creates a quilted look

This technique looks really intimidating but in reality it is pretty easy.  I will admit that it is a bit time consuming to complete, but I think that the cool results are totally worth it.  I shared this technique at a demonstrator gathering and at my most recent stamp club meeting.  Everyone was a little nervous at first (at both gatherings), but once they got going they really enjoyed it.  I had all of the paper strips pre-cut, so people were able to start sticking them down once they had the adhesive applied.  I felt like going in a "vintage" direction with the card so I used the Attic Boutique DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog, the vintage-y Artistic Etchings stamps with some crochet trim and some sponging to give it a distressed look.  I'm very happy with the results!  One of my club gals commented that this is a great way to make use of some scraps of DSP, which is totally true.  Give it a try!

I used the following materials to make this card:

• Stamps: Artistic Etchings
• Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Soft Suede
• Ink: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Crumb Cake
• Accessories: Attic Boutique DSP (Occasions Mini), Labels Framelit die, Decorative Label punch, Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Basic Pearls, Victoria Crochet Trim, Dimensionals, sponge

This is how you create the herringbone background:

1. Cut a piece of cardstock in the dimensions for the finished herringbone piece.  This will be the base that you build on.
2. Apply double-sided adhesive to fully cover the cardstock base.  Rub it firmly with a bone folder to burnish it and make sure that the adhesive is really stuck to the cardstock.  I used the Multipurpose Adhesive sheets for this.
3. Trim cardstock and DSP strips that are between 1/4" and 3/8" wide.
4. Apply a darker cardstock strip from corner to corner on the adhesive.  Trim so that it extends just a bit past the end of the base.
5. At a 90° angle, nearer one end than the other, attach another piece of the same cardstock so one end butts against the piece you attached previously.  Trim the cardstock so that it extends just a bit past the end of the base.
6. Rotate the piece and repeat step 5 on the opposite side, but closer to the other end.  You will now have 4 triangular sections of varying sizes.
7. With a DSP strip, place it so that an end meets in a corner created by your dark strips and so that the long edge is parallel to the another dark strip.  Make sure that there are no gaps between the DSP end and side and the cardstock that is laid down already.  Trim at the end.
8. With the trimmed off section of the DSP, place it so that the end meets in the corner that has the previous DSP piece and the dark strip.  Lay it down so that the long edge is parallel to the dark strip and the end is tight against the previous DSP.  Again, make sure that there are no gaps between the DSP and the pieces that you laid it against.
9. Keep repeating steps 7 & 8 with different DSP patterns until you have filled in the triangle section that you are working in.
10. When you get to the last piece, it can end up being pretty tiny.  It will stick ok because you covered the whole base with adhesive.
11. Move to another triangle section and fill that in in the same fashion.  Fill all 4 triangle sections.
12. Once the paper is laid down, burnish the whole piece with your bone folder to make sure that all of the pieces are stuck down really well.
13. Trim the pieces of cardstock and DSP that are extending past the edges of the base cardstock.
14. Sponge the edges of the herringbone background to soften the edges, and it helps to fill in any teeny gaps that may have formed, or if a super teeny triangle was left uncovered as you finished a section.
15. Use the base on your project.

You can also see a move picture based tutorial out on Splitcoast Stampers at this link.