Embroidery with kids

I have just learnt a very valuable lesson. Never underestimate what your child can do. Also try many different things with your child, because you never know what they think is totally awesome and fun to do. We've been a bit sick this week, Emma the most. So yesterday when we decided it was best to stay home and just rest the day, I knew I had to come up with something fun to do.

As soon as I took my embroidery hoop to start a project myself, she asked if she could try it too. She's never ever tried doing embroidery so I got a piece from our non-slip mat, blunt needle and embroidery thread.

 I was stunned how excited she was. Usually her attention span lasts for 10-15 minutes, but with this we were going for over an hour. I think all the different colours helped. I cut a short piece of the colour she wanted, started it for her and then she went up and down with the needle. Once the thread was finished she got to choose another colour and so forth.

The non-slip mat works great because it has big holes in it and is very easy for little hands to handle. We had a little break after an hour to have lunch and then after lunch she went back to work! WHAT!! was my reaction.

This is super good way to let your little once practise embroidery. Who cares if it doesn't make a picture, they are still practicing fine motor skills. I think this would have enough of practise for her, but because I was embroidering on fabric, she wanted to make a picture on fabric as well.

Straight away the challenge was that she had to use a sharp needle (I tried to explain this to her, but she didn't care). The next challenge was that embroidery for a 3,5 year old is very very difficult when she can't even draw colour inside the lines yet. I thought that straight lines are probably the easiest way to go, so I drew her different geometric shapes to choose from. A square, a house, a diamond, a triangle... She wanted to do a rainbow...

Geometric rainbow it was to be then, a good compromise I thought. I drew the lines with a sharpie (I don't care if they show) and I also was dictator enough to force the colours in the right order. But after that she did almost everything herself. Of course I helped her to make the knot at the end of the thread, but she was very precise as to where the needle was coming up and where it was going down. The sharpie actually helped a lot on the wrong side as well, because she could see it on that side too.

 GOSH I'M PROUD! Did I mention that yet? I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her going. Not once did she poke herself with the sharp needle and I sat right next to her the whole time with my jaw on the ground. She is 3,5 years and just made her first proper embroidery work! I'm so stoked, and so is she.

It is now on a prime spot on our wall, but I'm hoping to move it to my craft room wall soon. She was so excited to show her rainbow to her dad and this is surely one of those crafts that will be saved forever!

So want to see what I made myself?

It is a giraffe that Emma's drawn. I really really love it so I thought I needed to embroider it. Yesterday ended up being all about Emma, but what a happy day it was for her even though she was sick.

 Once again, if you try embroidery with your child, please please send me a picture. I would LOVE to see their creations!