ThePowerOfACard: Welcome to Paper Piecing!

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Welcome to Paper Piecing!

Paper piecing is a fun technique where you stamp an image on patterned paper, then cut out part of the image and adhere it to the unadorned stamped image that you stamped for your card. Think of it like playing with paper dolls where you can add different parts of an outfit to mix and match. You do need stamps with line art, not solid images. When you trim the design, you will want to cut right on the line so it fits perfectly within your other stamped image. While it seems a little fussy, the result is really worth it!

You can also do a variation where you use die cuts and then combine different colors or patterns of the same die together to yield a very fun and colorful shape. For both of the variations, you will need detail scissors and adhesive. I like to use my fine tip glue bottle to get precision placement of my adhesive. Let's dive into the first method where we stamp on paper.

I am using the Pretty Poinsettia Bundle for this one. First, I cut a label using the Nested Essentials Dies from Basic White. Then I stamped the Christmas Joy sentiment onto a scrap of paper from the Timeless Christmas DSP, as well as on the label, in Memento Black ink. I really liked the scale of the red paper with white dots - it works quite will with the small space needed to fill the JOY letters. Trim the inside of the letters from the DSP, then glue what you've cut out to the label. I find it helps to use my Take Your Pick tool to assist in placing the paper. Then because you're using glue, slide the pieces into exact place.

To finish out my card, I started with a Crumb Cake base and added a layer of the gorgeous Shimmering Stripes Specialty DSP. I cut out three sets of petals from Poppy Parade and leaves from Garden Green (and used the Impressions plate for great detail). The flower centers are cut from Daffodil Delight. After popping up the label, I popped up the assembled poinsettia. Then I cut apart the leaf die cut and tucked the parts under the flower petals. While I wouldn't make all my Christmas cards this way, I will make some for the my family!

My second sample features the Cutest Crew where I stamped the three little birds on the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP. I chose the paper that had colors all swirled and blended together, then selected which part of that would be used for each bird. I stamped the birds again on Basic White, then cut them out with the 2-1/4" circle punch. I used a blending brush to add Pool Party to the sky and Pretty Peacock to the grass. I colored the beaks in with a Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blend, then glued on my bodies cut from the paper. I also added some color to the grass with a Light Pretty Peacock Blend. Then I punched a 2-3/8" circle from Daffodil Delight and matted my birds. I used another piece of the paper, cut into a triangle and added that to my Crumb Cake base. My sentiment was stamped in Pretty Peacock and matted with the same. I really love the coloring of those adorable birds, don't you?

My last card features a retired stamp set I've used many times for this paper piecing technique. It's called Press On and the coffee cup is super easy to decorate the band with paper! I selected the Sunflower Fields pack of paper and two of the patterns to make my card. I matted my focal piece with Old Olive and added a splash of Cajun Craze behind the sentiment. On the inside, I added a pocket for a coffee gift card (so perfect for this card!) and stamped my sentiment with Cajun Craze. I adore this stamp set because it's just so easy to add the paper band and you can easily make it fit any occasion or season.

Switching gears to doing paper piecing with die cuts, I'm starting with the Poetic Petals Bundle. First, I taped two dies together (the square with the dotted edge and the single flower) so that I could cut them out to make a flower frame. I used paper from the Autumn Opulence pack for this (the small pattern tiny flowers on Cajun Craze worked perfectly). Then I cut out the flower and leaves again - this time from two different patterns of paper (the reverse side of my first paper from Autumn Opulence and Valley in Bloom for the leaves). When cutting these, make sure you leave a little extra room around the die because when we trim out the parts, we will cut out where they go over the frame. Trim the pieces to finish the points of the leaves and the petals. I also trimmed out a little from the frame where there is gap between the flower and the edge - we don't want to see the underlying paper of Cajun Craze! Adhere the leaves first, then the flower with glue.

To finish the card, I added dimensionals behind this pieced together flower frame and added it to a Very Vanilla square cut with the Tile Garden Dies. I selected Petal Pink as my card base, and added an embossed rectangle (using the about to be released folder called Timeless Herringbone) to the card front. I popped up my squares and stamped my sentiment in Cajun Craze ink. My final touch is from another product coming out in November called Pearl Adhesive-Backed Faceted Dots.

My last card is a lovely quilted Christmas stocking. I again used the Timeless Christmas pack of paper and cut the pieces from the Stitched Stocking Bundle. I started by cutting the stocking base in Basic White, then cut off the top square. The bottom part was decorated with squares, triangles and other shapes of dies. I adhered them over the top of the base stocking and when they were all in place, I trimmed the parts that extended beyond the edge of the stocking. The card front is covered in a panel embossed with the Softly Woven folder and the stocking was finished with a little piece of Peaceful Pine Bordered Ribbon and the Adhesive-Backed Christmas Buttons.

I love how adding little pieces of patterned paper to stamped images or dies can really elevate the look of your cards. It's a great way to use scraps and it adds a WOW factor. Give it a try in your craft room!

Karen

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