Fun With Fabrics Author:Juliet Bawden Grade 4 Up-Filled with attractive, often elaborate arts-and-craft projects, these slim volumes will best be used by adults who work with children. Some of the paper projects require the use of an X-Acto knife, while fabric projects may involve sewing or the use of an iron. — Each activity is given a double-page spread that includes a photograph o... more »f the finished product, a list of materials, "handy hints," and basic step-by-step illustrated directions along the bottom of the spread. Many of the instructions assume greater skill than most children possess, and fail to provide support, such as patterns or templates.
Fun with Paper is the better of the two, offering instructions for paper jewelry, pop-ups, flowers, animals, plants, fruits, hats, and clocks, all more intricate than those seen in most craft books. Fun with Fabric is filled with projects that use fabric paints, dyes, studs, and applique. Many are labor intensive and require a fair amount of skill, such as making an angel's hair by "sewing on tiny knots of embroidery thread." Most children simply won't know how to find the bias of a piece of fabric, or how to stretch a sock and keep it stretched while they sew. Still, the ideas in both titles are good, and have been so well executed in the illustrations that teachers will be inspired to add their own supplemental directions to make the projects work.« less