Show 102

Many of the crafts we enjoy today were born out of the necessity of everyday living in Colonial times. The colonists made their own candles to provide light, grew flax and cotton for thread, spun yarn, wove fabric and made their own clothing and quilts. Colonial life demanded that they provide for themselves and their family. We may use slightly improved materials, but the techniques of today's crafts mirror those of the colonial era.

102-1 Soap on a Rope: This project covers two colonial crafts; soap making and twisting rope, both essential to colonial life. Soap making was a difficult and smelly process in colonial time, but in this project you'll be doing the 20th century version. Rope making hasn't changed significantly, but our materials are just a little different.

102-2 Crayon Candles: The colonists may not have started out with crayons, but the process isn't all that different. This project uses all of those bits and pieces of crayon to make molded candles. You'll embellish the container too. Reminder: this project requires adult supervision due to the use of a heat source for melting the crayons.

102-3 The Tree of Life: Many an evening was passed creating samplers of decorative stitching. Sewing in all forms was an important daily task from clothing to quilts. This project provides a little different twist on quilting with a traditional pattern on a non-traditional surface - brown paper. You'll also learn the running and blanket stitch in this paper quilt.

102-4 Stenciling: Visit a colonial home and you'll notice the use of decorative painting. Wallpaper was very scarce and even paint was not readily available. In fact certain pigments indicated wealth. Stenciling adorned many surfaces especially walls and furniture. This project introduces stenciling on a small scale on a decorative coaster in the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch design.

102-5 Williamsburg Apple Tree: Create an apple tree centerpiece that looks good enough to eat! A traditional symbol of colonial times, the pineapple and apple signified welcome. Paper and Styrofoam make this easy individual or group project.

102-6 Hands-On Project: Visit a sixth grade class as they work on personalized letters for the Hands-On Project. Each letter is a part of the backpacks distributed to homeless shelters.