Fabric Postcard Tutorial

Updated Fabric Postcard Tutorial

You can see all the fabric postcards I’ve made over the years in my Flickr album here.

There are many ways to make a fabric postcard.  I’ve made this updated tutorial to show how I make them.  They are a lot simpler to make than you might think.

The supplies you will need are as follows:

4”X6” front base fabric

Fabric scraps for your postcard front design

4”X6” piece of stiff Peltex

4”X6” light to medium wight fusible interfacing

4”X6” piece of paper or cardstock (not too thin) for the address and message side

You can also use a tightly woven fabric for your message side, but I find it easier and more fun to use paper that can be decorated also.

You will also need a bit of Transfer Webbing if you decide on a pictorial design.  There are a variety of transfer webbing available, I use the light weight Wonder Under.

Trace your design on the paper side of the transfer webbing.  Loosely cut outside your traced lines.

(Your design will be backwards from the way you trace it, so be sure to trace any alphabets backwards to begin with.)

Fuse your traced designs to your fabric choices.

Then cut them out on the lines.  Allow the pieces to cool until they will release from the paper easily.

I press my design base fabric to the Peltex.  It is not fused, but the layers will stay together better until you begin sewing on them.

Trim the interfacing a smidge before fusing it to one side of your paper.  You don’t want any hanging over, it will fuse to your ironing surface.  Set the paper message side aside until needed.



With the paper removed from the back of your cutout pieces, arrange them on the base fabric and Peltex where you want them and fuse them to the base fabric.

Be sure to leave 3/8” around all sides as that is the space the binding will cover.



Now you will stitch around your design as desired.  You can fuse all of your design at once or you can fuse the pieces as you are ready to sew them.

This method is raw edge appliqué.  It is my favorite to use on postcards.  Pull your thread tails to the back on the Peltex side and tie them off.

My next pieces on this postcard I fused the webbing to the back of fabric scraps, then cut them with a cutting die through a cutting machine.  

When the papers were ready to release, I fused the flowers where I wanted them on the base fabric.  I then stitched the stems and the flowers.

Once you are finished with your postcard design, align the front and back and stitch them together roughly around the very outside edge.  This will hold the loose fabric edges in place while adding the binding.  It will be covered later by the binding.

Most people will just zigzag (satin stitch) around the outside of their postcard to finish it.  You can do that now, or follow my binding method that I show following.

I like my binding method as it finishes the edges as well as giving the design a framing.

Choose your binding fabric and cut a 3/4” strip long enough for all four sides of your postcard.

Press this strip in half lengthwise.

I measure and cut the side lengths first then the top and bottom.  I do this no matter whether my postcard is landscape or portrait mode.

With a glue stick, run the glue along the edge of the paper side of the postcard.  You don’t need a lot of glue, just enough to hold the binding until you sew it down permanently.

Lay that paper side down on one side of the binding.  Just a tad away from the fold.  Each end of the binding should meet each edge of the postcard.

Now run the glue along the front edge of the postcard.



With your fingers, wrap and press the binding to the front.

Repeat these binding steps for the other side and then the top and bottom.

Your front will look like this.

The back will look like this.

Choose a thread color to stitch your binding.  I have started choosing a color that blends with my base fabric...but not always.  It is a personal choice.

I’m sure you are thinking the glue will gum up your needle, but it will not.  I sew through this glue and paper and then with the same needle I will sew a quilt.

Begin with a straight stitch sewing backwards on the overlapping binding to just off the edge then forward to the inside edge of the binding.  With your needle up, switch to a zigzag satin stitch.  I choose a medium stitch width and a length that makes the stitches sit nearly side by side.  Use a scrap of the Peltex to decide on your satin stitch length.  No two machines are alike.

Pull your thread tails forward and slightly to the left so that they will get caught inside the satin stitching.

 This now is the reason I fuse interfacing to the back of the paper backing.  The satin stitch will perforate the paper.  The interfacing assures you that your backing will continue to remain connected to the postcard.

Secret to your binding looking straight:  Rather than following the inside edge of the binding that you are sewing down, find a spot on the outside edge of the postcard to follow.  This will keep your binding looking straight.  Sometimes the satin stitch will catch a lot of the binding and sometimes just a bit of it.  But if you use the outside edge as a guide, the binding will look even and straight all the way around.

Once you catch the thread tails in the satin stitch, hold them straight across the edge of the binding.

Satin stitch for a couple of inches, stop with your needle down on the inside, lift your presser foot and move the thread tails to the right side out of the way to trim later.

Continue stitching across to where the binding meets again.  Switch to a straight stitch and stitch to just off the edge then backwards to where you stopped where the bindings meet.

Turn your postcard, set your machine to the zigzag again.

Align your needle at the back edge of your previous satin stitch to stitch over the top of it.  Don’t forget to find your outside edge guide to follow as you stitch.  Sew the remaining sides in this same way.

When you reach the beginning, satin stitch to the outside edge of your first satin stitching.

One last time, turn your postcard, change your stitch to a straight stitch, align your needle just inside the first row of satin stitching, change the needle length on your machine to a very close stitch length and stitch several stitches along the edge.  This will keep your stitches from coming loose.

Trim all the thread tails from the front and back close to the stitching.

The back sometimes looks like this.  That means there is a little bit more binding to the back than to the front.  It’s difficult to get it exact, but it does happen occasionally.

  

With very pointed tip scissors, pull up on the thread ravels and trim them close to the backing.

All nice and neat now.  Sometimes there is a thread or so on the front that might also need trimming.

I use Fray Check for the postcard corners, but a thin, very small amount of glue can work also.

And actually, you really don’t need to do this last step if you don’t want to.

I will put a very tiny amount of Fray Check on the binding ends to keep them from raveling.  Put a bit on then wipe it with your finger.  You don’t want too much, it will make the corners hard.

And, DONE!



With a paper backing, adding some extra fun on the address side of the card is simple.

Fabric postcards can be mailed at the rate of a first class stamp (not a postcard stamp).  If extra doodads are added to the design, an additional 20cent stamp is required for non-machinable.

Most of my postcards arrive to their destination as if they were hand delivered.  Other times they occasionally arrive with the usual postal marks.

I am more than happy to answer any questions you may still have or help out with any fine tuning details you have questions about.

Happy Mail Day!

Annie

Art Tags and Calendar Journal

I went from a postcard craze to a tag craze.

For no particular reason, just for fun.

I had a postcard with Color Burst watercolor on it that I cut in half then die cut tags from.

There is a die cut on it, misc. ephemera, washi tape and stamping.

   

Die cut flower, washi tapes, stenciling, white acrylic paint and ephemera words and small talk word sticker.

   

This tag is a modpodge of stamping, ephemera, die cuts and washi tape.  The back doesn’t match the front colorwise but no matter.  It isn’t important in the scheme of play.

   

A very quick and easy patriotic tag with inks, stencils and washi tape.

   

Half the year is over already.

June was full of fun with the exception of a reaction to the vaccine.  I read a few books, had lots of art time and a chance to spend a couple of days with friends.

I’ve had a fun time developing my own writing style with brush pens.  Sometimes it’s a challenge to choose a word to brush letter that will fit in the day square.  I’ve used a Tombow dual tip pen for writing.

A Study In Layers

A Study In Layers is a much kinder title than This Poor Art Journal Page.

This page has been around the block and back more times than I could keep count.  It really is full of layers.  Layers of fixing attempts!  It looks nothing at all like it started out to look.  I even tore the page from the journal as a reject.  But when I decided to cut it down to try to rescue it as a postcard, I saw one last possible save attempt.  

I swear, my art is awful until I successfully (I use that word loosely) “fix” it with a dozen layer attempts.  I won’t even begin to explain the process of the many layers on this page.  

This page went from bad to worse to torn from the journal.  But when I approached it with a ruler and rotary cuter, I saw a possible doorway.  We all know I do not draw...well.  But it was already trash so, what the heck did I have to loose.  I “abstractly” tried giving the doorway depth and some steps.

The man and dog were rejects from a halloween card.  I blacked out their eyes for a creepy effect.  And then didn’t use them.  They fit the doorway better than any other choice.  I fixed the man’s eyes with a bad look of sunglasses.  The poor little dog though was harder to fix.

If you don’t look closely... hahaha

The page probably needs something at the top, but I’m sure it would be trash if I don’t just leave it alone now.  The man and dog must be exploring some old historic ruin...pun intended.

I glued the page back into my art journal and will now explore new possibilities in fixing a new awful art page.  It’s a process that seems to work for me.

Postcard Mail Art

I’ve gotten quite lucky of late to receive Postcrossing names that are open to receiving handmade art postcards.  It helps to satisfy my desire to make art on a small scale.  Then send it out into the world.

This first postcard is a terrible blurry photo.  I can’t believe I didn’t notice that.  I have to post it at a small size in order not to damage anyone’s eyesight.

This next one was a request for a private swap.  We decided on collage.  My favorite art.

This next card started with this collage base of paper strips.  This was my first time using Collage Medium.  I definitely don’t get along well with this glue medium...yet.  This is the only process photo I took.



But I was happy with my end result.

Next, this postcard was quite fun to create.  The Postcrosser said she liked postcards about postcards.  So this was my design side.  She’s been in Postcrossing for a lot of years and had already sent and received some 5,000+ postcards.  I’m rather certain this will not be a duplicate.

This last postcard was an experiment with paint and stencils and a bit of Distress inks.  The background got kind of busy on me but I didn’t totally dislike it so I continued to add stenciled numbers, washi tape and modeling paste through stencils.

    

These Tim Holtz paper dolls women seemed a good fit for this correspondence postcard.  After being pen pals since they were young girls, they finally get to meet in person.



HAPPY ART MAIL DAY!

Experience Art Journal Page and Tag

I am experiencing art techniques that I haven’t ever tried before.

First I painted the blank page with white Gesso.  I’m not sure why.  It’s just what I’ve seen other artists do.  Good reason, eh?

Then I stamped with Archival black ink with a large rubber stamp.  Next I scraped white modeling paste through a couple of stencils.  When the modeling paste dried, I used watercolors very wet and pigment applied to the top of the page.  I spritzed the paint with water to help the color drip down the page.  Then some black splatters with black acrylic paint watered down some.

I turned my journal upside down and did the same from the bottom.  Let me tell you...that is fun as well as rather unpredictable.

It all looks like a mess and almost ugly and I love it!

I used a Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker for the phrase and a label maker for the word experience.

This is a technique that I need to practice and fine tune.

Today I wanted to make a tag.

I’m linking my tag to Tag Tuesday where the theme this fortnight is FACES.

I’ve joined a free week long daily video demonstration at Willa Workshops called Fodder Challenge.  This particular day was Workbench Remnants by DeeDee Catron.  She made the chevron fodder.  I had the same stamp and wanted to make one too.  Then I needed something to put it on.  A tag was born.

I love these scribbly, sketchy line drawn ladies by Clearly Impressed, The Unruly Girls Club.  I’ve had these stamps forever and they’ve hardly been stamped on anything.  But they are going to make appearances on tags at least.  Because they’re fun.

Girls just wanna have fun...and I am!

Art Journal Page

One of the faux postage stamps I made and shared in my previous post has made it onto an art journal page.

It was just what was needed to finish off the page.

The theme this month at Art Journal Journey is BUTTERFLIES.

I didn’t think this page would turn out to be a keeper, so I did not take process photos.

The background is Distress Spray Stains in Speckled Egg, Stormy Sky and Antique Linen.  Splattered with Distress Oxide Spray in Speckled Egg and some white correction fluid.  The Xs are white acrylic paint pounced through a stencil with a make-up sponge.

The numbers are rubber stamps in various sizes along with portions of a couple of text stamps all stamped with archival ink.

I love how the spray stains moved over into the binding.

Then I very carefully glued some pressed flowers and leaves onto the page.  They are so delicate and fragile to handle.

The pressed flowers were totally not in my original thought process for this page.  But when all else failed and I spotted them on the shelf, I thought, well, let’s see.  I still didn’t want to use them.  As you can see, they won out as what was to be on this page.

Many times the art knows best.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this art page.  I’m protecting this page from the page facing it with a sheet of  clear acetate attached with a glue dot on the inside corners.  The facing page has the potential to be unkind to these delicate pressed flowers.

Faux Postage Fun

Faux postage making was a fun afternoon of paper play.

From other challenge blogs, I have found Try It On Tuesday .

This fortnight they are challenging artists with BUTTERFLIES.

Butterflies are a favorite to add to art.

I’ve made faux postage before that was a part of the inking and stamping design.  I hadn’t made separate pieces to use as ephemera.  So it was fun to make these.

I had a postage edge die that I’ve not used much.  It was perfect for these.  Cut, they measure 1.75” X 1.25”.  Paper scraps are perfect for making these.  I cut the base paper and inked the edges.

I cut a lighter scrap using the same die then cutting off the postage edges and inking the straight edges.

The two pieces are then glued together.

Then the search for designing the stamps...the really fun part.

That roll of Washi tape has 5 different butterflies on it.

I’d made 7 bases so I used a bicycle washi tape and then a small flower rubber stamp colored with Tombow markers.  

These ephemera pieces are going to be fun to add to my art.

May 2021 Calendar Journal