Saturday, October 16, 2010

Another Cross Stitch Lesson - Perforated Paper

I love stitching and love finding new ways of doing it!  When I found perforated paper or punch paper, I was hooked.
 
Perforated paper is a thick paper with holes evenly punched on it.  It is the same as using 14 count fabric but you can only use it for whole stitches, you cannot poke holes in it for half stitches.  So, anything you can do with fabric with only whole stitches, you can do on perforated paper, as long as it's not too big!
 
Mill Hill uses it for their beaded ornament kits and their pin kits, it's so easy to work with and things work up quickly with it, plus you don't need a hoop!
 
It's available in all kinds of colors and now even available with patterns on it for backgrounds.  I'll provide links later!
 
If you would like to see some old works done on this paper, there's a wonderful article here:  http://www.victoriana.com/Embroidery/perforatedpaper.html  Shows many examples of work done in the Victorian Era.

Now, for some of my works!  I have done plenty of ornaments and pins, but don't have any photos of them.  But here is a small pair of earrings I made:
 These work up in a matter of minutes!
 
You do the stitching and then carefully cut the paper about one hole away from the stitching.
 
I found this frame and just had to have it!  I worked up a watermelon for it to use in my bathroom that is decorated with watermelons and primitives.
Next is one of my favorite items!  I used handmade blocks that my hubby made for me and he carved out a section on one side, I make up the tiny paper squares and push them into the front section.  I can change them easily for different occasions.
I purchased an inexpensive shaker box that I stained and set the blocks on top of that with the extra unused squares inside it for storage.
Even Gladys loves it on top of them and is right at home there.
This next item is a doorknob hanger.  I made this one using one sheet of paper and doing all the stitching on that, then I used a second sheet that I just stitched to the first to cover the back and the stitches don't show!
And another one of my all time favorites, these are the same blocks I used before but I stitched up a Christmas tree including the presents on the bottom.  Then, just stack the blocks to make the tree!
A close up view:
The last one I wanted to show is another Christmas item:
So simple but it makes quite the impact!
 
It's recommended you use 2 or 3 strands, I've found I like using 3 strands for better coverage.  If you are just starting out, I suggest you purchase a kit, they have everything you need and have wonderful instructions.  I'd start out with doing either Christmas ornaments or bookmarks.  When you feel more comfortable, try some Mill Hill pins!  Here's the link for pins:
 
 and while there, look at how many colors of perforated papers they have!   
(I love the sky blue and olive green!)
 
RWS

3 comments:

Doodle said...

Awesome! It all sounds so simple, but I'm sure I'd find a way to goof it up. But they look so fun. Another great post with some fun links.
Thanks RWS ~ (haha ~ love seeing it first)

jj said...

I love stitching on paper. I have a series of Santa ornaments that I have made over the years. I always hang them up for the holidays. Each one it is owns theme, like Forest Santa...etc
Thanks for the links to Mill Hill and the others. :)

Unknown said...

I've sewn on paper, but I've never heard of punched paper for crafts. What an informative post and I liked all the pictures.