Keeping kids occupied during school breaks or over weekends can be challenging, but your no-sew options are endless when you’ve got some fabric lying around. Bright and colorful fabrics always amuse and entertain kids. With a little imagination, a few supplies, and a free afternoon, you can help your kids create wonderful crafts.
Kovi Fabrics is a great place to start if you don’t have the right fabrics for your kids to make magic with. With our massive online fabric library, there is a pattern and fabric to meet each little heart’s desire.
Best of all, you can order as little as a quarter yard of fabric or even opt for a sample-size fabric section if you only need a bit of that stunning brocade to finish your kids’ no-sew fabric craft project.
Here are some stunning ideas to explore with your kids as you make fun fabric crafts that are no-sew and oodles of fun.
5 Easy No-Sew Fabric Crafts for Kids
Most of the following no-sew fabric crafts are fun and can be done in less than an hour.
No-Sew Fabric Flowers
Materials and tools:
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- Different fabrics in similar tones
- Florist’s wire
- Green silk ribbon (thin to medium width)
- A few medium size glass beads
Method:
Cut large circles about the size of a coffee mug’s circumference from the fabric. Layer the fabric circles, alternating between different patterns and color tones but keeping to the same general tone to achieve a single-color flower.
Once you have layered 10-20 circles, use the tip of the florist’s wire to pierce the layers through the middle. You may have to “thread” each of the circles individually. Finally, add one last circle that faces down or away from the other circles. Thread this circle too.
Use one of the large glass beads to finish the end of the florist’s wire. You can also add a drop of hot glue to secure the bead against the top circle of the stack. Take the florist wire in one hand, holding it by the part with no fabric circles. Run the other hand up the wire, folding the circles toward the other end where the glass bead is.
Hold the circles closed over the fabric-wrapped bead and then tie a ribbon around the fabric circles to close off the bottom of the flower.
Use green ribbon to wrap the exposed wire by gluing the ribbon into place. Run the ribbon wrapping up the bottom of the circle to create a neat flower stem. By adding a small drop of hot glue to the rim of each of the “petals,” shape the petals to create a more 3D structure.
Make enough flowers for a bouquet, and help your kids arrange them in a vase.
Fabric No-Sew Boxes
Materials and tools:
- Sturdy cardboard boxes
- Several yards of different colored and patterned fabric
- Scissors
- Pen or marker
- Fabric glue
- Foam squares the size of the boxes’ lids
Method:
If possible, open the boxes so they can lay flat. Trace the shape of each box on the back of your chosen fabric with a pen or marker. Add about a ¼ of an inch around the edges of the 5 panels of the box.
Repeat the same for the box lid, but be sure to add ½ an inch of extra allowance for the sides of the lid.
Flip the fabric over so the right side is facing down. Place the box on the fabric pattern, centering the bottom of the box in the middle.
Apply a contact fabric glue that sticks to fabric, paper, or cardboard. Spread the glue out in a thin layer over the box sides, then firmly press the fabric onto the glue, folding the edges of the extra fabric to cover the corners of the box.
Proceed to cover the lid by placing the foam square on the lid, then flip the lid over to lay on the fabric pattern. Cover the sides of the lid with glue and fold the fabric over, tucking the extra fabric over to the inside of the lid sides for a neat look.
The result: a soft-top fabric box to store toys, secrets, and sweets in.
No-Sew Tied Cushion
Materials and tools:
- Two different kinds of denim fabric
- Scissors
- Standard cushion filling or cushion inner to cover
Method:
Denim is a great fabric choice for kids, and it also doesn’t fray too badly, making it a wonderful no-sew option. Place the two pieces of denim atop each other. Measure out the size of your desired cushion based on your size requirements or the size of the inner cushion. Add an additional six inches to your measurement for the width and length.
Cut a corner of three inches by three inches from each of the four corners of the denim squares. Then cut slips half an inch wide and three inches deep along the sides of the squares. Begin tying the bottom denim square to the top denim square by knotting the matching slips with each other.
Keep tying until three of the four sides have been done. Insert your cushion inner or stuffing, then tie the remaining denim strips together to close the whole cushion.
Experiment with different sizes and designs, from square cushions, round ones, and elongated ones to suit each kid’s room. This is also a great project to recycle old jeans, so get creative with your kids.
Rag Doll With No-Sew Dress
This is a really fun toy to make with your kids. Best of all, you can help them create their own unique doll with its own character.
Materials and tools:
- Stockings
- Pillow stuffing
- Thin ribbons
- Colorful fabric
- Elastic bands of different sizes
- Googly eyes
- Markers
- Hot glue
Method:
The doll section: Fill a stocking with pillow stuffing. Use a small elastic to pinch off a section of the doll’s head. Then add additional elastics to the sides where the doll’s arms will go. Fill in the doll’s face by placing googly eyes and making a mouth with the markers.
Cut the fabric into slips that are five inches wide. Fold each slip in half down the length of the slip. Fold the fabric over the elastic bands, cutting off the fabric when you have fully covered an elastic band. Place a few drops of hot glue to keep the fabric wrapped over the elastic bands.
Layer the fabric-covered elastic bands from biggest to smallest, gluing each until you have a stack of fabric bands that will be the doll’s skirt.
Next, cut a strip of fabric in two by three inches and fold it in half along the length. Glue the strip on the doll’s head, folding it to create a stunning headpiece for the rag doll. Be sure to use a few drops of hot glue to keep everything where it belongs.
Finally, glue the dolly to the top of the stack of fabric-wrapped elastics, making sure to position the closure of the stocking inside the top elastic, so the ragdoll’s dress fits well.
Handy tip: If the ragdoll keeps falling over, simply fill a small plastic packet with sand or dried beans. Tie the packet shut, then slip it inside the ragdoll’s dress, securing it with a few drops of hot glue to keep the dress layers in place.
This can also make for a pretty doorstop if you use large elastics and a cloth bag to place some river sand or small stones so your dolly can keep the door open.
Emoji No-Sew Wind Chimes
Emojis are all the rage; kids love sending and receiving smileys, frowns, teary faces, and little heart eyes. Why not help your kid make their own emoji wind chime?
Materials and tools:
- Felt, denim, micro-suede, suede, or vinyl fabrics
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- Fabric glue
- Three to six old teaspoons
- Ribbons
- Cushion filling
- Clothesline pegs
- A 12-inch long branch that is about half an inch wide
Method:
Start by folding the fabrics to give you a couple of different size areas to cut circles. You will need two matching circles per emoji. Having different size emoji circles will keep things interesting.
Place both sides of the emoji circles atop each other with the right side of the fabric facing in for both sections. Cut your circles aiming for at least five matching circles (10 circles total). You can go for one really small emoji, another much bigger circle, and three medium ones.
Separate the matching circle sets. Place a glue line about half an inch from the edge of a circle on the right side of the fabric. Leave a gap of about two inches in the glue line. Fit the matching circle with the right side facing inward to the other circle’s right side.
Press down firmly with a heavy book or object to pressure the glue into the setting. For fabric glue, you will need to leave the fabric weight for at least three to four hours, but hot glue dries and sets quickly, so after five minutes, you can proceed.
Turn the fabric circles inside out so the right side of the fabric is now facing out. You will have a gap where there is no glue. Start filling the circles with cushion filling, and once you have reached the desired fluffiness, fold the edges of the unglued section inward.
Cut a ribbon section between 6-12 inches long for each emoji. Tie one end of the ribbon around some stuffing, then place this inside the little circular cushions. Leave the long end of the ribbon to remain outside the circles. Place some glue, pin in place with clothesline pegs, and allow to dry.
Meanwhile, cut eyes, funny mouths, hearts, and stars from a different fabric than those you used to make the emoji bodies. You could also use felt for these.
Using hot glue, glue these expressions in place on each of the emoji bodies.
Create a ribbon sling that ties around both ends of the branch section, so you have something to hang the branch by. Begin tying the long pieces of each emoji around the branch, so the emojis hang in a charming wind chime display.
For a chiming wind chime, tie more lengths of ribbon around the head of each teaspoon, stringing them up to hang just a little below the emojis where the wind can clang them together.
For a girl’s room, glue some beads and glitter to the spoons, while a boy may prefer plain spoons or paint his spoons to look like baseball bats.
The Final Kids Craft
Crafting with your kids is a great way to bond with them, and Kovi Fabrics can help you with great fabrics and other excellent ideas on our blog. Whichever no-sew craft you choose to do with your kids, remember to make it fun, be creative, and cherish the time together.