How to Make an Aperture Card

It's so handy to be able to make your own aperture cards for showing off your cross stitch designs and sending them to family and friends. By making your own you can create any colour card you want, that best shows off your finished pieces, and you can also make it any size you want allowing you to make any small cross stitch piece into a card.

Here's a step by step guide to making your own aperture cards!

What you will need:

• Coloured Card of your choice
• An existing aperture card or use my download my free A6 card template below. Alternatively you can measure out your card yourself.
• Paper Scissors
• Fabric Scissors
• Double Sided Tape
• Ruler
• Pencil 
• Craft Knife and cutting board (I use the back of an old placemat!)
• Fabric Pen 

Step 1

Trace the outline of the card, including the aperture, onto your piece of card including the extra piece that will go inside the card to back your cross stitch.

 Step 2

Cut out the card, but not the aperture

Step 3

Use a craft knife and a ruler to cut out the aperture. Make sure you do use a ruler for this bit as freehand edges often leads to wobbly edges! 

​My template has curved edges, cut these freehand after you have cut the straight edges with the ruler. 

Step 4

Centre the cross stitch design inside the aperture. Use the edges of the card to mark the fabric so that you know where to cut. I use a water soluble fabric pen for this but you can use a pencil as you won't see these edges once they are inside the card.
​

Step 5 

Cut out your design one square smaller than your line using fabric scissors. 

Step 6

Stick double sided tape around the edges of the aperture on the inside of the card.

Step 6

Remove the backing from the tape and then carefully place your cross stitch piece centrally in the frame. This should be straight forwards as you have carefully measured and cut your piece already.

Step 7

Stick double side tape on the corners of your backing piece. Stick this over the back of your cross stitch for a neat finish inside.

Step 8

Marvel at your beautiful aperture card! If you make your cards a standard size (A6 for example) then you can use a pack of standard envelopes. Or why not make your own?

Enjoy!

P.S If you love this card and would like more designs to fit into the template below then the designs are available here.

P.P.S I've linked up some supplies in the post as a Love Crafts Affiliate. When you purchase through these links I get a small commission at now extra cost to you. Thanks so much for shopping with my links!

P.P.P.S Get you free aperture card template (plus all my other free downloads) to your inbox by adding your email below!