Fibre art can take on many forms like weaving, quilting, collage and sculpture, and is best defined as “any artistic presentation with fibre as the main medium.” That leaves things pretty open, so I decided to make these collages monochromatic so kids could work on their colours. I also included bubble wrap, the first thing I found lying in my recycling junk box. It turns out to be really easy to sew, adds great texture, and works nicely with any colour grouping. And if the urge to pop becomes overwhelming, virtual bubble wrap is the place for you.
Materials
- fabric
- yarn
- decorative paper
- sewing machine or needle and thread
- scissors
- other materials which can be sewn or glued to your collage eg. bubble wrap, mesh
- glue stick
- beads (optional)
Instructions
1. Provide children with a big pile of possible materials to use for this project. Have them select and group together items of similar colour.
2. Select a thick paper or heavy fabric like jeans, to use as a base for the collage, and cut to whatever size you have chosen. Begin playing around with materials by cutting or tearing them, and layering them on top of each other. I found using a glue stick helps to keep things in place until they are sewn down.
3. If you have a sewing machine, this is a great opportunity to teach younger kids how to sew because these collages don’t require much precision. Sewing lines can be crooked and curvy and it will still look great. When sewing, just make sure nothing loops around the foot of the machine. If no machine is available, sewing by hand is also a great option. It will just take a bit longer.
4. Once the main pieces have been assembled and sewn, you may want to embellish the collage with some beads or threads. These can be sewn on by hand or glued.
There are some great shadow box frames available, even at dollar stores, that would be wonderful for displaying these collages. They can also make really interesting greeting cards, if glued on the front of a folded piece of colourful card stock.
ArtClubBlog 
i love mixed media and textiles, i love what you have done 🙂
Thanks so much. Love the name of your blog!
thank you, ive been thinking of changing it!
thanks for linking up to make it monday!
Love this,thanks for joining us at Creative Mondays 🙂
ooooh, wish I’d seen this before i cleared out my craft room last year. Now I would have an excuse to keep all those fibres.
Oh yes, cleaning up and living with regret over what was thrown out. We’ve all been there!
Fascinating. This is so fun and inspiring. It makes me want to get out my extra ribbons and play.
I hope you do. Thanks for dropping by!
Wow! Those look fantastic. What a great Art Project!
Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy & Alissa
I love these, what a great idea! They all look fabulous, I will definitely be making some of these!
Thanks so much Dana.
What a wonderful idea!! I will definitely have to try this with my daughter when she is a bit older since she cannot wait to sew. She keeps telling me she wants her own sewing machine. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!! I hope you are having an amazing week!
Thanks Carrie. When the time comes, I’m sure your daughter will have a lot of fun making this on HER sewing machine!
Some beautiful art here! Thanks for linking up to Kids Coop!
what a fab idea!!!
my kids will love this!! sharing on my facebook page!! and also pinning it!!
Thanks for sharing on Serenity Saturday xxxx
Thank you Natasha! Hope your kids enjoy making this.