Until the very end, all kinds of handicrafts, be it knitting, crocheting or sewing, were often dismissed as a hobby of our grandparents. But in the meantime, these activities are also being taken up again by the younger generation. If you want to try this out with your own offspring, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about embroidery for kids. Read on here!
The basics: What is embroidery?
Embroidery in particular has become increasingly popular in recent years. But what exactly does this mean? Actually, the definition is quite simple: It is a manual work in which textiles or fabrics are decorated with needles and thread. In the end, you can use any material. Especially clothes, but also blankets, curtains and much more are often decorated.
The beauty of this needlework? You have the choice of an incredible variety of stitches, so you really have a lot of options for your designs. If you want, you can even create some real plastic motifs. In addition, you can work together with your offspring either according to a template or simply wildly. Are you still looking for a common hobby? Then try embroidery for children.
Embroidery for kids: What you need to know
You are already very enthusiastic and want to start embroidery for children? Wait a moment, because we’ll give you some suggestions beforehand. On the one hand, we will discuss the age at which it makes sense to present this hobby. On the other hand, we would like to introduce you to the advantages of this type of manual work.
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From what age can you embroider?
First of all, we would like to make it clear: You know your child best. As a result, the following statements are only general information, which of course can always be individually adapted. It is best to just pay attention to your offspring, which he likes to deal with, how big the attention span is and above all how long the patience thread is. Especially in the beginning, embroidery can be a bit exhausting for children.
Therefore: Observe your offspring and assess for yourself how early you want to propose this hobby. As a rule, between three and four years of age, hand-eye coordination and motor skills have developed to such an extent that simple stitches should not be a problem. In general, the motto is: Just try it out and see if your little sweetheart enjoys it doesn’t hurt.
Here is a safety note: Especially the work with pointed needles should always be supervised. There is always a risk that with uncontrolled movements, the work equipment will end up somewhere where it should not and where it may even hurt. So be extra careful here!
What are the advantages of embroidery for children?
You think it’s time to test the whole thing? Then we would like to reaffirm this to you. Because embroidery for children as well as for adults has some benefits. First of all, there is the overcoming of one’s own frustration limit. Especially in the beginning, working with needle and thread can be complicated and nerve-wracking. But once the first hurdles have been overcome, the subsequent success can help to stick with similar tasks.
Cognitive abilities are also promoted here. Because usually you use both hands, which trains the head and creates a good networking of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Over time, fine motor skills and the ability to concentrate improve. After all, the most beautiful results only arise with a calm and focused work.
One thing we must not forget: Such a hobby is a good change, especially for children who look at a screen a lot. In addition, you have the opportunity to do something with your offspring and to support them. The so-called Quality Time becomes a nice regularity if you enjoy this kind of manual work.
The preparation: What you need
Most of the things you need to embroider for children are obvious. First of all, there is the right fabric. Basically, of course, you can take anyone, but we recommend a so-called countable one for the beginning. This means that the tissue has a recognizable, box-like structure. This should be as uniform as possible. In general, you can look for options such as sieve lines or a student towel. Some Aida fabrics are also suitable for beginners, as small holes are immediately visible to the naked eye. By the way, you can also use paper for starters. Here it is even easier to stand out.
When it comes to yarn, there are also countless possibilities. Depending on what you want to embroider, you will certainly find different information for the different instructions. Usually, however, two- or three-ply work is carried out. However, if you want to try knitting for children with your offspring, you can also use a stronger thread for the beginning. This does not have to fit doubled or tripled into the eye of the needle.
Here we come to the next thing: the needle. There are actually variants that have been developed exactly for beginners of the hobby. These are particularly dull and glide easily through the fabric. If you do not use a countable variant, then a pointed needle is more recommended. By the way: We also advise you to get an embroidery frame. Because here the tissue is clamped, so that everything remains in the right place and your child can embroider evenly.
Embroidery for children: Let’s go
You’ve got everything done and your child’s fingers are already tingling to finally get started? Then we have a few tips to make the whole thing a success. First of all, it’s about the motive. Do you want your child to become familiar with the new movements first? Then let’s try it out without a template. If it is already a bit safer, you can draw simple motifs with a pen, so the orientation is easier.
Once the first stitches have been made, you can slowly introduce different variants. A cross-stitch, for example, is a fairly light option. If your offspring is already a bit safer, you can also choose new, slightly more difficult instructions and move from the countable fabric to another. For example, you can put a pretty decoration on a monochrome T-shirt.
No matter what you ultimately decide, the main thing is that embroidery is fun for children. So dare to try this kind of manual work together. You will see that both young and old will certainly enjoy it.