I told you that I'd get back to Pick a Petal eventually! I'm also going to try to answer some questions that you asked regarding sewing on cards. First, an excellent tutorial on sewing on cards is Julia Stainton's. There are probably more good ones out there that I haven't seen since I am on dial-up and somewhat limited in online access due to that. If you know of a great sewing resource, feel free to leave a link in the comments section so that others can find it as well. Also, check out Cambria Turnbow's blog; since Cami got her Janome Sew Mini, she's been on fire with card-sewing!
One question that I thought I could easily answer was how to hide the thread ends and avoid backstitching to lock the ends. My mom, who is an excellent seamstress (as opposed to me) taught me this trick many years ago. Since backstitching would generally show on a card, don't do it. Instead you simply sew your seam (1), then turn the card over so that the back is up (2). You will have one thread on the back and one on the front. Give the thread on the back a little tug, and a loop should appear from the front (3). Pull at that little loop to pull the front thread through to the back of the card stock (4). Now that you have both threads on the back, tie them together (5) and adhere them to the back. They won't come through, and you won't have backstitching or loose threads. How simple is that?
Several of you asked questions on sewing machine tension for paper versus thread. Tension settings are different for different machines, so I can't really help you there. If you have extra loops on the back of your card stock, your tension could be messed up. Other possibilities might be that your machine is not threaded right or that your bobbin is not quite in place. I sew on card stock more than I do on cloth, so I don't usually fiddle with the tension. Someone asked about needle size. I use a fairly small needle just because it's a bit less work for the sewing machine to punch holes through the card stock that way. I try to avoid more than two layers, however. These are not hard and fast rules--just some little things that have worked for me.
Hope that this helps!
Stamps: Pick a Petal, Hugs and Wishes
Card Stock: Real Red, Soft Sky and Soft Sky Designer Paper, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Jet Black Staz-On
Accessories: Celery Grosgrain, Red Mini Brads, Acetate/window sheet, dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, glue pen
Card Size: 6-1/2" x 3-1/4"
