My little ones are becoming not so little all too fast. It's time to keep track of 'em growing like weeds! I decided to make each of my kids a growth chart that catered to their personalities. Peaches = Ruffles.
- Scissors or something to cut with
- Patterned fabric
- Dowel rods
- Sewing machine and thread
I used a piece of canvas 5.5 feet long by 5 inches wide as the base for the growth chart. To create the ruffle, I used 4 strips of a patterned cotton fabric 4 feet long by 3 inches wide, for a total length of 15 feet.
Fold under all sides of the canvas and sew with a 1/4 inch allowance. Do the same for the cotton fabric.
Work from the bottom of the growth chart to the top. Lay the cotton fabric face down on the front face of the canvas. Sew a line as indicated in the picture above.
After you have sewn a line like the previous picture, fold the end of the canvas under. Sew a line straight across the canvas to create the dowel rod insert.
Remember, this is the bottom of the growth chart. Fold the fabric 3 times as indicated by the arrows. Then sew a line across to hold in place. Repeat this for each ruffle. The next 3 photos are repeating the process for the next ruffle.
Sew another straight line, completing another ruffle.
Continue making ruffles the entire length of the growth chart until just before you reach the top. You should have excess fabric to fold under as seen above.
This is the top end of the growth chart. Fold back the cotton fabric at the last sewn line. Then fold under the canvas to accommodate a dowel rod.
Fold the remaining cotton fabric under 3 times. If you have too much left over, simply cut it off. Sew a straight line all the way across the canvas and cotton fabric as indicated above.
Now the ruffle is complete and the top and bottom of the growth chart can accommodate dowel rods. With a pencil, mark along the edge of the chart for every inch.
Sew a wide zigzag stitch to mark each foot measurement, or for every 12 inches. Sew a straight line to mark each inch measurement.
Insert a dowel rod in the top and bottom of the growth chart. Tie a string about the top dowel rod to hang. You can see this in the second picture (collage) from the top.
Peaches' growth chart starts measuring at 2 feet. I measured 2 feet off the floor and aligned the first zigzag stitch with that height. Here you can see each inch is marked with a smaller, finer, straight line and each foot mark is marked with a longer, wider zigzag stitch.
And that's how to make a kids growth chart! Just mark and date each entry with a pencil, pen, or marker.
The Real Deal: The canvas was recycled from a college canvas laundry bag. The dowel rods were sticks from popsicles my kids ate. I think I paid less then $3.00 for the cotton fabric. Not a bad price at all for a DIY growth chart!
Go and be pretty,