Looking for a simple way to add movement to your cards? This easy two-slot slider mechanism uses two parallel slots, a slider and a pull panel to create an interactive element that moves across your card as the panel is pulled.
The mechanism is easy to adapt to different card sizes and designs. You can change the position and length of the slots, adjust the distance your element travels and customise the pull panel to suit your project.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how I created the mechanism for my gingerbread card, but the same basic construction can be used for all kinds of interactive designs.
There are several ways to build the housing around the mechanism, so don’t worry about choosing a specific construction before you begin. I’ll walk you through the different options as we go.
Tutorial
You can read the full tutorial below or download the printable PDF version here .
This simple slider mechanism uses two parallel slots and a slider strip to connect an element on the front of your project to a pull panel hidden behind it. As the pull panel moves, the slider strip travels along the slots and carries the attached element with it.
Throughout this tutorial, I’ll refer to the piece containing the two slots simply as the front panel. The finished mechanism, however, needs to be enclosed inside a housing that hides and protects the moving parts while allowing the pull panel to slide freely.
There are several ways to construct this housing, depending on your project. It can be folded from a single piece of cardstock, assembled from separate panels or created with additional folded tabs. To keep the explanation of the slider mechanism as clear as possible, the diagrams below show only a simple front panel.
Before cutting your cardstock to its final size, please read Step 3: Test the Mechanism and Build the Housing. Your chosen construction method may require additional cardstock for folds or adhesive tabs.
The mechanism itself is very flexible. The length and position of the slots determine how far the moving element can travel, while their spacing can be adjusted to suit your design. You can use it for a small movement like the gingerbread character on my card, or create a much longer slider for larger scenes, hidden messages or even a gift card.
Determine the Position and Length of the Slots
Before cutting the slots, decide where you want your element to move and how you would like to hide the mechanism. The position, spacing and length of the slots are completely flexible and can be adjusted to suit your design.
For my gingerbread card, I positioned two parallel slots so that both would sit underneath the scalloped frame. This allows the gingerbread character to move across the opening while the frame hides the slots from view.
When deciding on the distance between the slots, consider the size of the element that will connect the front of the card to the pull panel. On my card, I used a strip of acetate. The strip needs to be taller than the distance between the two slots so that it can pass through both of them, while still being shorter than the height of the front panel.
The length of the slots determines how far the slider can travel, but it also needs to accommodate the width of your slider strip. A wider strip requires longer slots in order to achieve the same amount of movement. For my card, the gingerbread character only needed to travel a relatively short distance, so I could keep the slots fairly short.
As a general guideline, I recommend leaving approximately 1/4" between the slots and the outer edges of the front panel whenever possible. This helps keep the cardstock sturdy and leaves enough room for assembling the housing later. I’ll also show you an alternative at the end of the tutorial for designs where the slots need to extend closer to the edges.
I used a slot die to create my openings, but you do not need a dedicated die for this mechanism. The slots can also be cut with a craft knife or another suitable cutting tool.
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Acetate is only one option for the slider strip. You can also use cardstock or another material. The important part is the relationship between the dimensions: the strip must be tall enough to bridge the distance between both slots, but small enough to move freely inside the finished housing.
Insert the Slider and Attach the Pull Panel
Insert the Slider
Insert the slider through both slots so that the centre section sits on the front of the panel while the two ends extend through the slots to the back.
Prepare the Pull Panel
Next, prepare your pull panel. Its dimensions are flexible and can be adapted to your design. The pull panel should be tall enough to overlap both ends of the slider, while remaining slightly shorter than the front panel so that it can move freely inside the finished housing.
I recommend starting with a pull panel that is at least as wide as your front panel. If you would like part of it to extend beyond the card as a handle, remember to add that extra length. You can always trim the pull panel later.
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Your pull panel does not have to be a simple rectangle cut from cardstock. You can also use a decorative die-cut shape, such as Lawn Fawn's Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stackables, to create a finished edge with rounded corners and decorative stitching.
If you choose this option, cut the pull panel to its final shape now. Leave any extra length on the opposite end rather than trimming the decorative edge later.
Choose Your Pull Tab Style
Before attaching the pull panel, decide how you would like it to be accessed once the housing is closed.
If you want the pull panel to extend beyond the edge of the finished housing, you do not need to make any additional opening at this stage. The final length of the pull panel can be determined and trimmed later, once it has been attached to the slider.
If you prefer the pull panel to sit flush with the edge of the housing, you will need a notch to make it easy to grab. Cut or die-cut this notch now, before attaching the pull panel to the slider.
Apply the Adhesive
Push the slider completely into its starting position and turn the front panel over. Apply adhesive only to the two exposed ends of the slider.
Attach the Pull Panel
Before attaching the pull panel, check its final position. If you are using a simple cardstock panel, you can leave it longer for now and trim the visible end to the desired length later.
If you have already created a finished decorative edge – for example, by using Lawn Fawn's Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stackables – position that edge exactly where you want it to sit in the finished card. Since you will want to preserve the decorative edge, trim any excess from the opposite end of the pull panel before attaching it to the slider.
Once everything is positioned correctly, press the pull panel onto the adhesive on the two exposed ends of the slider.
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Before attaching the pull panel, make sure the slider is in the position where you want the mechanism to start. This determines the closed position of your moving element.
Test the Mechanism and Build the Housing
Before closing everything up, gently move the pull panel back and forth a few times to make sure the mechanism runs smoothly. The slider should move freely through both slots without catching.
Now it’s time to build the housing around the mechanism. There are several ways to construct it, but the basic idea is always the same: you need a front and a back that are connected along the top and bottom, while leaving the side where the pull panel exits open.
How you create those connections is entirely up to you. You can use tabs that are already part of the front and/or back panel, add separate folded cardstock strips between two panels, or create the entire housing from one larger piece of cardstock using score lines and a glue tab.
If you already have a die that creates this type of pocket or housing – such as Lawn Fawn’s Double Slider Surprise – you can also adapt that construction for this mechanism.
Choose Your Housing Construction
Here are a few simple ways to construct the housing. You can use separate glue tabs, incorporate the tabs into one or both panels, or create the front and back from one continuous piece of cardstock. These are only examples – you can adapt or combine them to suit your project.
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Whichever construction method you choose, make sure that no tabs or adhesive extend into the path of the slider or pull panel. Everything inside the housing needs enough room to move freely.
Position the Glue Tabs
Once you have chosen how to construct your housing, make sure the glue tabs are positioned so that they do not interfere with the mechanism.
The glue tabs need to attach directly to the front panel, with no part of the slider or pull panel caught between them. Their width is therefore limited by the space between the slots and the outer edges of the front panel. Keep the tabs within this area so that the slider and pull panel can move freely inside the finished housing.
Then apply adhesive to the glue tabs and attach the back of the housing. Be careful to keep adhesive away from the slider, the pull panel and the slots.
Finish the Pull Panel
Once the housing is closed, test the mechanism again. If the pull panel still needs to be adjusted, trim it to its final length now.
For an extended pull tab, leave enough of the panel extending beyond the housing to make it easy to grip. If you chose the notch option, trim the pull panel so that it sits neatly inside the housing while remaining easily accessible through the notch.
If you used a pre-cut decorative panel and already determined its final position and length before attaching it to the slider, no further trimming is necessary.
If needed, you can also finish the exposed end of a simple cardstock pull panel by rounding the corners or adding another decorative detail for a softer, more finished look.
Decorate Your Card
Your mechanism is now complete and you can decorate the card however you like. Just keep in mind that all moving parts still need enough space to move freely.
If you add a frame or other decorative elements over the slots, attach them only to the front panel and make sure that no adhesive extends over the slots or onto the slider.
Any element that you want to move with the mechanism should be attached only to the slider. Make sure that it does not accidentally adhere to the front panel on either side of the slot, as this would prevent the slider from moving.
When decorating the pull panel, keep the area that slides into the housing as flat as possible. Thick embellishments or several layers of cardstock may catch on the housing and prevent the pull panel from moving smoothly.
Before finishing your card, test the mechanism one last time to make sure that everything still moves freely.
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When adding adhesive near any moving part, use only as much as you need and keep it well away from the slots. Testing the mechanism after each new layer or embellishment makes it much easier to spot a problem before the card is completely finished.
Design Considerations
Working with Wide Moving Elements
If your moving element is almost as wide as the card, the slots may need to sit very close to the top and bottom edges of the front panel. This leaves very little space around the mechanism and requires a few adjustments to the basic construction.
Choose the Housing Construction First
When there is very little space between the slots and the outer edges of the front panel, separate glue tabs may no longer fit without interfering with the slider.
In this case, choose a housing construction where the glue tabs are already part of the front panel and can be folded towards the back, or create the housing from one continuous piece of cardstock. Both methods allow you to close the housing without placing separate glue tabs in the narrow space beside the slots.
Fold the Slider Ends Inwards
If the slots are positioned very close to the top and bottom edges of the front panel, there may not be enough room for the ends of the slider to extend beyond the slots. In this case, fold both ends of the slider inwards so that they lie between the two slots, as shown below.
The pull panel can then be attached to the folded ends in the same way. This keeps the slider connection within the area between the slots and reduces the amount of space needed above and below them.
Keep in mind that this construction leaves very little space outside the slots for separate glue tabs. Use a housing construction with glue tabs that are already incorporated into the front panel, or create the housing from one continuous piece of cardstock.
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Plan this construction before cutting your housing. The position of the slots determines both how much room you have for the slider and which housing construction will work best.
Happy Crafting!
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