Hand-Stitching 101

Today I'd like to share a little tutorial on hand-stitching.  Sometimes, I like the extra texture and home-made appeal of a hand-stitched word or pattern on my layouts.  For this layout, I wanted the word "heart" in the title to pop:

To create the hand-stitched word, I first found a font I liked (Kunstler Script) and printed it out on copier paper.

I then roughly cut out the word and placed it where I wanted the hand-stitching on my page:

Next, using a paper-piercer, I punched holes at roughly quarter- to eighth-inch intervals for my stitches:

Now, I could start stitching!  I used a variation of a backstitch for the letters.  Here is the work mid-progress:

A few minutes later, and I was finished!

In places where the paper was raised because of the needle, I used my fingernail to push it down and clean up the holes.

After adding a few letter stickers to finish up the title, I was done!

Depending on the size of your lettering or  pattern, hand-stitching may take some time, but I think it is well worth it.  And it's such an easy way to add something special to your project.

Happy Weekend!