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Embroidering on Cardstock
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Embroidering on Cardstock
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Embroidering on cardstock to make holiday and greeting cards is one of
the hottest trends in embroidery. The
Embroidery Library recently released
dozens of new designs specially
digitized for cardstock. We've received
some excellent questions from
embroiderers who are ready to make the
plunge into the card-making business.
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What kind
of paper should I use?
Any heavy weight paper (cardstock) will
be fine. I've embroidered on several
different kinds: paper from an
artist's water-color pad,
short-fibered tagboard, and expensive
hand-made paper.
I've found the best results with heavy paper
that has longer fibers. Look at the image to
the right. That's generic cardstock. The
fibers are very short. You will get a fine
result when you embroider on this type of
paper, but you will see perforations left
behind by the needle.
Paper with longer fibers (below, right) is
more forgiving of the needle perforations,
and it will pull together slightly after
embroidering. You'll still see needle
perforations, but they'll be smaller and
less noticeable than when working with the
inexpensive, short-fiber cardstock.
When choosing paper, you really get what you
pay for. Paper with long fibers is
considered higher quality, so it's more
expensive.
You can find paper with short fibers at
almost any store, including discount chains
like Target and Walmart. You'll find
higher-quality paper at craft stores, art
stores, and specialty-paper stores. |
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Paper
with short fibers |
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Loretta wrote in with
this tip:
SuedePaper (tm) works really well with cardstock
designs! It has a fabric-like texture and comes in a
variety of colors.
Paper Wishes is an online source for this paper, or
rubber stamp or scrapbooking store also. |
Paper
with long fibers |
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Why should I
slow my machine down when embroidering on paper?
Truthfully, the reason why I slow my machine
down, is because the first time I did it, I
wanted to really watch and study the process. I
just got into the habit of running cardstock
designs at a slower speed.
You can embroider on paper when running your
machine at full speed, but if you have the
option to reduce the speed, do so. It might be a
personal preference, but I've found that I get a
cleaner, crisper result when embroidering on
cardstock at a slower speed.
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What kind of
needle should I use?
Definitely a sharp needle. A ballpoint
needle creates a larger hole when
perforating the cardstock. A sharp needle
makes smaller holes, so those perforations
will be less noticeable.
As far as needle size, a 75/11 will be fine.
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Can I sew
cardstock designs onto fabric? |
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Absolutely. You can sew any cardstock
design onto fabric. Just keep in mind
that the the fills
are more sheer than other designs. Expect the
fabric to peek through.
This design (right) is sewn onto white
fabric. You can see that the sheer blue
fill is allowing a bit of white to peek
through. If your bobbin tension is too
tight, then more fabric will show
through. As long as your thread tensions
are balanced correctly, you'll have fine
results when sewing cardstock designs
onto fabric. |
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Cardstock designs can also
be sewn onto fabric. |
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Click here to find the card designs
specially digitized for cardstock!
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Kenny is a
master digitizer and Vice President of
Production at Embroidery Library, Inc. He has
more than ten years of experience as an artist,
digitizer, and embroiderer.
Because his Christmas card list includes more
than 100 names, he started making cards in
August.
Ask Kenny! Send your questions to
stitch@emblibrary.com. |
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Click
here for a printable version of this page.
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free copy by clicking on the icon below.
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Previous "Korners"
can be found by clicking on the link below:
See Them All
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