 Whether
it was wobbly crayon drawings, pasta necklaces or simple cross-stitched
tea towels, that first project attempted as kids planted in us
the passion we hold for craft today.
Encouraging your children to try stitching may well reveal a
talent or trigger a lifelong love of needlecraft. What could be
a better gift to pass on?
Little ones will delight in creating mini-masterpieces, so long
as they can say, “I did it myself!” Older kids can
explore their creativity by tackling more complex stitch projects.
DMC has a great new range of Starter Tapestry Kits designed specifically
for children from around the ages of 9 and up.
Apart from simply passing on a creative passion, there are some
excellent benefits to kids needlecraft. Children can pick up a
range of skills by learning to stitch, namely:
• manual dexterity, which comes with learning to manipulate
the thread, needle and fabric
• counting and math skills, from following a cross stitch
chart and translating it to the fabric
• expertise in following directions
When teaching your child to stitch, it is worth noting a few
points:
• Kids are generally ready to stitch by about the age of
five or six. By this age, their hands are nimble enough to complete
the stitches, and they are patient enough to learn how to make
the stitches.
• You can start a child with a simple project that uses
only cross stitches (no back stitches or fractional stitches).
• Try working on plastic canvas, which is more sturdy and
easy to work on, paired with DMC Perle Cotton in size 3 or 5,
or DMC Stranded Embroidery Cotton, but using all six strands to
make the thread extra thick and easy to follow.
• For very young children, use the DMC Plastic Needle, which
is especially designed for little hands to safely learn how to
stitch.
• Let your child select his or her own first project. The
design should have no more than three colours and should be small
in size. If a child can successfully complete a small design,
he or she will be encouraged to stitch another. If the project
is too difficult to complete, he or she may get frustrated and
abandon stitching altogether.
Finally, cross-stitch is a great activity that can be enjoyed
at all ages and stages in life, so it’s the perfect way
to build bonds between parent and child, or with siblings or grandchildren.
For more information about kids needlecraft, including stockists
of the new DMC Starter Tapestry Kits contact Radda Pty Ltd on
9559 3088 or email cservice@radda.com.au.
Thanks to DMC, Australian Craft Network has some DMC Kids
Starter Tapestry Kits to give away.
To win one, explaining in 25 words who you will give your Kids
Tapestry Kit to, and why.
Please
fill out your details below and press the send button.
We will be in contact with you shortly.
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