Starting school, or rather sending our children off to school for the first time, can be a daunting experience. But what if we could invoke the intercession of a Saint to keep our little students safe and well?
Well, obviously we can, and here’s a simple craft activity that will keep them at the forefront of our children’s thoughts.
There are a number of Saints listed as patrons of students and we’ve used three here: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Benedict and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
What you’ll need:
- Felt – in assorted colours depending on which pattern you choose
- Needle and thread
- Ribbon. I used a 10cm length of grosgrain ribbon.
- Key ring loop.
- Pattern/s (at the bottom of this tutorial)
What to do:
Print out pattern below.
Cut out pattern pieces and pin to desired felt colours. You will need to cut one piece for each pattern piece except the bag tag itself for which you will need 2 pieces.
Using one bag tag piece, pin on larger pattern pieces like the halo, face and body first.
Hand sew them in place.
Pin any smaller detailed pieces and sew in place.
Using embroidery thread sew on a basic face,
cheeks,
and the name of the Saint.
Set aside.
Fold your ribbon in half and place key ring loop inside folded end. Sew in place.
Pin ribbon to underside of bag tag. Sew in place, careful not to let your stitches show on the other side.
Cover underside with the remaining bag tag pattern piece and sew around edges.
Now all you need to do is slide your DIY Saint Bag Tag onto a zipper on your child’s bag and you’re all set for school!
Originally posted 2016-02-23 02:58:52.