Chevron Stripes & Stitching

One new trend that I'm seeing everywhere is chevron stripes. Today I have a really simple tutorial on how to create this look on your own projects and layouts. The "Study Hall" kit was perfect for utilizing this type of technique and my subject is far from "back to school" but all about being a "scholar." :) Little Miss Lily loves to make her "thinking" face all the time and says "Hmmm...." while bringing her finger to her lips. Another little quirk captured! :) Here's a peek at what I created with this technique. 

The first thing I did was select a variety of patterned papers and then traced and cut out diamond shapes from them. (You could also use a die-cut machine for this as well.) 

After inking all my diamonds, I laid them out so I could see what it would all look like before doing any adhering and stitching. 

Finally, I threaded up a needle with embroidery floss and did a very rough, running stitch of white and red floss on the top and bottom of the chevron stripe. The key here is imperfection! I also machine stitched along the patterned paper on the inside of the stripe, which you can see more of in first photo. 

And, here's my finished layout! 

A close-up of the title (pretty sure I'm in love with the Fancy Pants chalkboard stickers)...

My journaling on an Elle's Studio pennant. 

And that's it! Give this one a try...it was really simple! :)

Jill