I have a great little project to practice your beginning embroidery skills and just in time for the upcoming holidays. You can make embroidered gift tags. Not only are they fun and easy to make but they can also be re-used and/or repurposed so they don't have to be another thing to end up in the garbage after the holidays!
You will need:
1. THICK CARD STOCK GIFT TAGS: These can be found at your local craft store.
2 GLUE: I found that fabric glue or tacky glue works well for glueing fabric to paper. Be sure to get the kind that dries clear and has a matte finish rather than glossy.
3. SCISSORS: These will be used for cutting your embroidery thread.
4. EMBROIDERY THREAD: I love the six stranded DMC thread. You can pick a fun holiday color scheme if you will be making holiday gift tags.
5. AN EMBROIDERY NEEDLE
6. COTTON FABRIC: I used a plain muslin because it has a nice loose weave.
7. *OPTIONAL: SCALLOPED SCISSORS: I like to use these to create a decorative edge around the fabric and to help prevent fraying.
Using a mechanical pencil, lightly trace around the gift tag onto the fabric. This will give you a guide for cutting. I cut inside the line to make my fabric piece slightly smaller than the tag.
When you are done cutting the fabric, place it on the gift tag to see how it looks. Maybe you need to trim it a little smaller or straighten an edge.
Since I am using a light fabric with a loose weave I add interfacing to the back of the fabric. Not only does this help stabilize the fabric but it also prevents you from being able to see through to the stitches in the back.
Use a mechanical pencil or a regular pencil sharpened to a fine point and add some messages to your fabric. Make your lines nice and thin so you can cover them with your stitches.
When you have finished stitching your fabric, apply glue to the center of your gift tag. I also applied a little to the back of the fabric then centered the fabric on the gift tag and applied a little pressure.
Let them dry and you're all done. These are nice and thick and could be hung on a tree as ornaments or saved and re-used for another time. You don't have to add names and could keep them more generic.
They are really cute thoughtfully attached to a present or hanging as an ornament.
This is a great way to practice your beginning stitches and make something practical and usable at the same time. If you need a brush up on some beginner stitches, here are the links to my basic stitching tutorials: RUNNING STITCH, BACKSTITCH, and FRENCH KNOTS.
Once you have become more comfortable, I am excited to show you my new patterns I am creating for the holidays! They will feature beginning stitches and are really cute to make or give as gifts! I am still ironing out some of the final details but I can not wait to show you! Until then, for those of you celebrating Thanksgiving I hope you have a wonderful holiday with lots to be thankful for! Wishing everyone a fabulous rest of your week.
Please do check MY SHOP if you are searching for some cute holiday stocking stuffers or small handmade gift ideas, such as teacher gifts!
Warmly,
Pam