Denim Rose

What You Need:

• Old denim
• Sewing scissors
• Needle
• Thread

What You Do:

1. Have your child use scissors to cut a rough circle out of the old denim. The bigger the circle, the bigger the finished rose. Don’t worry if the circle isn’t perfect. A little variation will actually make for a more interesting rose.
2. Now help her cut the denim circle into a spiral. This can be a little tricky, so you may have to start the process for her. Begin along the edge of the circle and make sure the spiral loops get wider and wider until you reach the center. 
3. Let your child thread the needle and knot the thread so that it's ready to use.
4. The rose is made by rolling up the spiral. Have your child start with the narrowest end of the strip (this should also be the outer end of the spiral, not the center).
5. As she rolls the denim towards the center, help her stop and use her needle and thread to make a stitch or two through the roll. This will keep the rose secure.
6. Tell her not to roll the fabric too tight—loose swirls better resemble a rose in full bloom. Just make sure she keeps periodically stitching the roll together.
7. When she reaches the end of the fabric, encourage her to use her needle and thread to make several more stitches.
8. Help her knot off and cut the thread. Her recycled denim is ready to be displayed!

Now that she knows how to make a denim rose, she can experiment with circles of different sizes. She can cut spirals with more or fewer turns. When she has a variety of roses, she can use them to adorn a purse, a jacket or even a hat.