Mini Dreamcatcher Tutorial

Crafter’s Companion Stitch Edge Circle Dies Mini Dreamcatcher Tutorial 

By Leslie King
- CC Design Team Member

For this project you will need:

Crafter’s Companion Stitch Edge Circle Dies (I’ve used #8 and #9 in this tutorial.)
Heavy Watercolour Cardstock, Construction Cardstock, etc. (I’ve used Spectrum Noir Watercolour Card.)
Thread of your choice: hand quilting thread, embroidery cotton, etc.
Sewing Needle
Tape Runner or Quick Dry Glue

 •    To download a printable Word version of this tutorial, Click Here!

 •    See the companion video to this tutorial on my Moonlight Crafting Facebook Page - Click Here!   

Step One: Nest your #9 circle die inside of your #8 die onto your cardstock, tape down, and run through your Gemini to cut. You will only be using the narrow frame section for this project, but be sure to save your inner circle for future use!

Step Two: Using a pencil, count out the stitch impressions on your die cut and mark at #1, #12, and #23. These three points will set the pattern for your entire dreamcatcher, so make sure to get them placed properly.



Step Three: Thread your needle with the longest length of thread that you are comfortable working with. *Note: It is impossible to create these dreamcatchers without having to re-thread multiple times, so keep your thread at a manageable length – otherwise you will spend more time working out knots than it would have taken to just re-thread another needle. LOL.

Step Four: Take your first stitch! Starting with your #1 marked point, bring your needle up through the center of the embossed stitch from back to front. Pull thread taut, and stitch down into #12 *Note: your #1 stitch is the only one on the entire dreamcatcher that will be a back to front stitch. ALL other stitches will go into the top and out the back.

Step Five: Carefully pull your needle and thread from #12 up through the center of your die cut. Stitch down into your final marked point: #23.



Step Six: Your pattern is now set. For every consecutive stitch you will follow this same “1,2,3” stitch order. For example: on your fourth stitch, go down through what is essentially the #33 embossed stitch. (The stitch directly behind your #1 stitch mark.) Your fifth stitch will go into the #11 embossed stitch – directly behind your marked #12, and your sixth stitch will go down through #22.



Step Seven: Continue stitching your way around your circle, always placing each stitch one mark behind the last in the pattern, until you run out of thread. (For the first time.)



Step Eight: Using a tape runner or quick dry glue, secure your thread to the back of your project and snip free from the needle.



Step Nine: Thread up another needle, and secure its loose end with tape runner adhesive or glue in the same location where your previous thread ended. *Note: It is very important that you secure your new thread as close as you possibly can to the exact spot where your previous thread ran out in order to maintain your stitch pattern.



Step Ten: Finish it off! Hop right back into your stitch pattern and continue sewing until your entire mini dreamcatcher is complete! *Note: be sure to double and triple check that every single embossed stitch on your die cut has a stitch in it before you secure your thread for the last time and snip it off.



That’s all there is to it! You now have the general idea of this concept down and can continue to practice and expand your creativity in any number of ways!

Additional Thoughts:

 •    I created this tutorial using a very basic three-point pattern. This is by far the easiest pattern to follow, and will work on any of your stitched dies which have a number of embossed stitches divisible by three. However, because it has the fewest pattern points, it will also leave the largest center hole, so you will likely want to use this pattern on layering pieces of your dreamcatcher, or do some creative internal weaving to close up the opening a bit.

Examples of Three-Point Pattern:

 
 


•    It’s all about the numbers! There are dies in the Crafter’s Companion Stitch Edge Circle Set which offer a multitude of different pattern possibilities. Any of the dies which contain a number of embossed stitches divisible by five make a beautiful – though slightly more complicated – five-point pattern with a much smaller center opening.

 Examples of Five-Point Pattern:

 
 


•    Complex or simple, meticulously structured or completely random, anyone can design their own pattern for a dreamcatcher – but it DOES help to know the number of stitch points you’re starting with. Here’s a little cheat sheet for the CC Stitch Edge Circle Dies to give you a helping hand:

Die 1 - 87 stitches
Die 2 - 79 stitches
Die 3 - 70 stitches
Die 4 - 61 stitches
Die 5 - 54 stitches
Die 6 - 47 stitches
Die 7 - 40 stitches
Die 8 - 33 stitches
Die 9 - 26 stitches
Die 10 - 19 stitches
Die 11 - 12 stitches

I really hope that someone out there finds this tutorial helpful and decides to try this project! Please let me know if you do!

Happy crafting! Leslie King
- CC Design Team Member

SEE THE COMPANION VIDEO TO THIS TUTORIAL ON MY MOONLIGHT CRAFTING FACEBOOK PAGE FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE STITCHING IN ACTION - CLICK HERE!

Deco Diamond Fancy Fold Card

Hello, Everybody!

Yesterday I posted a Roaring Twenties Collection Art Deco style card in the Fans of Crafter's Companion on HSN group.

I created an original Fancy Fold for it, and a lot of y'all requested that I do a tutorial showing how I'd made the base. As promised, here it is! I hope that you find it useful/helpful! 💜

To download a printable Word version of this tutorial, click here! 

Deco Diamond Fancy Fold Card Base Tutorial
By Leslie King – Crafter’s Companion Design Team Member

For this project you will need:

1 Piece of cardstock for card base cut at 12 inches wide by 6 inches high
3 Pieces of coordinating cardstock for layering cut at 3 ¾ inches wide by 5 ¾ inches high (Note: one of these rectangles will be your inside center layer, so if you wish to feature an image, be aware of where you cut and check your image placement.)
Embellishments, die cuts, etc.

(Optional: 1 Piece of 3 ¾ inches wide by 5 ¾ inches high solid color cardstock for back panel to be used for sentiment, etc.)

Right, then – here we go!

*Before officially getting started, be aware that ALL of the score lines you make will be used for VALLEY folds. I always valley fold *into* my score lines, rather than away from them; therefore, I’ve created this pictorial with distinct front and back sides.*   

Using your Crafter’s Companion Scoremaster, Big Score, or similar scoring board, score your base cardstock piece from top to bottom at 4 inches and 8 inches on the wide (12 inch) side. Next, measure and mark your cardstock at 1 ¾ inches and 10 ¼ inches along the TOP of the wide (12 inch) side. Shift your cardstock to line up the 1 ¾ inch mark with the left bottom corner of your card base (the 0 inch by 6 inch point,) and score diagonally. Mirror the diagonal score from the 10 ¼ inch mark to the right bottom corner of your card base (the 12 inch by 6 inch point.) This should give you a piece of cardstock which looks roughly like this:

Next, flip your card base over and score diagonally from the top 4 inch mark to the left bottom corner of your card base (the 0 inch by 6 inch point.) Mirror the diagonal score from the 8 inch mark to the right bottom corner of your card base (the 12 inch by 6 inch point.) The back of your card should now look like this:

That’s it! All of the scoring on your card base is now completed and you only need to fold your score lines to finish up! Remember: all valley folds – the side you scored on is what determines your valleys and mountains.

If you find it helpful, I folded my card in the following order:

1) On the card front (inside) fold the 4 inch score and the 8 inch score each inward toward the middle, making sure to get everything squared up.

2) Flip the card over to the back (outside) and fold down your diagonal scores.

3) Turn the card over to the front again (inside) and finish out your last diagonal flap folds. Be careful on these. You want the outer edges of your card to line up exactly with the diagonal fold you scored on the back – no overlap or underlap.

Now – on to the layers! This is where things can get a little tricky, so I’ve tried to include plenty of pictures. As mentioned previously, you should have three rectangles measuring 3 ¾ inches wide by 5 ¾ high. One of these is your inside middle layer, so you can set it aside for now. The remaining two layers have several point cuts, so I would suggest using a Crafter’s Companion Guillotine, (or similar style cutter) rather than a blade-style paper trimmer.

Your first cut is the easy one. On rectangle number one, make a diagonal cut from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. Mirror the cut on rectangle number two: cut diagonally from the left top corner to the bottom right corner. At this stage, your three rectangles should look like this:

Now, set aside each of the bottom section cuts, so that you are left with only the two top cut sections. Measure and mark each of these sections – on the top – at the midway point: 1 7/8 inches.

Next, you’ll need to cut on the diagonal from the 1 7/8 inch mark to the very bottom point. (Note: your goal here is to bisect the point, so you may want to cut these pieces upside down to help avoid any paper shifting and achieve a more perfect cut.)

That completes all of your layer cuts and you should now be left with a pile of pieces shaped like these!

Finally, it’s just a matter of piecing together your puzzle! The front (inside) of your card will use these pieces:

And the back (outside) of your card will use these:

*Be aware: The outermost flap layers are the tricky ones. Depending upon the thickness of your base cardstock, the width of your score lines, and the accuracy of your folds, you *may* need to trim an additional 1/8 inch or so off the long sides of these layers in order to get a more perfectly spaced fit. Just remember: you can always cut more off, but you can’t put it back on, so trim in teensy increments.

And we’re done! Your completed card should look like a *much* prettier version of this:

(My apologies for the kooky color scheme – I grabbed the most color contrasting large pieces available in my scrap bin to make the cuts and folds easier to discern.)

I really hope that you have found this guide helpful! I tried to make it as simple and clear as possible so that card makers of all levels would have an easy time of it! Never hesitate to ask if you have any questions, and Happy Crafting!!!

Leslie King
Crafter’s Companion Design Team Member 💜

Good News, Everyone!

Hello, Everybody and Happy Wednesday!!!

Today I have some super exciting, astounding, unbelievable, amazing, positively gut-churning news to share with y’all! After having to keep mum for almost a month now, I have at last been granted permission to announce that I have been selected to join the crazy-talented Crafter’s Companion Design Team!!!

I cannot even put into words what this opportunity means to me – hard to believe, I know; but it’s true! When I submitted my application back in February, I honestly NEVER thought I stood a chance at being chosen. (I mean, have y’all SEEN the things this bunch creates???) I’m totally going to be the girl in the corner wearing the crafter’s equivalent of a dunce cap.

Needless to say, I am scared to death – but so, so thrilled at the same time! Never in my life did I think that I would be good enough at ANYTHING, much less crafting, to be afforded this kind of honor. And, while I know that there are a gazillion people out there more talented, skilled, and deserving of this position than I am, I promise to do my absolute BEST live up to the challenge.

For ALL of you that have offered me your support, encouragement, and a priceless belief in my abilities – I thank you with all my heart! It’s gonna be a crazy ride, y’all! It is my greatest hope that you will join me for the journey! 💜