things to do with embroidery...part four...

So, that fabric I cut for Sunday School? It was a hit! Our curriculum suggested making bandannas (our theme is camp), decorating them with paints (a bit messy) or fabric markers (too expensive for the number we would've needed). But then crayon tinting came to mind. Perfect! Here's what we did.

We started with lightweight muslin cut into 15" squares. Then I cut the squares diagonally. You could leave them full, but we were aiming to save money, and this way used less fabric.

I printed out copies of my Happy Campers embroidery pattern for the kids to trace in crayon. Some of them did, others made their own designs. Some even filled the whole piece of fabric. Then we ironed the designs between two sheets of paper.

Having hot irons out by the kids made me a little nervous, but they did good. It was only my brother who decided to see if it was actually hot. Lovely. Thankfully, he didn't get burned. Oh, and my dad made these great little portable ironing boards. I'll have to take a picture, because I know you'll all want to make one!

Back to the project. At this point the kids were done and ready to wear their bandanna. But for you and me...we continue.


Around my crayon tinting, I embroidered in backstitch. This is quick stitching, and no extra details because I was in a hurry. But you could add more. I even thought about stitching some words, like "please?" underneath or "I want" above the s'more.

The picture above shows it loosely folded because this is how I got mine ready to wear.

Here it is all tied. Much cooler than around the neck, don't you think? This is how I wore mine all day, and it's how the kids liked wearing theirs too. The boys and girls, Kindergarten-5th grade all loved it, so it would be fun for Sunday School, camp, scouts, or any time. (By the way, although my patterns and such are for "personal use" they can be used for groups like the list I've given...I'm all for sharing crafts with kids!)

I like mine so much that I'm going to be making more to just wear as an accessory. Definitely. Easy and cute! Love that!