In this day and age, receiving a handwritten note is a special and all-too-rare treat. If the card itself is handmade, that's even better! Here's a project that uses blank note cards from the craft store and fabric scraps from your stash to create one-of-a-kind embellished greetings that are sure to perk up anyone's day.
Materials:
• Blank note cards
• Cardstock
• Assorted fabric scraps
• Embroidery floss and needle
• X-Acto craft knife
• Scissors
• Mini-hole punch
• Glue stick
• Bone folder
• Ruler
• Scotch tape
• Pencil
Start by drawing a simple shape on the front of the note card — I drew a heart. Then draw a slightly larger outline of this shape as a guide for where to place your hole punches. (I made my line about ¼" larger than the first shape I drew.) Cut out the center shape using an X-Acto knife.
Next, use a mini-hole punch to create a dotted outline all around the shape you cut. I punched my holes about ¼" apart. Then cut a piece of fabric that will cover both the cutout shape and the holes you just punched. Use the glue stick to coat the inside of the card's front and place the card glue-side down on top of the fabric. Smooth the layers down and allow to dry.
Thread your needle with some embroidery floss — I chose to use 3 strands rather than 6 so the card would have less bulk, but it's up to you. Starting in the back (inside) of the card, begin stitching through the holes you punched. Instead of knotting the floss at the end, though, use a bit of Scotch tape to hold it in place.
When you're inserting the needle from inside the card (where the holes aren't visible), you can hold it up to the light to see exactly where to place your stitches. Once you've gone all the way around, end your stitching inside the card and remove the Scotch tape. Tie the floss in a small knot and snip the ends. If your ending stitch happens to end up at the front of the card, just push the needle through the card and fabric layers towards the back — no big deal.
Now cut a piece of cardstock (or other opaque paper) using the ruler and X-Acto knife. The paper should be slightly smaller than the card itself, and it's nice to choose a contrasting color. If you like, you could round the corners using a corner punch, as I did. You could also cut the edges of the paper with decorative scissors if you like.
Cover the back of the cardstock with glue and adhere it, glue-side down, to the inside of the note card to cover the wrong side of your fabric and stitching. I used a bone folder to help smooth the paper down and sharpen the crease of the card. It also helps everything lay flat if you place the card under a stack of books to dry. Once it's dry, it's ready to send and enjoy!
Wondering if there's a way to keep the fabric from bunching when I glue in the 2nd card (the part you write on). My fabric was taut until that point. What am I doing wrong?
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Great project Jenny! Do they sell those mini hole punches at Michael's (gotta use my coupons, you know)?
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Thanks Dewdrop! They sure do. I've seen them at Joann Fabrics as well, usually in the scrapbooking section. They are also great to use when giving handmade pins of earrings as a gift, you can pre-punch a hole to put the pin/earring through.
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I love these cards! Especially the idea to punch the holes for sewing first - gonna have to find me one of those tiny hole punches!
I made a couple of cards out of scraps of my handwoven fabric which turned out okay but I'd prefer larger and more unique shapes to fill with the fabric like your heart. Plus, I really love your hand sewn detail (although I also liked the faggot stitch my machine did).
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A good tip I should have shared is that cookie cutters make a great template for tracing a shape on the front of the card. A perfect use for those fabric scraps of yours! I do love a nice machine-stitched card too though, yours sound cool!
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