Spring Sewing Plate Craft

1-plate

When I saw the chick one show up in my feed I thought it was the perfect craft, my little one loves working with sewing cards.  I couldn’t remember who posted it though, so I just made up my own – and I made a bunny, too.  You could do a heart for Valentine’s Day or a triangle for a Christmas tree with a piece of brown felt as the trunk.  The possibilities are endless!

4 plate

Supplies

  • Paper Plate
  • ~12 feet of yarn
  • Scraps of felt or construction paper
  • Craft buttons or googly eyes
  • Scissors or craft knife
  • Hole punch
  • Tape
  • Hot glue gun

Prep Work

3 plate

Setting this craft up is best done by an adult prior to starting the project with the little ones.

Start by tracing out your design on the back of the plate.  The chick is egg shaped. For the bunny I traced a circle and then drew ears on top.  Once your design is drawn, cut it out by poking your scissors into the center of the design and cutting out your shape, or use your craft knife.  The craft knife is easier for the extra detail of the bunny.  With either method just be mindful of your work surface or where your fingers are. (Always remember to place something underneath when cutting with a craft knife so you don’t damage your work surface.)  Next, use your hole punch to make evenly spaced holes around your design trying to keep at least an eighth of an inch between the hole and the edge (I didn’t on one and it ripped, if this happens to you just pull the yarn to the back of the plate and tape it near the torn hole).  Last thing to prepare is the yarn.  Did you know that from the tip of your nose to the end of your fingers when your arm is stretched out to your side is roughly one yard?  Do that about 4 times and you should have enough yarn!  If you are using a lager plate or want the yarn filled in thicker use more. Wrap tape around one end like a shoe lace and you are ready to start.

The Craft

2 plate

Tape the other end to the back of the plate where your little one wants to start from and let them pull the yarn through the holes.  If you have a younger child, make sure they see if the yarn is on the bottom I have to put it in on that side and vice versa so it’s not wrapping around the edge.  My daughter is used to going around the edges of the sewing cards she has so she took a little coaching to go across the opening.  Keep threading the yarn back and forth across the opening, using holes more than once if needed, until all your yarn is used up.  Tape the end to the back of the plate.

6 plate.jpg

Always be prepared for a little chaos

Finishing Touch

7 plate.jpg

This is an adult only part of the craft because we are going to use a hot glue gun. 

Regular craft glue will not stick to felt and takes fairly long to set with yarn so isn’t the best option, even if using construction paper.  You can have your child pick out and place the eyes and other pieces before you glue them if they want to help.  The chick’s wings are yellow half circles and its beak is a triangle. For the bunny I cut thin rectangles out of pink and round the tops for the ears as well as an oval for the nose.  I used black yarn to make the whiskers and glued the nose on top, but you could also use cut outs of felt or paper and glue them in place.

By: Heather L.