• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homestead Lady

Building our self-sufficient lifestyle one level at a time.

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Blog
    • Whole Kitchen
    • In the Garden
    • The Hearth
    • Critters
    • Green Living
    • Prepared
    • Book Reviews
  • Shop
    • Your Cart
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Glove Animals from Happy Gloves

December 9, 2013 by Homestead Lady 13 Comments

Book Review Happy Gloves l Handmade gifts kids can do and sew l Homestead Lady.comAre you trying to have a handmade Christmas or birthday this year? Want to teach your children basic sewing skills with fun projects? Even if you or your children are new to hand-sewing these adorable sock and glove animals from author Miyako Kanamori are something you can make. I promise, if I can do this, you can, too!

 

If handmade holidays are your thing, be sure to sign up to learn more about our newest book, Homestead Holidays! With history, tutorials, crafts and recipes for a full year of festive fun on the homestead, this book is sure to please. Be the first to receive special offers and bonuses, too! Homestead Holidays Newsletter Sign Up l Homestead Lady.com

Celebrate Around the Year!

Sign up for information about the book's release, coupons, freebies and special deals.  No spam, ever.

Thank you!

You'll be receiving some instructional emails shortly.  Be sure to open them because inside is a special request and a FREE gift!  This is a holiday book, after all!

Learning to Sew Basic Stitches

Last year we check out a book from the library called Happy Gloves wherein author Miyako Kanamori details how to turn basic cotton gloves into animals, flowers and even cars. (There’s another book using socks, too. Both are great!)  I order a copy for us to keep and ever since then these glove animal projects are some of the first hand-sewing projects my kids undertake.

I’m a firm believer in teaching all kids how to do some basic hand sewing. My friend Angi from Schneider Peeps came up with a short and simple course to teach kids how to do beginner stitches. It’s here, if you’d like to check it out:

 

Hand-sewing is useful as we prepare for a homemade Christmas, too. We try to do as much of our Christmas as we can by hand, which can be a staggering task when so many of the hands are so little. We’re not a 100% homemade by any stretch of the imagination! We feature plenty of store-bought stuff around the tree. However, we make sure that the children’s gifts, the ones they give, are made by them as much as possible.

Handmade Gifts From Kids

That is a great goal but in order to make it possible, we’ve had to make a few adjustments to how we “do” Christmas. Read this post to find out how we stay on top of handmade gifts – we had to start a new tradition, FYI.

That tradition is called Leon Day which is exactly six months until Christmas and spells NOEL backwards. On this day we slap up some Christmas lights, break out Bing Crosby’s Christmas crooning and do our family Christmas drawing.

With so many people it would be impossible for us to make gifts for everyone so we draw names of our immediate family members:

  • Mommy
  • Daddy
  • siblings
  • Grandma
  • Great Grandma and Papa
  • a salt and pepper mix of aunts, uncles and cousins

Each person in my family gets about three names from that pool of people, depending on who ends up in the pot that year. Right down to the four year old, everyone knows who will be the recipient of their awesome gift. And everyone helps, as you can see below.

happy gloves 6

Glove Animals From Happy Gloves

We have several months to think about the person, decide what they might like and start earning some money to buy the supplies. Remember, I’m not much for sewing but these glove animals really go together very quickly and the designs are just ingenious. Happy Gloves

I do need to help quite a bit with these simply because my young children either don’t have the attention span for all the detail (think four year old dancing while she “sews”) or they’re still practicing their hand sewing skills. As I said, I make my kids learn to sew by hand before I teach them to use a sewing machine. If zombies attack, I want my kids to be able to sew on a button.

However, there’s a lot of cutting, piecing and stuffing that any kid, any age can do and enjoy. Always supervise with sewing scissors because they’re usually sharper than that dulled pair you keep in the kitchen, though no one uses them because they couldn’t even cut the air on a hot day.Happy Gloves 2

Plus, you’re not limited to glove animals–if cars, flowers, and bugs made from gloves are more to your liking, you can find patterns for those, too. Book Review: Happy Gloves l Handmade gifts kids can make and sew l Homestead lady.com

Not Just for Christmas

Lest you think that these happy glove animals are only appropriate at Christmas, I assure they’re not.

  • They’re so simple to put together that you could create a flower for a last minute birthday gift.
  • The Tooth Fairly may decide to up her game and leave a handmade pig.
  • The Easter Bunny, too, might get in on the action and leave a stuffed rabbit likeness of himself. (That would be much more practical that a live chick given to a two year old who will only squish it.)

What you’ll Need for Glove Animals

You’ll need the book, obviously. Aside from that, gather:

  • sharp scissors
  • needle and thread
  • buttons
  • cotton gloves in various colors available at most craft stores or dollar stores
  • you may also want some fabric scraps for various embellishments

I say give it a whorl! If my seven year old can make this, I bet you can, too. Just sayin’.

happy gloves 4

Other Crafts & Gifts Kids Can Make

If you need a few more ideas, check out these simple ideas:

  • Hand Print Turkey Tee by 104 Homestead
  • Five Last Minute Gifts Kids Can Make by us here at here at Homestead Lady
  • Spring Crafts for Kids by Family Food Garden

For crafts, recipes service projects and family building suggestions, please see our holiday titles below:

 

 

You might also enjoy...

  • Herbal Holiday WreathsHerbal Holiday Wreaths
  • Rustic DIY Holiday Porch SignsRustic DIY Holiday Porch Signs
  • A Farm Wedding on the HomesteadA Farm Wedding on the Homestead
  • Decorate Candles with Kids this HolidayDecorate Candles with Kids this Holiday
  • Homemade Paper for Teachers, Parents and Parties!Homemade Paper for Teachers, Parents and Parties!

Share All Good Things.

FacebookPinterestTwitterEmail

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Family Time, Festive, Green Living, Homemade, Homestead Craft, Kids on the Homestead, Make it Yourself, Traditions, Winter Project

Previous Post: « Weeping Mulberry flop
Next Post: Warm Cheese Souffle from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Widgy Cat says

    December 10, 2013 at 8:03 am

    Thanks for stopping by catsonthehomestead.com. I had to pop over and take a look around and I am glad I did. I am following you on my blog list. Have a great day!

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      December 11, 2013 at 5:00 pm

      Thank you for hosting! So glad to have you join us…

      Reply
  2. Sue says

    December 10, 2013 at 10:36 am

    I love the idea of leon! How neat that you do this. I agree that hand sewing should be learned before machine sewing. Almost everything sewn by machine also requires some hand stitching in places. It gives kids a realistic beginning to start with hand sewing. If you are interested, I have an old blog where I wrote tips for grown-ups teaching children to hand sew. sewingwithkids (dot) blogspot (dot) ca Everyone is going to love their gifts…if your children can part with their creations. 🙂

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      December 11, 2013 at 6:29 am

      Thanks, Sue! I’ll add your link to the article – that’s perfect!

      Reply
      • Sue says

        December 13, 2013 at 7:16 pm

        Thank you for sharing that link in your post. How sweet of you!

        Reply
  3. Patrick @ Survival at Home says

    December 13, 2013 at 9:28 am

    Great ideas! I will have to find this book for my wife! 😀

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    December 13, 2013 at 9:32 am

    I have never heard of Leon day, but that is super cute! The glove animals are adorable too! I think it’d be a great use of gloves that are too small for my children and to reuse them. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Rach says

    December 13, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Quite an endearing way to reuse old gloves too!

    Reply
  6. Summers Acres says

    December 17, 2013 at 6:44 am

    LEON day is a great idea. We never get started so early. These glove animals are so cute. I especially like that your kids will be able to sew on a button in a zombie attack! LOL Thanks for sharing with us at Christmas on The HomeAcre!

    Please join us again Thursday for our special edition Christmas on The HomeAcre:
    https://summersacres.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-on-homeacre_17.html

    ~Ann

    Reply
    • Summers Acres says

      December 17, 2013 at 7:02 am

      I just wanted to stop by and let you know that your post will be featured at Thursday’s Christmas on The HomeAcre. I will also tweet, facebook, and +1 your post.

      Please stop by and grab the featured button at:
      https://summersacres.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-on-homeacre_17.html

      Congrats!
      ~Ann

      Reply
      • Homestead Lady says

        December 17, 2013 at 10:07 pm

        Wonderful! Thanks so much, Ann!

        Reply
  7. Jacqueline @ Deeprootsathome.com says

    December 17, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    This is truly adorable!! So creative 🙂 Blessings!

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      December 17, 2013 at 10:10 pm

      Thanks, Jacqueline! The kids had so much fun with the first round, they came up with more people to make them for. My son is even making a car! I’m drowning in unfinished Christmas projects but tis the season!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Do It Yourself Homestead

Get your copy now!

Pinterest Facebook Twitter Instagram Image Map

Search Our Site

Popular Posts

  • Candle Making Supplies l Make your own candle molds from upcycled materials l Hometead Lady (.com) l A DIY Candle Making Supplies: Make Your Own Molds
  • DIY Wattle: Cheap Garden Fence
  • How to Make Your Own Prunes
  • How to Plan and Plant a Medicinal Herb Garden
  • Kefir Fermented Bread Dough – No Yeast!

Affiliate Disclosure

This blog participates in various affiliate programs which means that you might click on a link for a product from which I will make a small commission, although the price for you doesn't change any. Sweet. I try to find affiliates to work with that I believe my readers will enjoy. I have yet to find a provider for flying pigs, though. I'll work on that.

Amazon Disclosure

Homestead Lady is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclaimer

The information presented at Homestead Lady is for educational purposes only. No statement has been evaluated by any federal agency, medical expert, nutritionist or even my mom. Read at your own risk.

Copyright

All photos and posts are the property of their creators. The Homestead Lady grants non-exclusive use of one photo and up to 50 words from posts with attribution and link back to the original post on this site. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Copyright © 2021 · Midnight theme

Copyright © 2021 · Midnight Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in