stamp-n-stitch: a tutorial...sort of...

perhaps "a collection of random thoughts & hints" is more like it! i am not so much for step-by-step instructions (either giving *or* following them!) but i had a BUNCH of fun playing around with the caardvarks' hand stitching challenge, and there's still time for you to get in on it, too! (deadline is midnight, saturday 11-17)

one of the things i realized when elisa and i were talking about this last week is what a difference terminology makes. for example, neither of us are particularly interested in--or much good at--sewing. but as soon as we got on to discussing embroidery, we both had a ton of ideas!

supplies: you definitely need cardstock for this, or patterned paper glued to printer paper to sturdy it up; thin paper wants to rip after a few stitches. i'm not big on specialized, uni-tasking gadgets...but...it turns out that a piercing tool is MUCH better than anything else for making the holes; you need something quite sharp, or else you will have puckery wrinkles in your paper. oh yeah, and just as the craft-mags have told us: an upside-down mouse pad is the perfect thing to pierce into! embroidery floss gives a smooth look with a faint sheen; needlepoint yarn has a more homespun/rustic look; you could also try silk ribbon...variegated or metallic thread...thin yarn...raffia...even household string!

a rhonna flourish stamped with an inkpad on sei patterned cardstock

method: not being very much of an artist myself, i love the idea of using rubber stamps to provide a super-quick framework for my stitching. varks' guest designer celeste brodnik rather brilliantly points out that by stamping on the back of your cardstock you can get the effect of free-hand drawing, but i also liked letting a bit of the ink show for a two-toned, two-textured look. it is fun to play around with adding extra bits of stitching and/or leaving some of the stamped image un-stitched.

the above, embellished with 6 strands of black embroidery floss, some silvery beads, and a marah johnson velvet flower brad

variations: if you stamp using colored inks (or markers) and stitch with more than one thread color you can get quite a sophisticated multi-toned look with very little work!

a different rhonna flourish, accenting a glitter-painted, sequin-adorned heidi swapp flower

i mostly stuck with narrow lines and backstitch, but you could fill in an outline stamp with satin stitch, or cross-stitching, or any other sort of decorative embroidery that doesn't require a lot of flexibility. lazy-daisy stitch, of which i had high hopes, is sadly NOT a possibility on cardstock! ...but then...who says you can't stamp on fabric and then glue--or sew-the resulting panel onto your project?!

a sasafrass arrow stamp stitched in several ways & accompanied by a bunch of creative imaginations rub-ons (note the "puckering" phenomenon caused by piercing holes with a not-quite-sharp-enough needle!)

more ideas:

• use a crop-o-dile to punch holes in painted or raw chipboard (or acryllic?) shapes and stitch right through them!
• outline a text stamp, or underline specific words to make them stand out; dot your i's with small beads or french knots (there ya go elisa...more french knots for you!)
• make a frame for a stamped image by stitching a circle or rectangle around all--or part--of the design
• sew beads, sequins, buttons, tiny felt or paper flowers--or any combination of these--to the centers of large stamped...or drawn...or silk...blooms
• highlight a bit of the design in patterned paper with stitches
• blanket stitch along the edge of a card
• use iron-on pattern books instead or...or in addition to...rubber stamps

for more inspiration, check out the *amazing* caardvarks' hand-stitched gallery ......then come along and have a go!!!