Cross Stitching on Cards With No Dies

Happy Thursday, everyone!  I have to preface this post by saying that I warned you… I was going to make something with a flower.  And I am a girl who is true to her word!  😂  I am so excited about this card.  I was curious to see if I could try a technique for stitching on cards that doesn’t require the use of any special dies.  This is the result.  It is easy, fun, and VERY addictive (I have already started on my second card in a day 😬).  

This tutorial is based on the card I just started (I didn’t photograph the card shown above because I really wasn’t sure I was going to like the way it turned out... lesson learned!)  First, I looked around on Pinterest for a cross stitch pattern I liked.  After copying the image, I pasted it into my word processing program, sized it to fit on an A2-sized card and printed it out.  From there, I cut out the image and temporarily adhered it to my card front.  

I then poked holes in the corner of all the squares.  I promise that this is not as tedious as it sounds… it goes quite fast and was actually pretty meditative.  

When you’re done with the holes, use your image as a guide and start stitching!  Easy peasy cross stitching… no magic happening here.  

Here is a picture of the pattern I started with along with the result.  

When your card is done, the results are stunning.  I love the way the image just floats in the middle of the card without a bunch of surrounding holes; I think it gives it a more modern, updated look.  I also love how you’re not limited to patterns that will fit within the confines of a die.  You can customize the size of your image, the colors… oh, the possibilities! 

I finished my image by popping the panel up on some fun foam for dimension. I added some gold splatters, a Simon Says Stamp love sentiment and some Pretty Pink Posh sequins for sparkle.  I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I would love to hear if you try this technique!