DIY Fabric & Paper Stitched Cards – Tips For Sewing On Paper

There really is nothing like a handmade card. Such a special little treat when you open up an envelope and you see this little piece of crafty heaven. Someone made it with their own two hands. It is like getting a chunk of the love chocolate bar via the post.

And giving a handmade card?

Oh, it is so nice to be nice 🙂

Sometimes you just want the person to feel how special they are to you.

I plan on sending some fall valentines to my sweethearts who are spread out across the US. Here are my tips and pointers for sewing on paper & fabric to create these super cute little buggers. First is the basic run-through.

Supplies: An assortment of scraps of fabric and pretty paper. This is a great way to bust through your fabric stash if it needs a little thinning. A solid pair of pinking shears, paper scissors, chalk, glue stick (regular), letter stamps & ink, a variety of thread and your sewing machine.

Sewing Tips: It feels cool to sew on paper with the machine… an indescribable sound and feel. Very different than sewing on fabric. Much less give, but still cool. I recommend sticking with two stitches, straight & zig zag.

Also, make sure the distance between your stitches (or width) is set wide. Because the stitching is just for aesthetics and serves no structural purposes they can be spread really wide (or close together, whatever floats your boat) but if the stitches are too close together it just tears the paper apart.

*Practice is key. Just set up your machine and grab a stack of scrap paper and sew away. Try out all sorts of settings and speeds. Just find your groove.

*Start simple. A stitch around the edge or across the center looks fab.

*Go slow. And I mean sloooow. It is easy for the machine to get away from you while stitching on paper.

*Thick paper. Flimsy stuff will just be a complete nightmare. I like sewing on newspaper but it is tough, it tears/folds really easy. Patience is needed for that my friend.

*Straight lines are bud. Especially for words/lettering. I still have yet to master cursive writing… if you have any pointers for that please let me know. Thanks 😉

img source: coplusk.net

*Chalk it out. Letters, shapes, lines… chalk is your friend to figure out what you want. It just wipes away with a damp sponge.

*Make nice with a glue stick. It works just fine for tacking fabric to fabric or paper to hold in place while you stitch.

*Mixed media is your new master. Paper/fabric/ink/stamps ect ect ect. More the merrier.

*Use pinking shears on all the edges you don’t want to fray. I personally like the frayed look so I mixed it up and pinked <i>here</i> but not <i>there</i>.

*Don’t worry about things being perfect. That is the charm of a handmade card. Plus the fact you are making the card in the first place is pretty amaze-balls.

*PS. It might bug you (It doesn’t for me) but the stitching will show through on the inside of the card so you may want to line it with some pretty paper after you are finished sewing.

Ok so now we need to package up these bad boys… custom envelopes coming tomorrow!

Thanks so much for stopping.