DIY Faux -Stitching Template (And The Object of my Desire: the Wondrous Stampamajig!!) :o)

You can paper pierce any pattern you like without buying any templates! Simply draw a pattern & pierce it. I drew these curly cues & leaves; then I scanned and printed them. (The scanning & printing allows me to have a fresh template whenever I want, but you could skip those steps.) You could just print this one below. (Click the pic or the link to go to the downloadable pdf of this template):

Faux Stitching template

The template above also includes the middle-sized mirkwood flower to make the white lotus card in the picture and some leaves. The Lotus flower tutorial is here.

To use the template you can simply:

1) Print it (or draw a pattern of your own)
2) Trim the pattern to size
3) Use Dotto or repositionable adhesive to tack it onto your project (I took some of the stickiness off of the dotto by patting my hand on it because it can tear the paper a little otherwise)
4) Place your project on a surface that will allow piercing (I use a flexible cutting board from Ikea; you could use a wooden cutting board or mouse pad (with no gel in it.) :o-)
5) Follow along the lines piercing the paper
6) After piercing, you can highlight the stitches with white gel pen or marker. You can also leave them, of course. (I added a little painty kind of touches with white craft ink on an aquapainter.)
7) The raised leaves are done by: using an exacto blade/ hobby knife to cut around them so I could tuck my image underneath.

The Time Well Spent flower is embossed in black on Naturals paper and watercoloured with River Rock & Elegant Eggplant inks. The center is layered on black cardstock using this easy method:

1) Emboss the flower on cardstock
2) Colour the flower as desired
3) Trim roughly around the flower (1/2 inch or so away from the stamped image)
4) Layer this on top of a scrap of cardstock (I used black) You can stick it on with a little adhesive to prevent shifting.
5) Trim the two layers at once
6) Adhere the flowers & shape, if desired

Here is a back view of the center with the ribbon and slider (from the new Hodge Podge kit):

To add the slider to a layered flower:

1) Position the slider on the ribbon (Melting the ends of your ribbon gently with a quick flash over a lighter flame will seal the ends from fraying & make it easier)
2) Lay the ribbon over the flower to decide which way you want it to sit (ie; so that one petal points up or otherwise)
3) Cut 2 slits into the layered flower with a hobby blade (all the way through.)
4) Use an implement to make the slits wider (such as a paper piercer)
5) Slide the ribbon through, adjust it, & adhere it.

The main card is layered. I used a piece of Perfect Plum card stock (cut with a flap) and sandwiched it between the paper-pieced River Rock front (I used an identical size of River Rock on the back to hide the mess) :0)

The card was front heavy so I added layers of cardstock on the inside:

The Wondrous Stampamajig:

I used this handy little tool to make sure the positioning of the leaves was even. It was a joy to use and I can't believe how long I waited to try it. If you've forgotten about the Stampamajig, it might be time to remember it. :0) (It's really affordable and I'm finding it indispensable.) Even stamps that're mounted crookedly can be stamped perfectly with this little thing.

Wondering how to use it? Check out Kristina Werner's glorious Stampamajig tutorial (Six videos down)

Thanks for taking time out of your day,


ETA: Some options for making permanent templates:

P.S. Some amazing suggestions from Susan G: "I might add one thing--once you've printed out the design on paper, place it on a piece of clear plastic like quilting template plastic, prick your design into the plastic, and then you have a permanent template to use over and over. Also for those of us who are artistically challenged, quilting books are a great place to find patterns for making swirls, flowers, etc." Thanks Susan; just brilliant! :0)

ETA: P.S.S. Twiglet on scs had the awesome idea to laminate stitching templates to make them permanent. TOO smart! :0)