It's All About The Kids Craft Blogging Event - Day 1

Welcome to the week of "It's All About The Kids" blogging event, where everyone is welcome.  This week I'll be sharing insights on a variety of crafting projects that are kid friendly. And, I have several blogging friends that will join in and share their insights on fun kid friendly projects.

Many of us find when we get to spend time to quilting, or with other crafts, that we find an inner peace that can balance us when dealing with stress.  Well, kids also have to deal with stress and we hope to encourage awareness of the benefits of kids time to create, as well as family craft time, to help kids also find joy and happiness through creating!

Plus, many earn an income by way of creating. So, why not teach kids to create and maybe they'll also find ways to earn a little money from it too!  If you didn't listen to the podcast by Kimberly Geswein, on my previous post, I hope you check it out.  I found it inspirational to learn how her daughters are earning money by being creative!  But this event isn't about kids earning money, as much as trying to encourage kids to be creative, as well as for parents, grandparents and others to help create crafty environments for kids.

While we'll be sharing inspirational projects, insights on free patterns, some tips and tutorials, we also have a several giveaways.  SewCalGal wants to recognize and thank sponsors that have donated prizes that will be randomly given out to participants in this event. And, there are some participating blogs that will also be hosting giveaways this week and SewCalGal will be increasing awareness throughout the week.

Today I want to share insights about a fun tutorial on the Brewer blog, that I think  would make for a great kid friendly project.

They have a pattern template and tutorial to make a cute stuffie that they showcase as a Happy Halloweenie hanging decoration.  But I think this design would also be fun to make in seasonal prints, as well as fabrics to match your quilts!

To clarify, this pattern is showcased using chalk fabric, but it would also be cute in a variety of fabrics.

Cutting fabrics using templates and sewing is easy and a good project for pre-teens and teens.  Turning the project is not that difficult, but it helps to use a pencil (eraser end), or wooden knitting needle, to help turn, as well as stuff with polyester stuffing material.  As such, due to the turning, this project may be best suited as a family project, or where a kid may have an experienced sewing enthusiast to help with the turning.  

I learned about this project during a crafty class at Cozy Quilt Shop.  You can call the shop if you want to order kits, but the pattern can be printed for free from the Brewer Blog.  I found it a fun and fast project and think it would be perfect for pre-teens and teens, maybe younger kids if they have help with a confident sewing enthusiast.  It really is cuter than my photos depict.

Tutorial/Free Pattern can be found at:  http://www.brewerinspires.com/home/2014/9/30/happy-halloweenie.html

Here is the current line up for this blogging event this week.  I'll update this post, if there are changes and also increase awareness with my Kid Friendly crafting projects this week, as well as announcements on giveaways.

I hope you have a fun and creative week and you come up with fun ideas for crafting with kids.

Monday, October 27th

SewCalGal - Event kick off

Tuesday, October 28th

SewCalGal

Sarah Vedeler Designs

Wednesday, October 29th

SewCalGal

Happy Cottage Quilter

Thursday, October 30th

SewCalGal

I Have A Notion

Freemotion by the River

Blue Feather Studio/Marjorie's Quilting Bee

Friday, October 31st

SewCalGal

Jacquelynne Steves, The Art of Home

Hoffman California Fabrics

Jean's Quilting Page  

Wendy Sheppard/Ivory Spring

If you are a blogger or non-blogger and would like to join the fun and share insights on projects suitable for kids, tips, or tutorials, as appropriate, you are also welcome to join the fun and add a link to the linky below.  Non-bloggers can upload photos in a Flickr group called "It's All About The Kids".

An InLinkz Link-up

There are a variety of ways to win prizes.  Here are the rules (aka basic guidelines)

1) Bloggers participating in this event and hosting their own giveaways will set their own rules.  While SewCalGal will help increase awareness of their giveaways, during this event, specifically on the day that their giveaways are  open, the prize details are up to the blogger hosting that specific giveaway.
2) For sponsored giveaways , for this event, on SewCalGal, all bloggers participating in this hop, as well as bloggers and non-bloggers that join the linky party, are all eligible to enter to win a prize.  They'll be a couple of different ways to enter and the details will be announced next week, and they will be shared as each giveaway during the week.  Basically, you get an entry as a participating blogger, non-blogger that takes time to share tips, tutorials, inspirational projects to help kids be crafty, as well as families create family crafty events.
3) NON-BLOGGERS need to have a free Flickr Account and upload their photo entries to Flickr, as well as making sure their photos are added to a group on Flickr called "Kid Friendly Craft Projects" 4) SewCalGal will also give entries to win prizes to those followers that take time to visit all of the official participating blogs, which SewCalGal showcases in the lineup, and you leave a positive comment on their blog post shared for this event.

5) There will also be a few extra ways to enter, based on the rafflecopter form, for those that may follow sponsors, as well as participating bloggers, on Facebook or Twitter. Totally optional, but for those that like more than one chance to win a giveaway prize, there are a few extra ways to enter.