Stitching Week - Accenting

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Accenting Die Cuts, Shapes, and Embellishments

It's amazing how a simple line of stitching around a die cut or shape can really change the look. You can take a plain element and easily turn it into an eye catching piece with dimension and interest by adding a little stitching to it.

Do you stitch on the shape before you put it on the layout or after?

You can do both and both have different advantages.

If you stitch before you put it on the layout it's nice to be able to see if that piece is going to work the way you want it to before you've added to your page (and all those holes!). Plus, the stitching on the backside of the shape acts kind of like foam adhesive and "pops" the shape up off the page a little.

When stitching around the edges on die cuts and shapes before you add them to the page you have to be really careful about not getting too close to the edge. If you get too close there is a greater chance that you might tear the paper while you're stitching. Try keeping the stitching about 1/8" to 1/4" from the edge.

If you stitch after it's already been adhered to the layout the stitching will help to secure it down the page and there is no need to worry about it ever falling off. Plus it keeps everything flat and smooth. The big advantage to stitching after it's on the page is that you can get as close to the edge of the shape as you want without having to worry about tearing the shape.

"Big Blades" by Carolyn Wolff

On this layout I used chipboard starts and added black stitching around the edges to really pop them off the page. I pierced the holes really well so that my needle would go through smoothly.

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"Swing" by Carolyn Wolff

I added stitching to quite a few elements on this layout. I accented the tree, the sun, the flowers and the square background.

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"Oh Christmas Tree" by Shari Thurman
Supply List - Patterned Paper and Decorative Brads: Fancy Pants; Alphabet: American Crafts: Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink; Glitter Glue: Ranger Stickles; 3D adhesive: Thermoweb; Other: Circle Template, embroidery thread, machine and hand stitching

This layout was inspired by Allison. I love how she had made the cutest little stitched trees on one of her layouts. They made the cutest little embellishment for these silly pictures of my son hugging the top of our Christmas tree.

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"Silly Pumpkin Heads" by Shari Thurman
Supply List - Patterned Paper and ribbon: The Girls Paperie; Tools: Cricut; Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink; Glitter Glue: Ranger Stickles; Other: Cardstock, googly eyes, hand stitching, embroidery thread

This layout was inspired by one that Allison did with pumpkins. This was the first layout that I ever hand stitched. Before that, I just thought Allison was nuts to spend that much time on a layout. I loved how all my little pumpkins turned out and I was hooked on hand stitching. I realized that Allison wasn't crazy, she just enjoys the finishing touch that hand stitching gives her layouts and embellishments.

In addition to the pumpkins, I also stitched the ribbon at the top of the page to my paper. I did this because I couldn't figure out where to put my adhesive on the ribbon so that it wouldn't show.

I used the Cricut to cut my title, tree and spider. I added Stickles to detail the tree and spider and then added googly eyes. I also made little spiral vines for a few of the pumpkins by cutting long strip of paper and twisting them around a pencil.

In these photos, my boys were being silly and wearing their halloween pumpkin on their heads like a hat. They are always finding ways to make us laugh.

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"Fall" by Amy Roller

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"Freedom" by Allison Davis
Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: We R Memory Keepers; Stickers: We R Memory Keepers; Glitter border: We R Memory Keepers; Alphabet: My Mind's Eye

When I added the glitter border with the stars and circles to my page there was one area that really had me regretting it. The blue border was completely lost on the blue paper the star was cut out of. To help the border stand out against the same color I added stitching around the stars on the border. It not only helped the design of the border to stand out but it also made that whole piece more noticeable. 

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*as seen in Creating Keepsakes magazine
"Purely an Entertainer" by Allison Davis
Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: unknown; Chipboard music notes: Bazzill; Alphabets: American Crafts and Doodlebug; Paint: Making Memories

On of my favorite things to do on my layouts is to create my own embellishments and accents that support the theme of my layout. I hand drew the guitar and cut it out of patterned paper. Stitching is always a great way to add those detail accents that really help the embellishment to resemble the real thing. I used stitching for my guitar strings and added brads to the top of them.

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Accenting Patterned Paper

One great way to really enhance a pattern or design on paper is to add stitching to it. The best part is that you can get a wonderful stitched design without using a template or having to hand drawing the design. Plus it will really help the design on the paper to really stand out!

"Outdoor Fun" by Robbie Herring
Supplies Used - Imaginisce Happy Camper Collection paper, stickers, i-top brads and i-rock tool. Misc. twine.

The stitched design on this one looks like it might be a bit hard, but the reality is that it's super simple! Take a peek at the close-up and you will see that I simply used the polka-dot design on the paper to make the design. Just pierce your holes for stitching through the dots where you want your stitches. For
this look, I used 3 strands of floss.

Using the designs in patterned papers is a great way to give a page more dimension and interest. It's also an easy way to get the look without having to spend much time on the design and spend more time
embellishing your pages!

Stitching Design Tip: The more intricate the stitching is going to be, the fewer strands of floss I use.

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"Open Your Heart" by Amy Roller
Supplies - Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; Jewels, Thread, Title/sentiment: My Mind's Eye

I used one of Allison's sketches for this one and used a coordinating group of papers and not much else! It is a really detailed layout without much to it.

I added hand stitching to the pattern paper by following along some of the detail lines across the paper. This is an easy way to add in some detail that matches your page.

I also added a few hearts here and there that I drew by hand and then just punched holes along the lines and stitched. I also added jewels to the end of each stem.

This is also an easy way to do hand drawn swirls and such. If you aren't comfortable using your own drawings, you can use stamps and just pierce holes along the stamped image and stitch away! This makes it easy to make an embellishment that matches any theme.

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"The Back Up Band" by Allison Davis
Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker; Chipboard music notes: Bazzill; Alphabets: My Little Shoebox, Prima, and American Crafts; Buttons: Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker; Border punch; EK Success; Jewels: Kaisercraft

When I saw the record patterned paper from Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker, I instantly got an idea to use stitching with it to accent the records. I used the design of the papers as my guide and stitched around each record. It was very time consuming but so worth it!

Whenever I am adding stitching to a layout I most often wait until the very end. Especially on layouts like this that contain lots of stitching. By leaving it as the very last thing I add, I can save time by only stitching on the visible areas. There's no sense in taking the time to stitch onto something that you are going to cover up anyway and you don't have to worry about your photos have lumpy spots from the stitching behind it.

Accenting Photos

Using a mat behind your photo is a fantastic way to help it stand out but that's not the only way to frame a focal photo. Try stitching a frame around your photo for a similar look that is sure to make that favorite photo really stand out!

"She's Such a Tomboy" by Jill Sarginson
Supplies Used - Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket; Floss: Anchor; Letters: My Little Shoebox, Thickers; Tools: Fiskars Apron Lace border punch, Creative Memories circle punch; Chipboard: Cosmo Cricket; Ink: Vibrance; Templates: Bazzill Basics In Stitch'z Cardstock Stitching Template 8x8 Circle; Pen: Zig writer

I really wanted the photo to stand out on this layout - I just love how Abigail's hat is on backwards and how her tongue is hanging out! I decided to stitch a frame around the photo using X stitches so I simply pierced my own holes in batches of 4 and went around the photo. This definitely takes a while to stitch but it's totally worth it. I also added some circle stitching to frame the embellishments and make them pop more.

Here's a little overview of the stitching on each of the layouts today:

• Add stitching to chipboard.
• Accent die cuts or shapes to add more detail to the piece.
• Try stitching on a shaped border.
• Use stitching to help an embellishment stand out.
• Use stitching to make an themed embellishment more realistic like: guitar strings, veins on a leaf, etc.
• Use the dots on a paper to make a stitched pattern.
• Highlight a design on paper by stitching over part of it.
• Frame a photo with a stitched design.
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