This is the 4th day of the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop, and today I’m one of the stops along the way!
Be sure to check out the other blogs for today; I have them listed with links for you at the end of this post. Remember that commenting on all of the blogs today makes you eligible for giveaway, too!
Kids and Christmas
When my kids were little, I recall having a mad scramble around Christmas for gifts for teachers, friends, grandpa and grandma — you know what I mean, right? I was always looking for something fun for them to make that didn’t add further stress and cost to the works!
Today I want to revisit an old craft with you for an easy kids sewing project that is relatively easy to do and can be used in a variety of ways. Using some scrap material and a few art supplies, this easy project goes together pretty quickly. So let’s get started.
Gather Your Tools
You’ll need the following items:
- Light table or sunny window
- Tape (opt)
- Simple drawing or design with bold lines for tracing (or you can freehand the design)
- Pencil for tracing
- Freezer paper (optional)
- Crayola® brand crayons (other brands don’t saturate well)
- Crayon sharpener
- Two sheets of paper towel OR a sheet of clean paper
- Iron
- Small piece of light background fabric (I used a 5.5″ square)
Kids’ Fun for Kids of All Ages
We’re going to be tracing a design on fabric, coloring in that design, and then setting the color with the iron. (Remember doing that as a kid?) Kids should be able to do all of this with a little guidance, depending on their ages.
You can use plain white fabric or a low volume fabric. I experimented a bit and found that low volume fabric adds a bit of fun to the background, yet the crayons cover it quite well.
If you are going to be tracing a design onto the fabric, this is where you use the light table or sunny window. Choose a design that is simple and easy to trace. I used letters, but you could find a fun pattern from free online clip art or a small coloring book (you might have to reduce the image), etc. Place the design under the fabric and center it. Trace lightly around the design. Don’t worry if the lines get dark, it can be covered up in later steps. Besides, those little imperfections will bring a smile in years to come!
Tip: If you are going to freehand the design, or have the kids draw rather than trace a design on the fabric, consider stabilizing the fabric with freezer paper to keep the fabric from stretching and frustrating those little fingers as they try to draw. Taking a scrap piece of freezer paper and lay it shiny side up on your ironing table. Iron the shiny side of the freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric. The freezer paper will adhere to the fabric and is easily removable once the project is done. Leave the freezer paper on for the next step.
Okay, now to the fun stuff. Have the kids color in the design with the crayons. Let them be creative and use whatever colors they wish. Encourage them to color with bold strokes; darker coloring shows up better. This is also where that sharpener comes in handy.
Once the coloring is done, remove the freezer paper (if you’ve used it) by simply grabbing a corner of the paper and pulling it away from the fabric.
Place the fabric between two sheets of paper towel (or paper) and iron to set the crayon. Just run the hot iron over the paper towel or paper a few times, holding it briefly over the design.
Working Together
Now that the coloring is done and set, it’s time to jazz it up a bit. This is where you can have all kinds of fun and let your imagination go. Kids can also do this with guidance, depending on their age, but you may have to do more oversight on the following steps. I’ve kept my designs pretty simple, but you can feel free to use your imagination and give your block some personality!
You can embroider around the design, as simple or elaborate as you like. This can be done by a child if they are comfortable with using needle and thread. You can stabilize the block before stitching with a bit of fusible interfacing if you wish.
Or you can just outline the design with a permanent ink pen designed for fabric (I use a Micron pen). Be sure to set the ink with a quick press of the iron.
For the mug mat above, I used a 5.5″ square of Moda Grunge for the background. I simply drew a freehand snowman on my block, so you can see how easily and quickly this project can be done. This is helpful for those little ones who just want to quickly draw something and be off on another adventure! I didn’t embellish the snowman much, other than adding some outlining and three tiny buttons on his tummy.
To finish the mug mat top, I used two 1.5″ x 10″ strips of fabric, one light, one dark, and sewed them together on one long side, pressing the seam to the dark fabric. Your strip should measure 2.5″ wide. Then I cut the strip into five 1.5″ pieces and sewed them back together, alternating the red and white squares to form a checkerboard. Sew it to the right side of the snowman block. Spray baste the top, add batting and backing and a little quilting. Bind it, and done!
Here are a few samples of some fun things I did with this crayon art. Let your imagination flow.
A mini quilt with a touch of improv. I just cut around the letter in a wonky shape and added scraps of fabric by following the shape.
A fun little mini garland to hang in a little nook or cranny.
Here’s some other ideas:
- Rather than mini garland, add a magnet to the back of each letter for use on the magnetic board.
- Add a colored block to a zipper pouch for a personalized gift.
- Make ornaments — you could even date them using the fabric pen (don’t forget to set the writing with a press of the iron!)
- Using a fusible like Steam-A-Seam, fuse the small block to a lunch-size brown paper bag for a cute gift bag.
See? All kinds of ideas! Have fun with this project! I’d love to see a picture of what you and your kids create!
Don’t forget that in order to qualify for the giveaway, you need to leave a comment on my blog as well as the others scheduled for today.
Here are the other blogs to visit today.
- Confessions of a Fabric Addict
- Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
- Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life — You’re here!
- Crayon Box Quilt Studio
Ok, friends, leave a comment and then hop on over to the other blogs!
Wendy
I did something similar to this as a child using a special set of crayons. I loved doing it, but never got to do it again since I didn’t have the special crayons. I never knew regular crayons would work! I’ll have to try this out with my kiddos. Thanks for taking the time to participate in the blog hop!
Great ideas for gift giving and for the younger kids to make. It’s always fun to see what others come up with for quilting projects. Thanks for sharing!
I love this idea, fun for young and old. I will have to experiment a little and see what I can do! Thanks for being part of the 12 Days Of Christmas in July Blog Hop 🙂
Wendy, this is so innovative, a wonderful way to have a design on fabric, then in colour. Great way with all the explanation, a lot of fun. And from kids to us who are quite a lot older, this would be a great project to do.
Great idea!! That looks like fun. I’ll have to go look for my box of crayons now. Remember wanting that 64 box of crayons when you were young? The big box with the pencil sharpener on the back. I never did get one that size but I did get a box of 48 and thought I was in heaven.
kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com
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Great ideas!
Thanks for the tutorial and all the great suggestions for making this simple project unique!
I’ve never seen that technique done before Wendy, and it has so much potential, I’m thinking of all the stuff I could make with my granddaughter. Thank you for sharing, great post!
Simple but sweet…great ideas. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
Such a cute project! Thanks for including the kids in this holiday make!
I love your ideas, particularly the mini garland. I know exactly where I’d like to hang it.
Great ideas-A child’s Christmas coloring book is a great place to find simple drawings to trace too! Love the cute mug rugs! Thank you for sharing, Susan
Wendy, what fun projects! The snowman and garland are adorable. Great way to involve the little ones.
I love your projects – something new for me to try. Thanks for sharing.
Wendy, these are great projects and I like getting the kids involved. Thanks for sharing.
What a pretty garland! I have never seen this technique used before and am looking forward to trying it out myself.
I love your ideas–thank you!!
Fun projects.
The snowman mug rug was very cute!
Thank you for sharing your ideas! I love the mug rug and they would be great gifts for my coworkers.
Love that even children can do this. Really great instructions and inspiration!
fun ideas thank you for sharing them
Thanks for sharing your great project. It hard sometimes finding fun, creative gift-making things for the children to do. Thanks
Thanks for the suggestions. I love the letters and words and think I may use it for names.
Love that kids can enjoy a fun activity!!! Thanks for sharing!
cute ideas for xmas. I especially like the JOY banner.
Clever idea! This will be fun to try.
Thank you for the ideas! My little granddaughter loves making gifts for the people in her life.
Great idea Wendy. Thanks for the reminder of a long forgotten fun technique. I remember this from grammar school.
This crafty idea is new to me. I like the mini garland idea. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice, Thank you for sharing
What a cute idea! Thank you for sharing with the hop!
Wendy, that is a great project for kids. I am sure Brevon would love to make one!!! I am thinking perhaps placemat size and then maybe they would actually sit at the table to eat, LOL
I have not tried this technique. Thanks for the idea
Hi Wendy,
This project looks just great for kids. I am starting to collect these ideas as we are expecting a great-niece or nephew later this summer. Thanks for sharing with us. ~smile~ Roseanne
I love this idea. It is a great way to include the littles in making a quilt or a fabric piece.
I love mug rug ideas. I use them for decorating, so I’m always up for new ideas.
Such fun ideas. Thank you for sharing and for participating on this blog hop.
Love mini quilts, personalizing them is a great idea……brain is spinning with ideas – thanks!
This is a really fun idea for all ages! Love the projects you made — great inspiration! Thanks for sharing!
Cute project. Wish I had little ones to share it with.
Thats a cute idea
Thanks for sharing your project. Looks like fun for all ages.
What a fun idea…whether you have little people around or not! Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow! Great project!
This is a new idea for me…will have to try it!
Great idea! Thanks! Cotten.gloria@gmail.com
I’ve had my grands do something similar with my Pentex fabric pencils – they can operate my mini machine pretty good and do most of their sewing themselves. Thank you for sharing.
Had not thought of doing it this way! Thanks.
i do this sometimes on my quilt labels. it is still fun to see the difference the heat makes in the colors and gets rid of the lines the crayon leaves when you color.
what great ideas. I love the snowman mug rug. thanks for sharing
Such cute minis! I need a new mug rug 🙂
Love the minis
This is a fun project, Wendy!
Great tutorial – looks like a lot of fun. Have to remember to do this for some fun/quick/easy things for our boutique!
I love those letters! Great ideas.
These are some really good ideas. The snowman mug rug is adorable!
Fun ideas for kids. Small projects can be just as satisfying as complex ones. Thanks for participating in the blog hop.
I have done a couple things with crayons, but not for a long time. Had forgotten about it until now. Gives me an idea for a baby gift needed in a few months. Thank you!
Such cute ideas!! Thanks!
I’ve never used crayons in my quilting, but I love your Joy banner. I think I’m gonna try something similar. Thanks for the ideas!!!,
Thank you for the tutorial. The initial mini quilt would be cute for my guild friends.
I like your garland. Maybe I could make one for my home to display during the holidays.
Great craft ideas! Can’t wait until I have some grand children to try them out on.
Mug rugs do make nice gifts. Yours is pretty.
Thanks for the great ideas!
I like that this craft is kid-friendly and inexpensive. And it can be done by most young children. Thank you.
Great ideas, I’m gathering projects for my granddaughters when they visit, they will love our craft time!
Your miniquilts and garland are very cute. Great ideas for those that are hard to buy for.
Brings back memories! I haven’t thought of that in years. I’ll have to try a mug rug!
Love these little projects. Makes me want to start right now.
I have seen a few quilts made with this process but didn’t know how they were done! Thank you! Such cute ideas!
Nice idea! Wish I had some grandchildren to do this with.
Oh, Wendy!… What a great idea!
I’m going to play with this!
(Love your little snowman, mini quilt, and banner!)
*Thank you!*
Pat T.
Wonderful idea! I will have to try it with my grandkids as I’m sure they would enjoy doing it. Thanks for sharing.
All of this makes me smile!
What great ideas you have. Love the hand drawn mug rug.
So sweet and I always appreciate when you stop by and comment on my blog.
tvonzalez at gmail dot com
Your minis are just adorable. I want to make a bunch for different holidays. A garland would look great across my mantle.
Too much fun!
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Great ideas! I know I’ll be using a few of these with my grandchildren. Thanks!
I’VE NEVER COLORED ON FABRIC BEFORE SO NOW I WILL HAVE TO TRY. THANKS! READINGTIRZAH AT YAHOO.COM
Cute projects
I just got a light box given to me, now I have something to do with it. Thanks for the extra ideas as well.
What a fun idea to do with kids both “big” and small. Thanks for sharing.
At the local quilt show this summer, I saw a quilt that was from one piece of white fabric, and the designs were all drawn on. It was gorgeous! I will be trying a smail project to try this out (like a mug rug–yours is adorable!).
Thank you for putting this post together for the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop!!
Wonderful project for kids, thank you.
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION!
Great idea!
What a cute idea. Thank you for the easy to follow tutorial.
I love the project with the snowman. Maybe I’ll get my niece and nephews to draw some pictures, so I can make gifts for their parents and grandparents. Thanks for the idea!
Some great ideas for adults as well as kids.
Too cute!! Another way to use up the never ending scraps. Love it.
Fun little project to do with kiddos. I’ll add it to the list of things to make with my niece. Thanks!
Really cute ideas! Love how quick the projects are.
I love to make mug rugs. We included the mug, with an exchange for our guild.
I love that I can make these projects with my little ones. I think the letter magnets will be a hit! Thanks!
I’m going to have fun with this project. Enjoying the Bloghop.
Hi Wendy, I love your idea and now I’m kicking myself because I almost bought a light box on Amazon Prime Day, wish I had now….but that’s not going to stop me from making your project. I love your “W” mini, mini quilt.
I love the garland idea and can’t go wrong with mug rugs.
Thanks for the Christmas ideas. I have two grandsons that might be interested.
Swoot@att.net
Been making ornaments for my family members every year for over 35 years, this is a great idea to add to my list! Thank You!
lstangl482 at aol dot com
Another great idea for my grandkids to make. Thanks.
What a clever idea. Love the garland
That almost makes me wish I had grandchildren to play with these ideas. Your snowman mug mat is really cute.
Great ideas! I always enjoyed making crafts with my son when he was young. We especially liked shrink art for Christmas ornaments.
Great idea for the little ones to color On fabric and then turn it into some special gift. It will be fun to see how they change each year.
What a great idea, will have to try this out with my granddaughter, she is only 2 right now!
Great project! Love the children’s art.
Great gifty ideas, love the mug rug!
Love your snowman mug mat. So cute!
Great idea–I’ve never done this before! Wish my kids were still young–we always made gifts for the grandparents, and this is a fun one.
My grandson and his mom will love giving this a try…love blog hops so many cool ideas… happyness04431@yahoo.com
What a fun idea. May have to do this with my grandchildren. Thank you for a fun tutorial.
Great idea. Takes me back to when I had little ones. Thanks for sharing.
I like the “JOY” hanging letters! Cute idea that doesn’t seem like it would take too long!
i have heard of this before , but keep forgetting about it thanks making a note now
I am enjoying seeing all the creative ideas. Thanks for yours.
What a wonderful idea, and such a fun thing to do with the kids! I can think of so many ways to put these to good use! Thanks for all you put into making the hop a success!
I love the little banner, what a great idea!
What great ideas you have. Can’t wait to start on them.
This is a very cool craft…for every age! The mini quilts are adorable and making a banner out of them is such a great idea! You are so creative.
What a great idea, which I’m going to put to use with my Hello Kitty coloring books to make some blocks for my HK themed quilt–thanks for the inspiration!
I love the INITIALS! Maybe I will merge snowman and initial into a mugrug? Thanks for the inspiration!
Unfortunately my kids are grown but….fortunately I have many grandchildren so this will be a lot of fun for years to come. Thank you!
Jeri Oldtisme@aol.com
Wendy, Thanks for the idea. I’m tabling it for later. My granddaughter just turned 4 and we know she has some delays. She cannot hold a crayon to do much yet. She wants to hold it at the top instead of near the point and that just doesn’t work. We are hoping to have her evaluated soon and she’ll be going to Pre-K-4 starting in August. She loves to do things, so as soon as she physically and won’t be frustrated, this will be a winner for her. Thanks.
Fun coloring projecr
I like the garland, very nice.
oh yeah! I forgot i could do that with crayons… good idea for the kids. ta
Love the fabric coloring idea!
I love this idea! Thanks for the tips!
Cute way to personalize without applique! Thanks for the inspiration!!
What a fun project ! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Very nice decorations! I haven’t tried crayon before, so thanks for tips on using them. I’m also impressed that you readily had Christmas props in your pictures – certainly helped set the mood!
great blog hop
Fantastic ideas, Wendy, I’ll definitely be using some of these ideas with my kids this Christmas! Your snowman mug rug is super cute! Thanks for sharing!
This is a fantastic way to get kids involved in making hand made gifts and Christmas decorating. Thanks!
I love that you have planned projects for children. These are such good ideas. Thank you
An excuse to get out my colouring pens. Thanks.
Interesting ideas for kiddos! Thank you.
What a nifty idea. I can see my grands doing this now!
Cute idea.
Great idea and another good one to do with kids! Love the variety of examples you’ve shown.
Wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing.
I love playing with colors and fabrics. I have colored a couple projects, that I just love.
Thanks for the great ideas.
Sweet idea! Definitely going to try this. Thanks!
Lovely projects. Thank you for sharing them.
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A very cute idea! Thank you.
Oh wow! Never knew you could do this!
beautiful!
What cute ideas! Love the snowman mug rug and love the ones on your header!
Thanks for all these great ideas.
I love the idea of making the letters into magnets, how fun is that!
Great ideas! Love the mug rug.
Perfect project for a festive season ahead. Thanks for sharing!
Cute idea. Thanks for the tutorial!
Thanks for the cute ideas!
I always loved getting my new box of crayons in the fall for the new school year–I always likes reading the names of the more unusual ones. Thanks for your ideas.
barbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)
These are all cute projects, quick and a great use of scraps also.
What a cute idea! I love the Joy garland (thanks for the tutorial for that, too!) and the little snowman mug rug is adorable 🙂
I have a cousin called Joy. I love the idea of making her a banner
Great idea! I see you put up a detailed tutorial and I will have a look at it. I love the snowman mug rug though.
Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE the mini garland- so many possibilities!!
A cute and simple idea that would be perfect to do in a pinch. Thank you for sharing!
Cute ideas–thanks for sharing!
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