A couple of years ago my Mom made me one of the most meaningful ornaments for our Christmas tree. It was a felt cut-out of my daughters hand sewn onto a felt backing. At the tip of each finger was a random button and on one of the fingers there was a pretty "one-of-a-kind" button. My daughter was only 5 years old when it was made so it is always so nice to see her little hand each year when we decorate the tree.
About a month before Christmas I decided that I wanted to invite some of our neighbours children (and of course my daughter) over to our house to create the same ornament, however the girls would do all of the cutting and sewing themselves. Their ages ranged from 7 to 10 so I knew that this project would be possible!
My daughter has sewn a number of times using a thread and needle and she is also quite confident (sewing straight lines) using the sewing machine. One of the other girls had only sewn once before, so this concept was new to all of my daughter's friends. That made me happy. I was excited to know that I would be teaching them something new.
After they picked out their felt, I traced their hand and they set to work.
The ornaments were completed within a period of about five and a half hours, spread out over 3 evenings.
I am thrilled that the girls enjoyed this project so much. I am really proud of them. They all tried their best and it is evident. You can tell that children did the cutting and the sewing. Some lines are crooked and the stitching is uneven on many levels, but that is what makes it all the more special and beautiful. They were very excited to give this Christmas surprise to their parents. My daughter gave hers to my Mom on Christmas day.
