April CC Design Team Project - "You Are Fabulous" (Washi Dress Card)

Back in December, my DT project featured individual Japanese paper quilted hearts (http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2012/12/i-am-woman-with-quilted-hearts-by-miwa.html). For this month, I wanted to go a step further and create pictures from multiple “puffy” pieces of paper and foam-covered chipboard – but with a twist. I used washi tape, which is one of the hot trends right now. Three cheers for washi tape! It’s fun and fantastic stuff! I had just received my shipment of Doodlebug washi tape from cropchocolate.com only days earlier so it was perfect timing to have some fun! Working with washi tape is very easy, because it is thin and soft.  

To begin with, you’ll need a template. Since paper quilting can be time-consuming, it’s probably wise to pick a pattern that has a distinctive shape and is comprised of a few major pieces. You can find many images here: https://picasaweb.google.com/101680080518051516235/mVInNE# or you can surf the internet or Pinterest for more patterns and templates. I’ve included links in this tutorial, if you want to duplicate the cards I’ve made.

Now to the fun part! Here is what you’ll need to make a quilted dress made from washi tape:

CC items - Bubblegum washi tape (Doodlebug), Ladybug washi tape (Doodlebug), cardstock (Carte Bella & Bazzill), silver glitter cardstock (Fancy Pants), rhinestone (Teresa Collins Everyday Moments), Tim Holtz distress ink (walnut stain), adhesive (Snake Tape)

 Non-CC items - Template (you can pick one for regular quilting or paper-piecing), thin packaging foam, chipboard, tacky glue, sentiment stamp (Unity Stamp Co)

 

Step 1 – Making the “puffy” parts (insert picture entitled “Step 1 – Washi Dress”)

I couldn’t find a dress pattern that I liked, so I drew my own. Before you begin any cutting or gluing, make sure your template is the right size for your card – if it’s too big or too small, simply use your printer/copier to shrink/enlarge the proportions.

Glue your template to some chipboard and cut the pattern out. Next, using your template as a size guide, layer and glue together three pieces of thin packaging foam (adjust as necessary, depending on what material you end up using – I always save packaging material to upcycle). Cut the chipboard template along the lines and glue each piece individually to the foam layers. Trim foam away. Carefully arrange your pieces to form the desire design.

 

Step 2 – “Taping” the dress  (insert picture entitled “Step 2 Washi Dress”)

Cover each piece of your pattern (over the foam side) with washi tape, making sure there is excess over every edge (since it will be folded over). For pieces that are wider than the tape width, simply add another overlapping piece. Trim edges, to make sure when you fold the tape over, it doesn’t go past the opposite edge. Make small cuts along each edge to the template and fold each snipped flap onto the chipboard. Please note: you might have to re-secure the tape just before you glue it to your card face..

 

Step 3 – Forming the washi dress (insert picture entitled. “Step 3 – Washi Dress”)

Once you have finished covering each piece of your template with the desired color of washi tape, arrange the pieces in the proper order. I found it easiest to glue down the center pieces and work towards the outside. As you can see from the picture, the dress looks nice and puffy – like a quilted embellishment!

I finished the card face by stamping a sentiment and matting it with silver glitter paper from Fancy Pants.

Finally, I matted the card face onto some Bazzill and added a piece of bling to the dress. Voila! Your Japanese paper quilted washi dress card is complete!  

 

Here are some other examples of washi tape quilted cards that I made…

#1 Star Happy Birthday Card – I found the pattern for this design at: https://picasaweb.google.com/101680080518051516235/mVInNE#5118539157737907154

 

CC-items – Doodlebug washi tape (Swimming Pool & Grey), Carte Bella white cardstock, Basic Grey marshmallow button, Fancy Pants silver glitter paper, Tim Holtz walnut stain distress ink, cardstock (Bazzill), adhesive (Snake Tape)

Non-CC-items – thin packaging foam, chipboard, tacky glue, sentiment stamp (Unity Stamp Co)

 

#2 Heart I Love You Card –the pattern can be found here: http://piecemealquilts.com/2010/01/16/paper-pieced-heart-blocks/

CC-items: Doodlebug washi tape (Ladybug & Bubblegum), red cardstock (Echo Park), white cardstock (Carte Bella), Tim Holtz distress ink (Festive Berries), rhinestones (Teresa Collins Everyday Moments), silver glitter paper (Fancy Pants), adhesive (Snake Tape)

Non-CC-items: thin packaging foam, chipboard, tacky glue, sentiment stamp (Unity Stamp Co)

Now, as I mentioned in my previous Dec DT blog post, you can do this with scrapbooking paper as well, although it is thicker and a little more difficult to work with.  

#3 Happy Birthday Sailboat Card – the pattern can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/101680080518051516235/mVInNE#5118537718923861218

CC-items: patterned paper (Authentique “Fresh”), white cardstock (Carte Bella), Tim Holtz distress ink (Walnut Stain), adhesive (Snake Tape)

Non-CC-items: thin packaging foam, chipboard, tacky glue, sentiment stamp (Unity Stamp Co)

 

 

 

#4 Merry Christmas Tree Card – you can see the pattern here: https://picasaweb.google.com/101680080518051516235/mVInNE#5118537744693665042

CC-items: patterned paper (Teresa Collins & Echo Park), colored cardstock (Echo Park & Bazzill), white cardstock (Carte Bella), Tim Holtz distress ink (Walnut Stain), adhesive (Snake Tape), silver glitter paper (Fancy Pants), adhesive (Snake Tape)

Non-CC-items: thin packaging foam, chipboard, tacky glue, sentiment stamp (Studio G)

I hope I’ve inspired you to play with your washi tape and try to make a “quilted” picture. I’d love to see your creations!