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Watch the video: “How to Make Greeting Cards Using Your Embroidery Machine” by The Birch Cottage Blog
Two simple sheets of paper. A classic 5x7 hoop. And the satisfying hum of your embroidery machine. This tutorial shows how to turn watercolor paper into personalized, keepsake cards—neat on the front, tidy on the inside, and made with confidence.
Here’s the best part: you’ll use the tools you already know—stabilizer, temporary spray adhesive, and your embroidery machine—and learn a few card-specific moves (like trimming stabilizer close and covering backs with accent paper) that make your cards look polished.
What you’ll learn
- How to cut 9x12 watercolor paper to a 10x7 sheet and fold into a 5x7 card.
- Hooping cutaway stabilizer, aligning the card front with spray adhesive, and marking center.
- Loading a design from USB and aligning to your pencil mark on the machine screen.
- Managing color changes and trimming jump threads for a clean finish.
- Trimming the stabilizer and adding accent paper for a professional interior.
How to Make Stunning Embroidered Greeting Cards
Why Machine Embroidery for Cards? If you love the precision of your machine and the tactile charm of paper, this project delivers both. The stitching lays beautifully on heavy-weight cardstock (the tutorial uses 140-lb watercolor paper), and the final card folds and feels like a boutique stationery piece you made yourself. If you’re working on a brother embroidery machine, this walkthrough follows the standard process you already know, with a few paper-focused tweaks for great results.
Pro tip Test your chosen embroidery design on a scrap of similar paper first. Paper behaves differently than fabric; confirming density and underlay on a test piece helps you avoid overly dense designs.
Essential Supplies You’ll Need Gather everything first so you can move smoothly from cutting to stitching:
- Embroidery thread and pre-wound bobbins
- Heavy-weight cardstock or watercolor paper (140-lb shown), plus lighter cardstock for the interior backing
- Accent paper for the inside
- Medium-weight cutaway stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive
- Glue stick or two-sided tape
- Embroidery machine with a 5x7 hoop
- Paper trimmer, ruler, pencil, eraser
- Embroidery scissors and craft scissors
- Bone folder (for crisp creases)
The tutorial also references a color change sheet for the chosen design.
Lay out your tools on a cutting mat so you can see everything at a glance. Organizing before you start saves time—especially once the machine is running and you’re pausing to trim jump threads.
Watch out Use a light mist of temporary spray adhesive on the card front only, and aim away from your hoop’s hardware. A light touch is enough to tack paper to the stabilizer securely.
Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your Cards
Preparing Your Cardstock Start with 9x12 watercolor paper and trim it to 10x7 inches. That fold creates your 5x7 card. The video uses a paper trimmer for clean, square cuts—handy for getting a true edge that folds neatly.
Fold the 10x7 sheet in half and crease with a bone folder. You’re aiming for a sharp, professional crease. Then cut your lighter backing paper slightly under 5x7 so it fits inside without peeking out from the edges.
Quick check
- Folded card measures 5x7 inches.
- Backing (accent) paper is just under 5x7 so it doesn’t show.
- Crease is crisp and centered.
Hooping and Centering Your Card Hoop a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer in your 5x7 hoop, ensuring it’s taut and secure—no ripples. Tighten the hoop screw as needed.
Lightly spray the back of the card’s front panel with temporary adhesive. Align the card on the hooped stabilizer using the cutting mat’s grid or hoop marks to keep it straight. Rub gently around the edges to adhere.
Mark the center for your design with a tiny pencil dot: 3.5 inches down from the top of the card and 2.5 inches in from the folded edge. Erase one dot if you made crosshairs so you’re left with a minimal mark.
From the comments No audience comments were provided with this video dataset. If you have a question about paper weight, stabilizer type, or thread density for your design, note that the tutorial shows 140-lb watercolor paper with a medium-weight cutaway stabilizer and demonstrates trimming jump threads during stitching.
Loading and Stitching Your Design Plug your USB drive into the machine and select your design from the screen. The tutorial shows navigating to a folder (e.g., ABC) and loading the file.
Load the hoop, thread the first color according to your color change sheet, and hold the thread tail for the first few stitches. The machine’s automatic needle threader helps, but holding the tail ensures the bobbin catches it cleanly.
Align the design using the machine’s on-screen arrows so the needle points to your pencil mark. Lower the presser foot and start stitching. The tutorial pauses periodically to trim jump threads close to the paper; this avoids later stitches tacking them down.
Watch out Don’t pull on jump threads; snip close with embroidery scissors. Tugging can distort paper and stitches.
Mastering Color Changes and Jump Threads
Seamless Thread Changes When the machine signals a color change, raise the presser foot to release the thread, remove the spool, and thread the next color while maintaining slight tension on the spool. Use the automatic needle threader, lower the presser foot, hold the tail for a few stitches, and resume. The machine continues exactly where it left off.
Quick check
- Correct thread color loaded per your chart
- Needle threaded cleanly
- Presser foot lowered before pressing “start” again
Tips for a Clean Finish The creator trims jump threads as they appear—especially helpful for thinner designs—so later stitching doesn’t trap them. This habit keeps details crisp and minimizes fuzz on the surface. If your design is denser, you could trim at the end, but pausing as you go keeps things pristine.
Note on hoop choice The video uses a standard 5x7 hoop with medium-weight cutaway stabilizer. It does not cover magnetic accessories or alternative hoop systems. If you’re researching options beyond what’s shown here, note that the tutorial does not demonstrate a brother magnetic hoop 5x7; it specifically shows a conventional setup with cutaway stabilizer.
The Final Touches
Trimming Stabilizer and Adding Accent Paper When stitching finishes, remove the hoop and unhoop the card. Trim the cutaway stabilizer on the back as close to the stitching as possible without snipping threads. This is especially important for cards, because you’ll be adhering accent paper over the back—adhesive should touch the card, not the stabilizer.
Apply glue or two-sided tape around the perimeter of the accent paper, then place it inside the card to cover the stitching and trimmed stabilizer. Start pressing from the center and smooth outward to avoid bubbles or wrinkles.
If it’s slightly misaligned, adjust immediately before a permanent bond forms. Re-crease the card with a bone folder for that crisp, store-bought look.
Pro tip Choose accent paper that complements your design colors. Even a subtle color or textured stock makes the inside look finished and hides the stabilizer cleanly.
Presenting Your Handmade Cards Give the fold one more pass with your bone folder and admire your work. The result is a polished, personalized card with precise stitching on the front and a tidy interior. The embroidery in the video took about 30 minutes—plenty of time for light multitasking while still keeping an eye on the machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of paper works best for machine embroidery cards? Heavy-weight cardstock, such as 140-lb watercolor paper, holds stitches well and makes a sturdy 5x7 card.
How do I prevent thread tangles when starting a new color? Hold the thread tail for the first few stitches after threading so it’s securely caught by the bobbin thread.
Should I trim jump threads during or after embroidery? The tutorial trims jump threads during stitching—especially for thinner designs—to prevent them from being stitched over.
More Creative Ideas for Machine Embroidered Cards
- Try seasonal motifs (florals, snowflakes, or simple line art) that aren’t too dense for paper.
- Use contrasting accent paper to frame the back of your stitching inside the card.
- Batch your steps: cut all paper first, hoop several cards in sequence, then stitch designs in a single session.
A note on scope and tools The video demonstrates a 5x7 card workflow using a standard hoop, cutaway stabilizer, and a Brother machine with USB design loading. It doesn’t cover hoop alternatives, specific brand threads, or design files by name. If you’re comparing setups, keep in mind the tutorial does not include a brother 5x7 hoop variant with magnets or any overview of brother embroidery hoops sizes beyond the shown 5x7 capacity.
Research pointers (not demonstrated in the video)
- The process shown uses a conventional hoop. Magnetic accessories are not depicted. If you’re curious about them, note that the video does not address a magnetic hoop for brother pe770 or magnetic hoops for brother pe770.
- Similarly, the tutorial focuses on the featured machine and does not compare other models or discuss brother embroidery machine hoops beyond the 5x7 size it uses.
- The tutorial does not mention other machines or their hoop dimensions and does not reference brother pe800 hoop size.
Troubleshooting at a glance
- Card slipping on stabilizer: Use a light, even mist of temporary spray adhesive and press firmly around the edges.
- Skipped stitches at the start of a color: Hold the thread tail for the first few stitches.
- Jump threads creating fuzz: Pause and trim as they appear with embroidery scissors.
- Accent paper bubbling: Press from center outward, smooth gently, and use even adhesive around the perimeter.
Safety and setup reminders
- Ensure the stabilizer is securely hooped before placing your card.
- Double-check the design alignment with your pencil mark before pressing start.
- Keep fingers clear when trimming jump threads; pause stitching first.
Wrap-up With a few thoughtful adjustments for paper—precise trimming, careful hooping, and a neat interior backing—you can turn machine embroidery into elegant, gift-ready greeting cards. The method is approachable for beginners and easily scales for batches. Once you’ve got the rhythm, you’ll be reaching for that stack of watercolor paper whenever a special occasion pops up.