Help your preschooler make colorful metal cloth embroidery art using using only a metal screen, a few lengths of yarn, and other decorations. Your child will practice color recognition and develop her fine motor skills while she weaves the yarn in and out to create her design. At the end she'll have a colorful piece of art to hang on her wall!
Metal hardware cloth is a steel wire screen that is often used for the tops of hamster cages. It comes in various gauges; for this project, look for hardware cloth with a 1/4" mesh. If you can't find hardware cloth, you can also use soffit screen, which is similar to hardware cloth but more pliable.
What You Need:
- 6" x 6" (15 cm x 15 cm) piece of hardware cloth with 1/4" mesh (available at hardware stores)
- Yarn, string, or embroidery floss in a variety of colors
- Plastic yarn needle with a blunt tip
- Masking tape
- Beads, feathers, confetti, ribbon, or lace (optional)
What You Do:
- Tape the sharp edges of the hardware cloth with masking tape to prevent hurt fingers.
- Thread the yarn needle with yarn, string, or floss. Help your child embroider the hardware cloth by pushing the needle in and out of the holes. A needle is not necessary if the end of the yarn is taped with masking tape to resemble a needle.
- Help your child create any patterns or designs she wishes. Since your child may have difficulty working with long lengths of yarn, try using shorter pieces of yarn cut to arm's length. Help your child change yarn or re-thread needles when necessary.
- When your child is finished with her design, tie or tape the yarn to the back of the hardware cloth. Now your child has a colorful and bright piece of art to hang on her wall or to give as a gift to friends and family!
For textural interest, try threading beads onto the yarn while stitching or attaching feathers, bits of paper, or confetti to the finished design. You can also vary the yarn with lengths of ribbon or lace for a truly unique work of art.
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