Last summer I launched my new vintage shop and wanted to have cards to hand out to people I met who were interested in such fun things. The cards had to be special, though. Special enough to actually inspire someone to venture onto the interwebs and check out my shop.
So, I found an old dress I had been keeping for a while, but hated the cut of it, and made business cards from it!
To make your own fabric-backed business cards, you will need:
- Good quality cardstock and printer
- Wax paper
- Thin, tightly woven fabric
- Spray mount
- Scissors for fabric
- Xacto blade
- Steel edge ruler
- Cutting mat
First, I printed out my business cards side-by-side onto a sheet of cardstock. Then I spray mounted it to a plain piece of cardstock, just to give it a heavier weight. After that, I trimmed around the edges.
Next, I laid the joined cardstock into the fabric and cut around the shape, so I had a piece of fabric about the same size as the cardstock.
Taking the wax paper, fabric, and cardstock outside, I laid out two pieces of wax paper and laid (face down) the fabric and cardstock onto them. Then, I sprayed the backside with spray mount. Carefully, I placed the sticky side of the fabric to the sticky side of the cardstock, started from one edge and making sure there were no wrinkles as I went along.
After the fabric and the cardstock was been joined, I used the steel ruler and Xacto blade to trim out the cards. The blade needed to be super sharp, and I changed it every other cut, lest the fabric fray or pull.
That could be the last step, but in order to add that extra special touch, I decided to machine stitch around the edges of my cards with metallic thread. This was a pretty time consuming process, but I've found that most people are pretty impressed with them, which means they are more likely to actually check out my shop. Mission accomplished!
These are beautiful! What a wonderful, original idea :D
Posted by: Rebecca | November 12, 2010 at 07:20 AM
oh, they are amazing! Thanks for imspiration :)
Posted by: Alex York | November 12, 2010 at 09:58 AM
These are so beautiful, and a great way to stand out among a stack of ill-designed business cards.
Lovely.
http://6petals.blogspot.com
Posted by: Christina | November 12, 2010 at 10:09 AM
Wow Mandi this is so creative.
Posted by: zelina | November 12, 2010 at 11:31 AM
They are pretty fabulous! Love this idea.
Posted by: RACHEL | November 12, 2010 at 11:48 AM
oh HELLO amazing tutorial in my reader this morning... this would also be great for wedding invitations!
Posted by: Chelsea | November 12, 2010 at 12:46 PM
LOVE it! great idea..so thankful for sharing!
Posted by: bella vintage | November 12, 2010 at 01:36 PM
love this mandi!
Posted by: liz kartchner | November 12, 2010 at 04:05 PM
fantastic!
Posted by: amy lapi | November 12, 2010 at 07:02 PM
Great idea! I'm going to try this as tags for my shop instead of the more expensive moo cards! Thanks for the inspiration Mandi!
Posted by: mandiegirl | November 13, 2010 at 02:07 AM
SO cool Mandi! i love the way your mind works and the whole creative process for these amazing cards. LOVELY!!!!
Posted by: Lynn | November 13, 2010 at 02:30 PM
Wow! These are great. Awesome idea, and they look fantastic!
Vanessa
Posted by: Vanessa | November 14, 2010 at 07:58 AM
l.o.v.e.
Posted by: Kristy | July 18, 2011 at 02:34 AM
This one's unique and more elegant than the typical business cards I've seen! For sure, your business will boom if you're creative in making your own business cards!
Posted by: Matthew Engquist | December 06, 2011 at 01:34 PM
The card looks marvelous. However, I wonder if the raw edges would fray after some use of the card? Have you run into that situation?
Posted by: Ari S. | February 05, 2012 at 05:35 PM
Ari,
If you use a good spray mount and a fresh blade, the fabric won't fray badly. :)
Posted by: Mandi | February 06, 2012 at 09:48 AM
Your designs are perfect! It's amazing how you were able to come up with these charming designs. The steps and materials used are so simple that even kids can follow those directions. For sure, a lot of business owners have asked for your help.
Posted by: Jamie Shellman | February 21, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Thanks for the tips on its designing,the stitching made these business cards much attractive.
Posted by: plastic card holders | May 02, 2012 at 08:31 AM
Wow I absolutely love this Idea, perfect for scraps!! This is definitely on my to do list!!
Nissa
Posted by: Nissa | May 23, 2012 at 09:33 AM
I absolutely adore this project!
I will use this idea to create mine for my new business, Sew Lambitious. You can find my page at www.facebook.com/LambitiousCreations. Thank you for sharing this wonderful tutorial!
I'd love to have new friends on my personal FB page that sew, craft, garden and cook. Let me know where you found me n a message after sending a request. www.facebook.com/Lambitious
Posted by: Kelly Lamb aka Sew Lambitious LLC | June 09, 2012 at 04:11 PM