50 Thrifty Fun Things To Do: DIY Sewing Card Tutorial
19 Mar
As a child I had a set of Holly Hobby sewing cards that I loved and used till the yarn frayed terribly and the holes gave out. Now that Isobel’s older and has leveled up her dexterity I thought it was high time that she have her own. Trouble is, I haven’t found any in stores (not that I’ve been looking that hard, admittedly) so I decided to make some. I’ve been doing more simple sewing around her so I’ve been wanting to give her a preschool-appropriate version so she can practice her sewing right along with Mama. The sooner I can teach this kid a useful skill (other than helping me feed the cats and card counting) the better off she’ll be during the apocalypse. I hope her zombie overlords need lots of string threaded through cardboard.
There are two ways to make these sewing cards: the easy way and the slightly more labor intensive way. I made the latter first and it took about twenty minutes.
The Slightly More Complicated Version
1. My kid is Care Bear crazy, so I took a coloring book we had lying around and scanned an unused page.
2. I used Photoshop to add color and then I printed it out.
3. Then I took a pair of sharp scissors and cut just the bear out.
4. Then I made the base: I reused a plain old USPS envelope for the cardboard and then glued purple construction paper on top of that. I’m sure you could buy poster board at a crafts store but there are so many bits of it lying around, from packaging to shoe boxes, to old folders and envelopes, that you really don’t need to.
5. I used rubber cement to adhere the bear to the backing and a hole punch to make the holes and there you have it–a cheap, fun form of amusement for a preschooler.
The Really Simple Version
It was the next day that I realized there was an even simpler way to make these. In the second photo you can see that Isobel was absolutely enthralled by the Hello Kitty valentines I bought for a a few bucks at the grocery store. While she was playing with them I noticed that not only is the cardboard box they came in the perfect weight for sewing cards, it is also adorable. So I took my scissors…
Cut out the kitty shape…
Punched a few holes…
And ta-da! A simple sewing card made out of something that was otherwise considered garbage! I raided my stash for pink yarn and added a wide piece of tape at the end for the “needle.”
I tied it to one end and showed Isobel how to “sew”.
She was a natural! She only once sewed it to the chair she was sitting on.
I keep this in my purse if we go anywhere that I suspect might have a bit of a wait. Long car rides, doctor’s offices, that sort of thing. Now that I’ve made a couple I keep seeing things that could turn into sewing cards wherever I go. This is great for kids who need to practice their dexterity or hand-eye coordination, and really great for kids who enjoy repetitive, absorbing tasks.
Oh my goodness– kiddo on the coffee table– I DIE of the cute!
Julie recently posted..S’mores Cupcakes
Did you notice she “decorated it” with Hello Kitty stickers?!
When I was little my mom used to tear out colorful magazine pages, glue them onto cardboard, then punch holes around the different shapes for the same activity!
Your mom was clearly a thrifty genius. Clearly!
I’ve been meaning to do this for months. My husband works at an office supply store, so I was thinking lamenating? Either way, it’s a great idea and what a simple way to entertain a toddler when you’re out. Allison has gotten so bored of coloring at restaurants.
Jen @ Dear Mommy Brain recently posted..Simple Days ~ 3.17.12
If I still worked at the library and had access to free lamination I would TOTALLY laminate it! I’m just too cheap and lazy to do it now that it’s not free/convenient.
I remember these!, I’d completely forgotten about them! They were the best when it came to crafting. Awesome idea!
Windsor Grace recently posted..accidental innuendos
I really need to do this for G! One of our parental ambitions before he was born was for him to become a tailor so he could hem all our pants for us.
helgagrace recently posted..Book Review: Accidentally the Sheikh’s Wife [2010]