I've been exploring embroidering on paper and card lately (maybe because of the penpal project). A sweet person sent me an advance reader's copy of a book to review for the book blog I write for, Forever Young Adult, and I wanted to send her a little thank you when I sent the ARC back. So I took inspiration from these magnetic bookmarks I made several months ago and made this little embroidered paper bookmark. The initial tutorial for making magnetic bookmarks can be found over at CraftChi, but here's my process. You could easily skip the magnetic part and glue cardstock to the back of the embroidered paper if you want.
Embroidered Paper Bookmarks
- Pretty paper (I cut mine from a Crate and Barrel catalog)
- Index card or other cardstock
- Mod Podge or other white glue
- Small brush
- Thumbtack or other pin for poking holes
- Embroidery floss
- Small scrap of ribbon
- Hole punch
- Flexible sheet magnet (like the kind used for advertising)
Choose the shape you want for your bookmark. I actually picked patterned plates from the catalog, so I just cut them out. Glue the patterned paper to the index card to give the paper stability. Brush a layer of glue on the back of the paper to adhere it to the cardstock, then brush another layer of glue over the top of the paper to give it a protective coating. It's easier to cut the card to match the paper after it's glued down than to try to trace your bookmark shape onto the card and cut them separately. Once the glue is dry, cut around the paper.
Step 2: Prepare your embroidery design
Using buttons or other objects to trace, or just working freehand, draw your design in light pencil on your bookmark. Take a thumbtack or other sharp poky object and punch small holes along the lines. Your glued paper will be too thick to easily puncture with a needle, so you want to prepare the holes in advance. Don't make the holes too big -- you want them a little smaller than your needle and thread, not bigger. I actually used the very tip of the pointy part of a seam ripper to poke most of my holes. I also used a hole puncher to punch a hole in the center of the circle for decoration.
Step 3: Sew!
This is the fun part. Using different stitches, embroider your bookmark. Be careful not to tear the paper (it should be relatively stiff thanks to the cardstock and glue, though), and trim the ends neatly but don't knot the thread. You'll be gluing it down anyway.
Step 4. Assemble the bookmarks.
If you punched holes in your paper, punch holes in your magnet, too. You'll want these shapes to match.
Glue the bookmark down to the magnet, lining up any holes. You should still only be working with one of your circles, not both. When the glue's dry enough to handle, trim away the excess magnet around your circle. Be careful not to cut any embroidery that might be on the edge of your bookmark.
Rinse, repeat with the other side.
Weight it down to let it dry, then admire your handiwork!