Embroidered Valentine’s Day Card with Real Rose Petals and Beading
Aw, Valentine’s Day. That one day of the year that you must prove your love publically is just around the corner! If you are bored with chocolates, fuzzy handcuffs, or “One free kiss” coupons, try giving a handmade love card from the heart. And maybe still give fuzzy handcuffs.
With this project, we are going to experiment with flowers and sew real rose petals. I suggest making the card ahead of time and adding fresh rose petals the day you are exchanging gifts. You only need one decent rose to accomplish this. After you finish constructing the card, take a rose apart, petal by petal, separating the good petals from damaged ones. You can add more or less petals, but only puncture each petal once at the base or they will tear. When you are ready to dry them out, you could either lay the card flat with petals sticking up, or smash the card in a book and dry it out. Have fun!
Supplies
•10 ½ by 6 ½ inches of Fabric for outside of Card.(A)
•<12 ½ by 8 ½ inches of Fabric for inside of Card. (B)
•10 ½ by 6 ½ inches of Ultra Firm Interfacing
•Stabilizer
•Matching embroidery thread
•Monofilament thread
•Iron
•Basting spray or pins
•3 large, 3 medium, and 3 small rose petals
•10 to 15 beads
•Scissors
•Top Stitching needle
•Sharp needle for hand sewing
•Tailors chalk or water soluble marker
Step 1. Fuse Ultra Firm interfacing to fabric A following the instructions that came with it. Use basting spray to attach stabilizer to fabric B.
Step 2. Mark the center of right side of fabric B (6 ¼ inches up, 4 1/4inches in). Use this to center your embroidery pattern. Whether you’re doing your embroidery by machine or hand, measure and mark where your patterns will go. Embroider whatever you feel is appropriate. I choose a little message about true love. The more personal, the better. When finished embroidering, remove excess stabilizer and press.
Step 3. Place fabric A and B right sides together, with fabric A centered in the middle. Fold fabric B twice onto Fabric A. Repeat on all sides.
To eliminate bulk, cut out excess fabric at corners.
Step 4. Sew folds down with decorative thread.
Step 5. Fold card in half (hamburger style). Sew straight line along fold on fabric A using a decorative thread.
Step 6. Arrange 3 rose petals on to each other, largest to smallest. Using monofilament thread and a sharp needle, hand sew the rose petal stacks on to fabric A. You are only going to be passing the needle through fabric A, you don’t want any thread to show through to fabric B.
Step 7. Once you have pierced the rose petal stack, pull the thread through, slip on a bead and pass back down through the petal. Hide your knot under the rose petal. Repeat for all your petal stacks.
Step 8. Sew on a few more beads in a path you like and tie off.
Step 9. Give card to your sweet Valentine!
