Stitched Valentines

As I mentioned on Tifany's blog, I love stitched paper!  Something about it just makes me so happy. :)  With that in mind, I made a few Valentine's notecards.  They are pretty plain, but they're cute enough that you can embellish or leave them plain!

Making the cards is really easy, but I'll give you some tips to make the process smooth.

First, you need a notecard (I used 4x6 cardstock), embroidery thread and a needle.

I usually freehand my design, but if you are not confident in your artistic abilities, just grab a cookie cutter and trace this bad boy out!  For this card, I just wanted a simple heart.

Don't try to be perfect.  I think imperfection makes them cuter. :)

Next, you just want to use your needle to make holes all along the outline you just drew.  You can space the holes fairly close together, just keep in mind that you make the hole bigger as you pull the thread through it, so if the holes are too close, that can be a problem.  It wouldn't be a bad idea to practice first (on a scrap piece of cardstock) and play with different spacing.

Now, you want to thread your needle.  Make sure to put a knot in the end to keep it in place!  Start by pulling the needle up through the back so you don't see the knot.  We'll be doing a back-stitch all the way around the design.  If you don't know what a back-stitch is, it's super easy!  Just pull the needle up through the first hole and then back down through the next one.  Like so:

Then back up through the 3rd hole.

And back down through the second, making a solid stitch.  Then, up through the fourth hole and repeat.

Then just continue until you have completed your outline!  Here's my finished heart:

I decided it was a little too plain for my taste, so I added another heart inside.  When you're finished, you just adhere it to a notecard of the same size, or on top of a tent card.

Here are some that I've finished:

Have fun!

~sarah