I love me a good list. I make lists for just about everything: daily to-do, books I’m looking for, restaurants I want to try. Of course, there are a myriad of home related lists as well. As we roll into summer I make a summer supply list; the usual one consisting of sidewalk chalk, bubbles, goggles, and sunscreen always come to mind. In a house full of girls, we also traditionally get butterfly nets. Butterfly nets make me crazy! It seems like within 2 days they are already falling apart and my girls’ hearts are broken.
So this year, I set out to make my own butterfly nets, ones that would be sturdy and strong. I thought for sure there would be a bunch of online instructions for making them… WRONG-O. I found one blog that mentioned making them, but had no directions. So, I’m winging it with my below-beginner sewing skills. You’ve been warned.
It took me most of the day to sew the two nets-- but this is because I am working around a very mobile and wiggly toddler. Also, both Big Chick and Middle Little helped with the sewing. We made one of our nets with a really long netting, and one with a shorter netting. The girls helped sew the long net. We used a red thread, as this was their first sewing project, and I wanted it to be easy for them to see their stitches. They had a blast. It was great fine-motor-skill work for Middle Little . For Big Chick, it sparked a new hobby. She loved it and wants to start a sewing club for her friends. It could have been finished more quickly if I’d just done it myself, or even used my machine to sew parts of the netting. Yet, we would have missed the joy of watching the girls discover new talents and interests. We would have also missed a great opportunity to share some life skills with the kiddos. There is nothing quite like working together as a family to complete a project, and help teach your kids that with a little creativity and follow through, you can accomplish almost anything.
Supplies
2 tennis rackets, 1 panel of a sheer curtain, sewing needles, safety pins and thread. All of these were purchased from Goodwill and garage sales for a steal.
Butterfly Net for Beginning Beginners
1. Cut the netting/wire from the inside of your racket.
2. Cut your sheer curtain to the width and length that will work for your racket.
3. Align the casing (or rod pocket) around the opening of the racket. Secure at intervals with safety pins.
4. Double thread and knot your needle, and begin sewing at the base of the racket’s opening, on one side.
5. Keep your needle and stitches close to the racket; this will help your stitches stay consistent and fairly straight.
6. When you have finished the open racket sewing, you can begin sewing the open length and width of the sheer curtain, to close up the net.
7. Now you can tidy things up by making proper hemmed edges, or, you can just sew them together.; it’s up to you. I did it both ways, and it made no difference to my kids, or the butterflies.
Cost comparison:
Dollar Store net = $1 and will last for maybe 2 weeks.
Clucky’s Butterfly Net = $4.50 and has staying power.
So this year, I set out to make my own butterfly nets, ones that would be sturdy and strong. I thought for sure there would be a bunch of online instructions for making them… WRONG-O. I found one blog that mentioned making them, but had no directions. So, I’m winging it with my below-beginner sewing skills. You’ve been warned.
It took me most of the day to sew the two nets-- but this is because I am working around a very mobile and wiggly toddler. Also, both Big Chick and Middle Little helped with the sewing. We made one of our nets with a really long netting, and one with a shorter netting. The girls helped sew the long net. We used a red thread, as this was their first sewing project, and I wanted it to be easy for them to see their stitches. They had a blast. It was great fine-motor-skill work for Middle Little . For Big Chick, it sparked a new hobby. She loved it and wants to start a sewing club for her friends. It could have been finished more quickly if I’d just done it myself, or even used my machine to sew parts of the netting. Yet, we would have missed the joy of watching the girls discover new talents and interests. We would have also missed a great opportunity to share some life skills with the kiddos. There is nothing quite like working together as a family to complete a project, and help teach your kids that with a little creativity and follow through, you can accomplish almost anything.
Supplies
2 tennis rackets, 1 panel of a sheer curtain, sewing needles, safety pins and thread. All of these were purchased from Goodwill and garage sales for a steal.
Butterfly Net for Beginning Beginners
1. Cut the netting/wire from the inside of your racket.
2. Cut your sheer curtain to the width and length that will work for your racket.
3. Align the casing (or rod pocket) around the opening of the racket. Secure at intervals with safety pins.
4. Double thread and knot your needle, and begin sewing at the base of the racket’s opening, on one side.
5. Keep your needle and stitches close to the racket; this will help your stitches stay consistent and fairly straight.
6. When you have finished the open racket sewing, you can begin sewing the open length and width of the sheer curtain, to close up the net.
7. Now you can tidy things up by making proper hemmed edges, or, you can just sew them together.; it’s up to you. I did it both ways, and it made no difference to my kids, or the butterflies.
Cost comparison:
Dollar Store net = $1 and will last for maybe 2 weeks.
Clucky’s Butterfly Net = $4.50 and has staying power.
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