herringbone card tutorial.

Here’s how to make this sewn stationery in my Herringbone card tutorial, a free and quick project that makes use of extra quilt blocks and scraps of fabric. I thought I’d share this fun, little project with you.

Being a card person, I like to keep several tricks up my sleeve for making my own. Most of my tricks are derived from available options and needs. This particular approach is inspired by a large pile of extra quilt blocks I have sitting in a drawer.

Oh my. Does anyone else end up with lots of extras??

Sewn cards are one way to use them, and here’s how to do it.

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Ok, supplies: Nothing crazy here, just some card stock and a leftover from my herringbone runner (Lusk, Mini Eads or Lott would work well!). This would make a fitting accompaniment if you are giving the runner as a gift OR you can use it for any other purpose. It’ll be pretty and your friends will like it. As far as card stock goes, Paper Source is my fave – all colors and sizes, flat, plain, and simple.

I maintain a stash.

First things first: I need to do something about my fabric block. It’s larger than my card, and that won’t work. Oddly enough it is exactly twice the length of the card, so I’ll just cut it in half. You could get crazy and cut it up more to use in a different way or on more cards. Your call.

It’s now freshly cut in half, and I need to decide which piece goes with which back.

Maybe this way…

…or this way?

Looks good to me.

Now you can pick out your thread. Keep in mind that you will be seeing it from both sides.

This red-orange looks pretty good here.

And then how does it look with the other?

Contrast is good, and I’m sticking with it. Otherwise you could switch thread.

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Before you start sewing, adjust your stitch length to roughly 3.0. I’m using a straight stitch, but you could get crazy and try a zigzag or something. Just don’t choose a stitch that punctures the paper too much. That would weaken your card, and it could fall apart.

That would be bad.

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Here’s a tip: Don’t worry about pinning the fabric to your paper. That would give you unnecessary holes. I like to hold it in place with my fingers. You could use a glue stick if you’d like.

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Now you are ready to go. Backstitch a little at the beginning and start sewing…

…needle down and pivot at your corners. Keep sewing…

…until you get to the end. Backstitch to finish. Trim your threads. Repeat with second card, and…

Voila!

And you can also check out the back.

I like that you can see the stitching. Usually, I’ll use the box or lines as a guide for my message. In this example, I would probably fit the main portion of my note in the box and then use the top portion to create a fun header.

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Then you can pick out an envelope for your first card…

…and one for the second.

Finally, think about someone special. Write them a note. Drop it in the mail. Repeat over and over.

Real mail is special, especially when you’ve made it yourself.

Have lots of fun and enjoy the people in your life.

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Happy Fourth!

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