Are you a home hobbyist? Have you been thinking of trying your hand at arts and crafts? One of the best ways to beat stress and boredom is by finding a new hobby. We have some fun ideas for arts and crafts at home that suit all ages and use affordable fabrics. If you’re for a new hobby, these projects help you find a new passion and brighten your home at the same time.
No-Sew Pillow Covers
Here’s a quick and easy project that doesn’t require any sewing. You can make these covers to change the décor in a family room, den, or living room. You can also use a waterproof fabric to have pillows for your outdoor living area. As there’s no sewing, you can have your kids help out.
Start by measuring the pillow you want to cover. If it’s a 12” by 12” square, you want to cut a fabric square that adds an extra two inches to each side. You’d cut two 16” by 16” squares of fabric.
Lay the two squares of fabric so that they are on top of each other. Make sure the fabric’s finished side (the side you want to show) is facing out. Cut a 2” square from each corner and start cutting the sides into strips that are 1” wide and 2” long. Fold each fringe strip (two layers of fabric form that strip) into half and cut a small slit in the center. Make sure the slit goes through both pieces of fabric. These strips will form the rope border that joins the two pieces of fabric without sewing them.
Unfold a paper clip and stick it through the small slit you made. Grab the first fabric fringe strip on the top right with the paper clip and pull it through the fringe strip below it. Continue doing this down the right side. Pull the next side’s fringe strip through the final fringe strip at the bottom and continue along the bottom edge. Keep doing this until you’ve joined three sides together. Insert the pillow and finish the final edge. When you get to the last fringe strip, separate the two different fabrics and tie them into a knot twice.
Which fabrics are best for no-sew pillow covers? It depends on your intended use. These are our picks.
#1 – Outdoor Pillows and Cushions
Treated canvas comes in seven color choices and is water and mildew resistant. Colors include brown, gold, green, grey, olive drab (both fire retardant and not), and white. Purchase the 16-ounce treated canvas by the yard in 5 or 6-foot widths.
#2 Indoor Pillows
Many canvas and theatrical fabrics work well for pillow covers. We have two suggestions. Poly silk is flame-retardant and comes in 24 colors. Velour is vibrantly colored and comes in three weights. Marvel velour is the heaviest and is also flame retardant. It comes in 25 colors. Both velour and poly silk have a bonus of resisting wrinkling.
Burlap Dolls
Could you be making natural dolls and teddy bears for children and adults? That’s one easy craft project suitable for all ages. Purchase some burlap and make simple dolls. Teddy bears are easy to make. You need to be able to sew. Cut a simple bear pattern in burlap. You’ll find printable patterns online. Sew most of the edges but leave a small opening to add the filling. Stuff it with the filling of your choice and close the opening you left behind using a blanket stitch. Finish the doll by sewing on button eyes and a nose and use embroidery floss to add a smile. You could also use fabric paint to draw the nose, smile, and eyes.
Burlap dolls are not fancy toys, but they’re easy to make. Not sure what you’d do with them? Some people make money selling them at craft sales or sites like Etsy. You could generously donate them to women’s shelters, foster housing, and memory care facilities. You’ll make someone very happy with these simple dolls. Chicago Canvas sells natural burlap in 5 or 6-foot widths. Ask us about colored burlap. We do have it available if you purchase a full roll.
Splatter Paintings
When your kids want something to do and you want them outside, splatter paintings are a fun idea. Dress them in clothes that can get messy. Take a piece of duck canvas and secure it between two trees or posts. If you have a fence, you can secure it across fence panels and use painter cloth nearby to keep the fencing clean of paint.
Once the duck canvas is secure, arrange several bowls with different colors of acrylic paints. Put a brush in each bowl. Your children will take a brush and flick their wrist so that the paint flies off the brush and onto the canvas in abstract designs. They want to cover the canvas with a variety of colors. If it drips down, it adds to the design. What if they don’t want to splatter paint? That’s fine too, they could paint a mural or paint pictures all over the stretch of canvas. It’s already outside, which makes it easy to dry before you bring it inside.
You might want to paint a mural on the duck canvas or do a splatter painting of your own. Cotton duck fabric is smooth and an ideal artist canvas. If you’d prefer a canvas that’s already primed, there’s white or black canvas available. White primed canvas comes in 6-yard rolls. Black primed canvas comes in 6-yard or 30-yard rolls.
DIY Bean Bags
It’s hard to argue that a bean bag is an incredibly comfortable seat. You can buy a bean bag at the store or make your own. Sure, it’s easy to buy a bean bag chair, but why not make your own? When you make one, you have complete control over the size of that bean bag. You could make a giant bean bag that’s the size of a sofa or a small one that’s ideal for your dog.
Smaller bean bags are an important component in the game of cornhole. If you haven’t heard of cornhole, it’s a popular outdoor game that you can make yourself easily enough. You need a small piece of plywood that’s attached to a board so that it sits at an angle. Cut a hole in the center. The goal is for players or teams to get their four bean bags through the target hole. The first team to get all four bean bags through the hole wins. Use homemade bean bags and make each team’s set of four in a unique color to make it easy to keep track.
When you use 10-ounce colored canvas, you get a durable material that will hold the filling. Cornhole bags are often filled with dried corn, but you could also use rice, lentils, or dried beans. Bean bags are often filled with small foam pellets. The other benefit to 10-ounce colored canvas is that it comes in 30 colors. You can make a large bean bag in a color that matches your bedroom, living room, or family room décor.
The durability of your arts and crafts often comes down to the fabric you choose. Fabrics all have their best-intended uses, strength, and qualities like water resistance or tear resistance. If you’re not sure of the fabric you should use for your arts and crafts, give Chicago Canvas & Supply a call. We’re happy to help.