Cross Stitch Card Mini Tutorial

Recently I joined in a Valentine card exchange in a Facebook stitch group that I'm a member of.  The card had to be a stitched card, something I'd never crafted before.  I know that there are ready-made cards with apertures already in them, but my crafty stash contained some pretty red cards which I thought would be perfect for this project.

First, I had to stitch a little Valentine chart.  I found the cutest little Winnie the Pooh freebie online, and then I substituted a red heart for the balloons he was carrying.  The finished stitching would fit nicely into the blank card I had. 

Now to cut the aperture.  All I needed was a ruler, an X-acto knife and a pencil.  Then measure.  And measure again just to be sure.  Draw the outline and then using the ruler and point of the knife, cut out your opening.  Be careful not to cut beyond the corners.  HINT!:  Begin your cutting in the corner, cut to the middle of the line, and then begin at the opposite corner and finish your cut in the middle where you left off.  This will eliminate the possibility of cutting too far into the card.  If you want to cut out a circle or a heart by hand, you're on your own.  So far, I've only mastered straight edge openings.  If I ever figure it out, I'll let you know.

Next, trim the stitching.  It has to extend beyond the opening, but doesn't have to be too big.  You just want to get rid of the excess fabric.

Start to center your stitching within the aperture.

I just taped it in.  You can't see this but I put some of my very favorite double-sided tape (Terrifically Tacky Tape) around the inside edge of the opening. 

Next, in goes some pretty scrapbook paper to hide the back of the stitching and to dress up the inside of the card.  I would recommend folding the paper, taping one side, and then taping the other side while closing the card.  This will keep the paper smooth and the card will close easily.

Tape in a piece of paper for the message.  I used watercolor paper.  Pretty fancy, huh?

I added a couple of old-fashioned Valentine cut-outs, and the card was done! 

So my first attempt at making a cross-stitched card was quite successful.  There are a lot of other decorative elements I could have used, like decorative edging, punch-outs, stickers, rhinestones.  The craft stores are just full of wonderful ideas.  Maybe next time I'll pay one of them a visit for inspiration!