Card Embroidery and Papercrafts with step by step tutorial.

Hello from a gorgeous sunny Lincolnshire.

Thought I'd upload something a bit different today. I started doing card embroidery about a year ago and I absolutely love it. I've always loved sewing in some form or another, but never thought for one minute I'd be embroidering onto card. But as you can see, if you use a nice image and pretty colours, the finished cards look great.

All the illustrations I use are from a company called stitching cards. Every occasion you can think of, there will be an illustration. You just purchase, download and print. Easy.

Each pattern comes with full instructions, full colour illustrations, and a pricking template. I do advise that you print in colour, as it makes the guide easier to follow. This is a new one I've downloaded today. I print the instructions on normal copier paper and the pricking template on 220gsm card.

Secure the template onto your chosen card, I usually use one with some texture. The weight can be anything from 120gsm - 250gsm, if you get much thinner the stitching can tear through and if you go thicker the card isn't pliable enough. I use a standard pricking tool, not too fine, and the reverse side of a mouse mat to pierce onto.

You can use any cotton, there are no hard and fast rules. As you can see I have loads, so I won't be running out any time soon. These two boxes were a free gift with a sewing machine I bought a couple of years ago. I forgot I had them. The ones at the back are metallic. This thread can be a bit difficult to sew with. The other thread is polyester, by far the easiest thread to use, and such a wide selection of colours. I always use my threads double, with a blunt embroidery needle. Just make sure it's a smaller size than the pierced holes.

Secure the threads at the back of the work with sticky tape, I use either masking tape or invisible clear tape. It has to be very sticky though, so no low tack tape. It can sometimes look a bit messy but once it's been mat and layered, you can't see it.

Here's a few finished toppers before being made into cards. The top ones are in polyester and the bottom ones in metallic.

Here are some more cards finished. Sunflowers are supposed to be very popular this year, so perhaps I'll need to make some more. They won't be on square mats though, I've added spellbinders  to my crafty stash since first doing these cards, so I'll be embroidering onto different shapes from now on.

Thanks for dropping by, hope this post inspires you to have a go. I feel the need to go out and sit in the sun, and maybe do a bit of embroidery while I'm out there.


Bye...........

Jools. xxx