Cross-Stitched Greeting Cards

This afternoon I finished a couple greeting cards. In honor of my Word for the Year, whittle, I'm completing some crafts and stitching that have been in my stash for a while. These two pieces are card kits that were packaged with British needlework magazines in 2004. The kit came with fabric, needle, floss, pattern, a 5 inch by 5 inch tri-fold blank card, and envelope.

Once the stitching was complete, I pressed the embroidery from the back, using a steam iron on top of a terrycloth towel. This allows the stitchery to puff up from the ground cloth. I then pressed fusible interfacing onto the back to give the needlework a little body before mounting it in the card.

I left one of the cards unembellished. I decided to emboss the center section of the second card. I used the "Flowers and Dots" embossing folder from Sizzix with my Big Shot embossing tool. I'm very pleased with the effect.

Next, with the stitchery and card face up, I placed my stitchery behind the circle window. Once I liked the placement, I held it in place temporarily with a temporary paper tape (Post-It Tape). Washi tape would also be a good choice for this step.

I gently turned the card over and secured the stitchery to the back of the card with this medical paper tape. This is found in the pharmacy. It holds well, but can easily be removed. I smoothed the stitchery onto the back of the card as I taped it in place. I then used double-sided adhesive to secure the front flap of the card over the stitchery.

I find simple projects like this extremely satisfying. I am able to combine my love of cross-stitch with my enjoyment of making handcrafted greeting cards. Plus, I continue to whittle a little for 2019.