If you are thinking of making needlepoint for children, whether it be to decorate a room, be a Christmas stocking, or be a series of Christmas ornaments, it’s always nice to make them around a theme.
I have a son and two daughters and finding good pieces I could make for my son has always been an interesting challenge.
So today I thought I would point you in the direction of some popular themes for boys and needlepoint designers who have pieces to match. It’s in no way a comprehensive list, but it’s a starting point. Most of the pieces are small, and will work great as Christmas ornaments. I’ve stitched and ornament per child every year and it’s so good to have a theme for them. But even if you just pick things you think they will like they will love them even as adults for the memories and because you made them.
Dinosaurs: Almost any kid likes dinosaurs (and I don’t mean Barney here), so finding good but not too scary dinosaur pieces can be a great needlepoint theme. Cat’s Cradle has several great dinosaur canvases (scroll down a bit to see).
Transportation: Cars, trains, planes, trucks — there’s plenty out here and lots of fun to stitch. One of my favorite series is Sandy Grossman-Morris’ Transportation Station, just perfect for a train-crazy kid. MaggieCo also has some great transportation pieces, in design from Simon Hart and Jane Trasier.
Pirates: Pirates are one of those themes that keeps on giving. Kids delight in them, but if my recent visit to a Pirate Festival is any indication, adults love them even more. I’m make Kathy Schenkel’s Pirates of the Caribbean figures as ornaments for my son (who is all grown up), but there are others as well. I found many pirate canvases including a Ghost Pirate from Shelly, a pirate belt from Voila, and Patt and Lee’s great pirate cat.
Sports: Many kids are crazy about a particular sport and many others play sports. One year I made a baseball player ornament for my husband (a baseball fan) and a hockey player for my son, who was playing street hockey at the time.
There are many sports angels (with and without charms) from Painted Pony, sports nutcrackers and mini socks from Kathy Schenkel, and Needlepoint Broad‘s wonderful baseball stadiums.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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