Chevrons are very popular these days. Just a look through the new catalog and you will see them in so many different places. On stamps, ribbon, embossing folder, Designer Series Paper, and gift bags. Recently I saw a card by Laura Lipe with directions for making them. You need card stock that has been marked every half inch so she scored it. I tried one but was not happy with the fact that the score lines showed so I revised the directions (see my directions below) and made these cards.
You need strips that are 5& 1/2″ x 1″. Instead of scoring these strips I marked one side of the card stock with pencil. I wanted to do this card in a class and didn’t want to take the time for everyone to mark their own card stock so I pre-marked the strips needed to make the chevrons. I took a whole sheet of card stock (you can start with a smaller piece depending on how many strips you want). Using my Stampin’ Trimmer, I inserted the piece of card stock just as you would do if you were scoring or cutting it. However I used a pencil in the track instead of the scoring blade. You need to make a pencil line every half inch then turn your paper and make pencil lines every half inch in the opposite direction. You wind up with a sheet that is covered with half inch pencil lined squares. It was amazingly easy and very quick to score several full size sheets. After this is done cut strips that are 5 & 1/2″ x 1″. With this strip start cutting from the bottom corner to middle pencil line, skip the next pencil line, go to the next pencil line and cut from that line to the middle pencil line. Continue this pattern until you reach the end where you wind up cutting off the triangle of that last box (see below). Turn your card stock the opposite direction and start cutting back across the row creating “V’s”, removing paper scraps the entire width of the CS. Rotate paper 180 degrees and cut the opposite side. The first strip below shows the pencil lines (some are faint). The middle strip shows the cut lines darkened so you can see the pattern. The last strip shows the bottom row of squares on the strip completely cut. You would then turn it around and cut the other side. My stampers in class were a bit overwhelmed as I was demonstrating this technique for the card they were going to make but once they started they all agreed it was very easy.
What you wind up with are the chevrons to make a great card and the bonus of a bunch of cut triangle scraps. I started to throw them away but looking at them scattered on my craft counter I could visualize a mosaic pattern so I glued some to a piece of white card stock. Since I was using By the Tide stamp set for the cards I picked up the coral stamp and stamped right over the mosaic. It created a very interesting pattern. I didn’t have time to create a card with my “trash” but here is how my experiment looked.
Thanks for stopping by and have a Blessed Sunday.
