Children's Growth Chart
As children, my sister and I would chart our growth with a pencil mark on the kitchen door-frame of our dad's house. It was always so exciting for us to see how much taller we were than the last time. Years later when we saw the worn markings it was hard to believe we'd ever been so small. Now that house is owned by someone else and although the marks are still there, we don't get to see them anymore. Here is a great way to keep track of your children's growth, and if you end up moving you can take it with you! It also makes a great, unexpected gift for a baby shower.
Directions
Cut the fabrics as follows:
- From the white fabric cut one rectangle that measures 8 ½"x 40 ¼" (21cm x 102cm) and one that measures 15 ¼"x 3" (39cm x 6cm)
- From the print fabric cut two rectangles that measure 4 ¼"x 40 ¼" (11cm x 102cm)
- From the fleece cut one rectangle that measures 15 ¼"x 40 ¼" (39cm x 102cm)
Attach the interfacing to the white center piece of fabric. Sew the center piece to the long side panels with ¼" (½cm) seam allowance. Press the seams towards the side panels. Position the orange ribbon along the edge of the seam lines and stitch in place (Fig. A). On the left side position the measuring tape right next to the orange ribbon so that the 18" (45cm) mark is ½" (1cm) up from the bottom edge of the banner. Starting at the top sew down one long side until you get to the 18" (45cm) mark, then turn and sew across the width of the measure tape. Turn again and sew up the other long side (Fig. B). Cut off the excess measuring tape from the top but not the bottom.
Cut out your flower shapes from the three different colors of felt. Lay out your banner and position the flower approximately ¾" (2cm) down from the top edge. Pin the bottom layer of felt in place and remove the other layers for now. Lay out the green cording as your flower stem (Fig. C). It may help to draw a faint pencil line to follow as a guide. Stitch the cording in place with a zig-zag stitch. Next sew the bottom layer of the flower in place following the outside edge of your design. When that is finished, position the middle and top layers and stitch the top layer in place securing the middle layer at the same time. Lastly, hand sew the button in the center of the flower.
If you are going to do any embellishment with embroidery floss or beads, etc. you should do that at this point. I used embroidery floss to stitch the centers of the leaves and sewed some seed beads around the edges of the center flower layer. Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind that you should leave enough white space near the measure tape so that the child's height can be marked there along with the date.
Position the fleece on top of the banner with right sides together. Starting at the top, sew down one long side, across the bottom, and up the remaining long side with a ½" (1cm) seam allowance. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Turn in the raw edges at the top ½" (1cm).
Take the small rectangle of white fabric and turn in the short ends ¼" (½ cm) and then ¼" (½ cm) again. Stitch in place. Fold in half lengthwise and insert into the opening at the top of the banner between the front and the fleece. Pin in place (Fig. D). Sew in place being sure to catch the fleece. Press the banner nicely but take care not to iron directly over the measuring tape. If it is coated in plastic it will melt with the heat of the iron. Sew a small bit of hook-and-loop tape to the 1" (1cm) end of the measuring tape. Fold the excess measuring tape up behind the banner and mark where it ends. Sew the other side of the hook-and-loop tape there.
Insert the dowel into the dowel casing at the top of the banner. Knot the red ribbon around each end of the dowel and trim the ends. Let the measuring tape hang free. It should just touch the floor when the banner is hanging in place. Once you have it positioned you can fold the tape up behind the banner again. Have your child stand with their back to the banner and mark their height with a permanent marker or fabric pen.
Notes: This could easily be altered to suit different tastes. Instead of the flowers you could sew bugs climbing up the chart, candy pieces, dog prints leading up to a puppy at the top, etc. Have fun with it and your children will too!