Stitch a Can for Valentine's Day

7 Materials
$2
30 Minutes
Easy
It was upcycle challenge time again, so we upcycled tin cans for Valentine's Day with a 'sew' fun stitch twist. Who knew you could stitch a tin can?
We filled the cans with water and froze them first. This really helped with the hole punching and kept the cans from denting. After they were frozen, we used a hammer and nail to punch a pattern. I drew the patterns on a piece paper and then taped it to the cans. My son wanted to be involved, so he did the punching while I supervised.
After the holes were punched, I added a light coat of chalk paint. I wanted the cans to look a little worn, so I did not add a second coat of paint. If you don't like that look, give them another coat of paint. I used a thin phillips screwdriver to lay down the sharp edges inside the can created by the punching. I inserted the screwdriver into each punched hole and rolled it around to flatten those edges as best I could. This did make the holes larger, so be mindful of that when punching to keep the holes a good distance apart.
I threaded a tapestry needle with baker's twine and did a simple stitch through the punched holes. I did have to stick my hand into the can, but I was careful of any sharp edges. This is obviously not something that you would want the kids to do. I recommend putting a glove on to protect your hand against any remaining sharp edges inside the can. The stitching only took a couple of minutes because I kept the patterns very simple.
Here are our finished stitched cans.
I wrote the word 'love' on the white can with a silver sharpie. Fill the cans with flowers to finish them off or fill them with your choice of Valentine's Day frills or insert a battery operated candle as an option.


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