Crafty Christmas: Handmade Cards - Hand Stitching

No L. Get it? Noel???? Anyone?!?

Isn't she a beaut? This puppy is 100% hand-stitched and is SUPER easy to make. Here's how:

Materials

• Cardstock
• Needle
• Thread
• Scrap paper
• Thumbtack
• Enough brilliance to think of a sassy pun or fingers to Google for one (I googled).

Step 1: Trace whatever pattern/word you want onto scrap paper.

Step 2: Cut out the pattern and tape it to your piece of card stock.

Step 3: Using the thumbtack, poke holes through both sheets of paper at regular intervals. For lettering or pictures that do not use all straight lines, poke the holes closer together so the string can draw the shape properly. Remove your pattern for later use.

Step 4: Using the backstitch (for you sewers out there), sew into the holes you poked.

For you NON-SEWERS (lazies), learn how to thread a needle on your own. It's pretty basic. Learn to tie a knot at the end of your thread, and FIGURE it out (like I did!) All you're trying to do is make your stitch look like a continuous line, so while you're sewing, either tie knots after every stitch so you can thread back through the hole from whence you came, or find some other way.

The best part? Make this card for someone to whom you don't have a lot to say. Half of the inside is taken up with the back of your stitches! Sucker!

Or paste another sheet of cardstock on the inside so you can write more.This is less fun, but it means the back of your work doesn't need to be as gorgeous as mine. Just use this rule: if you are a cross-stitcher and the back of your work is always a hot mess, you'll probably need to hide it creatively with this project.