Emma J, who is a member of my Stitching Cards forum, suggested that I design some art nouveau style text to go with the rose patterns that I recently added to the Stitching Cards range. The proposition appealed to me because I believe that a hand stitched greeting can add the finishing touch to a hand stitched card.
Read moreAdding prick and stitch words to your greetings cards
Way back in the swinging 1960s I was given a string art kit for Christmas. The kit had silver string, black felt for the background, a backing board and lots of nails. The picture was a sailing boat. I had great fun making the picture and it hung proudly in the hall for many years.
Read moreWhy string art is the granddaddy of prick and stitch card making
You want to try the prick and stitch technique but do not want to spend out on a purpose made pricking tool until you are sure you will enjoy this card making technique. The solution is to look for a sharp pointed object that you already own. Here are some suggestions:
This corner scroll pattern is easy to stitch directly on to a greetings card. The simple design is worked in stem stitch. The photograph below shows the scrolls on a hammered cream card stitched in green thread. I have added a photograph of an iris that I took in my garden. You could add a picture with decoupage, rubber stamping, teabag folding etc.
Corner scroll card with an iris picture.The corner scrolls could also be used on a square card by repositioning the pricking pattern…
Two different names for a method of stitching that at first glance seems to do the same job. So what is the difference?
On backstitch more thread ends up hidden on the back of the work than on the front. Stem stitch is the opposite, more thread is visible on the front of the work than on the back. I often wonder why the opposite to backstitch was not called front stitch.
Read moreWhat is the difference between backstitch and stem stitch?
This post looks at a method of stitching that is often used to fill areas and shapes with colour. I call it the crossing fill stitch as that is what it does. I try to work this method of stitching into my pattern designs as it gives an attractive finish and is popular with stitching card makers.
The instructions for this stitch often read as follows:
A question I am often asked by friends who want to try prick ‘n stitch card making is what thread do you use? The answer is Kreinik metallic 1 ply cord.
This is the thread I use to test stitch the patterns on the Stitching Cards web site.