Jackie has a special place to hang her hats, and she can proudly say it is a sample of her embroidery talents. The pegboard was sprayed with white enamel; the cross-stitches are made with brightly colored rug yarn.

Cross-stitching a name in big block letters across a pegboard is a good way for a young child to practice embroidery. On graph paper, plot the child’s name in Xs to determine how much pegboard you will need. Pegboard holes are spaced 1 inch apart, and one cross-stitch will use four holes—two across and two down. A short name, such as Jackie, will fit on a board 12 by 36 inches, as pictured above. A longer name will need a longer board; a two-part name can be stitched in two rows on a wider board.

Have the pegboard cut to size; then spray one side with two coats of white enamel. Heavyweight rug yarn (one skein) and a blunt tapestry or rug needle with a large eye make the stitching go quickly and easily.

Stitching on pegboard is good practice for the proper two-handed method of embroidering. One hand is held on top of the work and the other hand below; the needle is passed through the work from one hand to the other (photograph 1). When fabric is used, this results in smoother stitches and causes less distortion of the weave than inserting the needle in and out of two points in a single motion.

Making knots at the ends of threads is not a good idea on fabric because the knots show through and cause bumps, but there is no problem when the fabric is a stiff sheet of pegboard (photograph 2). Ends too short to be knotted can be taped down.

When the cross-stitches are done, hang the pegboard and insert hooks to hold his or her paraphernalia.