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I favor rubber stamps over clear stamps
for several reasons, I've outlined what
I feel are the pros and cons of each
here. When I'm trying to stamp
stitches along the edge of paper, however,
I'm very happy to be able see exactly where
I'm stamping and not have to use a stamp
positioner to stamp in the right spot each
time.
Paper
quilting is very easy. You don't have to
know how to sew or I'd never have tried
it. You can't go wrong and you get to use
up all your pieces of scrap paper. This
project was inspired by a signature page
that Marilyn McMillan does in all her chipboard
memory books. A sample of her work can be
viewed here.
If you would like to buy the clear Stitch
Me Stamps, you can click the image to link
to that page.
 The
main image on this card is Flower
Children by Lost Coast Designs. Just
start with a piece of base scrap paper the
size that you want your quilt to be. It
doesn't have to be a square. I usually start
with a piece 1/2" wider and longer than
I want for my finished product so that I
can trim the whole square after I've completed
 it.
Your base scrap paper can be anything, copy
paper, junk mail, a page from a magazine.
It is just the foundation for laying out
your strips.
Next
you need 3/4" strips of 4-5 different colored
decorative paper, 2-3 strips of each color.
Most of my scraps are solid colored cardstock.
I like to randomly stamp on them in monochromatic
inks to make them look more like fabric.
Some of my favorite stamps for stamping
random stamping are from Debra
Cooper's Designs.
You
can apply your adhesive to the base scrap
or to the strips, whichever you prefer.
In many cases you'll cut off part of the
strip at the edge and reuse the excess as
another strip. Depending whether you're
using glue stick or double stick tape or
a tape runner, you may find it easier to
apply adhesive to one or the other.
 Pick
a strip long enough to reach the middle
from one corner of the base. I use a straight
edge to run corner to corner to guide me
so I get the first strip down at a 45-degree
angle. After the first strip is in place,
just use that as a guide fo placing the
others. It doesn't matter how you make the
pattern. It always looks great. If some
of your strips aren't exactly 3/4" it won't
matter.
I
don't stamp my stitches until after the
strips are adhered to the base. Since the
project works from the center outward, all
the stamps are stitches go to the edge of
the paper so there is no need to measure
how much of the stamp to ink. Ink the whole
stamp and just stamp from the center off
the edge of the paper as shown.
 Bold
Use of Stitch Me Stamps and Deluxe Card
Templates
Use ink with more contrast
to the paper you're stamping on for the
bold look of a crazy quilt. Deluxe Card
Templates are great for creating a patchwork
quilt. The images were stamped on the paper
blocks before applying them to the front
of the card. The template is a great tool
for laying the paper out. It is soft plastic,
however, and not ideal to use as a cutting
edge. You can either measure the squares
to cut out on your paper trimmer, or you
can line the paper up under the template
but use a metal straight edge to protect
the template while cutting. The
stamped image on this card is Flying
Moon by Lost Coast Designs.
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