Homemade Fabric Letters
For #needleworkmonday I would like to share with you the fabric letters I have made for my kids.
M is now beginning to recognize her written name, so I wanted to make her something tactile to help her learn to recognize it. These letters will be a great resource as she can touch them, trace with her hands and learn the order they go in.
Of course I had to make some for baby brother too!
I put felt on the back so that we can use them with a felt board and I colour coded the felt so that in the beginning she could easily separate them to find just her letters.
I stiffened them with a cardboard layer and used layers of cotton batting so that they would be softer and make them more comfortable to handle.
First I printed templates from the internet and traced them onto cardboard for the middle. I cut squares of the material, cotton batting and felt and then slipped the letter inside. I pinned it together, carefully tracing the shape of the letter.
I am still a beginner with my sewing machine, so I used the edge of the presser foot as a guide to try and make my sewing uniform. Once I had sewn all the way around, I used the pinking shears to make the edges cute!
The pinking shears give them a slightly stylized letter shape, but I think as one tool of many to help her learn her name it will be ok. It was a fairly easy project, so I am now thinking about making the entire lower case alphabet!
Happy #needleworkmonday what did you make this week?
What a creative and fun idea! My kids would've liked these when they were learning their names. The pinking-sheared (pinked?) edges add an especially nice touch :)
Thank you 💗 I like pinked as a verb!
Those are so sweet! My 8 and 11 year olds have been doing 4-H sewing for 2 years now and are always looking for something to sew. I don't always have time to oversee and help. I think the oldest could definitely handle this on her own! The 8 year old could help. Then the 5 & 2 year olds could play with them! Thanks for some inspiration!
I think it is definitely a suitable project. I would love to see how it goes :)
Cool idea for teaching them the letters and their names. I like the process notes, would not have thought about stiffening them with cardboard.
I made one without and it was very floppy! It would be ok.if you were only using it on the felt board but it needed some strengthening. Cardboard was a cheap and easy fix. It does however mean they cant go in my washing machine now!!
Maybe test some sheet foam as an inner liner? The sheets of stuff from Michaels that can be cut into shapes?
That is a great idea 😀 thank you
Very cool, @thriftymum! Such a great idea for a learning tool! Very well done, and nice touch with the pinking shears!
Thank you 😀 I just got the pinking shears so I really wanted to try them out!! Haha.
It worked out perfectly!
Wow Mum! Learning is fun with you. I want to be as creative as you when I become a mum! I like how they all have different beautiful colours and patterns making them look singularly spectacular. Really nice work!
Thank you so much, that is so sweet of you. Teaching for 5 years helps a lot on the idea side, pinterest just helps with the execution!
Cool, You do really well with the execution ☺
it is wonderful!!!!!! your idea is gorgeous !!!! the letters are cheerful and bright; I can imagine how pleasant they are to the touch !!!!! you turned out very cool !!!!!
aww thank you. The children are really enjoying them :) I think the cotton batting makes them softer so they squish a little in their hands which is perfect. They like the zigzag edges too.
They look really good! I tried making them with fabric but felt is easier for me to sew. I do not have a sewing machine so I do everything by hand and sewing fabric gives me a headache :D
These are just adorable 💚
Thank you 💗 Sewing by hand is a real skill. Do you draw lines to follow? I find it hard to sew straight by hand!
I can draw lines?!?!? :D I never thought of that LOOOOL. No, I just always sew straight, well... It was not always straight, it took some practice. :)
Practice makes perfect 😉
What a fun and clever way to encourage learning! You did so good on these!! They are really cute and I too love the touch of the shears!!! Thank you for sharing this lovely idea and project with us!! 😀
Thank you. I really enjoy being a part of #needleworkmonday 😀 it is such a wonderful and supportive community you have built.
Yay! That makes me so glad to hear!!! I am so glad you are here!!! 🤗. Thank you!
Love these!! They are so cute and you've done a great job sewing them! I have a friend who used to make these as well and sell them. They seemed to be pretty fun for her to sew up. Great idea adding the cardboard! Great colors - I know your kids love them. :)
Thank you 💗 it was a fun project. Now I need to find a few hours to make the whole alphabet. What material did your friend make them out of? I am wondering if a different one might be easier to get definition.
These are so wonderful!! What a treasure that can be used for a really long time. I know the cannot be washed because of the cardboard, but maybe use the Tide To Go pen to help with spot cleaning?
Great job!
That is a great idea. I was thinking baby wipes...but the tide pen is way better!!!!