Summer Boost
Activity:
Felt Barrettes
A few circles of felt and a scattering of beads quickly become flowers that your child can use to decorate a barrette. She doesn’t need a pattern and the circles don’t have to line up perfectly, but she will improve her sewing skills and make an accessory she can wear with pride.
Click to find similar content by grade or subject.
What You Need:
- Felt in various colors
- Scissors
- Small beads and/or buttons
- Needle and thread
- Barrette blank
What You Do:
- Have your daughter cut circles out of the felt. They don’t have to be perfect and they don’t have to be the same size. She will need three circles (small, medium and large) per flower. If she wants three flowers on the barrette, have her cut out 9 circles.
- Stack the circles in groups of three. Be sure to put larger circles on the bottom and smaller circles on top. Stack and restack to make the best color combinations.
- Help your daughter thread the needle and then knot the thread. Have her stitch a small X into the center of one stack of circles. Do not knot or cut off the thread. Next, have her sew a few beads or a button to cover this X. Knot and cut off thread.
- Repeat Step 3 with the remaining stacks to create additional flowers.
- Arrange the flowers in a row. Try several arrangements. When you have one that you like, sew or glue them onto the barrette blank.
Additional flowers can be added to an elastic wrist band to make a bracelet for a complete fashion make-over, all of it designed by the wearer! This is also a fun activity for a sleep over or a birthday party.
