Stitch and String Lab for Kids

This is a fun book for kids and adults alike, as well as a good resource for learning stitches. I predict that parents and kids can have hours of fun doing these great activities. Not only does it have fun activities, but it also gives kids the tools they need to complete them. Great instructional photos!

This book is chock-full of fun and engaging projects for anyone who wants to try their hand at all things stitch and string. Thanks to easy to follow directions and wonderful illustrations these projects look doable. I plan to introduce weaving to a group of children at our library this summer using Cassie's paper plate lesson.
The author, Cassie Stevens is an elementary art teacher so these projects have been tested by hundreds of children.
Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry for a sneak peek at this outstanding book.

This book explores many different fiber art creations for elementary age children. After a section on the basics (materials, tools, threading needles, etc.), it has units with several labs in each. Each lab is a different project. I have some problems with calling these "units" and "labs" because it sounds too much like school, but a savvy leader could easily present these in a better way.

The projects are inventive and colorful. Virtually all of them use tools and techniques that are safe for children to use and that will produce good results. Some are simple enough that children in first or second grade could accomplish them, but most will work better for children 9 and up.

It would have been nice had the author provided age ranges for the projects and a resource list for leaders. That would have added to the value of the book.

There is one technique used that should NEVER be given to small children. That is needle felting. This technique uses extremely sharp and dangerous barbed needles. While Stephens does note these are sharp, she does not give adequate warning. This technique is notes to control and trying it if the adult does not know the technique could result in disaster. It is the only technique in the book that is like that. These projects had no place in a book of kids' crafts.

In spite of this flaw and of the obvious omission of two popular crafts, needlepoint and cross stitch, it's a fun book with many great ideas.

Stitch and String Labs for Kids plots out easy to follow instructions for a variety of activities that will spark your child's interest in the fabric arts. These are kid-friendly activities that will help not just with fine motor skills but cognitive sequencing. For bonding time, do these activities with your children and share the fun!

I received an electronic review copy for this book that did not show proper pictures. I will hence only review the written content.

This is a book about fibre arts for children and as such it is very well-organised, gives information for parents/adults as well as easy to follow instructions for different fibre related crafts like sewing, embroidery, knitting projects, dying, weaving (see note above).

This book is fabulous. I will definitely be having a go at making some of these projects with my kids on the school holidays. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Stitch and String Lab offers a broad variety of decorative and practical projects to teach embroidery, hand sewing, weaving, and other fiber arts like spool and finger knitting to children. The book contains tips for choosing the right needles, threads, and other materials especially suited for children. All projects come with detailed instructions. The fun and colorful projects appeal to boys and girls alike.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This book has HOURS of fun stuff in it! my ten year old loves the ideas in it so far!

My kids, like most kids these days, want to spend a lot of time watching tv, playing video games, and staying on electronics in general. I am always looking for fun engaging things for them to do away from screens. All 3 of them enjoy art projects so stitch + string lab for kids is right up their alley. They like creating, but like most people unfamiliar with a new hobby, they need guidance to get things going. I loved that these projects are fun and use different textile materials and are just challenging enough without being too difficult and that each project contains step by step matierals. This is a great book for a rainy day when kids can't go outside or, if like me, you are looking for something to engage the without staring into a screen.

As a needlecraft enthusiast myself, I really liked this book as a chance to introduce youngsters to different handmade projects of every level. I was also very happy to see boys in the pictures doing the crafting as much as, if not more than, girls. Despite much progress, we still tend to think knitting, sewing, etc, are mainly female activities, and the truth is they are not and never have been just activities done by women.

This is a bright, colourful and creative book bursting with a variety of projects for children to try. All the projects are appealing and well thought out. Just browsing through the book is inspiring. It is an excellent resource for teachers or anyone working with young children. The variety of projects included is brilliant. An excellent book overall with very clear step by step instructions and pictures.

This is a very fun book! The instructions are very clear and there is a great range of projects. The book does and excellent job of combining various "labs" to make more complex works. The cross-references are terrific. The photography is well done and is excellent at illustrating both the instructions and the finished crafts.

I highly recommend this book for library (and home) crafting collections!

This book is a great way for children as well as parents to relax, learn new things, train fine motor skills and express their creativity in totally new ways. It is good to have a very detailed guide which helps you completely switch from everyday tasks and dive into a new area. Here you not only enjoy the process of creating, but also get funny and lovely end results.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for a kindly provided review copy.

Stitch and String Lab for Kids is a great resource for fun projects for kids. There are numerous projects in this book that are perfect for beginners. The instructions are easy to follow.

A fabulous book to keep children amused with simple items in the home or art room. There are simple projects from all age groups and with each come the satisfaction of having mastered the use of a needle and string.
With sections on embroidery, hand sewing, fibre art and weaving, there is something for every ones taste and skill.
A book that will get the creative juices flowing and learn some useful skills for the future.

This book contains projects for kids to pursue in the area of needlecrafts. It begins by introducing kids to the basics of working with fabrics. It shows them different fibers and materials. The book discusses how to put together a fabric kit and a place to make crafts. It also teaches them a couple of basic sewing stitches before they begin.

The book is broken into four units with a number of labs contained within each. In the unit kids are taught how to make projects with embroidery, hand sewing, fiber arts and weaving or string craft. The projects are broken down step by step with an illustration for each. The figures are colorful and clear. The projects are fun for kids such as the donut keychain and pillow or the yarn bombed heart wall hanging.

I recommend this book for projects that an adult can do with kids. It is a great resource for children to make little gifts for their family members or friends.


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

Stitch and String Lab for Kids is book 21 of (currently) 24 books in the Labs for Kids series. Released 23rd July 2019 by Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 144 pages and available in a flexibound workbook and ebook formats. Aimed at middle grade readers and their adults (parents, guardians, school resource personnel/teachers etc), it includes more than 40 short lab units for diverse fibrecrafts including embroidery, sewing, knitting, weaving, and braiding.

This is a very appealing colorful and kid friendly book. An introductory tools and supplies chapter leads into some short very basic stitching and cutting tutorials. All of the tutorials are very well photographed and easy to follow. The following chapter units: embroidery, hand sewing, fiber arts, and weaving & string crafts, are composed of self contained sub-sections composed of self contained short project tutorials which would be very well suited to art classes, VBS, camp crafts, public library school holidays clubs, and similar venues. Outlets for creativity and exploration are vitally important for kids' social and intellectual development and these projects are fun and whimsical and stimulate that vital development.

This is a fun and worthwhile book. It would make a great classroom library book, resource book, homeschool resource book, or support text for kids 7-10(+). There's also a wide range of activities and most of the labs use easily sourced materials. The photography is appealing and easy to follow.

Five stars. This is a great book and part of a solid series.

Cassie Stephens
Quarto Publishing Group - Quarry Books

As the subtitle says, this book has “40+ projects to sew, embroider, weave, wrap, and tie.”

Before getting to all the projects, there are three important chapters that are a wonderful resource of useful information. (1) “Getting Started: Creating with Fibers” provides a comprehensive review of all the supplies to include in your fiber kit. Stephens explains the different kinds of needles and sizes, different types of scissors, types of fibers, fabrics and stuffing plus a few other accessories. (2) “The Basics: Working With Fabric + Thread” discusses how to cut fabric, working with thread + embroidery floss and using an embroidery hoop. (3) “Stitching Basics: Know Before You Sew” explains how to thread a needle, tying a knot, the three basic stitches (running, whipstitch and blanket stitch), how to end the thread, and sew on a button. All three sections are heavily illustrated, which makes it very easy to follow.

The rest of the book is divided into four units — (1) Embroidery (e.g. wall hanging, sun catcher, appliqué embroidery). (2) Hand Sewing (e.g. plushie pins, monster stuffie, pizza pillow, drawstring bag). (3) Fiber Arts (e.g. rainbow pom pom necklace, yarn wrapped worry dolls, string art, finger knitting). (4) Weaving and String Craft (e.g. woven mat, circle loom weaving, picture frame weaving, kumihimo).

One of the best features of the Stitch and String Lab is that it’s author is an Arts teacher so you can be sure that all the projects have been thoroughly kid-tested and are kid-friendly. There are lots of adorable things to make that are very colorful and fun to do. Several projects actually yield some very useful items, such as a sunglass case, a woven pouch, pincushions, pillows, and one of my favorites — worry dolls (plus how to make skirts for them). I was surprised to see needle felting included because not only are the needles very sharp with barbs on them but it is very easy to stab your fingers when felting (which has happened to me many times). I think that needle felting should only be attempted with adult supervision. Stitch and String Lab for Kids with its 44 projects is sure to keep any child busy for many hours or more likely days! (Note that this book can be enjoyed by both boys and girls. In fact, boys are featured as prominently as girls throughout the book.)

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Quarry Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This looks like a really good tutorial - I wish my daughter was old enough for it now! She just turned 3 and I do not think she has the patience for it yet, but hopefully in a couple years. I enjoyed the fun designs and the many different ways shown to use fiber. I am a knitter but not experienced in other textile arts so this was educational for me as well. The directions were clear and the projects were interesting enough to keep children's attention but simple enough to not be frustrating. I enjoyed this book.

"Stitch and String Lab for Kids" by Cassie Stephens is a fabulous art book for children to learn how to sew by hand, how to make beautiful works of art with pom poms, and 44 inventive projects to try.

Ms. Stephens provides kids with excellent projects to learn artistic skills and styles that she never had as a girl. She is a teacher herself and provides lots of great instructions, pictures and helps for kids.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

I received this as an eBook from Quarto Publishing Group - Quarry Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of the title. I did not receive any compensation from either company. The opinions expressed herein are completely my own.

This colorful, well illustrated book will introduce kids to hand crafts like sewing, weaving, making pom poms and felting. The author goes into good detail about how to do things like simple stitches and finger knitting. The projects are all very simple and even very young kids can do most of them. They all look like the sorts of presents young children bring you for Mother's Day in early elementary school. I would have loved to have seen some with some more sophisticated color schemes or just a little bit less kindergarten craft looking, but kids are likely to enjoy them.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

I think sometimes people are overly wary of doing needle crafts with kids. How else are they going to learn skills unless we let them try. That's the beauty of this book. It dips a toe into several different fiber arts, usually presenting projects at a couple of different skill levels. Accessible for most upper elementary kids working with minimal supervision.

Great book! Lots of ideas and actual easy to follow instructions and pictures! It gives you an in depth description of things you need before starting and it is good enough for a beginner to follow.

Stitch + String Lab for Kids was written by Cassie Stephens, and is part of the popular “Lab for Kids” series of books.

Summary: This book contains 40+ creative fiber-arts projects for kids.

My Thoughts: This is a great arts and crafts book for kids. The projects are simple and creative, the instructions are very detailed and easy to understand, and best of all-there are tons of great pictures-perfect for a visual learner like myself.

I have quite a few of the books from the “Lab for Kids” series, and Cassie Stephens’ books are my favorite (she has another book on clay.)

Why is she my favorite? Not only does she present creative and fun projects, but she is SO good at making sure everything is easy to understand, and always includes simple little tips for making things easier to do. I love that!

If you have ever wanted to dabble in the fiber arts with your kids (or even just on your own), this book is a wonderful starting point. I definitely recommend this book!

I would like to thank Quarry books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

This book has a great variety of crafts that kids will both want to and be able to make. The instructions are specific and the photographs really add to the do-ability of these projects. My students are bound to keep this book flying from the library shelves for a long time.

There are tons of great projects for kids in this book, and should keep them busy for a long time (though they may need adult help with some parts, depending on their age and abilities). I highly approve of children's activities which get them off of electronics and promote fine motor skills, which is so important to handwriting.