Making Miniatures for and with Children

A while back, I was asked to donate for a Girl Scout function from someone on etsy. 

I have a special place in my heart for girl scouts, I was a girl scout, my daughters were, I was craft-mom for the scouts, cookie mom for five years. My sisters were scouts, my cousins, my mom. My aunt was a leader, my grandmother was a leader. I guess you could say scouting runs deep in my family. ;)

I did my research and made sure that it was a genuine request for a real troop. Well, when I did, I was quite impressed with the troop and it's leaders. They did a lot of philanthropic work in their area/community.

They were having a girls day and it would be of girls of all different ages, I was asked if I would provide a gift for a giveaway and perhaps a project?

Of course, I immediately thought of pillows. I know for myself as a child and lover of dollhouses that pillows were one of my first creations and, also one of the simplest things you can create. 

I chose these two fabrics for the fronts and backs of the pillows. Although they were produced by different manufacturers, I thought they worked really well together.  I especially liked the fabric featuring the girls. It spoke Girl Scout to me, because it represented all different types of girls, just like scouting does.

I sent the fabric cut so that the girls could easily put them together and sew them up by hand. Yeah, I sent along something for the giveaway and little extras for the girls, too. I later heard back that it had been a great success and they had appreciated my contribution. It's nice to do something nice for others, isn't it? :)

When I visited my girlfriend in June for her daughter's wedding, of course, I could not help noticing the Fisher Price dollhouse she had for her grand daughter. She's just a little thing, so I wanted to make her something that was relatively safe, but that she could have fun with as well. :)

In my etsy shop, I create for the adult collector. The majority of my items are too fragile to be used as playthings for children, plus, I don't have my items tested according to CPSIA requirements. I feel I have to make note of this for those of  you that do buy my miniatures. Those that I create for sale are not intended for children.

But, I can create gifts for the special people in my life. :)

I remembered the fabrics that I had picked out for the scout troop. When making things for and with children, I like them to be tactile. That both of these fabrics were flannels, just felt so right for a little person. It feels nice and soft, you can rub it on your cheek. :)

So, I made as many pillows with the different gals as I could and made her a little quilt to play with as well.

Serendipity!

I discovered it could even be a learning tool! You could play a simple version of tic tac toe with the pillows on the quilt. Tic tac toe is probably one of the earliest games I learned to play with a piece of paper and a pencil. Good for hours of quiet play. :)

My one gf once told me that I was very intimidating when it came to raising my children. I couldn't understand what she meant. She said I was constantly teaching my children. I never realized it, it was just instinct, just what I did. :)

So, if you have a little person in your life and you want to get them started with miniatures, think about sewing a little pillow together. Even very young children can sew a simple pillow together if they are being supervised with needle and scissors.

Keep your eye out for vibrant fabric such as this, that feels soft to the touch.

If you are going to venture out to make miniatures or any items to sell for children, make sure you are informed about the requirements for CPSIA.

Happy Crafting!

dale :)