1. I haven’t experimented with too many different types of paper, but I can tell you what I have used in the past. I have tried newsprint, regular copy paper, book covering fabric, book vinyl, THIN chip board, and 2 sheets of cover weight (cardstock) paper. You will have to adjust the tension accordingly.

2. I used Neenah Classic Laid cover weight paper in 2 different colors. I was able to get this through my friend’s Dad who owns a print shop in town. You can order it online as well.

3. Well I had my plate made at Boxcar Press, and they were able to send me the plate the very next day. So it took about 3 days to get my plate. Then I had access to a local print shop, where the owner let my husband and I use his press. I believe Boxcar could print your invites if you don’t have anyone local who could do it: http://www.boxcarpress.com — I will say, letterpress can be very expensive if don’t have means of doing it yourself. If you have the money to spend on it..it’s totally worth it. The quality is unbelievable.

4. Honestly, I’m not at home so I can’t see the exact model of my sewing machine, but I just used a Brother machine. It was a super cheap machine that I bought at Walmart 2 years ago– maybe 85 bucks? Just a guess.

5. I just used All Purpose sewing thread.

6. I got the envelope from Neenah Paper too. It’s just their standard classic laid envelope.

7. Well two of us were doing it so maybe 2 nights of working about 2-3 hours a night for 300 invites.

I hope I was thorough enough with my answers. Sewing on paper is sooo much fun! Good Luck!

I am making a Bar Mitzvah for my son, and of course on a tight budget. Although to be honest my taste is quite expensive and i LOVE to be creative and of course make a statement and be different!

Which leads me to my questions.
1. Can the stitching be done on any paper?
2. what paper did you use? where can i purchase paper like that?
3. Is there a way to do the pressing myself or do i have to send it to BoxCar? what is the turnaround time?
4. What kind of machine did you use for the sewing of the invitations?
5. Is there a specific kind of thread?
6. do you need a special kind of envelope cuz it’s thicker paper?
7. How long did it take to do the sewing for all 300 invitations?

Many thanks,

Nechama