kids crafty suitcase activity ideas: sewing cards

Hi all and thank you so much for all the comments about my kids crafty suitcases- much appreciated! I said I'd share some ideas for things to do with the suitcases and the first thing I thought of was some practice sewing/stitching cards. I was going to make up some of these to put in Amelie's suitcase but ran out of time for her birthday.  They are a great way to get younger children into a bit of (relatively independent) stitching practice, and they would look so cute as part of a suitcase gift. I have a very happy memory of making a picture by stitching it on a piece of hessian for an art lesson at primary school so maybe that's why I'm keen on these too. The first lot of cards in my post are free printables so you'll just need a printer and some card- at least 250gsm card which you can get from Warehouse Stationery, or you could print these out and glue them to even heavier card like the card from a cereal box or even thicker if you can find some. Something else handy to have would be a single hole punch- does anyone know where you can get these from?

Vintage sewing cards from Belladia

Animal sewing cards from Skip to my Lou

I can imagine these cards from Handmade Charlotte would look fantastic as a classroom display- older children could even draw or paint their own profiles before stitching on their hair.

DIY sewing cards using a button as an 'anchor' from Cat Taylor
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Printable sewing cards from Mini-eco
And there are also commercial lacing cards sets you can buy - these would also be a lovely addition to a kids crafty suitcase, especially for younger crafters.

Eric Carle lacing card set

Dr Suess 'The Cat in the Hat' lacing cards

And these animal lace up cards from Djeco at Small Acorns are gorgeous and would be great for older children.

And another other idea for stitching practice would be to buy some hessian, felt or cross stitch fabric such as aida (with nice big holes!), sketch a picture on the fabric for your child and let them stitch along your drawing lines to make the picture. If they are a bit older they could draw the picture themselves first and if they are a bit younger you could just let them practice making stitches on the fabric. You could use an embroidery hoop so it's easier for them to hold the fabric as they stitch.

Happy sewing and if you haven't already don't forget to enter my giveaway for some crafty suitcase treats!
Megan x