A generous slit, penny washers and dimensional
adhesive dots engineer a bouncy ball that rolls along its own embroidered
beach. This whimsical card is a Web Extra to "Moving Right
Along" (featured in CME's May/June
2007 issue), which offers a host of other ideas for embroidered
projects with moving parts, including step-by-step instructions
for a framed bouquet of three-dimensional flowers. Click here
for back issue ordering information.
Supplies
6" x 8" card stock folded to make a 4" x 6"
card
6" square of cotton fabric
Lightweight cut-away stabilizer
Embroidery and bobbin thread
Removable marker
Fusible web or fabric glue
Two pennies
Three adhesive foam dots
Cardstock scraps
1⁄ 4" x 1 1⁄ 2" window punch or craft
knife
Beach embroidery designs of your choice, including a 1"-diameter
beach ball
Optional: Hot knife or craft iron
Construction
Print or stitch templates of your chosen designs. Arrange them
to fit a 4" hooping. Hoop the fabric with the stabilizer
and embroider the designs.
When the embroidery is complete, roughly trim away the excess
fabric, leaving a small margin around the embroidered design.
Back the embroidered fabric with fusible web or glue and attach
it securely to the front of a 4" x 6" horizontally folded
card. Position the embroidery in the upper two-thirds of the card
front.
Use a window punch or a craft knife to cut a 1⁄ 4"-high
slit 1" above the card’s lower edge, beginning and
ending 1⁄ 2" from the sides. To use the punch, make
a series of overlapping punches to complete the long slit opening.
Hoop two layers of lightweight cut-away stabilizer and embroider
the beach ball. Trim away the excess stabilizer when the embroidery
is complete. Optional: Use a hot knife or craft iron to melt the
remaining stabilizer edges.
Cut two circles from card stock 1⁄ 8" smaller all
around than the stitched ball. Glue one card stock circle to the
embroidered ball wrong side.
Assemble the embroidered ball, card stock circles and pennies
(washers) with adhesive foam dots as shown (A).
The ball, its card stock backing, an adhesive dot and a penny
will lie on top of the card with the embroidered background. The
second card stock circle, an adhesive dot and the second penny
will lie behind the card. The final adhesive dot sits inside the
slit in the card front and joins the halves of the assembly.
When all is assembled and the adhesives have set, open the card
and tilt it slowly from side to side. The pennies’ weight
will make the ball roll and tumble from one side of the card to
the other, as if an ocean breeze were pushing it along.
Design Credits Beach scene: A Bit of Stitch, Babies Beach Fun, design
Sand Toys
