Tutorial - Threaded Hearts Card

Posted May 30, 2011. This post is a tutorial for my "Missing You" card with the threaded hearts. A few people commented that they might like to try the technique, so here are all the details in one place. For my original post, scroll up or click here.

If you have any questions, leave a comment for me, and I will reply in the comments. Also if you try this, I'd love to see your card, so please let me know in the comments.

For reference, here is my card:
I included all the details of measurements and materials, so you know how the card fits together. If you want just the threaded hearts info, scroll down.

Card stock and layers:

• My card used 3 colors of card stock, plus white.
• Light color for the card base and the top layer (light blue on my card). I used Papertrey Ink spring rain.
  
• Medium color for the hearts and the middle layer (kraft). I used Papertrey Ink kraft.
  
• Darker color for the 1" and 1/4" circles and the bottom layer (dark blue). I used Paper Source lake.
• My layer sizes are: Top layer 1-3/8", Middle layer 1-5/8", Bottom layer 1-7/8."
  
• The bottom layer is 1" up from the bottom of the card base.
  
• The middle layer is 1/8" up from the bottom layer. The top layer is 1/8" up from the middle layer. In other words, 1/8" is visible above and below.
  
• The white "ribbon" is a 3/16" strip of card stock.
• The card size is A2 (4.25" x 5.5").

Punches:

• You will need 4 punches: 1" circle, 1/4" circle, 1" heart punch, and 1/4" double slot punch (ribbon punch.)
  
• Of course, you can try different shapes and sizes! I'm just listing what I used.
• My 1/4" circle punch is an old office supply punch to make holes for a 3-ring binder.
  
• My heart punch is a red "whale type" by EK Success. The heart is 1" wide and 7/8" high.
  
• My double slot punch is McGill. The slots are 1/4" long, and each slot is 1/16" wide.
  

Tutorial for punching slots and hearts evenly:

• The only tricky part is getting the slots punched evenly on the hearts. See photo tutorial below. Click on the photos to enlarge.
  

• 1. (Upper image below) - Cut a 1" x 5.5" strip of kraft.
  
• Draw lines lengthwise at 1/4" and 1/2." Draw lines crosswise, the first one about 9/16" from the left end, and then spaced a little over 1" across the kraft strip. I normally would use pencil, but this time I used ink to be more legible in the photo.
• Now punch the double slots, aiming to keep them straight and centered.
  
• Personally, I find my slot punch hard to line up exactly. My slots on the left are pretty good. I intentionally made other slots crooked, to show you how to adjust.

• 2. (Lower image above) After punching all your slots, punch your hearts.
• If you have a perfectly positioned slot, line up the heart vertically along the line.
• If you have a crooked slot, line the heart up along the slots.
• In the photo above, I tinted my punched hearts and put them back into their holes to show you.

• 3. (Upper image below) Another view.
  
• You can see from the punched-out strip that my hearts are tilting to follow my slots, not lined up with the grid that I drew. But I find the grid is still very helpful to keep me oriented in this step!
  

• 4. (Lower image above) My punched hearts. Tinted for purposes of #2, but in my real card, of course, they would be plain kraft.
• You can see my slots are not perfectly lined up - they don't need to be perfect! But they are reasonably straight and similar in position.

Threading the hearts:

• Thread the hearts onto the white "ribbon." My white "ribbon" is a narrow (3/16") strip of Neenah card stock.
• Instead of bending the "ribbon" back and forth through the slots, bend each heart a bit while threading it onto the "ribbon."
  
• I tried using real ribbon, but the Neenah's stiffness made it easier for me to thread through the slots, adjust, and adhere.

Final assembly:

• Adhere the 1" circles onto the top (light blue) layer first. The bottoms of the circles should be 1/4" up from the bottom of the layer. The middle circle should be centered left-to-right.
  
• The end circles should be 1/8" in from the outer edges. This placement will allow room for the 1/4" dots and will show a bit of the white "ribbon" on the ends.
• Now adhere the threaded hearts onto the 1" circles. I ran the threaded hearts through my 1-1/2" Xyron. Then I was still able to adjust them as I positioned them on the 1" circles.
• Adhere the 1/4" dots.
  
• Adhere all the layers to the card base.

Repeating the card photo once more for reference: Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (056b)