Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

Did I mention that these cards are addicting?  Since I had the appropriate collection of materials out in front of me, I thought I might as well make a few more of these.  With this group, I enjoyed adding the complementary color of blue and I tried out some hand stitching.

Click any image for a larger view.   The card above included silk, “painted”
needlepoint canvas, cotton, machine stitching, and hand stitching with Pearle Cotton. 

The hand stitching was new for me, and I really like the effect.  There’s a trick to it though:  after making the first diagonal of a cross stitch, you can’t tell where to start the next diagonal.  At least from the front, that is.  If you’ll look inside, you can see exactly where you needle goes for the next stitch.

Above: Painted interfacing, cotton fabrics, machine and hand stitching.

More of the same.  This group is my favorite and I had a lot of fun with them!

I encourage you to try making some of your own cards.  If you decide to use hand stitching I recommend avoiding knots.  Instead, secure the ends with a little packing tape, as shown below. 
Hide the threads by gluing a piece of paper over everything.

Find further tips for making these cards here.

Ellen Lindner