ALEX Toys Simply Needlepoint Butterfly Kids Art and Craft Activity

This was great. A gift for my Granddaughter when she was a youngest. Now in HS. Learned well.1st place blue ribbons on real life projects, at both country and State Fairs 2 years in a row. Hired at 15 at a sewing store. It started by these fun kids boxes.

I like this brand of starter needlepoint much better than Sew Cute brand for these reasons: Alex uses double thread so a child doesn't have to cope with trying to keep the yarn in the needle as he sews; the needle is made out of plastic so it is safe and even a little bendable if needed; the plastic board has a good feel, not so rigid as Sew Cute and more open holes. The kit has enough yarn if you skip the outermost row around the perimeter. This is covered by the frame when completed. I bought this for my 6-year old grandson because he had shown an interest in the needlepoint I was working on. He loved it and so did I; we sat together all cozy and talked about our lives while he did the stitching and I supervised. He said he liked it as much as playing games on my iPad so that's a big plus.

In my opinion this is definitely a kit for an older child, ie 6 or 7. It takes patience to finish. It's a cute kit though.

My daughter (8) asked for a needlepointing project after watching me work on mine and after some googling, I stumbled on this series and gave it a try. I had to walk her through threading the needle (including tricks on keeping all the loose fibers together) and stick with her for a little while as she got used to the stitch patterns but she has now completed three of these and we are starting a more complex project soon.This is a hard plastic canvas with a big plastic needle (not sharp) and some acrylic yarn that is pre-cut. It also comes with a frame of sorts that has an indent in the top so it could easily be hung on a nail.Great and easy product

My 7.5 year old got this for Christmas. She knows how to knit a scarf and can do several regular sewing stitches and sews regularly. Seeing the 5+ age rating, I figured this would be a quick and fun project for her. It is not. It's hard, it requires a lot of help from me (threading the needle as the yarn is thick), and requires careful use of the yarn or you will run out of colors. It's slow going and requires a lot of thought and problem solving. I've ended up doing most of it (as an adult, I find it fun. As a 7.5 year old, it's too hard). I recommend for probably ages 9+.

This kit is exactly what was needed to teach a newbie how to needlepoint.

My 6 year old niece was able to grasp the concept & do the work. the only thing I would suggest is that it needed more needles. They are an appropriate plastic BUT there is only one! I ordered several more ALEX needlepoint kits after getting this one and a packet of 40 plastic needles. The other thing that my niece has a hard time with is threading the needle. I have also given her a one of the Large Eye Needle Threaders (flat metal rectangularish shape, about 2" with a hook shape at either end) which is big enough not to lose & easy for little hands to grasp.

As a great lover of needlework of all kinds, I had high hopes of my "crafty" 7 year old granddaughter loving needlepoint too. I had a hard time finding kits that were small enough projects to complete in a timely manner for a young child not to loose interest. The mess size is large enough for her to feel like she's making progress also. For those who have complained about the color coming off the pattern, just color over the project with Jiffy perm enact markers before you start the project. Quick and easy solution--like coloring in a kid's coloring book , and takes only a couple of minutes. I was so glad to find these kits, that this "problem" was definitely NOT a problem for me!!