4th of July Crafts for Children.

Whew.  What a week!  Craft Camp ended this afternoon + I’m feeling a bit sad.  I’m going to miss my sweet campers.  I had a great group of girls this year.  Every day they came excited + ready to create.  What more can you ask for, right?  I was planning on posting all of the crafts we created next week, but then I realized these two projects are so quick + straightforward, you could tackle them in the morning with your children and be set for your July 4th celebrations on Sunday.

One thing I felt passionate about when planning Craft Camp 2010 was teaching the girls skills they would be able to carry with them.  Maybe even spark an interest in a craft they had never thought they could do.  That being said, one day had to be devoted to sewing.

These Star Applique T-shirt’s were the perfect project.  I purchased $5 white t-shirts from Old Navy for each girl.  My local fabric store didn’t have any red and white stripe jersey (I know!), so I bought an awful looking red + white striped swimsuit cover from Wal-Mart for $7, cut it up and called it good.  You could use any contrasting fabric of your choice.

Materials:
white t-shirt
contrasting fabric for the star
Heat N’ Bond
star template
scissors
sewing machine

-Adhere Heat N’ Bond to contrasting fabric according to package directions.
-Trace star template onto the paper side of Heat N’ Bond.
-Cut out star.
-Adhere fabric star to white t-shirt according to Heat N’ Bond package directions.
-Sew around the perimeter of the star.  I had the girls use a zig-zag stitch, which is a bit more forgiving, but you could skip this step altogether if you don’t own a sewing machine or don’t have the time.

I was proud of my campers for accomplishing this craft.  You could see the pride in their eyes when they held up their finished t-shirts.

While waiting for their turn at the sewing machine, the girls made these super easy button bracelets.  All you need are a bunch of buttons in red, white, and blue + some transparent elastic beading cord.  Tie a knot at one end of your rope, string on your buttons (pulling them, so they slightly overlap.)  Continue until your bracelet is long enough to stretch around your wrist and finish with a square knot.

Stay tuned next week for the remaining Craft Camp posts.  Some fun things are coming that might get you through these dog days of summer.

Until then, if you live here in the US, have yourself a very festive + happy 4th.  I’m looking forward to some relaxing summer weather, fresh fruit, and of course, fireworks.  If you’re a friend from far away, enjoy your weekend as well.