Simple Homemade Sewing Cards

Sewing cards are not only fun for kids, they also develop eye-hand coordination and teach a practical skill that can be used throughout life. I made these simple sewing cards for my 2½-year-old grandson, choosing basic shapes and primary colors to further enhance his learning. I’ll post a full tutorial when I have more time but here’s the basic instructions.

Tools

• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Small plate (to make the circle)
• Iron and ironing board (fabric covered cards only)

Materials for Each Sewing Card

• A piece of cardboard (I used a Minute Rice box)
• Colorful fabric and heavy-duty iron-on fusible webbing, or paper and glue
• Yarn
• Tape or plastic sewing needle

Instructions

1. Cut the fabric or paper to 8 inches square. If using fabric, fuse iron-on webbing to the back of each square following manufacturer instructions.
2. Fuse the fabric or glue the paper to the cardboard.
3. Draw your shape on the back of the cardboard and cut it out.
4. Punch holes all the way around the shape, about ½ inch in from the edge.
5. Cut a piece of yarn and tie one end to a hole. Wrap the other end with a small piece of tape or tie on a plastic needle.

That’s it - your sewing card is done!

Tips

• Pretest the hole punch on the cardboard to make sure that you can actually punch holes. After punching several sewing cards, I had to turn punch duty over to my hubby.
• Use plain paper on one or both sides of your sewing cards and let the kids draw pictures and color them.

I also made a sewing card for the little guy with a racecar cut from fabric. Which do you suppose will be his favorite?

For additional ideas, check out some other simple sewing projects for kids.

Find a Variety of Kids Crafts in the Wrights Classroom Online

Wrights brand trims have been around as long as I can remember. As a child, my favorite trim was rickrack – and I still have a bunch! Anyway, I found the Wrights Classroom online which has a variety of craft projects for kids.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the Wrights classroom has disappeared so I deleted the broken link. The Simplicity Creative Group classroom has lots of projects, however, and seems a good replacement for the Wrights classroom (Wrights appears to be part of the Simplicity Creative Group now?). Here's a banner link (affiliate, btw) for your convenience. Once you're on the site, just click on Classroom & Free Projects on the lower left side of the homepage.



Simplicity is absolutely my all-time favorite pattern manufacturer, so I feel confident recommending the site. I had a look around and there's a ton of info you need to see! I'd give links to my favorites but I've learned my lesson - I don't want a bunch more broken links on this site just because other sites that I've linked to change. So just head on over there and check it out. The site is easy to navigate and has a lot of free projects that would be perfect for kids. Isn’t the Internet great?

Make an Easy Tied Quilt with Kids

A tied quilt made from a single piece of flannel and a single piece of fleece is the perfect project for kids. Even little ones can make a quilt with this simple method. Whip up a few warm and snuggly quilts to give as Christmas gifts or to enjoy at home during the cold winter months.

I made one of these quilts with a matching pillow for my son a couple of years ago. I also published How to Make a Simple, Luxurious Quilt with step-by-step instructions and a few detailed pictures. I used furry fleece and a flannel sheet – isn’t it beautiful? And no batting needed! What could be easier than that? Be sure to buy an even plaid so that you have a nice grid for your ties - or recycle an old plaid flannel sheet like I did.

So gather your materials and a kid or two, and get started, ok?

Sewing Books for Kids

I happened upon a nice eHow article titled "Books on Sewing for Children." Rather than reiterating the info presented in the article, I’ve just posted Amazon links to the recommended books. I don’t currently have any of these but think I may add a couple to my library!

Stitching Items for Kids at WildernessCrafter.ArtFire.com

Update: The following items are sold and I have closed my ArtFire shop.

 I have an ArtFire shop under the name Wilderness Crafter. Currently I’m focused on de-stashing and sending no-longer-needed items off to new homes. It occurred to me that I have a few things in my ArtFire shop that are perfect for kids! So I’m giving the info and links here. As the items find new homes, I’ll update this post.

Teach Me to Stitch is 22 pages with easy step-by-step instructions for 15 beginner cross stitch projects plus full color diagrams and photographs.

 

Baby Bonnie is a hard-to-find McNeil Puppet Doll kit from 1984 (which makes it “vintage” – how cool is that?) Bonnie is 14 inches tall and can be a puppet or a doll. The kit is unopened and contains everything you need except for thread, scissors and stuffing.

Star Studded Iron-On Transfers are super cute designs for use on kids’ clothing but would also be perfect on a crayon quilt or other project. Although designed for use with fabric paint and markers, you could use the transfers for traditional embroidery or as hand or machine-sewn applique patterns.

Simple Sewing Projects for Kids

Do you remember sewing cards? As a child, I loved to hand stitch with yarn or a shoelace through holes punched around some simple shapes. It wasn’t long until I was embroidering with a real needle and floss, and sewing by machine. The beauty of sewing cards is that you can use them again and again – simply take out the stitching. Even toddlers can learn to sew with sewing cards. What a great way to occupy the little ones and let them feel a part of the action while you’re sewing!

I ran across a web page by Scholastic with several simple sewing projects that will be perfect during our shorter days and winter weather. Beings I don’t have any wee ones here, I think I’ll dig through my stash of fabric and supplies and make take-along sewing kits to send to the grandkids. For the smallest ones, simple sewing cards with shoelaces – no needle required! For the older ones, I think the tic-tac-toe game will be perfect.

So check out the projects and browse the site for other cool craft ideas. Then gather up your scraps and other supplies and have some fun with the kids! If you don’t have the supplies on hand or would just rather buy a pre-made kit, here are some Amazon.com craft kit links.

Crayon Quilts are a Great Project for Kids!

 I love crayon quilts! How fun for kids to color pictures and then see them on a blankie. Many years ago, my daughter’s preschool class created a crayon quilt to raffle as a fundraiser. I bought five tickets, one for each child, and my preschool daughter won! Over two decades later she still treasures that quilt.

I recently received the following question by email and would like to share my response.

Question:

Are crayon quilts made using crayons, or is it just the name used because of the look of the pictures?

Answer:

Yes, crayon quilts are made using crayons. You can use regular crayons on 100% cotton fabric but need special fabric crayons when using a fabric that contains synthetics such as a cotton/polyester blend. 

Here are a few links that might be of help:

Quiltbug: Coloring a Quilt with Crayons

MeSew: Crayon Fabric Art Directions

eHow: How to Make a Crayon Quilt

Although a crayon quilt is washable once the crayon is properly heat-set, to better preserve the colors and detail you might want to reserve this technique for items that won't require frequent laundering. Enjoy your project!

I encourage you to make a crayon quilt with your children or grandchildren. If a full quilt is too much to take on, make small individual wallhangings instead. Also, consider organizing a class project to raise money for your local preschool. You’ll be glad you did!

If you need ideas or step-by-step instructions for working with a group of children, get a copy of Creative Quilting with Kids by Maggie Ball.