Autumn Leaf Sewing Craft for Kids

A few fallen leaves, some cardboard and a little wool are all you need to get this autumn sewing activity started.

Children can trace the shapes they find outside, colour them in and add their own stitched patterns. They can follow the edge of a leaf, sew across the middle or let the wool wander. There is no perfect pattern to copy.

You will need

• Fallen leaves to draw around

• Recycled cardboard

• A pencil and colouring pencils

• Wool

• A blunt needle with an eye large enough for the wool

• Scissors

• A tool for an adult to make the sewing holes

How to make your autumn sewing leaves

1. Find your leaf shapes

Collect a few fallen leaves and look closely at their outlines. Place a leaf on your cardboard and draw around it. Try a few different shapes if you like.

2. Cut out your leaves

Cut around the outlines, with an adult helping younger children or cutting through thicker cardboard.

3. Add some colour

Use colouring pencils to decorate your cardboard leaves. You could choose the autumn colours you have spotted outside or make a completely different colour combination. Add lines, patches or patterns.

4. Make the sewing holes

An adult should make the holes before the sewing begins, with the cardboard resting on a suitable protective surface. Space the holes around the edge or across the leaf, leaving enough cardboard between each hole and the edge so it does not tear.

5. Start stitching

Thread a manageable length of wool through your needle and secure the end at the back. Sew in and out of the holes, going around the edge or crossing from one side to the other. Help children pull the wool through gently, then secure the end when they have finished.

Let children experiment. Their stitches might make lines, zigzags or an abstract pattern, and each leaf will look different.

A little bit of autumn learning

This is a simple way to introduce sewing and textiles while looking at seasonal shapes and colours. Threading and stitching give children practice using both hands together, concentrating and controlling small movements.

You can talk about the leaves you found, compare their outlines and notice how the wool changes the surface of the cardboard. Work at your child’s pace and help with threading when needed.

Happy creating

Keep your finished leaves together as a little autumn collection. I would love to see the colours and stitched patterns you choose! Share your creations with me on Instagram @kerrys_creative_corner.

Love, Kerry xxx