Why not have your kids learn a new skill while making a gorgeous homemade gift. This would make a great Mother’s Day gift or even a fun birthday gift too. We came up with this Canvas Cross Stitch Heart. The cross stitch instantly becomes a work of art on canvas for mom to display.
Recently when I was working on this canvas cross stitch heart with Ella and Annie, their friends became so interested in what I was doing while watching them play at the park. One of Ella’s friends came over and insisted she try stitching! Cross stitch is a great activity to teach kids patience, art and a skill all in one. This is a great activity for kids 7 years and older.
Cut the graph paper into a 4×4″ square; the same size as the canvas. You can use larger canvases, but may need increase how many squares per inch. The amount of squares in the inch determines how large your cross stitches will be. If you want them to be larger than you’ll want less squares per inch and more squares for a smaller cross stitch. We left two squares at the top and bottom for spacing and one square at the bottom. Follow the pattern I have in the image.
Once you have created the pattern, use washi tape and tape it to the canvas. With the piercing tool, poke small needle sized holes in the canvas to copy your heart pattern onto the canvas.
Remove the paper and you should have the heart pattern on the canvas. Start to stitch! We chose hot pink, light pink and mint for the colors. Thread the needles and stitch and X in each square you have created on your canvas.
Repeat step four with each color you decide to use. Trim any threads on the back of the canvas.
Didn’t the heart stitch canvas turn out cute? There are thousands of patterns online. Create your own with graph paper or download one from online. Use the same steps to transfer the pattern to your canvas. Easy peasy! Love this Mother’s Day craft? Check out our modern flower bouquet, homemade cards for toddlers, and fingerprint flower pots!