyous adventure for the young and the young-at-heart.