Who would have thought it was possible? I’m not sure who it was, nevertheless I’m very grateful she did because it is so much fun! And it is quite simple too! Put two pieces of paper together where you want them to be stitched together. Then run them through the sewing machine.
I recently did a huge project that involved sewing paper. A dear friend and I embarked on teaching a class making altered notebooks that involved sewing ribbons and paper. We had over 275 notebook kits to put together, so we had a chance to practice sewing paper A LOT! It is so cute to combine two or three different scraps of paper together to form a unique collage of paper.
My favorite stitch is a zig-zag stitch because of the effect it has on the paper. A zig-zag stitch is simply a stitch that goes in alternating diagonal lines from your starting point to your ending point. Depending on the sewing machine you are using, you can adjust the length of the stitch and how tight each stitch is held. For my sewing machine (Singer), I use a length of 2 and the tightness of 5-6. A zig-zag stitch doesn’t require backstitching either. Backstitching is reversing your stitch and repeating where you have just stitched in order to hold the material you are sewing together better. Zig-zag stitching is great to use when you are trying to hold together several layers of materials, like ribbons and paper.
Straight stitching is fun too. Straight stitching is a continuous line of stitches with no brake in-between stitches. Provo Craft offers a mini sewing machine, specifically made for scrapbooking. It has only straight stitching available. Straight stitching is a great way to soften a page or give it a “from-the-heart” look. I love to ink or paint the stitching to give it a more distressed look.
Sewing is another great way to experiment and find your style in your scrapbooking. Have fun experimenting!