AOE Lists
33 Fiber Art Ideas for the Classroom
Sewing
1. Have students sew superhero
capes, complete with
personalized logos.
2. Create soft sculptures around
a theme.
3. Have students do quilting: a
single square, wall hanging,
collaborative piece, or an
entire full-sized quilt!
4. Have students sew their own
decorative pillows.
5. Have students update the
traditional “sampler” on
burlap with a favorite quote
or even a hashtag.
6. Have students create
puppets. Then, perform group
skits with them.
7. Teach your students crossstitch or embroidery
techniques and revamp old
clothing.
Fabric
8. Tie-dye t-shirts with the
primary colors.
9. Create batik panels using
either the traditional or
school glue method.
10. Explore silk painting on silk
scarves and sell the results as
an art room fundraiser.
11. Check out this amazing book
about Shibori then have your
students create designs on
cotton handkerchiefs or
napkins with indigo dye.
12. Have students create a
collaborative rag rug.
13. Have students use fabric to
create collages.
14. When doing block printing or
stamping, have students print
on fabric to create a t-shirt or
wall hanging.
15. During a bookmaking unit,
have students work with
fabric instead of paper.
Weaving
27. Have students create felt
beads to use in original
jewelry designs.
28. Make needle felted pins or
appliqué patches.
Yarn
29. Have students create yarn
• Basket weaving paintings of their favorite
16. Have students knit a• simple
animals.
Found object weaving
scarf or potholder. • Friendship bracelets
30. Have your high schools
17. Make finger knitting•an
students collaboratively yarn
Friendly loom
activity for early finishers.
bomb your school on the
• Straw Loom
18. Have students create scarves
weekend. (You probably
using arm knitting.
should ask for administrative
Felting
19. Have your students create
approval on this one first.)
• Felted
their own take-home
spool Landscapes
31. Create Ojos de Dios.
• Felted Beads 32. Have anxious students create
knitters.
Felted pinsWorry
or patches
• Needle
20. Make t-shirt yarn out
of
Dolls.
donated t-shirts.
33. Make pom poms to add
embellishment to other
Yarn
projects.
Weaving
• Yarn painting
21. Have students create
baskets
Bombing
• Yarn
with thick cord or recycled
• Ojos de Dios Resources
plastic bags.
• Worry Dolls
22. Go on a treasure hunt outside
Explore Fiber lots of fiber
and around school. Use your
info plus lesson plans!
findings to create found
object weavings.
Dick Blick - fiber lesson plans,
23. Have students make
many with helpful videos
friendship bracelets.
24. Purchase a friendly loom to
The Children’s University of
use as a station or activity for
Manchester Talking Textiles students that finish early.
website to introduce young
25. Need to be thrifty? Use
students to the idea of textiles
straws looms.
Cassie Stephens - elementary
art teacher with a passion for
Felting
fiber art
26. Have students create small
Knitting
felted landscapes using this
ziplock bag technique.
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