Kwanzaa Ngoza Saba

This is a little soft quilted book I made my boys a couple of years ago. I wanted a board book for them explaining the seven principles of Kwanzaa and I couldn’t find one. One of the things you do for Kwanzaa is give homemade gifts, so I decided to make them a book. I hadn’t done much appliqué yet and didn’t know how to use freezer paper to get the images sewn on so I used fabric paint around the edges. I read a lot of Kwanzaa books and websites to try to get the principles clear in my mind so I could write little phrases for each one that a toddler could understand.

Please tell me what you think. This one is fabric pages with quilt batting inside, sewn together with a fabric binding. I used fabric pen to write on them. The pictures are quilting fabric cut into simple shapes, with puffy or glitter fabric paint outlines. Have you every tried to make a book? Cloth, paper, or what materials? Suggestions for how to make this one better?

If you celebrate Kwanzaa, what do you do? I have only done things at home with my family, keeping it simple. I would love to go to a bigger gathering and join a community celebration. I wish my church did something. I’m looking for other ways to honor the principles and traditions. Your ideas?

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