The products used in the featured projects can be found at your local scrapbook retailer.
As a lover of all things having to do with home, I appreciate homemade touches in scrapbook design. My favorite handmade addition to any layout is sewing. Hand-stitching has that perfect blend of simplicity and visual interest that exudes harmony and speaks volumes on love. Believe it or not, you don’t need to be a seamstress to sew on your pages, for easy embroidery stitches abound!
Before we start looking at projects ideas, there are a few important things to remember. First, plan your stitching. Figure out where and what type of stitch you want, then take a ruler or template, a pencil, and a paper piercing tool, and mark off your design. This ensures evenly spaced, straight stitching and clarity of design.
Second, pre-pierce your work. Doing this prevents the unnecessary wrinkling of your papers, design errors, and the fraying of your floss or fibers. Place your paper on top of something with a little “give” to it. My favorite piercing surface is a computer mousepad. Poke a needle (a T pin works great) or paper-piercing tool through your sketched design.
Third, erase the pencil lines. Why go through all the trouble of marking and poking and stitching and be left with messy-looking pencil guidelines on your finished layout? When you carefully erase the pencil lines with a white rubber eraser, the guides will still be there. Simply follow the holes! (Note: All stitches in this article begin and end on the backside of the paper.)
In “Sleep Well,” a few stitches in three complimentary colors were used to create visual interest on an otherwise simple, low-key layout.
Holes were poked along the pink paper and then the white paper, slightly offset, resulting in a pretty, angled stitch. For the purple cross-stitch, a double line of holes were punched. Bring your needle up through hole A and down through B. Come up through C and down through D. Continue this stitch pattern exactly as you work down the row, ensuring a unified stitch look. See Figure 1.
For the running stitch at the bottom of the page, simply pierce holes in a straight line. Bring your floss up hole A and down B. Come up through C and down D. Continue this stitch down the line, ending on the back of the paper. See Figure 2.
In “Fall Splendor,” stitching provides a textural yet subtle design effect when done in the same color as the exotic handmade paper. A cross-stitch pattern was broken up by three straight stitches, finishing off with another cross-stitch.
For the layout “Simple Things,” stitches were used to attach word strips to the background paper. Several stitches were included to heighten their visual impact. For the zigzag look, pierce two lines of holes slightly offset. Bring your needle up through A and down through B, up through C, and down through B. Follow this pattern throughout the line. See Figure 3.
Along with the cross-stitch and straight stitch, French knots were also employed. First, knot the end of your floss. Come up through the hole and, holding floss taught, wind the needle point around it about four times. Still holding the floss, insert the needle down through the same hole and pull. The floss will knot on the right side of the paper. See Figure 4.
In “Little Lorielle,” a backstitch was used to subtly attach together different patterned papers.
A backstitch is simply working one hole ahead and stitching backward. Bring your needle up through A, down through B, up through C, down through B, up through D, and down through C. Repeat until done. See Figure 5.
For “Christmas Eve,” the stitching becomes the design element. A back stitch was used to create a Christmas tree, while the French knots became holly berries and ornaments!
In “Friends,” a running stitch in several colors was used to create the title word, a French knot dotting the “i.” A few straight stitches and cross-stitches were used to attach pieces of ribbon, rickrack, and a strand of pearls. And a pretty Lazy Daisy stitch was used to make a simple flower on a tag.
To create a Lazy Daisy, pierce five holes in your paper, one in the center and the others radiating out. Bring your floss through the center hole (A). Leave just enough floss to reach hole B and go back down hole A, creating a loop. Come up through hole B on the inside of the loop. Go back down through B on the other side of the loop, securing the “petal.” Repeat. See Figure 6.
Stitches can be used to accent page elements, attach elements together, and even be design elements themselves. You can also use stitching to attach buttons and charms to paper. The next time you’re looking for the right adhesive for a project — or just want to add that charming homemade touch to a special layout — try a stitch or two instead!
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