February is National Embroidery Month! Simple stitching is a fun and different way to add texture and delicate detailing to your cards. Ellen Hutson has so many sewing dies to choose from, and Tiffany is sharing a few ways to use them in unique ways. Stretch your supplies and your creativity with these ideas!
Hey friends! Tiffany here with three cards featuring different ways to use the EBE stitching dies. Have you caught the stitching bug yet? I held off for a long time, but now I absolutely love it! After a busy day, I find the repetition in motion with stitching a relaxing and meditative way to unwind.
Idea #1: Use multiple nesting stitching dies to create a background pattern. You could stitch the resulting pattern or not. Not stitching creates a nice textural element for the background.
For my card, I used the Essential Arches for Stitching to create a “rainbow”. Since you don’t need the horizontal rows at the bottom, you could trim those off and use them as accents on another card design. Again, you could stitch these strips or not stitch them.
Instead of traditional rainbow colors, I used a monochromatic palette of pinks. I did a very simple running stitch and used all 6 strands of the DMC floss. To finish the card, I die cut clouds from silver glitter paper and added an adorable critter from Heart Eyes. I didn’t know where to place the sentiment, so my little fox is flying through the sky to bring you a handmade card and a some X’s and O’s. For additional texture, I added light ink blending on the card front edges and splattered with water. I love how the mix of textures brings a lot of interest.
A fun idea that I want to try is so use these stitching dies and the clouds to create rain clouds. Pair it with a coordinating sentiment set like Spellbinders, I’ve Got You Covered, and it’s a unique friendship or encouragement card. Also, think beyond the rainbow! Use any stitching shaped dies to create geometric patterned backgrounds. Add variation by rearranging the placement of the dies, die cut multiple times to overlap shapes, or mix and match different shapes to create one-of-a-kind backgrounds.
Tip: Don’t have the right colored cardstock to matte your card front? Choose a marker that you used on the card and color the edges of white cardstock.
Idea #2: Transform your solid stamps with stitching details. Stamp and die cut any solid stamp and then die cut again using the EBE Piercing Plate. With the Piercing Plate, you can turn any shape into something that can be stitched.
For my card, I stamped the Painted Florals stamp in a variety of pink dye inks. After die cutting and piercing, I stitched accent details to the flower centers. I used the wagon wheel stitch with three strands of DMC floss. The final result of this stitch mimics a rose. I added my florals to a heart-shaped window backed with EBE Modern Graphics Vol. 2 patterned paper.
Tip: Make sure you die cut your stamped images before stitching the accents. Running a finished wagon wheel stitch through my die cut machine flattened out the “rose” and changed the texture of the floss. Be sure to check out the Ellen Hutson IG for a reel I made showing the wagon wheel stitch.
Idea #3: Add character to sentiment dies or alphabet dies. This idea is similar to the last idea, but opens up even more options. Using the EBE Piercing Plate on solid letters or a sentiment die allows you the ability to create completely unique designs.
On my card, I kept the stitching very simple by running the floss across the letters from EBE XOXO. But imagine using a chain stitch, Pekinese stitch, or Herringbone stitch. You could even try mixing stitches and floss colors too. To accompany my stitched letters and complete the card design, I used the EBE Swirl Background, the leftover heart die cut from the previous card, and the So Chewsy stamp and die set.
Tip: Make sure your solid stamps are well conditioned to get a good, crisp stamp impression. If you aren’t getting a good impression, lean into the distressed look by adding splatter. With splatter, the distressing looks intentional.
Check out the EBE Paper Embroidery Stitch Guide to learn a variety of stitches you could use to add detail to your solid die cuts.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope these cards inspired you to stretch your stitching dies! For many more tips, tricks and inspiration, please follow Ellen Hutson and me on Instagram! Have a great day!
SUPPLIES:
No Comments