If you’re looking to get creative this Christmas with some home DIY projects, then patchwork squares are the way to go! Not only are they really cute and easy to work with, but their versatility allows you to produce a multitude of beautiful haberdashery projects, from blankets to bears, fashion to accessories. But as winter draws nearer, we’ve been thinking about getting the kids involved with some fun Christmas themed crafting. My friends and I are constantly coming up with ideas for our children’s play dates – my eldest is nine and my youngest is six, so they’re at good ages to be experimental with textiles (under my supervision of course).
A lot of my more ‘modern’ friends have given in to the seduction of technology and allowed their little ones to have phones and tablets to fiddle with during their play time… I’m sorry, but it’s just not for me. My children will be allowed to have phones when they start leaving the house on their own and even then, they will be the most basic of communicative devices, used purely for safety reasons. I still believe that at this age, they are too young to be indulging in electronics – they should be learning life skills and still enjoying their imagination. That, to me, means being creative!
I want my children to grow up with knowledge of craftsmanship, whether it be cooking, sewing, mending, building, designing – whatever. And so I take great joy in being able to share with them my own craft projects – best of all, they enjoy it too! Now, if you’re also keen to get your kids involved in some haberdashery this Christmas, here are some fun ideas that you and the youngsters can do together using themed patchwork squares!
Make a Christmas Blanket
Using these festive patchwork squares from Hot Pink Haberdashery, get your kids to lay them out in a design of their choice and once happy with the look of your future blanky, begin stitching! There are loads of online tutorials on how to successfully create a quilt; you can even add some bling by included beads and sequins on the embellishment. This can also be used for cushion covers!
Make a Festive Teddy
Bears or other stuffed animals are a really cute idea and make great presents if you fancy making your own gifts this year from scratch! Get the little ones to sketch up some ideas or choose their favourite animal, find a pattern and get some wadding, then animate your patchwork squares into a little patchwork toy! The children can also help pick out the clothes your new friend will wear or the colour and size of their features – for example, black buttons for eyes and a red bow around their neck.
Make Christmas Decorations
Bunting, stuffed patchwork baubles (these looks great on a vintage style white tree), patchwork wreaths, table runners, place mats, coasters and centrepieces… they’re all formed with simple square cut outs, or fold them in half to create triangular shapes.
Make a textile Christmas Calendar
This is a great one that the kids will definitely benefit from. When I was young, my mother stitched a large hanging Christmas tree out of some scrap fabric we had lying around, and added 25 pouches onto the front that formed little pockets where she could slip in treats! Sometimes there would be a boiled sweet each for me and my brother, other times there would be a slip of paper that had a present number written on it. If we got one that said ‘Present Number 2’ we got to dive into a large sack of numbered presents and find the matching number which we could open and enjoy! We began this tradition at the beginning of advent every year and chose a pouch corresponding to the date. It was the most exciting build up to Christmas and best of all, the pouches that she made were done by folding patchwork squares – meaning you can easily make one too.