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Make a Mola Cutting Greeting Card:
Click Here to Print the Mola Cutting Template
Mola Cutting Template Option 2
Mola Cutting Template Option 3
Click Here to View Mola Cutting Cards Made by Visitors
This project is based on a technique called "Mola Cutting". If you research this technique you will find that it originated in the textile industry as a type of reverse applique. Fabric is layered with portions of the upper layers cut through then sewn in place using an applique method to reveal the layers beneath it. In recent years, this technique has been adapted for use with paper crafts. Here is our version of this technique adapted for card making.
We started by printing the template onto heavy, glossy card stock so we could have a template that could be used over and over. If you only plan on making one card using this template you can print the template onto the back of the card stock you will be using for the design instead of making a template first.
Cut out the template using a cutting board, razor knife and ruler. Place your ruler along the lines of the template then rest, don't press, your razor knife along the edge of the ruler and start cutting. Keep your hands relaxed when cutting and don't press any harder then you need to so you will end up with nice straight lines. Try changing the blade if you are having trouble, they go dull quickly when used for cutting paper. Only cut along the black lines, skip the areas where the lines stop and then start again. Cut out all the black lines and then you will have a re-usable template to work with.
Use the template you just created to trace the design onto the card stock you will be using for the border of the mola cutting design. This picture shows orange card stock because it was easier to see to demonstrate this step than the dark blue card stock we used for this card.
Again, using the cutting mat, ruler and razor knife cut out the template along all the black lines.
After you've finished cutting out the border using the template, you will start layering the paper. Trace the outside lines of the template onto the back of the paper you want to use for the first layer then cut it out just inside the lines so the paper doesn't overlap the border when you glue it in place. For this layer we used scrapbook paper that was a light cloudy blue on the front and white on the back of the paper.
Run glue along the 4 edges of the border then place the first layer down as shown by the pictures below.
If you turn it over at this point, it will look something like this:
Now it's time to start adding more layers. To do this, you turn the project so you are looking at the front then cut out each section that you want to keep layering. It helps to have a clear ruler with markings on it that you can use as a guide because you need to cut about 1/4 inch in from your previous cut. The picture below shows how to do these interior cuts.
For this layer, continue until you have cut out everything except the smallest triangles that are in each of the four corners. For each layer, less cutting will be involved.
You should end up with something that looks like this:
Now it's time to add another layer. Cut out another square that is slightly smaller than the original template and glue that to the back of your project.
Turn it over and it should look like this now:
You can stop right here if you want and add some embellishments to finish the card or you can keep adding more layers. We wanted more layers so we made some more cuts on the card. This time we cut out just the 5 squares, each cut being about 1/4 inch from the previous cut. Then we added another layer of paper to the back of the project:
We decided to cut out each of the five squares again.
Then we added another layer of paper to the back.
Turn it over and it should look something like this.
We made just one last cut in the center square.
Then added a small square of paper to cover the last opening.
Now just glue the entire project to the front of a blank white greeting card and you are finished. We mounted it onto a blank pre-folded card that was originally 5 inches by 6.5 inches but we trimmed it to be 5 inches by 5 inches. If left as a rectangle card, there would be room to add a greeting.
Have fun with this technique. After you have made a couple you may want to experiment with layering the paper more randomly, only covering portions of the template with each paper. For this one we used up some scraps by piecing them on the back of the template instead of using the same paper for each entire layer.
If you complete this project or any of the other projects available here, please send in photo(s) for our gallery! Email them to cardmaking@comcast.net. If you are having trouble following these instructions, questions/comments are also welcome.
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