Lace up star

As a child, I made a lot of Christmas decorations to give away.  My father was an art teacher so we always had a lot of art supplies.  If we wanted to give our teachers or other special people a gift, we made them.  Years later when I saw some of those teachers again, they mentioned how they still had those ornaments and they meant a lot to the teacher. 

My kids are grown now so I try to spread this tradition to other people's families.  A friend of a friend has a little one--4 years old.  I designed this for her.  She is learning the fine motor skills she will need when she starts school.  

These stars print fast, can be resized--though you should make sure that your needle will fit through the holes before you mass-produce too many of these.  I designed these to be laced with yarn and a kid-friendly plastic yarn needle.  I resized in the x and y only to 75% and to 50%.  The 50% model required a small hand-sewing needle and a single strand of embroidery floss.

On a whim, I passed out a bunch of these at the last knitting/crocheting group I went to.  Everyone was trying to think of original ways to finish theirs.  One woman crocheted around hers.

The stars with the cut out in the center print very quickly.  The ones without the cutout can be signed (and dated) by the child with a permanent marker.  In my opinion, the difference between an ornament and a treasured keepsake is that signature written by the child.   Then slip the star into an envelope and mail it to North Dakota (or wherever your grandparent may live).

These stars are not limited to Christmas.  Imagine these in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July.  Print them in the colors of your next kid party and have the kids help decorate the party space.  How about a celestial mobile.