I’ve been entering more paper-craft challenges lately, and I find that I think outside the card box and try things I’ve never done before. You’ll see more cards I’ve made for challenges in the coming weeks. While none of them won, I really enjoyed putting my crafting skills to the test.

I entered this card for two challenges on the Two Peas in a Bucket website as part a celebration for the Craft & Hobby Association‘s summer show. The challenges required the use of fabric and a pocket on the projects. I had the concept for this card already in mind, and I thought using canvas would fit well with its sewing theme. I also used a vellum envelope as a pocket.

I have canvas left over from a painting class I took in college. I used StazOn ink on the fabric because it seemed more vivid than traditional ink. When stamping on canvas, work quickly so as much ink as possible transfers to the fabric.

Here’s how to make it:

Cut a 9-by-1 1/2-inch piece of canvas (my rotary cutter worked well for this). Stamp thread-spool-label images (mine are by Prima Marketing) in teal ink (I used StazOn in teal blue), randomly placed in a line, onto the length of the canvas.

Set the canvas aside to ensure the ink dries thoroughly.

Make a card from a 9-by-8-inch piece of dark-gray cardstock. Cut a 8 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch piece of stitch-patterned cardstock (such as “Alora Stitches” cardstock by Bo Bunny Press) so that the pattern is horizontal, and adhere, centered, to the card’s front.

Adhere a 3-inch-wide vellum envelope to the card’s front, close to the top of the patterned paper and about 2 inches from the card’s right edge.

Stamp a sewing-machine image (I used one from the Vintage Threads collection by TPC Studio) in black ink (such as Versafine in onyx black) onto a 2 1/2-by-2-inch piece of light-blue cardstock.

Distress the edges of this piece and adhere it to the inside of the envelope. Glue small blue, gray, red and white buttons to the inside, outside and to the right of the envelope. Adhere the canvas piece to the card’s front, just above the bottom edge. Tie gray embroidery thread twice around the center of the canvas.

Using a computer program, create “thank you sew much” in dark gray using a stitch-patterned font (I used CK Running Stitch font in 24 pt., which can be purchased here), no wider than 4 inches. Print onto light-blue textured cardstock. Trim this piece to 5 1/2 by 3/4 inches, leaving room on the left and right sides of the sentiment. Trim the left end to a point. Attach a large red rhinestone button (such as from Bazzill Basics), using red embroidery thread, on the right end (I used a brad-hole punch to create two holes in the paper for the thread to go through).

Adhere this piece on top of the canvas, lining up the bottom and right edges.