Card Making Templates using EQ8

Learn an entirely new way to use Electric Quilt 8.  With Electric Quilt 8 you can create your own card making templates which can be used to keep track of measurements for your card and for auditioning stamps.

During the past year, I have taken up card making.  I really don't want to think about the amount of time I am spending reading blog posts, Pinterest and watching You Tube videos as I learn a whole new set of crafting skills.

I have been very intrigued with the large variety of layouts available for cards.  Most card designs are 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".  (Essentially 1/4 of a piece of letter paper).  If the card is folded it takes 1/2 a sheet of letter paper for each card.

On that base you add layers and decorate with stamps and embellishments.

I have found that most information on sizes for the layering pieces are buried in You Tube videos (or sometimes not even available).  As a result, I needed a way to track information for my favorite card designs.

I have found that EQ8 can easily be adapted for card-making designs.

Inspired by Stampin Up Paper Pumpkin Alternate Designs

I recently joined Stampin Up's Paper Pumpkin membership program.  For $22 each month (including shipping), I receive a box with a set of stamps and card making material.  There are instructions for cards or alternative crafting projects in each box.  But what is more intriguing is seeing what Paper Pumpkin demonstrators and members are doing with the supplies.  Bloggers will do tutorials on alternate designs they develop and others just post pictures of their cards on Pinterest or on Facebook.

I've become a bit obsessed with collecting these pictures and watching the videos.

One basic layout that has intrigued me is a book binding card.  Take a look at how a book binding card differs from a regular card.

Here are three book binding cards I created using two of my Paper Pumpkin kits.

The inspiration for the Christmas card was a 3" mini gift card designed by Rachel Tessman from StampYourArtOut.com.  Since square cards cost more to mail in the US, I modified the design to turn it into a book binding card.  This used the leaf vine and ground stamp from the Haunts and Harvest Paper Pumpkin kit by Stampin Up. 

This next one was a slight variation of a design I found in a video by Rachel Tessman that used the Hope Box Paper Pumpkin kit.

The wreath of leaves in the next one was inspired by a card by Gourdy VanGogh that was shared in the Paper Pumpkin Fan Club Facebook group. This used the stamps from the Haunts and Harvest Paper pumpkin kit.  Can you tell that I used cork for the frames?

This basic book binding card design is so versatile.  I decided to set it up in Electric Quilt, so I could keep track of the measurements and audition stamps.

See how to create the card template as an applique block using Electric Quilt 8 in this video tutorial.

Using the print-outs from EQ8, I added cutting instructions and auditioned stamps as shown below.

EQ8 PDF Bookbind Card Template

Audition of stamps on the EQ8 Printout

I look forward to seeing your card making templates.  Feel free to post in the Learning EQ Facebook group.

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Happy quilting.

​Kari

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