Sew What? Techniques for Sewing on Scrapbook Pages
12 March 2009
Author: Catherine Matthews-Scanlon
Sewing on paper, that’s what! Sewing on scrapbook pages provides another level of texture and interest that your friends and family will go crazy over. There are many ways to add stitches to your layouts – hand sewing, faux sewing using rub ons or piercing tools, stitching templates and punches that punch holes that you stitch through.
There are tools available to help you accomplish a faux stitched look on your paper project. Look for tools that actually pierce the paper as a needle would and create evenly spaced holes. These small hand tools have wheels that roll across the paper leaving a trail of holes or indentations creating that faux stitched look. You can add some faux thread by following the pierced trail left by the tool with a marker that matches your page. Look at this page I created using a piercing tool – some of the stitches have been left plain and others I used a marker to create the faux stitching.
If you are looking for a small stitched embellishment, another option would be paper punches that allow you to punch holes in the paper following a pattern that resembles stitching. You can then choose to hand stitch the pattern with thread or yarn, create a faux stitched look with a marker or leave the design plain. I personally like the way the stitched pattern looks using Perle cotton yarn. You can punch butterflies, swirls, flowers, or hearts. There are even punches that create dimension on the page by combining stitching and a pop-up. You’ll love the depth and dimension these punches add to your designs!
If you’re nervous about using your sewing machine to stitch on your scrapbook page, don’t be. With a little practice sewing scraps of paper together you’ll be a pro in no time. It really is like sewing on fabric – with a few exceptions that are easy to remember. As you stitch on scrap paper pay special attention to the way your stitches look. Sometimes the tension of the thread needs to be adjusted to create a smooth and even stitch. Also, instead of marking where I want to stitch with a pencil, I use the edge of the presser foot as a guide. For example, if I am stitching a straight line along the edge of a photograph, I use the foot to keep the spacing between the edge of the photo and stitch the same width by keeping the foot lined up with the photo. Practice makes perfect in this situation, but once you start you’ll never be able to stop. Pay attention to the length of the stitch. Stitches that are too close together have a tendency to perforate the paper.
The first thing to think about when you are assembling your page is where you might like to add stitching. It’s important not to put adhesive in these places as the needle from your machine has a tendency to pick up the adhesive as it stitches through. Sometimes this is unavoidable. If you notice your needle is a little gummed up, remove your project and squirt a little alcohol blending solution on a paper towel and start stitching through the spot where you added the solution. This will remove the adhesive from your needle! You can also remove the needle and wipe it clean with the paper towel.
Another aspect to think about is if you want to add three dimensional embellishments that you can’t stitch through. You will want to add these embellishments AFTER you have completed the stitching. It would be a tragedy to try and stitch something that is too thick or stiff and break your needle or ruin the embellishment.
Which brings me to needle selection: I use a top stitching needle on the majority of my sewing on paper projects. I like the way the stitches look and this type of needle is made for stitching through several layers of fabric. If you don’t want to invest in a package of top stitching needles, you’ll want to make sure you have a heavy duty needle in your machine. I never use anything smaller than a size 11 needle.
The last thing to consider when machine stitching is how to end the stitches. Since I don’t like the way the stitching looks when you go back and forth to set the stitch, I remove my project when I have completed the stitching, pull the top thread to the back and tie them in a knot together.
With a little bit of practice you will soon be on your way to sewing on scrapbook pages, and you’ll be amazed at the difference in your projects. I hope you’ll get started today!