print and stitch cards old and new

A mother carries her baby in a basket over her shoulder. She is dressed in a folk costume from a region of Cantabria Spain.
Print and stitch cards come in and out of fashion. 

        This greeting card was perhaps made in the 1940s or 1950s? It came from Cantabria Spain. Made for the tourist trade; there are many versions of it. The skirt is a pleated ribbon, the blouse is hand-stitched with black threads and the cap with red threads. The mother and baby are hand-painted with watercolors and so are her shoes and also the tiny farmer with oxen and cart in the background. Usually cards such as these illustrated the customary folk costume of the local people who crafted them for visitors to their village. There is a tiny drawing of the arms of Cantabria in the top right hand corner of the greeting card.

Left, a detail of her ribbon skirt. Center, all of her facial features are painted with watercolors. Right, the current coat of arms of Cantabria Spain.

       Below is a video illustrating a modern variation of the same craft. Click on their youtube video to visit the company's web pages for free patterns and ideas.

Video tutorial showing how to make a note card that 

you can hand stitch with embroidery floss. 

Visit downloadandprint for a free sample.