Masters Craft

I like to think of new ways to use age-old techniques, so this year, when I was dreaming up a holiday card, I decided to try a fresh approach to reverse appliqué. Here, the image is cut out with an X-Acto knife and then backed with colorful scraps of fabric. If you don't have time to send out cards, consider making cards to enclose gift cards. This technique works very well for any simple shape: trees, ornaments, and wreaths would look equally stunning!

What you'll need to make two cards:
Cardstock in red and greenCutting mat and rulerPencilFabric and decorative-edge scissorsTracing paperX-Acto knifeFabric scraps in red and greenGlue stickSewing machine and contrasting thread
1. Lay a red sheet of cardstock on the cutting mat. Fold the cardstock in half lengthwise, and press the folded edge flat with the side of the ruler. Using a ruler, cut the sheet in half to make two cards that are 4-1/4 inches x 5-1/2 inches.
Use decorative-edge scissors, like scallop or zigzag, to cut your green cardstock.

2. Mark two 3-3/4-inch x 5-inch rectangles on a green sheet of paper. Cut out with decorative-edge scissors.

3. Print out the PDF template, and trace the holly onto a sheet of tracing paper with a pencil.

4. Flip the sheet of tracing paper over, and lay over one of the green pieces of cardstock. With the pencil, go over the traced lines of the holly to transfer the template to the cardstock.
Cut slowly and carefully with your X-Acto knife, and make sure you are using a fresh, sharp blade.

5. Cut out the design on the cardstock with an X-Acto knife. Erase the pencil lines.
If you want, you can use different fabrics for each leaf and berry; just make sure they fully cover each cut-out shape.

6. Flip over the cardstock to the wrong side. Cut a scrap of the red fabric that covers the cut-out berries. With the glue stick, spread some glue on the cardstock area around the berries. Affix the fabric right side down over the glued area. Cut a scrap of the green fabric that covers the cut-out leaves, then spread some glue on the cardstock area around the leaves. Affix the fabric right side down over the glued area.
Press lightly on the green cardstock to affix to the red card.

7. With the glue stick, spread glue over the back of the green cardstock. Affix to the front of one of the red cards.

8. Set your sewing machine to a straight stitch. Starting at the right corner of the card, just inside the decorative edge of the green cardstock, sew around the card, backstitching once at the beginning and end. Trim the threads.

9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 to make the other card.