Clarity Matters Blog Tutorial: A Piercing Grid in conjunction with a Groovi Plate

Hello hello! Grace here.

I hope this finds you well, safe and enjoying your Sunday morning.

We are joined today by the talented Maggie Byford. She has generously put together a piercing grid blog tutorial for us. Very helpful! I’ll hand you over to our tutor!

How To Work with a Piercing Grid in Conjunction with a Groovi Embossing Plate

For this tutorial we’ll be looking at gridwork – specifically using a Piercing Grid together with a Groovi Embossing Plate in order to create your own unique lacework designs. (Please Note: This is not the same as using a Groovi Lace Duet Plate where you emboss on one side of the plate then turn it over to perforate on the other side).

For today’s project, and by way of an introduction to lacework, I have chosen to use the A5 Inset Plate from Josie’s Gridwork Plate Mate as I find the finished combination of white dots and cutwork gives a really pretty, lacy look. When using pre-set embossing patterns, like those on the A5 Inset Plate, the temptation is to sometimes just emboss all the dots you see on the plate in the order they are arranged and to not digress in any way. But by having the benefit of a separate Piercing Grid you can create a totally different look by, say, leaving some dots unembossed and perforating them instead to create cutwork patterns such as “crosses” for decoration, or “slots” to thread ribbon through, or making fancy borders such as a “cutaway edge” as I have done. You’ll see what I mean when you give it a try.

This project is suitable for all abilities but assumes you have some knowledge of how to use parchment scissors or snips. This is what you are aiming for….

Ingredients

Plate Mate for A5 Sq Grids (GRO-CO-41706-08)
Numbers, Ovals & Tags A6 Sq Inset Plate (GRO-WO-40133-11) (optional)
Thank You! Square Floral Frame A6 Sq Plate (GRO-WO-42071-01)
Groovi A4 Clear Parchment Paper (GRO-AC-40024-A4)
Straight Basic Bold A4 Groovi Piercing Grid (GRO-GG-40528-17)
(alternatively you can use an A4 Pergamano MG28 Straight Bold Grid if you have one)
1-Needle Bold Perforating Tool (PER-TO-70028-XX)
Pergamano Excellent Embossing Mat (PER-AC-70075-XX)
Groovi Embossing Tool 1 & 2 (0.8mm to 1.3mm) (GRO-AC-40026-XX)
Black Dual-Purpose Groovi Mat A4 (GRO-AC-40194-A4)
A4 Translucent White Super Foam Mat (GRO-AC-40603-A4)
A4 Black Super Foam Mat (GRO-AC-41957-A4)
Groovi Sticker Tabs x 16 (GRO-AC-40437-XX)
Groovi Guard (GRO-AC-40345-XX)
Ringlock Scissors (PER-TO-70041-XX)
Pastel Mix Pergamano Brads (PER-AC-70270-XX)
Dorso Oil (PER-CO-70066-XX)
Blending Pen and Refill Nibs (PER-AC-70440-XX)
Spot-On Sponges (ACC-MG-30537-XX)
Amazonia Companion Paper 8×8” (optional) (ACC-CA-31662-88)
Faber Castell Polychromo Pencil (141 Delft Blue) (ACC-PE-30797-XX)
Dry Tumble Dryer Sheet
Spare Parchment for Practice Pieces (optional)

Method

Before you begin, you need to have to hand your Gridwork Plate Mate, its A5 Inset Plate, and an A4 Bold Piercing Grid (together with a Lightwave if using). You will also need a suitable thick perforating mat (see notes in *Step 2 below).

Step 1. Leave the A5 inset Plate in the Plate Mate aperture and align your clear parchment over the whole of the design on the Inset Plate. Attach with Groovi Stickers or low tack tape, then wipe a clear tumble dryer sheet across the surface to make embossing easier. Referring to the picture, use Groovi 1 tool to emboss only those straight lines as shown, then switch to Groovi 2 to emboss only those dots as shown.

For a clearer view this is a corner close-up of the embossed dots and straight lines used.

This picture shows you how the dots and lines look on a Groovi grid over a Lightwave.

Below is what you are aiming for.
TOP TIP: Use a Groovi Guard whilst embossing the lines to keep the parchment flat.

Step 2. PERFORATING.
Before you begin any perforating I have some general information for you. For the purposes of perforating on this particular project, you need an A4 Bold Piercing Grid and a suitable thick perforating mat. For example, if using an A4 Groovi Piercing Grid Straight Basic Bold, you will need an A4 White Super Foam Mat as well as a Lightwave. If using a metal grid such as an A4 Pergamano Multi Grid 28 Straight Bold, which I have used, you will need an A4 Black Super Foam Mat.
TOP TIP: If you are using a metal grid you can still use it over your Lightwave as it allows you to see the grid holes much more clearly, but you will need to use the thick white mat with it instead of the black mat.

Place your choice of piercing grid over its corresponding thick mat. With the front of your parchment facing you, carefully align it over the grid so that your embossed dots in the outermost border fit snugly into the grid holes underneath, then re-attach. Use a 1-Needle Bold tool to perforate in and around border Pattern 1 as shown on the picture.

TOP TIP: Hold the needle tool upright and perforate deeply, but only to the thickest part of the needle. The short pencil lines shown down the left side on the picture above are where I pierced a hole by mistake, and the pencil mark denotes that this particular hole is not part of the design and is to be ignored in the snipping process. Something to bear in mind if you make a similar mistake.

This is a corner close-up of perforating Pattern 1.

Step 3. Use your 1-Needle Bold tool to perforate border Pattern 2 as per this corner close-up, ensuring the grid holes and embossed dots match up.

Step 4. Once again, ensure the grid holes and embossed dots match up then continue to perforate border Patterns 3 and 4 as per the close-up. Note that for Pattern 3 you don’t need to perforate at the 4 corners of the frame as brads will be placed there during the layering up stage.

Step 5. SNIPPING.
Use your parchment scissors or snips to start snipping between the perforations of border Patterns 1 and 3 to form crosses, the term being “cut-to-crosses”. This picture shows the snipped crosses of Pattern 1 but DO NOT cut-to-crosses in the corners of the frame as brads will be placed there at the layering up stage.

How to snip a cross: To create one cross, snip between the top 2 perforations as shown, make a quarter turn of your parchment to the right and snip between the next 2 top perforations, then, making a quarter turn of your parchment to the right twice more, snip the top 2 perforations at each turn until you have made a cross shape.

Step 6. To create the fancy cut-away edge around the outer border, use your parchment scissors or snips to cut between the perforations from the outside edges, as shown.

Here is what it should look like with all the outside edges snipped.

Step 7. For the central greetings panel, attach a spare piece of clear parchment over the central design on the Thank You plate and use Groovi 1 tool to emboss the box frame, the inner loopy frame and the wording. Switch to Groovi 2 tool to emboss only the row of dots that run along the insides of the box frame.

Step 8. With the front of the parchment facing you, very carefully align the embossed straight lines of the box frame so that all 4 sides fit directly over a straight row of grid holes underneath them. When you are happy with the alignment then re-attach. With everything over a thick mat, use your 1-Needle Bold tool to perforate through all the straight lines as shown.

This is what you are aiming for.

Step 9. Use parchment scissors or snips to snip between the perforations from the outside edges as shown.

Step 10. Cut coloured background papers to size to fit behind your main parchment and the central greetings panel.

Step 11. To Finish
On the back of the main parchment, add colour to the four double-outline frames using a colour of your choice to match your background paper (I used Polychromos pencil 141 Delft Blue), then blend with Dorso Oil and blending nib. Match up the parchment and coloured background layers, attach together using brads, then mount onto the front of folded white card. This is what you are aiming for.

Your project is complete!

What a beautiful card! That is incredibly helpful. And although it looks difficult at first glance, Maggie has made it pretty easy to achieve. Lovely! We hope to see your versions shared on Groovi Worldwide.

Thank you so much, Maggie, for sharing this detailed and helpful bloggy tutorial with us. Yet another impressive step-by-step project that we are sure will encourage and inspire you at home!

Everything that Maggie has used in this particular project is available in a shopping list, HERE.

Now, looking at a busy week ahead…

Monday 15th July:
In the SHAC with Barbara – 10am Live on Facebook & YouTube
Tuesday 16th July:
Groovi Tuesday with Paul – 10am Live on Facebook & YouTube
Wednesday 17th July:
Brand New Launch with Paul on Create & Craft – 6pm & 9pm
Thursday 18th July:
Brand New Launch with Paul on Create & Craft – 10am & 2pm
Thursday 18th July:
In the SHAC with Barbara – 7pm Live on Facebook & YouTube
Saturday 20th July:
Crafting with Clarity with Deborah Wheeler on Create & Craft – 1pm & 4pm

See you there!

Travel gently,
Lotsa love, Grace & Maggie xoxo

Clarity – The Home of Art, Craft, and Well-Being.