Stitching Your Stamps: Neat and Tangled Friendly Florals

Happy Wednesday, everyone!  For a long time now, I have wanted to stitch up a stamp set to make it look like it was embroidered directly on the paper, but I didn’t have the “just right” set to make it work.  Most of my sets were too elaborate to stitch on cardstock.  Cardstock poses some limitations that you don’t encounter when embroidering on fabric… you can’t poke your holes too close together on cardstock or you risk tearing it.  This means that stamps that are too elaborate won’t make for successful stitching on cardstock… small shapes and curves generally require more holes spaced closer together.  

When I saw this Neat and Tangled Friendly Florals set, I knew I had found a “just right” stamp set for this technique.  It is pretty but not overly elaborate, which made it perfect for stitching.  To make the card, I stamped the image in Simon Says Stamp Fog ink and colored it with Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils.  

After coloring, I used coordinating thread to stitch the edges of the images.  I poked holes around the perimeter, avoiding images that were too small (again, requiring holes that are too close together, which end up ripping the cardstock).  Then I used a simple backstitch to stitch around the borders.  

I combined Simon Says Stamp’s “Hey Love” and “You Make My Heart Smile” sentiment dies to make the sentiment (and before adhering it, I did some very subtle light blue ink blending on the center of the card).  I finished the card from tangerine gems from Lucy’s Cards and sparkling clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.  

Some tips on stitching your stamps: 

• Choose images that have simple lines and shapes.  Poke your holes closer together on curves or in tighter areas. 
• Use 6-strand embroidery floss and determine how many strands are appropriate for your image.  Here, I used 2 or 3 strands depending on the shape I was stitching.  
• Choose your thread colors before coloring your images.  Generally speaking, thread color choices are more limited than markers, paints, or other coloring mediums.  

I hope you enjoyed this card and tips for stitching your stamps.  I hope give this technique a try - I would love to see what you create!