You can’t beat bug hunting for kids’ summer fun. Make this bag with or without embroidery and they will be kept busy prowling the bushes and grass. Whether the prey be creepy crawlies or fireflies, the adventure is a child’s version of an African jungle safari.
But where to put the catch? This fiberglass screen wire teepee bag (the name is suggested by its shape) is a perfect accessory and holding pen. Use insect designs from iBroidery.com and your personal design library to embellish the outside.
Most machines handle the screen wire effortlessly. The stand-alone butterfly swaying inside the bag will intrigue the children and send them racing out the door away from their screens and into nature. Without embroidery, print a butterfly on cardstock and dangle it with monofilament, just like the embroidered one. You could even include a few plastic bugs in the bag, as shown in the photo, to get the children in the mood.
This was my latest project featured on Brother’s blog at Stitching Sewcial. It includes detailed instructions for the basic bag as well as a downloadable template. This template shows the sections and sides of the bag, making embroidery placement easy.
The basic bag is my standard, favorite teepee bag, used dozens of times. But the zipper insertion varies and frankly is easier with less opportunity for error.
See that the zipper is simply placed on top of the screenwire and held in place with a decorative stitch that mimics grass.The embroidered ladybugs could easily be replaced with ladybug buttons.
There is still plenty of summer left. Why not give the children a last adventure before the start of school with this fun bag and activity? Check out the Stitching Sewcial blog post for particulars. Enjoy these last lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer with your kids.
http://blog.brothersews.com/projects/catching-critters-diy-bug-bag/
