When it comes to sewing on paper, cardstock is one of your best choices. Cardstock’s heavy nature makes it a durable paper to sew and manipulate in many techniques. You can stitch designs by hand or with a sewing machine, some of which are designed specifically for paper crafts. Add straight stitches for a purposeful look, make lots of crooked stitches for intrigue, or sew zigzags for style. Stitches can be made into borders or used to simply highlight a portion of a layout.
Practice some of your favorite stitches on scrap cardstock to find the right setting before sewing on a layout. You’ll discover which ones you like and which to choose for a particular layout. Play with different colors and types of thread too!
This layout from Boxer Scrapbooks has sewn stitches in a wavy pattern that border the entire layout and overlap portions of the patterned papers. The thread matches the background and adds a subtle touch of design, dimension, and texture.
A simple stitch added under the title of this Making Memories layout offers a finishing touch.
Two stitched borders around the photo maintain the focal point of the page in this layout also from Making Memories. Notice how the white thread nicely contrasts with the bright green background paper.
If you don’t have a sewing machine or just want to do some hand stitching, here’s a holiday card idea. Employ shapes and designs that are an important part of family traditions, like this card with a circle design stitched with yarn to symbolize the Seder Plate for Passover. Use a hole punch to make uniform holes in the cardstock or, if you want a more rugged look, use a thicker needle and sew directly onto the cardstock. Hand stitching also allows you to use a variety of stitches like the blanket stitch used here. This design could easily be used for other paper projects. Make the circle design and add it as an embellishment to a layout, tag, or gift bag.
These are just a few examples of how you can incorporate sewing with cardstock. Get creative with your paper projects and stitch up some new ideas!
To find the products mentioned in this article and shown in these layouts, check with your local scrapbook retailer. Browse our Premier Retail Stores for coupons to a store near you.
