Making Embroidered Valentine Postcard from Regular Card Stock

One option for using designs from "Valentine Greetings" set is to make embroidered postcards, using regular card stock for card base and for appliqu� elements of Valentine designs. Using this technique, you may create this kind of postcard.

Below you will find a step-by-step instruction, explaining and demonstrating how this Valentine card was made. It's a very fast and simple project you may complete in no time. Before you begin, just make sure you've got all listed supplies.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES & TOOLS

Cutaway embroidery backing

Temporary adhesive spray

Design from Valentine Greetings set. We've used "Cherub With Heart" for this project.Card stock in 3 colors that look well together (we've used champagne color for the card base, red for heart appliqu� & yellow for the hair). The width of card stock for greeting card base should be 3 times the size of postcard you want to make, and the height - your desired card height.

Embroidery thread. We've used black color on this card, but you may change to fit your card stock colors; even metallic can be used!

Small scissors with sharp ends

White craft glue

Pencil

Eraser

* Make sure that your printer is functioning properly. You'll need it for printing design template.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Open Valentine Greetings designs set on your PC, locate "Cherub With Heart" design, open it's corresponding PDF format template using Acrobat Reader, and print it out.

In case you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your PC - you may download it for free from Adobe site, here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

1. After printing the template, cut out the one with images of color appliqu�s (hair & heart). Then carefully cut out the colored objects. The result of this step should be a paper stencil:

2. Take the red card stock for heart appliqu�, draw a heart on it using a pencil and the heart stencil you've just created. Then, cut out the heart according to outlines. Repeat the same procedure to make a piece of hair appliqu�.

3. Take the piece of card stock assigned for card body. Make sure that it's width is exactly 3 times more than width of card you want to make. The height should be exactly the height of your future card. Pencil-mark the card stock into 3 equal parts, using a ruler and pencil. Fold it twice, according to your marks, like the photo shows ->

4. Hoop a piece of cutaway embroidery backing, and mark it from middle to middle of each hoop size, to find hoop center ->

5. Apply temporary adhesive spray over the hooped backing. Spray a decent amount, but don't exaggerate, so that the card stock won't get really wet.Fold the card body twice, and stick its middle part over the hooped backing, exactly in the middle. The middle of each card side should meet the middle of hoop. You may find this position easily using the marks you've done on embroidery backing ->

6. Position the paper stencil exactly in the middle of card stock (and hoop). Draw the hair & heart shapes on card stock using the template and regular pencil. Like this



7. Apply temporary adhesive spray over the appliqu� pieces (hair and heart). Be sure to spray on the correct side! Then, stick the appliqu�s on postcard body, exactly over the outlines you've just drawn. ->

8. Insert the hoop into embroidery machine, and embroider the design. It's only one thread, and should stitch out in no time.

9. When the design is embroidered, remove the hoop, unhoop the backing, and carefully cut away the backing edges out of the card.

10. Take some white craft glue, and stick one folding of the card to back side of the design, to cover it and make the postcard look good inside.

Ready!