Soft Sculpture Pillows

Missouri Art Education Association

.........Meaningful Art Experiences for All

Soft Sculptures are lots of fun because they are squishy, colorful and unique. Before you begin, decide what you would like to enlarge or exaggerate. A large stuffed fish, insect or person. There are many ways to begin, paper or fabric!

Paper Method: If you're on a tight budget using paper, yarn and newspaper could do the trick. Simply draw your desired shape and cut two identical shapes, color, and staple or sew a seam leaving space to stuff with the newspaper. Display onto a stick or hang from the ceiling

Fabric and Chalk Method: To begin draw your ideas onto a piece of paper the same size, as your cloth .I would suggest a white cotton fabric. Many ideas and themes can develop (Birds, Bugs, Butterflies, Buildings, Blossoms, Fish, and Zoo animals.) Outline the drawing with a permanent black marker; Place the drawing under the fabric and trace with a pencil. Spray water onto the fabric using a sprit bottle. Using any kind of school colored chalk begin to add and blend colors from lightest to the darkest. The chalk will blend the best when the fabric is wet, so continually squirt the fabric when it starts to dry. When the entire coloring is finished allow the fabric to dry completely and spray the fabric several times with a fabric starch. Cut a 1-inch border around the shape and hot glue three fourths of the border, stuff with fiber fill and hot glue shut.

Fabric and Marker Method: At the beginning of the year, I ask the parents to bring in a yard of white cotton fabric and any scrapes of material, Under wonder, or fiber fill as part of the kids beginning school supply list sent out by the classroom teachers. Parents can be helpers to iron on the underwonder onto the fabric so the students are ready to start.

ME Pillow: Students are given two rectangular pieces of white cotton fabric, they are to practice drawing their self-portrait on paper then to transfer onto the fabric. Photographs of them could be helpful when drawing. Patterned fabric that has underwonder ironed on the back can be cut into desired shapes for shirts, pants, dresses, hats and, hair etc. The shapes of fabric are laid onto the second cloth that has the self-portrait on it and then ironed. Once the fabric is cooled, fabric markers can be used to color any left over areas and small details. The pillow is hot glued and stuffed.

Clothespin Art Contest is held at Tillies Park in St. Louis during the month of May.
Many banners I've made were part of this show and will hang at our school!

Linda Sachs
Rockwood School Dist.
St. Louis Missouri

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