You know that you’ve really become a free-thinking sewist when you start musing about the inherent stitch-worthiness of a FedEx envelope or a cork coaster. Once you view the world this way, you’ll find many different materials that can flow beneath your machine’s needle, and you’ll discover just how much you can make and repair. We’ve even tried sewing on wood (we used thin balsa sheets, and it was a bit tricky to manage the stitching without splitting the wood, but we’re going to keep experimenting). With imagination and the right sewing machine needles and settings, there’s a whole world beyond everyday fabrics just waiting to be stitched in all sorts of playful, beautiful, and useful ways.
What to know: Stitching on paper or cardboard is simple and lets you get wildly creative, but keep in mind that each time the needle perforates the material, it compromises the surface. If too many stitches are made in one small space, paper can tear. For this reason, it’s easiest to use thick, high-quality paper or cardstock. Cardboard should be single-ply (steer clear of the corrugated stuff).
How to do it: After experimenting to find the proper settings, sew decorative lines using the Sketching with Thread technique (page 134). Keep your material moving, never letting the needle stay in one spot for more than a stitch or two.
1. You don’t need an industrial machine to stitch through unconventional materials like plastic, paper, and cork. A basic home machine can easily handle these and many others, as long as the material fits under the presser foot and the needle can pierce it.
2. Universal needles work for all of the projects in this chapter. Before beginning, experiment with your machine’s settings, working on scraps of your project material to find the right stitch length and width, thread tension, and foot pressure. If you are running into trouble, you may want to use a specialty needle. To determine the right needle type and size, refer to your machine’s manual and talk to a knowledgeable sewing machine salesperson.
Stitching tip: To stitch on cork, use basting stitches (stitch length at 4) or straight stretch stitches (also at a long stitch length) for greatest ease and visibility. The thread tension will probably need to be lowered as well (ours was set at 2).
Personalize a set of trivets or coasters with graphic stripes. Sewing on cork is easy if you stick to straight lines, such as the design shown here.
Simply sew a mix of colorful lines across the trivet as desired. To create our design, stitch as follows:
—Starting ½″ from one edge, stitch three lines of basting stitch at 
″ intervals.
—Leave ¼″ of blank space, and then stitch two lines of straight stretch stitch ″ apart.
Change thread color and stitch additional lines between the ones you just stitched.
what you’ll need
• 6″ square of ″-thick cork
• 2 spools of contrasting thread
Design tip: The pencil markings will be faint, more of a scratch than a drawn line, but visible enough to guide your stitching.
Tyvek is an almost indestructible material used in building and, of course, in those express mailing envelopes that are available for free if you know where to look. They are a great canvas for decorative stitching. This little pouch can hold anything from pencils and lunch money to makeup and medicine.
Lay the Tyvek flat. Measure, mark, and cut the following pieces:
—pouch panel (cut 2): 6″ × 10″
On the right side of one panel, use a pencil to trace the template provided or to make your own line drawing.
With a straight stitch (our stitch length was 2; presser foot pressure was 1), use the Sketching with Thread technique (see page 134) over the sketched guidelines.
Working on the facial features, shorten the stitch length to 1 and stitch quite slowly. The smaller stitch makes the lines sharper and easier to curve when turning sharply.
Pin the top edge of the embellished panel on the zipper tape, about ″ from the zipper coil. Install the zipper foot and stitch along the top edge of the Tyvek, ″ from the edge. Turn the panel and zipper over and repeat this process on the other side of the zipper with the remaining Tyvek panel.
Unzip the zipper halfway and fold the pouch at the zipper with the right sides together and panel edges aligned. Pin along the edges (not in the center of the pouch because pin holes don’t go away in Tyvek).
With the regular presser foot and a straight stitch, sew a ½″ seam around the side and bottom edges, starting at one end of the zipper tape and finishing at the opposite end. Trim the corners and any excess zipper tape.
Turn the pouch right side out.
what you’ll need
• Tyvek mailing envelope or piece from a builder’s roll
• 10″ all-purpose zipper
• 1 spool of contrasting thread
• Zipper presser foot
• Panda template (page 308)
When you’re really in love with a fabric, even the tiniest scraps are precious. Here’s a great way to make use of them. We appreciate the contrast of the lavishly colorful appliqués and the homespun cardboard—and your gift recipient will too.
what you’ll need
• Shirt cardboard (cereal boxes also work well)
• Colorful fabric scraps
• Spools of contrasting thread
• Hole punch
• Embroidery floss or yarn
• Permanent pen
Draw the flower center and petals freehand; the more imperfect they are, the cuter the finished product looks. Measure, mark, and cut the following pieces for each tag:
Cut from the cardstock or cardboard:
—tag front: 3″ square
Cut from the fabric:
—flower petals (cut 5 or 6): about 1″ from tip to tip
—flower center: about 1″-diameter circle
Stitch the petals and centers to the front of each tag by sewing just inside the shapes’ edges or decoratively in the center of them (see page 172 for tips on appliqué). Straight stitch a border (our foot-presser pressure was 0 and stitch length was 2), just inside the tag’s edges. Be sure to leave a bit of space on the cardboard for writing.
Handwrite your message with permanent pen. Punch a hole and thread it onto the ribbon on the package, or add with a loop of embroidery floss or yarn.
Design variations tip: These simple cards can be made in any shape. Instead of appliqué pieces, decorate the tags by stitching on photos or little drawings. Or add sparkle to your stitched-on scraps with hand-sewn sequins or a few lines of glitter glue.
We like these spinners best when they’re made in multiples, strung up along the porch eaves to catch the breeze. They also make terrific party trimmings, since you can match them to any color scheme or holiday theme. They’re possibly the easiest, cheapest, and twirliest decoration ever.
Use a craft knife and ruler to cut 24 spinner strips, each ½″ × 5″, to make a spinner approximately 15″ long.
With your machine set for a straight stitch (our stitch length was 2), feed the center of the strips under the presser foot, leaving about ″ to ¼″ between each strip. At the end, leave a long tail for hanging the spinner.
what you’ll need
• Cardstock in bright colors
• Craft knife
• Ruler
• 1 spool of white thread
—Instead of a dangling spinner, add more strips and make a garland using the same technique, leaving long tails at the start and the end for hanging.
—Use a mix of decorative papers for a patchwork-quilt look. Shrink down the strip size; try ½″ Ð 2″ to make a mini-garland to string in your Christmas tree.
—Change the shapes of the strips: try circles, squares, ovals, triangles, or hearts.
Design tip: Any printing on the bag should face the interior or at least be turned so the iron can’t touch it because the ink could bleed.
Plastic bags can be gently ironed into an amazingly tough fabric. Find a bag with an attractive color or pattern, and you can whip up a holder to stash coupons or loose change. Be sure to do the ironing in a well-ventilated spot.
Trim off the bag’s handles. Cut the bottom seams open and flatten the bag with the front and back panels aligned. Fold it in half, being sure to fold the printed sides in. Sandwich the plastic between layers of parchment or white tissue paper.
With the iron set on the synthetic setting, press the layers, keeping the iron moving across the paper. After a few passes, check to see if the plastic layers have fused together. Press more, if needed. When the plastic layers are fused, peel off the parchment or tissue paper.
Cut a piece of the fused material measuring 5″ × 8½″.
With a straight stitch, sew the hooked side of the Velcro along one short edge of the fused plastic, stitching all around the perimeter of the Velcro.
Fold the remaining short edge of the plastic up 3½″ toward the top, so it forms the wallet shape. Pin the loop side of the Velcro strip along the top of this edge, making sure it aligns with its mate.
Open the fold. Stitch the Velcro in place as pinned. If you like, use a straight stretch stitch to embellish the wallet’s exterior.
Refold the wallet. With a decorative stitch (we used the feather stitch) sew along the sides and the flap edge.
what you’ll need
• Plastic shopping bag
• Parchment or white tissue paper
• 4½″ of 1″-wide Velcro
• 1 spool of contrasting thread
Stash the bills as they arrive in these pretty pockets, and maybe they won’t seem so onerous. The tear-away paper technique used here is truly nifty.
With the wrong sides of the fabrics facing up and the protective tissue still on the vinyl, measure, mark, and cut the following:
Cut from the fabric:
—main panel: 22½″ × 12″
Cut from the vinyl:
—pocket (cut 2): 7″ × 10″ wide
what you’ll need
• 
yard of heavyweight canvas
• ¼ yard of vinyl (with its protective tissue layer)
• Decorative paper (with closed-edge designs)
• Spools of coordinating and contrasting thread
• 23″-long dowel, ¼″ in diameter
• 18″ length of cord or ribbon
• Mod Podge or white glue
Straight stitch a ½″ double-fold hem on both long sides and the bottom edge of the main panel (see page 19) with coordinating thread.
To make the casing at the top edge for the dowel, press a 1″ hem to the wrong side and then zigzag with coordinating thread close to the raw edge, leaving the ends open.
Working with one pocket piece at a time, place the vinyl over the decorative paper, with the right sides of both facing up. With a straight stitch (our stitch length was 2) and using the free-motion drawing technique (see page 134), sew over and around the design printed on the paper, which is visible through the vinyl. The more stitching there is in your design, the more secure the paper will be.
Carefully tear away the paper around the perimeter of the stitching that outlines the shapes, leaving only the filled interior of each shape.
Brush a coat of Mod Podge or white glue over the backs of the stitched shapes and let it dry.
Design tip: The paper shapes need to have closed edges. We chose a floral paper and simply sewed around the outlines and through the interiors of some of the flowers.
Stitching tip: Vinyl is a little sticky, so layering it with tear-away tissue makes it easier to move during stitching.
Position the pockets on the main panel with the right sides facing up. Straight stitch the pockets in place ¼″ from the side and bottom edges of the vinyl, leaving the top edges open.
Slide the dowel into the casing. Knot the cord onto it at both ends and hang it in a place of honor.
Design tip: Add texture and color by stitching on some paper appliqué.
Stitching tip: Be sure to check out the tips for sewing decorative lines on page 106 and for free-motion drawing on page 134.
Once you’ve embellished paper with thread, you may never go back to pen and pencil! And one great plus: with paper, the stakes are delightfully low, so you can play around with different techniques and stitches until you get a feel for them. This project makes a beautiful keepsake for birthdays, holidays, or any time at all.
From the cardstock, measure, mark, and cut the following pieces:
—card: 5½″ × 11″
—envelope: 6½″ × 11″
—flap: 6½″ × 2″
Fold the card in half so the short edges align.
With a sharp pencil, lightly draw a simple design and lettering on the front of the card.
With a straight stitch (our stitch length was 2.5), sew over your guidelines using the Sketching with Thread technique (see page 134). Sew straight lines with full presser-foot pressure, and sew curved ones with decreased pressure.
Align the 6½″ edges of the flap and envelope so that the flap overlaps the envelope by ¼″. Zigzag the overlapped edges (our stitch length was 2); backstitch at both ends to secure.
Fold the opposite edge of the envelope up to meet the seam.
With a straight stitch, sew the envelope sides closed with a scant ¼″ seam, backstitching at both ends.
what you’ll need
• Cardstock
• 1 or more spools of contrasting thread
