One weekend Silverwing and Willow asked to borrow some needles and thread, then disappeared into their room for an hour or so.  When they came out they proudly showed off their creations; They had made pictures and words by sewing through sheets of notebook paper, using the thread to outline the images and letters.  Although the initial effort was a bit crude because sewing thread is too fine, and had they asked I could have provided them with unruled paper, the results were still very good.

To make your own creation, I suggest using brightly colored yarn with needles sized appropriately, and plain, unruled paper.  Just stitch through the paper, being careful not to pull the yarn too tightly so your "canvas" doesn't wrinkle.  When finished, your picture can be glued down to a larger sheet in a different color to give it a framed effect, then displayed with pride.

Other suggestions:

1. Try mixing yarn, string or cording with different textures for a variety of effects.
2. Use paper in contrasting colors for more interesting results.
3. Add beads, buttons or other items when stitching for more variety.
4. Do several different designs using a single theme, then glue them down onto a sheet of poster paper to form a collage or storyboard.

Do this as a group project with several kids, then assemble as above.