Take a break from the sewing machine with this fun project. Today, I am going to show you How To Sew Reading Bookmarks For Kids! This is a great project for the kids to take on themselves with little supervision. I love felt crafts. They are a nice way to add some variety to all the sewing I normally do. Sometimes it is nice to have a break and practice my hand sewing while I’m at it. Plus, felt crafts can usually be made for pennies compared to some larger sewing projects. All steps can be done by an older or advanced child. Younger children may need assistance throughout the project. My 4 and 6-year-olds needed help, but my 8 and 11-year-olds did not. This is a great project to do if you have some felt scrap lying around that you don’t know what to do with. I find that making their own bookmarks motivates my kids to use them, and anything that gets them reading more is a win in my book. I show you a couple of different ways to sew these bookmarks below depending on your child’s skill level. Pick the one that works best for them and have some fun!
You’ll only need a few basic supplies. Some felt, obviously. You’ll need some yarn and a yarn needle. If you have older kids that want to do this, you could use an embroidery needle and yarn. As always, I prefer to use a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler when cutting my fabric for projects, but you could use scissors if you want. Gather up your supplies from the list below and let’s get started!
What You’ll Need:
- Felt
- Yarn
- Optional: Embroidery thread and needle (for older kids – not safe for younger ones)
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- Optional: Rotary cutter, mat & ruler
How To Sew Reading Bookmarks For Kids
The first step in this how to sew reading bookmarks for kids sewing tutorial is to cut a rectangle of fabric in the size your child would like their bookmark to be (or they can cut it!). This can vary widely depending on their preferences – let them choose! Ours were mostly 2” x 5”-6”.
Cut a piece of yarn. The length will vary based on the size of the bookmark. A good rule of thumb is to lay the yarn around the bookmark’s perimeter twice. This will ensure you have plenty of yarn to sew with! Our length was about 25” – 30”. You don’t want to run out in the middle of sewing because it won’t look very nice to have to tie another knot on the back
Next on this easy sew reading bookmarks for kids tutorial, we will work on threading the needle with the yarn. My kiddos had trouble with this, so I helped a bit. It is helpful to moisten the thread a bit, then twist the strands of the yarn in the direction they are already woven into.
Once it is threaded, pull a “tail” of yarn down about 6” or so. Then tie a knot at the opposite end of the yarn. This is technically called an “overhand” knot.
Cross the tail end of the yarn back over itself to form a loop. Tuck the end of the yarn back into the loop. It should now look like a pretzel. Pull the end at the same time as the rest of the strand of yarn. Be sure you pull tight! Repeat to make another knot on top of the first one.
Now on this how to sew reading bookmarks for kids sewing tutorial, it’s time to get sewing! This step will be for regular-type stitching. For younger kiddos, it may be helpful to use a marking utensil to make dots for them to see where to put their needle.
Coming from the bottom or underside of the fabric, poke the needle up through a hole close to a corner of the bookmark. Pull the yarn through all the way until the knot hits the underside of the fabric.
Now on this reading bookmarks sewing tutorial, poke your needle DOWN through the fabric from the top. Pull tight – but be sure not to pull TOO tight, as this will cause the felt to buckle.
Continue to stitch in an “under, over” type fashion to work all the way around the rectangle, loosely pulling each stitch just tight enough to not buckle the felt.
When you reach the end, flip your felt over and gently pull the beginning knot up from the fabric a bit. Slightly twist the yarn to expose the separate threads.
Insert your needle in between the threads and begin to pull tight. Before the yarn pulls all the way through the knot, insert your needle into the small loop that you’ve created. This will tie another overhand knot. Pull the remaining strand of yarn simultaneously with the tail from the beginning knot to tighten the knot.
Repeat this process to create a second overhand knot and really secure your child’s stitches.
Next on this how to sew reading bookmarks for kids sewing tutorial, we will teach you how to do a whip stitch (or as my son likes to call it, a “cowboy” stitch!). Again, it may be helpful to mark dots for your child. Coming from the bottom or underside of the fabric, poke the needle up through the fabric along one side or end of the bookmark.
This time, instead of going down, we will be coming up from the bottom again.
Wrap the yarn around the outside of the fabric and poke the needle up through the fabric again, a stitch length away from the last hole (about 1 cm – or longer if you want a longer rope type design). Gently pull tight – don’t buckle the felt!
Next on this how to sew reading bookmarks for kids sewing tutorial, continue wrapping the yarn around the edge and poking the needle up from the bottom, then pulling tight.
Once you reach the end of your stitching, you’ll need to get your needle back to the backside of the fabric to tie it off. You’ll want to hide this, so gently raise your last stitch and poke your needle down through the fabric just underneath where the stitch will lay. Flip your felt over.
When you reach the end, flip your felt over and gently pull the beginning knot up from the fabric a bit. Slightly twist the yarn to expose the separate threads. Insert your needle in between the threads and begin to pull tight.
Before the yarn pulls all the way through the knot, insert your needle into the small loop that you’ve created. This will tie another overhand knot.
Pull the remaining strand of yarn simultaneously with the tail from the beginning knot to tighten the knot. Repeat this process to create a second overhand knot and really secure your child’s stitches.
If you wish to use embroidery thread, the look can be a little cleaner. However, I would not recommend having a younger child use this method unless you are confident in their abilities and supervise. They can be hurt by the sharper needle. Simply follow the steps for the earlier stitches but with embroidery floss and an embroidery needle instead.
Now you know how to sew reading bookmarks for kids! Repeat for as many bookmarks as your child needs or wants! This is a fun and easy sewing project perfect for the kids. You’ll bond as a family as you sew together. I love doing projects with my kids and this is a super easy one they can do themselves if they are older. Younger ones will need some supervision. If you need a fun craft idea, this is a wonderful one to do.
If you liked learning how to sew reading bookmarks for kids, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, make certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!
How To Sew Reading Bookmarks For Kids
These felt bookmarks are a great project for the kids under your supervision. You can make these for pennies and it's never a bad thing to have extra bookmarks.
Materials
Instructions
- Cut a rectangle of fabric in the size your child would like their bookmark to be (or they can cut it!). This can vary widely depending on their preferences – let them choose! Ours were mostly 2” x 5”-6”.
- Cut a piece of yarn. The length will vary based on the size of the bookmark. A good rule of thumb is to lay the yarn around the bookmark’s perimeter twice. This will ensure you have plenty of yarn to sew with! Our length was about 25” – 30”. You don’t want to run out in the middle of sewing because it won’t look very nice to have to tie another knot on the back.
- Next on this easy sew reading bookmarks for kids tutorial, we will work on threading the needle with the yarn. My kiddos had trouble with this, so I helped a bit. It is helpful to moisten the thread a bit, then twist the strands of the yarn in the direction they are already woven into.
- Once it is threaded, pull a “tail” of yarn down about 6” or so. Then tie a knot at the opposite end of the yarn. This is technically called an “overhand” knot.
- Cross the tail end of the yarn back over itself to form a loop. Tuck the end of the yarn back into the loop. It should now look like a pretzel. Pull the end at the same time as the rest of the strand of yarn. Be sure you pull tight! Repeat to make another knot on top of the first one.
- This step will be for regular-type stitching. For younger kiddos, it may be helpful to use a marking utensil to make dots for them to see where to put their needle.
- Coming from the bottom or underside of the fabric, poke the needle up through a hole close to a corner of the bookmark. Pull the yarn through all the way until the knot hits the underside of the fabric.
- Poke your needle DOWN through the fabric from the top. Pull tight – but be sure not to pull TOO tight, as this will cause the felt to buckle.
- Continue to stitch in an “under, over” type fashion to work all the way around the rectangle, loosely pulling each stitch just tight enough to not buckle the felt.
- When you reach the end, flip your felt over and gently pull the beginning knot up from the fabric a bit. Slightly twist the yarn to expose the separate threads.
- Insert your needle in between the threads and begin to pull tight. Before the yarn pulls all the way through the knot, insert your needle into the small loop that you’ve created. This will tie another overhand knot. Pull the remaining strand of yarn simultaneously with the tail from the beginning knot to tighten the knot.
- Repeat this process to create a second overhand knot and really secure your child’s stitches.
- Coming from the bottom or underside of the fabric, poke the needle up through the fabric along one side or end of the bookmark.
- This time, instead of going down, we will be coming up from the bottom again.
- Wrap the yarn around the outside of the fabric and poke the needle up through the fabric again, a stitch length away from the last hole (about 1 cm – or longer if you want a longer rope type design). Gently pull tight – don’t buckle the felt!
- Continue wrapping the yarn around the edge and poking the needle up from the bottom, then pulling tight
- Once you reach the end of your stitching, you’ll need to get your needle back to the backside of the fabric to tie it off. You’ll want to hide this, so gently raise your last stitch and poke your needle down through the fabric just underneath where the stitch will lay. Flip your felt over.
- When you reach the end, flip your felt over and gently pull the beginning knot up from the fabric a bit. Slightly twist the yarn to expose the separate threads. Insert your needle in between the threads and begin to pull tight.
- Before the yarn pulls all the way through the knot, insert your needle into the small loop that you’ve created. This will tie another overhand knot.
- Pull the remaining strand of yarn simultaneously with the tail from the beginning knot to tighten the knot. Repeat this process to create a second overhand knot and really secure your child’s stitches If you wish to use embroidery thread, the look can be a little cleaner.
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I’ve made bookmarks with old Christmas cards and card stock. To make them with Felt, I would also embellish them in some way.