Hand Stitching

Happy Saturday folks!!! Are you all ready for another Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge? The very witty and very talented Carole Burrage has challenged us this week to add some "Hand Stitching" to our projects. I absolutely love the look of stitching on cards and although I tend to pull out my sewing machine for this task, I was excited to venture out of my comfort zone. :)

I had yet to ink up the adorable "Agnes"...I just love her! One of my latest obsessions is the MME Stella and Rose 6x6 pads...I am in love with the colour combinations and fun patterns in these paper collections. Years ago, another obsession of mine was cross stitching and I still have a ton of floss and aida cloth kicking around. I stamped the "Life is how you bake it!" sentiment that comes with Agnes on some aida cloth with Versafine Ink, created a little cross stitched border with teal floss and then frayed the edges. Agnes also comes with another sentiment that says "What's cookin'?". The little measuring spoons charm is actually a button I picked up at my local fabric store. The bow was tied with the aide of my Bow Easy.


Agnes was stamped in Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copics. I cut her out with my Spellbinders Labels 8. While she was still in the die, I used a paper piercer to make some holes around the border and then sponged the paper with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. I used the same teal floss to backstitch around the holes. This was actually a really great technique for sewing around irregular shapes. I can sew in a straight line easy enough, but circles and other shapes are a nightmare for me. By using the edge of the die as a guide, you can make sure your holes are all in alignment. I just eyeballed the distance between the holes...I figured a bit of uneven stitching adds to the whole charm of the "hand stitched" challenge. :)


Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, BG78, C5, C9, R81, R85, R89, RV000 Apron, E40, E41, E43, E47 Bowl: C7, C5, C3, B60

If you play along with Carole's "Hand Stitched" challenge this week, you could be the lucky winner of "Roxy", the stamp seen on Carole's awesome card!Just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project to be eligible...you can go shopping at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store. For a bit of Krafty inspiration, please hop on over the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the gorgeous samples by my fellow Krafty Girls. :)

Oh, and if you haven't scooped up your Gimmie Kimmie Kits from the May release yet, this will be your last weekend to do so!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks so much for dropping by today. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Agnes" and coordinating sentiment
Ink: Memento, Versafine, Distress Ink, Copics
Papers: Bazzill, Neenah, MME Stella and Rose
Embellishments: Offray ribbon, spoon button, aida cloth, embroidery floss
Tools: Spellbinders Labels 8, Bow easy, paper piercer