Learn how to make an easy shamrock craft with a handful of supplies and half an hour of your time. This simple St. Patrick’s Day decoration is fun to make with kids, too! Please note that this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosures for more information.
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There are few things my six- and four-year-old kids enjoy talking about more than holidays.
(Those things are pee, poop, and farts of course.)
They spend hours discussing fanciful gifts they want from Santa (like a My Little Pony rocket ship powered by a popcorn popper), how many pieces of candy they’ll collect at Halloween, how many cards they’ll exchange on Valentine’s Day, and what the Easter Bunny will hide in their eggs.
The other night they declared St. Patrick’s Day as their least favorite holiday, and somewhere in the green Irish hillside, our ancestors rolled over in their graves.
Leprechauns don’t leave gifts or candy for my kids, and the only thing they can hope for is that they’ll be allowed to eat Lucky Charms for breakfast that day. So, I can see why my kids have a low opinion of St. Patrick’s Day.
To get my four-year-old daughter in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit I invited her to make a shamrock craft with an embroidery hoop and a few other supplies.
Now, do not be scared by the embroidery hoop. There’s no cross-stitching in this project, just some paint, and a glue gun. As with all the craft projects I share, you can make this St. Patrick’s Day decoration in about 30 minutes.
Embroidery Hoop Shamrock Craft Supplies
- Fabric quarter (similar here)
- Embroidery hoop
- Wood shamrocks (I found mine at my local JoAnn but these are similar)
- Gold craft paint
- Paint brush
- Low-temp hot glue gun (or one with adjustable temperature setting)
- Scissors (pinking shears are best to limit fraying)
Let’s get started!
First, prepare your work area by covering the surface with wax paper (my preferred material), or a plastic bag or plastic tablecloth. Don’t forget this step if you’re crafting with your kids or you’ll live to regret it (and so will your table).
Next, paint the wood shamrocks and set them aside to dry while you work on the embroidery hoop. My daughter was thrilled to use “Mommy’s paint” and took her role quite seriously!
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! She neatly lined up all the shamrocks. 🙂
The Easy Way to Put Fabric In An Embroidery Hoop
This was my first time using fabric with an embroidery hoop, so my advice may make experienced cross-stitchers cringe – but it works.
If you’re unfamiliar with embroidery hoops, know that they come in two pieces: an inner and outer hoop. The outer hoop has a screw which enables you to loosen the hoop and easily separate it from the inner hoop.
Loosen the screw and remove the inner hoop, then lay your fabric over the inner hoop.
Next, place the outer hoop over the inner hoop. Gently pull the fabric so that it’s taught and wrinkle-free, then tighten the screw.
Your hoop will look like this:
Use your scissors or pinking shears to cut away the excess fabric, but leave just enough to wrap around the hoop.
Important: Use a low-temp glue gun, or the lowest setting on your multi-temp glue gun, to secure the excess fabric to the hoop. Slowly add drops of glue to the hoop and fold the fabric over so that it’s smooth and secure.
You will get glue on your fingers, so do not use a high-temp gun if you value your fingertips.
No, I did not allow my daughter to use the glue gun!
The back of your hoop will look like this when you’re done.
Create Your Field of Shamrocks
Lastly, glue your painted shamrocks to the fabric, and tie a ribbon to the screw if you wish to use your new St. Patrick’s day decoration as a wreath or wall hanging.
Get in the St. Patrick’s Day Spirit!
This simple shamrock craft was a fun way to spend half an hour with my daughter and try to get her in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. She loved using my “fancy” paint and her gloopy brush strokes add texture to the plain wooden shamrocks.
Although my kids probably won’t love St. Patrick’s Day as much as other holidays until they’re old enough to drink Guinness, at least they can show their Irish pride by making a quick St. Patrick’s Day craft.
How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in your family?
Check out these other St. Patrick's Day ideas:
- Free St. Patrick's Day Printable Art: An Irish Blessing
- How to Make a St. Patrick's Day Wreath in 30 Minutes
- St. Patrick's Day Mantel: Glittery Green Crafts to Make in 30 Minutes or Less
Free printables, exclusive tips, and more!
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