Using your embroidery machine in a novel way is to embroider on paper items like gift tags, cards, and other fun paper items! While selecting the best combination of stabilizer, design, and paper for paper embroidery can seem overwhelming, I’ve got some pointers to help you learn how to embroider on paper cards.

Equipment for using a machine to embroider on paper cards:

Cards with a single panel and a variety of colors can be glued to sheets of watercolor paper. Cards made of watercolor paper — Why Embroider on Paper?

An embroidered card looks rich, personalized, and one-of-a-kind in the digital age. However, building one takes very little time and money. Additionally, the card can be completely personalized for any recipient. Simply load a new design and include a name.

Most of the time, the cards aren’t very big. This is an excellent project to begin with if you only have a small embroidery hoop. A great way to get used to using your embroidery machine is to embroider on cards.

Should You Embroider Cards of a Specific Kind?

Embroidering a card can basically be done in two ways. You can either glue it to the front of a plain note card or embroider it on paper. You could also simply embroider on the notecard’s front. Regardless of your method, you’ll need paper that can withstand needle punctures while stitching the Embroidery digitizing design. Card stock or watercolor paper work well.

Keep in mind that if you sew the embroidery design to the folded card’s front, the embroidery’s ugly back side will be on the inside. This is why you use paper to cover the inside of the card.

The best stabilizer for paper embroidery:

Cutaway stabilizer (also known as PolyMesh) makes excellent greeting cards, as do most types of paper. It holds stitches well, especially on denser designs and paper that is less sturdy. After sewing, the cutaway stabilizer can be removed from the design, but there will still be one underneath. A second piece of cardstock can easily cover this up.

Even though I would like to use Tearaway Stabilizer to embellish the design’s back, the results aren’t very good.

However, if you want a fun effect, use a tear-away stabilizer to apply dense satin stitching to the card. Thanks, you’ll get a 3D effect like smashing my fluttering butterfly.

The ideal needle for paper embroidery:

The hole gets bigger as your needle gets bigger.

Therefore, while a needle that is thick enough to puncture the paper is required, you should select the smallest possible size to avoid puncturing the paper. Make sure the eye will be large enough to accommodate your thread selection if you choose a smaller size, such as 75/11 or 70/10. Make a neat hole with a sharp sewing needle if an embroidery needle doesn’t work. Go up a size.

Also, it’s best to use a brand-new needle from your pack for paper embroidery. Problems will only arise from slow needles.

Types of thread:

Paper embroidery can be done with a wide range of different kinds of thread. The most crucial factor is ensuring compatibility between your choices of thread and needle. A needle with a small eye, for instance, won’t work well with decorative threads.

The majority of digital embroidery designs use thread of 40 wt., but you can use a different weight. While I will generally decide in favor utilizing my #1 40wt polyester or rayon string, here are some other tomfoolery string choices for card weaving:

Try using cotton thread of various weights (try 30 wt!). to resemble hand-stitched embroidery in appearance.
Metallic thread Glow-in-the-dark thread (Learn how to make embroidery machine threads that glow in the dark!)

Diverse thread Tutorial for Embroidering on a Paper Card:

I found an uninteresting brown card to begin this project. I have no idea what I would do with it because it is so lifeless. The whimsical flower bouquet appliqué that I stitched onto the card was an embroidery design that I had previously digitized.

Step 1: Attach a stabilizer hoop:

For this project, I believe you can use any kind of stabilizer. I used adhesive-backed tearaway stabilizer, but I’ve also heard that cut-away or regular tearaway stabilizer is also used. Mark the center of the hooped stabilizer with a pen that disappears, then extend the center lines vertically and horizontally after the stabilizer has been hooped.

Step 2: Make the card float:

To tear the top layer of paper using an adhesive-backed tearaway stabilizer, score the stabilizer’s inside edge with a pin. Peel the paper off next to reveal the sticky surface. You will need to spray the stabilizer with a temporary adhesive if you are making use of a standard tearaway or cutaway stabilizer. Glue the card to the stabilizer so that its center is in line with the hooped stabilizer’s center.

Step 3: Sew your design up now:

It’s very satisfying to hear the needles pierce the card.

Step 4: Take the card out of the hoops:

When removing the card from the hoop, be sure to tear the stabilizer, not the card itself, if you are using a tearaway stabilizer.

Step 5: Finish things off with these:

Using embroidery nippers, remove your design’s strings. I also needed to use applique scissors to trim my fabric because the design I created was a raw edge applique design. Check ZDIGITIZING Embroidery digitizing services.

Conclusion:

I hope you now know how to use your embroidery machine in a fun new way: embroider a card on paper!