Weeks of Wonder: Stamp stitching guide

I have often talked about my father and what an inspiration he has been in my life. He was a pattern maker by trade and could create the most spectacular things from wood. It really was his example that motivated me to start designing patterns for scrapbook layouts and cards—the patterns that ultimately became our entire library of how-to books!

Although stamps are not considered patterns, they can be used as such with the simple addition of a piercing tool, needle and thread. The technique is ideally suited to thin, line stamps—just stamp in a light color (I like Bamboo), and then use the stamped image as a stitching guide. Ta-da! An easy stamped pattern.

I love how the stitching adds just the right touch to the Thank You card. Here, the word is stamped in Chocolate ink just like the color of thread stitched on top for a perfect match. The “thanks” was very simple and straightforward and took no time at all.

For a bigger “WOW” factor, try using a more elaborate image, like this stitched flourish. You can even experiment with different stitch types such as the Lazy Daisy stitch done on the leaves of the flourish to fill in the stamped image.

Stamps make combining different media a piece of cake. Notice on the layout how part of the snowflake was stitched (using a stamp as a guide), part of the image is stamped, some of the snowflakes are made from Dimensional Elements, but to pull everything together, a little bling was added with Sparkles. Let’s take a closer look at how to do the stitching.

Stamp your image using Bamboo ink or using the color of ink you are going to stitch with. A fun tip: create the perfect color of embroidery floss by carefully coloring white or neutral floss using an Exclusive Inks Marker.

Determine how far apart you want the stitches to be, I like somewhere between 3/8” and 1/4” apart. I have found that most of the time it isn’t discernible to the eye if your stitches are slightly larger and smaller, however if you’re a stickler for precision and want very evenly placed holes, pull out a ruler and lay it next to the image that will be stitched. Then, use a piercing tool and mat, pre-hole the artwork prior to stitching.

Start your stitching without knotting the thread but by taping down the end on the back side of your project. This helps reduce the bulkiness of the thread.

Stitch along your pre-holed guidelines. A skip stitch run one way and then back the other direction will help the embroidery floss stay flat and look neat on the back of the project (however, a backstitch may also be used).