Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Tuesday's {Tip} Fabric Samples & Sewing

Today I wanted to share a question I received from Jennifer (a blog subscriber). I thought some of you may benefit from the answers so I thought I would make it today's "Tuesday's {Tip}." Here are Jennifer's questions:

"I have just been blessed with some fabric samples that were discontinued (used to be for draperies or upholstery). I am happily pawing through them, and there are even paper samples, perhaps originally for wallpaper. These were going to be thrown away.

Are they safe for scrapbooking? Might I just use for cardmaking? How to know? Also, I know that you keep your trust sewing machine at the ready, but for some of us who don't sew much, how tricky is it to sew fabric onto paper or cardstock? Or even paper onto paper, or ribbon, as you do?

A loyal reader who only found you online this summer, I've just finished catching up on your "backblog" and enjoyed it. Thanks again for the inspiration. May God bless you and yours---Jennifer in Ohio"


First, thank you Jennifer for your sweet words, and I am so glad you are enjoying the posts and inspiration. :) I truly appreciate all of my blog readers!!!!! Now to answer your questions. As far as using the fabric for scrapbooking, that would be fine. The papers I would not use. I would use them for cardmaking or other items that you don't necessarily care about being archival. If you did want to use the papers in your scrapbooks, you could spray them with Archival Mist but I would still be unsure of the adhesive on the back of the wallpaper.
And sewing on paper is super fun and easy. You need to get your tension correct on your machine and use a needle that you dedicate to paper sewing only but other than that, it's just like sewing on fabric. :) There are many, many sewing tutorials on the web. Search YouTube, Google, etc. Here is a great one that Becky taught at Ellen Hutson's online shop. I encourage you to check it out! And the best way to learn to sew on paper is to just practice and have fun! Don't throw those paper scraps away. Run over to the machine and play a bit! :) Also, if you are sewing fabric to paper, I sometimes will put a Glue Dot on the back of the fabric to make sure it doesn't move around while I am sewing it to the paper. Just be sure the Glue Dot is not placed where you will be sewing. The adhesive will/can jam up your machine!

I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to ask more questions as you have them. So, break out the sewing machine and have fun!
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot. I look forward to learning how to do this.
Jennifer in Ohio

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