Stitching tips:
Faux Stitching
Above I have four pens that I will show how I used
White = Uni-ball Signo broad and Sakura Gelly Roll Medium
Black = Pentel EnerGel Liquid Gel Ink Needle Tip 0.5 and Sharpie Fine Tip
On this picture I am drawing stitching lines freehand with the Signo pen
Here is the technique I prefer to use since I do not have a steady hand. I place a ruler and draw my lines/stitches every other 1/8". I feel this give a much even and straight look.
On this picture you can see that I drew to the far right/shorter strip free handed some stitches lines. To the right I used the Signo and the inside or next to it with the Gelly. And on the long strip of stitches, I used the Gelly to the right and the Signo on the left side. From this demonstration, I like the Gelly pen better.
On the above picture I used both black pens. Sharpie to the right and EnerGel to the left. I prefer the feel and smoothness of the EnerGel better.
The above is just one technique or way to create faux stitching. Below I will show yet another way using templates. There are several companies that sell templates in many sizes and styles. The the left you see some from Bazzill and to the right one from the CraftersWorkshop. These templates are versatile in the sense that you can use to draw lines with your pens or poke tiny holes for different uses that I will demonstrate below.
Using a mat and a poker/pick after lining up my template to the paper, I poked holes on my paper.
I than drew lines from hole to hole to give the illusion of stitching. You can also use thread and needle and hand stitch.
Yet another way to create faux stitching. Here I used Sew Easy by running it on top of my mat. Sew Easy comes in a beginner pack and they sell you several attachments with different designs. You can find at most crafting stores.
And just one more idea. You can use fine tip Sharpies or pens in different colors to give the illusion of having used colored thread. Just make sure that the pen is acid free if you will be using on your scrap books.
On this card I used one of the templates above and faux stitching.
Thanks for visiting and I hope these tips help at least one of you!