Craft Book Review: Fun with Stitchables and Beginning Embroidery

Embroidery: Fun with Stitchables

Embroidery: Fun with Stitchables

It wasn’t until I was finishing the research to write this beginner’s embroidery book up that I realized that it’s actually supposed to be for children. Oops!

And now that I’ve said that, I WON’T tell you which of the projects in the top photo are mine, nor will I show you any of the others that I created, lacing along happy as a clam with my kids one entire afternoon as we sat inside on a terribly nice day and did this instead.

EmbroiderySo, yeah. I guess Fun with Stitchables (which I received for free from a publicist) is for children, meant to teach them embroidery and allow them plenty of practice with the cardboard lacing cards. And my kids did enjoy it, and even though they can both embroider a little, they both learned some new tricks, and used the rhythm of the punched holes to help them think up new designs and color combinations. But I may have enjoyed it even more than they did! I don’t consider myself much of a hand-sewer, so I, too, enjoyed the stress-free process of lacing cotton yarn through the cardboard holes, and I, too, thought that the cute designs were an excellent invitation to play with color and pattern.

I even dragged the beads out for that cloud and rainbow card (okay, fine, now you know ONE of the ones that I did…), although I did have to string them directly onto the yarn by hand–the holes in the lacing cards are plenty wide enough for a tapestry needle, but the tapestry needle is too large to thread beads down. Remember that before you offer those same supplies to kids.

EmbroiderySince the lacing cards are made from thick cardboard, you could recycle them when you’re finished, making them much more eco-friendly than the plastic lacing cards often given to small children. The book also includes ideas, however, for reusing the finished cards on the fronts of greeting cards, or as Christmas ornaments. I think they’d look cute as gift toppers, as well.

Although that rainbow with the cloud card is totally going up on a window in our house!

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Written by Julie Finn

I'm a writer, crafter, Zombie Preparedness Planner, and homeschooling momma of two kids who will hopefully someday transition into using their genius for good, not the evil machinations and mess-making in which they currently indulge. I'm interested in recycling and nature crafts, food security, STEM education, and the DIY lifestyle, however it's manifested--making myself some underwear out of T-shirts? Done it. Teaching myself guitar? Doing it right now.

Visit my blog Craft Knife for a peek at our very weird handmade homeschool life, and my etsy shop Pumpkin+Bear for a truly odd number of rainbow-themed beeswax pretties.

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  1. I love scrap-booking and these could add a super cute and colorful touch to my books! I will definitely try these ideas out. I probably can’t make them as cute as she did though!

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