Finished Growth Chart
I LOVE to craft and especially for my friends who have just had babies.
My criteria for making things:
1. It needs to be useful
2. It needs to be something that will be used for more than just a few months
3. It needs to be personal
I decided that I wanted to make something I’d never made before. So, after doing lots of research, I came across this amazing growth chart from Whipperberry.com, in which the height is pinned on by tags (not featured in the picture above).
The instructions were not as clear as I would have likes, and finding the supplies definitely proved more challenging. This is what I did and what I’ve learned:
DIY Jute Growth Chart
Supplies:
– *Jute (burlap) webbing (it’s about 3.5″ wide), at least 6.5 ft long = 78″ long = about 2.5 – 3 yds if wanting to make the numbers up to 6 ft (.85/yd)
– tape measure (or ruler)
– tape (if using tape measuring to hold it next to chart
– *black shower curtain grommet (1″ in diameter for pack of 8) – from Hobby Lobby 6.99
3 1/4″ Round Glass Jar with Flip Lid
1″ Matte Black Curtain Grommets
– hammer (to secure grommet)
– sharp scissors (to cut hole for grommet)
– 1 fine point black sharpie (came in 2 pack for about 2.99)
– 1 ultra fine point black sharpie (came in pack of 2 for 3.99)
– *1 set of stencils with letters and numbers (mine were 2″ sized by C-Thru Better Letter in the “Marker” font) – I got mine at Michael’s, but can’t find them online. I also recommend getting a smaller size as well. Hobby Lobby has some fun ones and you can sort by size of the stencil.
– *key tags (from hardware or office supply store) – I used 1/2 the box (7.79 for 50 tags)
Book Box
– *extra large safety pins (from craft supply store, the brand I got was care & repair) – about 2.99 for 50
– *3 1/4″ Round Glass Jar with Flip Lid – from Hobby Lobby 1.99
– *box to put finished chart in – I found these cute book boxes at Michael’s (8.99, which I got for 6.29 on sale)
Total Cost*: $34.25 (the items are an investment, but once you have them, then you don’t have to purchase many of them again.
Price of items per chart (dividing everything into individual items): $22.75
Directions:
1. Layout jute and use measuring tape to cut to length you want. My first one was too short at just 6′, so I would cute it to 6.5 ft or about 78 inches.
2. Put your grommet in next by lining it up in the center at the top and tracing around it. I found that I kept having to make my whole a bit wider than I thought.
3. Cut out the hole with your scissors.
4. Place front and back of grommet around hole. I tried to use a hammer to get them to snap into place, but I actually found that I had to stand on it with my heel.
Measuring Tape Taped to Chart
5. Line up your measuring tape along the side of the jute. I used clear tape to tape it into place.
6. With my ultra fine point marker, I started by marking all the feet first (i.e. at 12″, 24″, 36″, etc.). I made about an inch long horizontal line across and it’s about 1/8″ thick. I did an outline of the rectangle and went back later to fill it in.
7. Then, I used my ultra fine point marker to make small (about 1/4 inch long) horizontal lines at all the odd numbered inches, starting at 1,3,5, etc., and I made about 1/2 inch long lines at the even numbers. The even numbered line with all the way to the red stripes. Again, about 1/8″ thick.
8. I went back to shade in all the marks with the thicker of the sharpies.
9. Then, I used my stencils and lined them up at the foot marks. I used my ultra fine sharpie to trace it and the thicker one to fill them in.
10. Finally, I chose to put the family’s last name on the chart so that both boys could use it. That was a bit trickier, because I realized I was running out of room between the 6th and 5th foot. Another reason to make your chart longer so the grommet doesn’t interfere. I used my stencils with the ultra fine marker to trace the letters and then I filled them in with the thicker one. I also noticed that I couldn’t use large letters the whole way down, because I was running out of room. I had to use smaller stencils.
Completed Chart Package
11. When I was done, I flipped it over on the back to write a personal message.
Personal Message on Back of Chart
Please tell me what kinds of creative additions you made to your chart or anything you learned while making it!
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