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Monday 25 March 2013

Card-making Treats for Myself


In my March 2013 Catch-up post, I mentioned that I had used a glass-headed pin to perforate the wedding card I made, and had, “managed perfectly well”. I’d like to place emphasis on the word ‘managed’. Since making that card, I’ve realised that the use of a glass-headed pin as an improvised perforating tool is fine short-term, but not when one intends to make several cards. Therefore, I followed the suggestion on the Stitching Cards website and treated myself to a Pergamano single needle perforating tool (Product-ID: 10241), plus Pergamano extra-large perforating pad (Product-ID: 31417).

Pergamano single needle perforating tool

Pergamano perforating pad

 I am utterly delighted with both items, as they have made such a positive difference to the perforating process. The perforating tool is similar to a soft-grip pen, which is ideal for designs that consist of many perforations. The needle is finer and sharper than that of a glass-headed pin (almost like a hypodermic needle), meaning that the perforations are smaller.

Pergamano single needle perforating tool



The left leaf shape in the image below was perforated with a glass-headed pin, whilst the one on the right was perforated with the Pergamano single needle perforating tool.

Perforation comparison

The Pergamano perforating pad I purchased measures 23.5 x 33.5 cm, with a depth of 0.8 cm. It is made from sturdy foam, which means that when it’s in use, it not only offers cushioning, but stability too. My only criticism is that it attracts the slightest speck of dust (and whatever else) like a magnet.

Finally, the third item I treated myself to was an Extra Strong Permanent Glue Tape Pen by Crafter’s Companion, which is, “acid-free and archival safe”. I bought it because I’d run out of the double-sided finger-lift tape I normally use.

Crafter's Companion Extra-Strong Permanent Glue Tape Pen

The appearance of the dispenser (I mean ‘pen’) gives the impression that it’s refillable; it’s not, but at a cost of £2.99 for 22m (72 feet) of glue, it’s an absolute bargain! Unlike double-sided finger-lift tape, there’s no having to search for scissors, or make endless trips to the bin to dispose of strips of wax-like backing paper because there is none. With the double-fold cards I use, the Crafter’s Companion glue pen seems to do a considerably better job of sticking the two sides of card together. What I’ve yet to establish is how well it works with Aida fabric.

3 comments:

Aurelia Eglantine said...

Wow, excellent product reviews! That perforating tool looks like a neat craft tool to have generally. The comparison shot is absolutely amazing, and I bet the back of the holes must be a little bit smoother and even too :)

Karen said...

This is a really interesting technique. I've never tried anything like this before, but saw someone doing it once when we visited Kings Landing (a historical site that has volunteers playing the roles of the people during that time). This is all great info and you may have persuaded me to add another technique on my list of things to do. :) Great post!

CrazyStitcher said...

Aurelia & Karen - Thank you ladies!

The perforating tool really has made the process of pricking holes so much easier, and I wouldn't be without it now.

In my opinion, stitching directly on to card can be a lot of fun, so I would certainly recommend it. Once one has mastered the hang of it, it takes very little time to stitch a design. From start to finish, a simple design can easily be stitched within a day.