A Stitch in Time

Sewing? On paper? Yes! Sewing can be used for a variety of reasons on your pages including to hold items down, to add a decorative border or just for embellishment. Sewing on paper adds texture to your scrapbook pages and is lots of fun!

At first, sewing on paper may seem difficult. It isn’t quite as forgiving as fabric. If you make a mistake, you generally just have to start over because after removing thread, holes will be in the paper. Once you get the hang of it, I’m sure it will become one of your favorite techniques.

It helps to lightly draw a line with a pencil to guide your stitching. It’s a good idea to use heavier threads because they will show up better on your project. You can machine stitch using a regular sewing machine or one specially made for scrapbooking and other paper crafting projects. Provo Craft has a small portable Sew-Easy machine which retails for $12.99. It isn’t heavy duty, by any means, but works well for sewing paper.

Another fun technique is cross-stitching. To make it show up, use several strands of embroidery floss. It helps to mark and pre-punch the holes with a paper piercer or a large needle. You can also use other types of materials for sewing; yarns, silk ribbon, or even fibers are all possibilities. Don’t forget decorative machine stitching. Most sewing machines, even basic models, have a variety of stitch patterns. Get out a piece of cardstock and try them out. You’ll be amazed with the zing they can add to your pages. Since there are about a million different thread colors, it’s really easy to get just the right color to go with your patterned paper.

Here’s a few ideas you can try:
· Add a stitched border on a card or scrapbook page.
· Include decorative stitching across a length of ribbon or twill tape.
· Stitch to create a photo frame.
· Use stitching to create a pocket out of fabric or paper.
· Attach an embellishment or decorative item to your project

If you like the look of sewing on your layouts, but are too intimidated to try, there are a lot of products on the market including stamps and rub-ons which make your layouts look like they’ve been sewn.

I hope you’ll try some of these fun and easy techniques. One last hint is that it’s always best to adhere your paper or fabric to the cardstock before you start to sew so that it doesn’t slide around.

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