Brighten up the day for the posties of the world!
I came across these little treasures for the first time at a Quilting event, and couldn't help thinking what a great idea they are for those of us who love to create things, but don't have much time or cash available. Each one of them on this page has taken me about an hour to make, sometimes wrapped around doing other things!
I gather that there's a roaring trade in them in the States; once they've been franked to prove they've been through the post, they're very collectable. Well-known quilt artists make them to sell for charity, but they don't have to be lovingly hand-quilted; you can make them with almost any reasonably-flat textile technique, especially using "cheats" like fusible webbing.
Here are a couple I made earlier...
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To make them, you will need:-
A standard postcard is 6" x 4", and must be less than ¼" thick. It shouldn't have any bits that would get caught in postal machinery, i.e. bits that stick up or hang loose, and it needs to stay flat so that it doesn't get creased or mangled, hence the Vilene or heavy card. Within those limits, anything goes!
This one was made using a "Vilene sandwich"...
Pull out some scraps that seem to go together, at least two of them 6½" x 4½", one light-coloured for the back |  |
Choose & cut your main & backing fabric to 6½" x 4½" and roughly cut other scaps to size. |  |
Stitch on (or iron on!) anything that needs fixing into place for the front... |  |
Iron "Bondaweb" onto backing, cool & strip paper off, then sandwich "Vilene" between back & front & iron together. Trim to size. |  |
Stitch around the edge, preferably twice using a wide machine zigzag, but anything that will hold it all together will do. |  |
With Gel pen, draw a line down the centre of the back & write "POST CARD" at the top. |  |
The front of this one is quilted with buttons and the back is made of handmade paper (see here for instructions...)
Cut paper, fabric, Bondaweb & a little lightweight wadding to size |  |
Stitch buttons on through front & wadding, using a scrap to hold them at the back |  |
Iron Bondaweb onto backing paper, cool & strip it off and iron onto front |  |
Trim edges. |  |
Stitch around the edge, preferably twice using a wide machine zigzag, but anything that will hold it all together will do. |  |
With Gel pen, draw a line down the centre of the back & write "POST CARD" at the top. |  |
You're ready to write an inspiring message & send to a lucky friend! Better to use a self-adhesive stamp, but if you only have a lick 'n stick, dab it with PVA stick glue too, and make sure it's well stuck down. Don't be afraid to experiment; there are so many techniques & embellishments you could use, like crazy patchwork, ribbon-weaving, silk painting, drawing, stamping, beading, cross stitch, feather stitch, herringbone... the list is endless. Just remember, though, sometimes less is more... The first time I took one into our Post Office, the only question they asked was, "Where can we find instructions for making these ourselves?"
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Resources:
Deb Richardson's blog - Far better instructions than I could ever write...
NeedlePointers.com - Clear instructions for quilted cards...
ArBeeDesigns.com - Nice straightforward PDF instructions...
FibreArt - Inspirations from the professionals...
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© Copyright: Angela Corbet, 2001.