Rockin' The Stitch!

I have always admired layouts that have intricate details and make you ponder the level of the artist’s craftsmanship. This month at Chic Street, we are featuring layouts with sophisticated hand stitches other than the usual straight running and backstitches.

Handstitching is a versatile technique that instantly adds dimension and texture to paper and embellishments. One may argue that not everyone can do this awesome hand stitching on their layouts, but I beg to disagree. Handstitching need not take perfect form, for it is on their nuances that make them unique and personalized. One might be surprised to find out that stitching does not have to be too complicated to achieve that right touch on a page.

Take a look at Peggy's "The Symbol of Paris" layout. What struck me most on her page was her absolutely amazing stitched image of the Eiffel Tower. The stitching, if you look closely, is founded on the simple backstitch, but the final product, when put together to form the image, is simply spectacular. One can also use stitching for creating unique accents on pages. Check out the random stitching on Peggy's layout, the scattered stars on Mireille's "My Wish," or the French knots on the flower centers on Karen's "American Beauty". I'm sure you will agree that those little stitches add a big impact on the overall design of the page.

Het Symbool van Parijs (The Symbol of Paris) by Peggy Schenkels

Supplies: Paper: BasicGrey, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Inks: Ranger, Other: paper doily, sewing threads, alphabet stickers.

Design Notes: A great tip when you want to stitch complicated lines to a layout is to use coloring book images. These images usually aren't all that complicated and show specific lines which can be followed to stitch over. I Googled a coloring page of the Eiffel Tower, changed it to the size I wanted it to be, and cut it out. I placed it where I wanted the image to be, and started stitching over the paper. This paper can easily be removed after the stitching is done. I later on added some random black stitching, just to create some balance and make the LO a little less boring.

Journaling: The Eiffel Tower was built in the occasion of the World's Exhibit of 1889, after a design by Gustave Eiffel. The tower is 324 meters high and consists of 15.000 metal elements. Its weight is 7 tons. It has 3 floors, and you'll find bars and restaurants on every floor. On a clear day, you can see as far as 70 kilometers.

My Wish by Mireille Divjak

Supplies: Papers, Stickers: BasicGrey, Punches: Martha Stewart Crafts, Chipboard: Unique Pages, Flower: Prima Marketing, Dimensional Pearls, Glaze: Ranger, Embroidery Floss: DMC, Rub-Ons: Cosmo Cricket, Ribbon: Webster’s Pages, Pens: Sakura, Other: doilies die-cut paper.

Design Notes: I combined faux stitches with real stitches on my layout. I thought the lace feeling of the doily paper itself would combine real well with a lace punched border and lots of stitches. I embroided little stars in the colors of the patterned paper inside the circular design and combined that with faux stitched circular borders.

Journaling: This was when my husband just came from the hospital. Just the weeks after, Amber would be in deep thoughts a lot and when I asked her what she was doing, she said “shhh mom, I am concentrating.” When I asked her on what, she said "on my wish" and when I asked her what she was wishing for, her answer was always the same… "for Daddy to get better soon."

American Beauty by Karen Patterson

Supplies: Papers: Webster's Pages, Tag: My Mind's Eye, Border Punch: Fiskars, Alphabet Stickers: Making Memories, Brads: Creative Charms, Flowers: Karensneedle.etsy, Ribbon: Rainbow Gallery, Floss: DMC, Thread: Coats and Clark Cotton, Pen: Zig, Other: floss, papers.

Design Notes: I used straight and zigzag sewing machine stitches around perimeter of layout. I made ecru French knots for the centers of the large ecru flowers and did a backstitch to outline the petals. I did green French knots for the center of the smaller flowers and I used brown floss to outline the veins in the brown leaves. I crocheted the small pink flowers using Flair nylon ribbon from rainbow gallery. I used a Fiskars border punch on the top of the tag with the crochet flowers and the top of the mat for the picture. I also inked around the tag with the title on it, I kept the title small as I wanted the focus to be on the stitching.

Journaling: Flowers for sister, sisters dance recital, Brynlee 2007.