Hand Made Holiday Cards for 2015

Well the season of holidays and good cheer has come.  I try to stay true to the roots of craft and make some of our holiday cards by hand.  While the process is timely, the results are rewarding.  I usually try a technique that is new to me so the outcome is two fold; artful holiday cards are created while I explore techniques and improve my skills.  Oh, happy days!  Plus, I am able to share the joy of the results with family and friends.

Here is one sample of this year's card.  The card is hand stitched on paper which has been eco-dyed.  The process of eco-dying uses only natural materials and creates organic images on either paper or fabric.  Once dyed and dried, I stitch to emphasis the resulting images.

The next set of cards were created using commercial fabric, wine bottle tins of various colors, felt backing, and machine stitching.  The process is fairly easy.  The tin from the wine bottles can be cut or torn to the desired size.  Once torn, I arrange the tin to recreate the image of a tree and then secure each piece with a dot of glue, just to hold in place until the design can be stitched.  Lastly, the shape of the tree is outlined using 12 weight threads.  I sometimes use metallic thread.  Deciding what thread to use just depends upon the look you want to achieve.

Sewing tin to fabric

Finished Holiday Card

Wishing you a joyous Holiday Season ... and may the spirit of the holidays greet you everyday of the New Year!