Video:How to Hand Stitch on a Scrapbook Page

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Transcript:How to Hand Stitch on a Scrapbook Page

Hello, I am Rebecca Ludens for About.com. Today, I am going to show you how to add hand-stitching to your scrapbook pages.

Scrapbook Hand Stitch Supplies

You will need:

• a scrapbook page
• a mouse pad
• a large needle
• cross stitch floss
• tape
• scissors
• pencil
• a shape to trace around

Start a Shape to Hand Stitch

To begin, lightly trace a shape on to your scrapbook page using a pencil. You can trace around just about anything, here I am using a plastic container lid.

Prep the Scrapbook for Stitching

Before you start trying to stitch, you will want to pierce holes in the paper. Place the mouse pad, upside down under the paper, and use the needle to pierce a hole every 1/8-1/4 inch along the traced line.

Start the Stitch

Thread the needle with floss. For this project I am using all 6 strands of 6-strand cross stitch floss. To start stitching, bring the thread up from the back of the scrapbook page to the front through the second hole on the line, pulling it through, leaving a 1 inch tail on the back of the page. Use a piece of tape, to tape the floss tail to the back of the page to hold it in place.

Back Stitch the Scrapbook Shape

Begin to back stitch, by running the needle back thru the first hole and then come up thru the third hole. Go back down thru the second hole and come up thru the forth. Back down thru the third and up through the fifth and so on until you have stitched along the entire length of the traced line.

Scrapbook Stitching Tips

When you have completed all of the stitches, end with the floss on the back of the page. Trim the floss, leaving a 1 inch tail and use a piece of tape to adhere it in place on the back of the scrapbook page.

As you can see, hand stitching adds texture and a finishing touch to this scrapbook page layout. You can use it to highlight a title, journaling, or even stitch and arrow to draw extra attention to the focal point photo on the page. You can also use hand stitching on your greeting cards or other paper crafts. For more information, visit us on the Web at About.com. Thanks for watching.