Hellobee

Is your child an artist? Even if they don’t become famous or make art a part of their profession some day, it’s so important to encourage creativity in young children. One way to do that is to let them know that you value the art they are making by placing it in a DIY felt frame.

Not all kid art is what you want to have on display for an extended amount of time and children can be quite prolific artists. Which is why these things are often placed on the refrigerator or sent as a quick photo to grandma. But having a special frame (or perhaps several frames) puts their art in a place of honor.

Plus, they can choose the colors or help with making and decorating the frame!

You will need:

Two 9×12 sheets of felt (or equivalent amount)
Embroidery floss or perle cotton thread
Ribbon
Two buttons
5x7in index cards or card stock
Scissors
Pins
Needle

Felt Art Frame Template

Print and cut out the frame template. Pin the template to the felt and cut out one piece with the center still in place and one piece with the center cut out.

Stitch along the top edge of the frame opening with running stitch. Use the dashed lines on the template as a guide for how far your stitching should be from the center opening.

This line of running stitch is purely decorative. It will make it so the stitching goes all around the frame, while leaving the top open for inserting artwork. Leave the thread from the top line of stitching attached.

Place the front and back of the frame pieces together, pinning the sides and bottom. Continue the running stitch around the frame, this time going through both layers.

It’s very important that the stitching doesn’t get too close to the frame opening, otherwise it will be difficult to slide pre-measured artwork into the frame. Do your best to keep your lines the same distance as on the template.

When you reach the end, tie a doubled knot on the back or between the layers of felt so it is hidden. Remove the pins.

Cut a 12-inch piece of ribbon and fold it so the ends meet the corners at the top of the frame. Place the ends between the layers of felt.

With the ribbon held in place, sew a button at each corner, going through all the layers and fully catching the ribbon.

I used simple buttons here, but swapping them for decorative buttons is a fun way to make your frame a little fancier or to infuse some of your child’s personality into the frame.

Your frame is finished, but it will have a bit more structure if you slide in one or two 5x7in index cards or cardstock trimmed to size for a backing of sorts. If your stitching ended up a little tight, you will need to trim the sides of the cards just a bit.

Then you can slide your child’s art into the frame over the backing cards. It’s ready to display for all to see!

Keep a pack of these oversized index cards on hand so that your child can make new art for the frame whenever they way. If you can’t find pre-cut cards, use regular paper or cardstock trimmed to 5x7in.

Some artwork that is on larger paper can be cut down to fit within this frame too. Or, slide a 5x7in photo into the frame so your child can have it hanging in his or her room.

In addition to changing out the buttons, you can let your child help decorate the frame. Acrylic paint works well on felt, although it isn’t washable. They could also glue felt bits or sequins to the front.

They’ll love making this frame their own, but they’ll also love having a special place just for displaying their art. And they can change it out as often as they want!

Happy Crafting!