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Charming Chompers: 19 DIY Crafts for Shark Week

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The first Shark Week aired on the Discovery Channel in July of 1988, making shark week nearly 30 years old to this date. This fact alone is a testament to our obsession as a culture with sharks. Sharks are the dinosaurs of the deep, inspiring fear and fascination in our hearts. I’ve always been a little in love with sharks and, because of this, am a huge fan of Shark Week. A whole week dedicated to those chomping, swimming fishes? Yes, please!

Shark Crafts

In order to celebrate Shark Week, we have collected a wide range of shark craft ideas. From shark crafts for kids to more adult ideas like shark tooth necklaces and crochet patterns, the Shark Week crafts below are sure to be adored by any friend of these fierce fishes. Just keep scrolling (or swimming) to see all the jaws-dropping Shark Week crafts we have to offer. They won’t bite. We promise!

19 DIY Crafts for Shark Week

Jaws-Dropping DIY Necklace

Sharky Free Pillow Pet Pattern

Shark Fingerprint Art

Super Cute Shark Afghan

Shark Week Sewing Patterns
Find even more sharky ideas over at our sister blog, SeamsandScissors.com! Jaws-Dropping Ideas: How to Make a Shark for Shark Week features 11 free sewing patterns and sewing project ideas you will definitely want to sink your teeth into.

 

 

What’s your favorite shark movie? I love Jaws.

How to Make Stuffed Animals: National Sewing Month 2013

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It’s Day Two of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.

National Sewing Month 2013

A tried and true way to provide comfort for young kids is a collection of stuffed animals. Even better than giving your child a stuffed animal is to make stuffed animals all on your own. DIY plushies are infinitely better and more appreciated than stuffed animals you can buy from the store because the ones you make on your own are filled not just with stuffing, but also with your love and care.

Free stuffed animal patterns are just what you need to get started creating your own plush toys. All of the stuffed animal patterns below would be perfect handmade gifts to give a child in your life for Hannukah or Christmas this year (Time is pressing to get those gifts together!). Pick out a pattern or two (or three or four or nine) and make stuffed animals that will surely put a smile on the face of the child you love.

Sewing Tutorials for Forest Friends Fluffy Fleece Bunny

Children will absolutely love playing with stuffed animals in the shapes of their favorite forest friends. Not only will your kids have fun cuddling with DIY plush forest animals, they’ll also enjoy playing make believe with them too. Make stuffed animals in the shapes of owls, foxes, and bunnies that your kids will want to play with all day long.

Cashmere Bunny Tutorial

Easter Birdy Tutorial

Fluffy Fleece Bunny

Fuzzy Stuffed Bunny

Little Bunnies

Owl Plushie Tutorial

Plush Fox Pattern

Soft Plush Fox

Make a Plush Toy Pet Silly Sock Puppet

Whether your family has already adopted an animal or your kids aren’t quite ready to take care of a pet, these homemade stuffed animals are perfect for all. Use these sewing tutorials to learn how to make stuffed animals that resemble pets you may already take care of like dogs and turtles.

How To Make a Pillow Pet

Plush Party Turtles

Silly Sock Puppet

Stuffed Fabric Turtles

 

DIY Plush Bugs and InsectsBumble Bee Buddy

These homemade plushies will be all the buzz among your kids’ friends. Make a plush toy bee or ladybug to connect with the nature-lover in your child. These sewing tutorials will show you how to make stuffed bugs and insects your kids will love to bring to the park.

Bumble Bee Buddy

Buzzing Buddies

Ladybug Buddy

Spider Bug Buddy

 

Make Stuffed Animals from the ZooStuffed Elephant Pattern

Now your kids can adopt those zoo animals they love so much — in toy form! Learn how to make stuffed animals shaped like your kids’ favorite zoo friends. These stuffed animal patterns are the perfect solution to filling your home with the fun of the zoo without the smell of the zoo.

Beanie Sock Giraffe

Refreshingly Different Doorstop

Stuffed Elephant Pattern

 

Even More Stuffed Animal PatternsShark Stuffed Softie

Check out the stuffed animal patterns below for even more plushy fun! You can make stuffed animals in any shapes you’d like.

Funny Felt Racing Snail

Little Lamb Pillows

Shark Stuffed Softie

What was your favorite stuffed animal as a child?

18 DIY Toys, Games & Stuffed Animals Kids Will Love

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We all know that when it comes to toys and games, kids can never have enough. For parents, grandparents or anyone trying to please a child, this can be very expensive. Fear not, for we have put together the ultimate guide to creating your own games and toys. With these free sewing patterns you can learn how to make games and toys the whole family can enjoy together. Sewing for a child who prefers to snuggle up with a softie? We’ve also included instructions for how to make a stuffed animal and stuffed animal patterns.

This collection of free games, toys and softies will hopefully keep the kids occupied until the next activity. You might even get a few minutes of quiet to yourself! Although, we can make no guarantees.

How to Make Games Kids Will Love

 

Times Tables Memory Game Pockets Tutorial  – Learning has never been more fun. Kids can play games and learn their times tables simultaneously. It’s an easy sewing project the kids will really love to play with.

Bean Bag Toss Tutorial  – Perfect for backyard parties this summer, this bean bag game is so simple to create. Bring it on over to your next outdoor gathering for easy fun everyone can enjoy.

For other fun DIY games, check out this entire collection.

Stuffed Animal Patterns

 

Plush Fox Pattern – This fox plushie is super cute and cuddly. It’s sure to be their new favorite stuffed animal!
Stuffed Elephant Pattern – How adorable are these little guys! The kids are sure to agree. Create a whole zoo family to play with.

Find more stuffed animal patterns in our handy roundup.

How to Make Toys

 

Child’s Tool Belt Tutorial – If you know a little one who loves to play with tools, follow toy sewing patterns like this one, which will complete his or her tool kit.

Child’s Outdoor Tent – This tent sewing pattern will provide a fun place for them to set up a clubhouse or camp out in the back yard.

We have even more toy patterns you should see. Check out the collection.

 

Our friends at AllFreeKidsCrafts.com have tons of amazing ideas too!

 

What was your favorite toy or game to play when you were a child?

 

Frog Crafts for Leap Day Are Hoppin’

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February 29th is considered Leap Day because the day doesn’t occur every year. It likes to leap every four years. If we didn’t have this one extra day every now and then, the seasonal calendar would eventually be thrown off. This means one extra day of crafting! So hop to it!

We’re pairing up Leap Day with frog crafts. And nothing is cuter than some froggy baby patterns! There are also a lot of patterns for stuffed toys that will get you leaping for joy. And I found plenty of other fun frog activities with our fine amphibian friends.

Baby Patterns for Little Tadpoles

What’s green and has buggy eyes? A baby in froggy accessories! Knit this adorable Froggy Hat and Socks or a Baby Cocoon with a hat and booties. These would be awesome frog crafts to make for any leap year baby. And I just have to share this free baby Frog Suit tutorial from Wacky Baby Knits that I found on Etsy.

Froggy Stuffed Toys

Make some cool frogs with these patterns for stuffed toys. (Get it? Cool frogs, cold-blooded.) Some Little Frogs are pocket-sized and will fit right in the palm of your hand. Others are a bit bigger like crocheted Freddy the Frog or Ribbit Knit Frog. Then there are the charming ones like this Frog Prince from Lil Blue Boo.

Creative Frog Activities

Make plenty of other frog crafts with different types of materials. Use any one of these froggy cross stitch kits to do some fun stitching. You can get the kids crafting, make some paper plate frogs with this tutorial from Mommyapolis. Or have them make an Eco Froggy Bank. It’s a green craft in more than one way. Kids will love feeding this frog their change and letting it save for them.

What are you making on this extra crafting day?

The 5 Nerdiest Crafts

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Is nerdiness “cool” now?  As a self-confessed Gigantic Nerd, I couldn’t possibly say.  However, I do know that on FaveCrafts.com, we’ve all got something we obsess over, and doesn’t that give us a sort of kinship with every comic book fan and video gamer?  Maybe that’s why there are so many craft projects out there that pay tribute to some of the stranger and more fantastic franchises and hobbies.  Today, we round up our five favorites, in no particular order.

 

1) Stuffed Daleks

 

For those who don’t know, Doctor Who is the incredibly long running (since 1963!) British TV series focusing on the adventurers of a charming rogue alien who travels through time and space in an obsolete police-box that is actually a time machine.  Having trouble wrapping your head around that?  Stay with me, because one of the title character’s most implacable and dangerous foes are the Daleks, evil xenophobic aliens that resemble nothing so much as giant pepper-grinders.

Of course, while no true Dalek would consent to hugs (their catchphrase, after all, is “EXTERMINATE) you can get around that by knitting these cute stuffed versions.  Just make sure you get them right on the first try; Daleks aren’t known for being forgiving.

Doctor Who has an especially dedicated fanbase, as you’d expect from the Guinness World Record holder for Longest Running Science Fiction Television Show, and they’ve come up with a few variations on this project:

Crochet Dalek
New Paradigm Dalek (a bulkier and more colorful design based on the 2010 season)

2) VHS Toaster

 

Our younger readers may strain to remember the days before DVDs.  Back then, movies were recorded onto strips of magnetic tape, encased in plastic, and played on something called a VHS (believed to have stood for Victory Handholding Society.)  These miraculous devices could also serve as a compartment for holding waffles, pizza, and pop tarts. It’s all true kids, ask your parents.

In the meantime, bring a slice of those days to the present with this neat project, which lets you turn an old VHS into a working toaster!

3) Keyboard Jewelry
4) Crochet Brain Slug

With technology getting replaced faster, and fixed less often, it’s not uncommon to have a few spare bits lying around.  Keyboards are among the most common victims of this syndrome, but with this craft you can turn those old alphabet gardens into eye-catching jewelry.  Plus, you can always be ready to esc. if things go badly.


Futurama is a critically acclaimed show that won its way back from cancellation through clever writing, A-list voice acting, and genuinely touching moments.  At least that’s what the mind-controlling brain slugs want you to think.  By means of this crafty crochet pattern there will soon be a Brain Slug in every yarn-buying household in the world.  Then, the new era will begin…

5) Crochet Golden Snitch

 

What’s the easiest way to ensure victory for your Quddich team of choice?  Sneak one of these crochet Golden Snitches into your seekers hand before the big match, and when he “catches” it you’re sure to have an edge over those pesky Gryffindors! The house cup will be ours! Mwa ha ha!

Do you have any secret nerdy leanings?  Share your answer below!

 

Crochet

Jewelry

Knitting

Paper

Sewing

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