I recently made the transition from stitching on cloth to paper, which was bound to happen sooner or later because I am a paper artist after all. I started with a small scrap piece of paper and made a circle of French knots in red thread. I added the paper cut design after the embroidery to see how those would work together.

If I combine stitching and paper cutting again I’ll have to do the cutting first because the textured knots make it so the paper can’t lie flat, and that makes things awkward. I made it work because the paper was small and it was a test.

With my second test piece I worked with heavier card stock and did a more intricate design that I made up as I went along. I drew lines and circles on the back to guide me, and punched the holes with the needle before I did the stitching.

With my third test piece I pulled out a line drawing from last year and decided to add French knots to create texture, and see how the two mediums work together. Despite the busy nature of the drawing the French knots look terrific on the piece (more so than what comes across in this photo).

The three pieces have been great practice in getting a feel for handling paper carefully while trying to stitch, and I’ve gotten so much better at creating nice even French knots. I could make them all day. It the same way I feel about the other mediums and techniques I love.