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| KNOW-HOW |
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| Christmas Cards and Gift Tags |
Cards and gift tags make the perfect quick stitch projects, and even a gift tag that has only taken minutes to stitch can make a gift so much more personal.
Stitching small designs is also a great way to get yourself in the festive mood and there are some fabulous cards and gifts tags available to mount the designs once they're finished.
What's available
There are lots of different cards available. The best are two-fold cards with an aperture for your cross stitch and there are loads of lovely Christmas themed apertures available such as trees, windows, bells and stars. Traditional colours such as red, green and white are ideal as they pick out the colours in popular designs such as Christmas trees, snowmen and stockings. If you have used sparkly threads in your design then metallic cards will enhance them even further. Choose from gold, silver, copper and pearl finishes to make a card that will stand out from the rest!
Choosing the right aperture
The card blank you buy will depend on the size and shape of your design. Two-fold cards are sold by the aperture size rather than the card size, so bear this in mind when buying them. Once you have stitched your design you can then select a suitable aperture and colour. Small designs fit in many unusual shaped apertures. Many of the card companies use standard apertures, but as there are sometimes subtle variations in size it's always worth checking to make sure your design fits perfectly.
The choice is yours
If you can't find exactly what you need at your local needlecraft store remember that mail order companies have a huge range of cards in all shapes and colours. Just find your shade and aperture and get stitching! See our Buyers Guide for links to stitching retailers and mail order companies.
1. Positioning your design
Iron the stitched piece on the reverse side with a steam iron. Allow to cool and dry. Lay the cross stitched piece on a mouse mat or pin board and position the card on top. Once you are happy with the position, insert pins around the card aperture.
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2. Trim away
Lift the card off the fabric. Trim the fabric, leaving a 5-12mm gap outside the aperture pins. This margin is the fabric you'll need to help attach your design inside the aperture. It's important to measure carefully, so you don't leave too much or too little fabric.
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3. Adding tape
Stick 6mm double-sided tape around all sides of the aperture on the inside of the card. Cut short lengths, so that you can fit them around the curves, and thin pieces to fit along the narrow sections. Peel off the backing paper.
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4. Positioning the card
Position the card carefully over the pins again and press down firmly on the fabric. The double-sided sticky tape will hold the card securely to the fabric. Remove all the pins.
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5. Sticking the flap
Turn the card over and check that the fabric isn't too close to the edge and doesn't go over any of the fold lines. Stick double-sided tape across the top and bottom edges of the centre panel and down the right hand side inside the fold. Fold the flap over and press firmly in position.
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6. Finishing off
Add a Christmas greeting inside the card to finish off. You can write your own with a metallic pen or use peel-off stickers (which you should be able to get from your local stationers) if your writing isn't too neat.
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