printable // weather lacing cards

Weather Lacing Cards


Has the weather been as crazy where you live as it has been around here? Every time I think that spring is at last showing up, suddenly it feels like we should expect snow. I'd really just like some sunshine and the opportunity to do some backyard stitching.

At least with these lacing cards you can stitch some sunshine. Or more accurately, your children can stitch some sunshine...and lots of other weather too!

I made these for my sister's classroom, where they are doing a monthlong study of weather. It's lovely to have a sister who allows me to make cute little projects for her and her students. And I get to share the fun with you!

Weather Lacing Cards


To make a set of weather cards for your house (or classroom!), print the weather characters onto card stock, then trim on the dotted line.

Weather Lacing Cards

So that they hold up after more than one time of lacing them, I laminated the cards and trimmed them so the edges are sealed. ooooooh...shiny!

Weather Lacing Cards

You'll notice that many of the designs have holes toward the center of the card. To punch all of the holes, I used my Crop-a-Dile Big Bite. I swear, one of these days I expect the We R Memory Keepers folks to contact me about sponsorship. They don't pay me to say this, so know that I 100% mean this: Buy a Crop-a-Dile Big Bite. I use mine all the time, and can't imagine not having this tool.

Back to the hole punching. If you don't have a way to punch holes in the centers, instead of using these as lacing cards, you can make them into sewing cards. Just pre-poke the holes with a thick needle.

Weather Lacing Cards

Doesn't this happy rainbow make you smile?

Weather Lacing Cards

So let's get lacing. To make lacing cords, tie a wooden bead to one end of a piece of yarn. I used white cotton yarn. The bead is especially helpful for young ones learning to lace and stitch.

Weather Lacing Cards

At the other end, use a small piece of packing tape to make it easy for the tip to thread through the holes in the cards. Roll the tape tightly so that it's a small tip.

Weather Lacing Cards

Make a bunch of these so your child can stitch without stopping each time. Each piece that I made is about 24 inches long, but you could make different lengths. In fact, you may want to do that, since each card has a different number of holes. Just don't make them too long, or they'll twist and tangle. Even with long pieces, some cards will require more than one string. And that's okay!

Weather Lacing Cards

Have your child start from the back and come through to the front. The bead will prevent the yarn from coming through...without knots! That was always my biggest frustration with lacing cards when I was a kid.

Weather Lacing Cards

When I work with young children (and sometimes older children too!), one of the hardest things for them to learn is the process of going back and forth through the fabric, and not getting the floss wrapped around the outside of the hoop. (Confession: I made this mistake not too long ago...oops!) These cards are a great way to practice that motion, which is why the holes follow the lines, instead of being close to the edge (which leads to that lacing and wrapping idea).

Weather Lacing Cards

Whether or not you're studying weather, I hope these happy cards bring lots of happy stitching...rain or shine!

StitchedEggOrnaments

While we're on the topic of stitching cards, I made some stitchable egg ornaments for Handmade Charlotte. Get the printable PDF and tutorial here! I also made some happy leaf lacing cards!

12 comments:

  1. These are awesome! My girls (and I) will love them! :) Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I read the blog often, but rarely comment. But today I have too. These are brilliant, just teh sort of thing I was after for my toddler (just ahve to make the punches a bit bigger). He will love it!

    Thank you Mollie.
    margarida

    ReplyDelete
  3. The sewing cards are not downloading for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yikes! The link should be working now. Please try again, and thank you for letting me know!

      Delete
  4. Cute! This is a great idea. I am going to have to print these out to play with.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are so amazing and really make me smile. :')

    ReplyDelete
  6. My daughter (age 8) and I just sewed the egg cards and added them to a twig tree. Thanks for sharing! It was fun. My daughter enjoyed it so much that then she sewed the fox tail card that you also made. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I loved these when I was little! My mom used to laminate the front of used coloring books and other such things to make them for us. Happy memories. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Mollie! I liked the cards so much that I've used them to teach my toddler how to stitch, it was great! I blogged about it here: http://www.eikumpel.com/blog/2014/4/22/enzo-learns-to-stitch-o-enzo-aprende-a-coser.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes, the little rainbow makes me happy - it's adoreable! My Pre=K kids will love them!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have had a Crop-a-Dile big bite for years because someone recommended it. Unfortunately, I never learned how to use it. Help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The biggest thing is to pay attention to the setting on the top. I've actually barely used the snap or eyelet setter, but the punch function is super easy. Just line up the switch for the size hole you want. Then I like to push the handle down without anything in there so I can see where it will punch so I can line up what I'm working on. That's it! Once you get the hang of it, it will make your life so much easier!

      Delete

I often reply to comments in the comments...check back if you have a question!