Scrapbooking Paper Piercing 101

Scrapbooking paper piercing is an age-old craft that can lend elegance and new dimension to your paper-craft projects.  Use paper piercing to provide a unique look to your scrapbooking pages!

What is Paper Piercing?

Paper piercing is a decorative process. Simply put, paper piercing refers to the method of taking a sharp needle and poking a series of tiny holes into your paper to create various patterns.  The effect is that the design looks like sewing stitches, which is why paper piercing is sometimes also called “faux stitching.”  Paper piercing designs can be simple or highly complex, completely unique or followed from a pattern.

Beginner Paper Piercing Tools

To begin your very first paper piercing project, you will need:

  • Heavy cardstock paper.
  • A sharp needle.
  • A mat. (To protect your table from scratching!  Use any type of mat that will absorb the needle.  Mouse pads work well. Large foam sheets purchased at craft stores are also good options.)
  • A pattern. (Optional.)

Starting a Simple Paper Piercing Project

  • Choose a pattern. (Any type of pattern that you can poke a needle through!)
  • Choose heavy cardstock.
  • Place pattern over heavy cardstock.  Tape the pattern to the cardstock to keep it in place.
  • Place cardstock over the mat!
  • Follow pattern, making small perforations with your needle.
  • When finished, remove pattern from the cardstock and admire your design!

Suggestions for Successful Paper Piercing

  • Craft stores sell piercing tools.  Holding a needle to poke holes into paper can get tiresome after a while.  If you really enjoy paper piercing, consider purchasing such a tool.
  • Cardstock is a great beginner’s choice because it is heavy and less likely to rip but easy to perforate.  After you get a feel for paper piercing, experiment with different types of paper, including vellum, scrapbook paper, duplex paper, metallic paper, etc.
  • Test how patterns appear with the holes punched closer together or farther apart.  Experiment with various designs.  Remember that on one side of the paper is a flat design while the other side has a lifted design.  There is no right or wrong way to display either design!
  • Paper pierce borders, letters, pictures, monograms, or frames.
  • Experiment with different patterns.  Anything can be used as a pattern!  Stencils and sturdy templates work very well for paper-piercing.  Some people use children’s coloring books, cut-outs, die-cuts, or download patterns from the computer.  Craft stores sell templates specifically made for paper-piercing projects.  Consider drawing your own patterns or templates and scanning them into your computer for future reference.
  • Make paper-piercing designs really pop by chalking around them.  If the design isn’t recognizable after you have finished piercing the paper, use marker or pens to bring the visual together.

As you become more skilled at paper piercing, you will find that your options for creativity are limitless.  Many incorporate stamping with paper piercing, combine paper piercing and embossing for a truly dynamic effect, or add paper piercing to their own original artwork, actually incorporating the “pattern” directly into their scrapbook page.

Paper piercing is a relatively easy and visually stunning scrapbooking technique that takes a little time and creativity.  The results are always worth it.