Jillibean Soup Bean Talk: Stitching With Cut Files on a Scrapbooking Layout

Looking for an alternative way to use our Cut Files on your craft projects? In today’s tutorial Melinda Spinks takes you through the steps of altering our Stained Glass Heart cut file for use as a stitching template to add a unique and personal touch to a traditional scrapbooking layout. Keep reading for further information. You can also click HERE to view our complete collection of cut files.

Step 1: I decided I wanted to use the 'Stained Glass Heart' cut file as the basis for my design however I needed to alter it slightly to accommodate the areas I wanted to stitch.

Step 2: Changing the areas from solid lines to stitching holes was quite simple, even for this beginner. I opened the file and immediately ungrouped the shape by right clicking on the image and selecting [ungroup] so that all the pieces became individual items.

Step 3: To create the dots I selected the text tool and using the font Arial in 36pt I began typing a row of periods.

Step 4: I then moved my cursor to the toggle button in the corner of the text bar and dragged the row of periods to the shape I wanted to edit. As soon as the toggle button hits that shape the periods form a new border replacing the solid line. It's literally that easy. You can then remove the color from the shape leaving it transparent.

Step 5: Continue to repeat the steps until you have periods in every shape that you want to have stitching holes and before you cut remove all the color from the overall shape.

Step 6: I sent my completed shape to cut and then gently removed it from the adhesive mat. Don't throw away your left over pieces as you can use them as templates to create another heart using the inner shapes. To create the 'crazy stitching' I simply start from one side of the shape and take my thread across to the opposite side, then I come back up through the very next hole and work my way around and across the piece until every hole has been used.

Step 7: Once all the stitching was complete I cut out two panels of patterned paper and placed them behind my heart cut-out and adhered the heart in place using thin foam pop dots to give the slightest amount of dimension between the layers.

Step 8: For the title I added alpha stickers in a single color around the edge of the heart but felt it looked to 'loud' so I softened the look by choosing different colors that matched with the cotton thread. I also added some border strips at the top and bottom of the layout and a few flowers across the white beams of the heart. To give the flowers dimension I placed a foam pop dot under the beam and then another one on top of the beam and 'sandwiched' them together with the flower on top,

Step 9: I chose a series of photos and printed them in a single line collage then mounted them on thick plain card-stock for strength and adhered it across the bottom of the heart before adding further embellishments to help blend it into the layout.

Step 10: I go through phases of hand-written journaling and printed journaling. At the moment it’s printed and I like to use colors for the background that match perfectly with the patterned papers. So, a little trick I use is to insert a screen shot of the Jillibean Soup patterned paper I'm using on the layout and then choosing the color selector tool I place it onto the specific color I want to replicate. Then I deleted the screenshot from my file before printing.