Sewing in my bible came naturally to me as an extension of the way I usually craft. I can barely make a layout or card without running it through my sewing machine at some point. In fact, can I admit before you all that I bought my sewing machine with the sole purpose in mind that it would only ever be used on paper? Sad but true!
But I know that there are many more of you out there who never would have even contemplated it, or if you have then you’ve been too scared to try. Now I’m not talking about doing anything too fancy here, I’m simply talking about using a sewing machine on a straight stitch to keep your embellishments securely in place, and to add a touch of texture at the same time. In my video today I’ll share some easy tricks and tips which will have you successfully sewing on these thin Bible pages before you know it. And once you’ve mastered the straight stitch then perhaps you can even get a bit more adventurous?!
The other little technique I’m going to share with you in my video today is one that I call ‘backwards stamping’. I don’t know if it otherwise has any special specific name, but that pretty much describes it so let’s stick with that ok? What do I mean by backwards stamping? I’m talking about applying ink to the the flat back of your acrylic stamp and using it as a background block colour before turning your stamp around again and stamping it the right way. I used this technique here for these emoji stamps and I’m pretty chuffed with the results. They look pretty realistic don’t they?
By this stage you’re probably also wondering what my page is actually about. I know it’s a pretty strange declaration to say “don’t put on your faith face” when usually we’re busy trying to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. But of course I’m not talking about not having faith, or not declaring in faith, or not seeking to build faith… what I’m talking about is not covering up our very real struggles and denying the emotions that go along with them. I feel that often as believers we think that admitting we have a problem is an admission of failure and that somehow it means we’re not ‘Christian enough’. Like there’s an expectation that we should be walking in victory for every single step of our journey and anything other than that should be ignored or covered up with a faith-face that declares that everything will be ok. But at the end of the day we are all still human and we live in a fallen world where we will experience temptation and sickness and worry and heartbreak and a multitude of other hurdles that test us to our limits. Admitting that we are struggling is actually one of the first steps to healing. Admit it to ourselves, admit it to trusted friends and pastors who will pray alongside us and admit it to our Saviour (who already knows by the way!) and will help up to stand up underneath the weight.
I talk more about where in the Bible I’m journaling this entry and what inspired it all in the video as well, so perhaps just join me there….
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible | Illustrated Faith Through Christ Devotional Kit | Illustrated Faith Bright and Brave Paper Pieces | Illustrated Faith Alphabet Stickers in Bless Her Heart and Olive You | Illustrated Faith Pom Pom Clips |Illustrated Faith Black Eyed Pea Ink Pad | Illustrated Faith Precision Pens | Illustrated Faith Clear Acrylic Block | Illustrated Faith Tape Runner | Bella Blvd Tiny Text Rainy Day Stickers
