Random Inspiration Challenge #5

Puppy Love

This months challenge is to use a sewing machine on your layout. If you're a bit of a perfectionist like me, you may lightly draw your design in pencil 1st, that way it will be easier to follow when sewing, then just erase the pencil marks that are showing (as I have done in the above layout).
I have been resisting using the sewing machine for a very long time because It seemed not precise enough, and there was always a possibility of messing up and having these tufts of yarn loops on the other side. If that happens to you, no need to panic. You may cut off all the yarn, and finish the design hand-stitching through the holes. It took a while for me to get the hang of my sewing machine, and especially how to control the speed and sew in straight line. Here's some advice learned through trial and error:

• Practice, practice, practice 1st on a piece of cardstock before you go near a completed layout.
  
• Thread tension is responsible for those loopy tufts of yarn on the other side of paper. On my Singer machine the magic number for tension is 4. That's why you need to experiment on a scrap piece of cardstock to find the right tension for your machine.
  
• If you only plan to sew on cardstock, get a thinner needle designed for lightweight fabrics, this way you won't have huge holes through your paper. However, if you plan to sew through some embellishments, like I planned (but chickened out) on sewing through the thick acetate ghost shape hearts that I used on this layout, then you'd need a thicker needle designed for denim or upholstery (size 110/18).
• I use invisible thread (looks like a fishing line) on all my bobbins. This way, you only need to change the spool of yarn to your choice of color, but the invisible thread on the bobbin won't show through no matter which color you're sewing with.
• When done sewing, cut the yarn leaving at least 3 inches of the yarn "tail" from the paper. This way you can thread the tail through a needle and stitch it through one of the holes to the wrong side of the layout, producing a clean polished look.
• I usually secure all lose "tails" of yarn on the wrong side of a layout by gently pulling them taut in the same direction, and then taping them down with acid-free tape designed for scrapbooking. Then, I trim all the extra yarn close to the tape.
• Sewing is also a great way of adhering items to your layout where adhesive would show through. On my layout I've sewn through a sheer ribbon for the flower stem, just for the above stated reason. I've also had great success sewing through transparencies, and mesh.
• Sewing can be a great design element, not only for the practical purpose of adhering items to your page. You may sew the rays of a sun, or flower stems, or even lines for journaling, or sew around the perimeter of your page to give it a designer-look border and help contain and anchor your elements within a page. On my page, I sewed in a combination of a straight line stitch and a zig zag to mimic the look of a heartbeat cardiogram.
  

• For hand-stitching, you may use an unthreaded machine to pierce through the paper for exact, even-spaced holes.

(if anyone else has some good tips for machine sewing, please leave comments, and I will update this list. I'm still in the learning phase myself).

And last, I can't wait so see what you come up with!