No Sew Fabric Postcards

I started making fabric postcards years ago because I didn’t have the sewing chops or time to make bed-sized quilts. Postcards are my way to make very small-scale art quilts with the added wonder that they’re mail-able! Click here to see my 2012 blog post about my fabric postcards. I had been collecting vintage postcards since I was a kid, and once I began to print my own photos and designs onto fabric it was a small hop to sew them into mixed-media fiber postcard form. Here’s an example, my self-portrait photo that I printed on cotton, then adorned with a bit of gauzy fabric and stitching around the design.

Here’s another, my photo of an egret flying with random stitching around the design lines.

For these fabric postcards I adhere the front to thick stabilizer and then add a backing. I designed this back by scanning the back of an old postcard in my collection, cleaning it up in Photoshop Elements, and adding my name and website.

I print this back onto fabric and then sew the front/stabilizer/back together and edge the sandwich with a satin or zigzag stitch.

These mini-quilt postcards are so much fun to make – but I recently came up with a much quicker no-sew version. I use the same design for the back, but instead of printing onto fabric I print it onto paper cardstock. The front is fabric – I print a few of my postcard-sized designs onto a sheet of pre-treated cotton, then cut each out and run through my Xyron machine to back them with permanent adhesive.

You don’t have to use a Xyron, you can use glue or double-sided tape, or spray with adhesive. Then I bond them to the cardstock backs, using a bone folder to make sure they’re well-adhered so the edges won’t come apart during their trip through the mail.

I just checked with my local post office, and they said the normal postcard rate would apply: that’s .34 for delivery in the US and $1.15 internationally. Since the postcard rate in the US applies to cards up to 6 by 4.25 inches if you want to make them larger just use the current first-class letter rate, which is now .49.

Interested in learning how to make the mini-quilt type of fabric postcards? Click here to see a free preview of my online class on CraftArtEdu, “Fabulous Fabric Postcards.”

Want to learn how to print your own fabric? Click here to find out more my ebook, Inkjet Printing on Fabric.

Gift and Art Show

Planning and putting on an art show can take over your life. I begin the process months in advance, and the buzz doesn’t end until the lights go out on the last day. Today’s the final day of my 2013 show, and I’m so thankful to the wonderful friends and collectors who have come by. Many out-of-towners asked for some eye candy, so here’s a quick tour for you guys!

First, some of my mixed media art hangings, including art quilts using fabric, Lutradur prints, canvas prints, and more.

Fabric bowls and a vase – I sew these from my original design (and self-printed) fabric, and decorated wooden boxes using heat transfer techniques.

My silk scarves – I design the fabric from my photographs and have them professionally printed.

I love to make purses from the fabric I design and print. Two of these are upcycled from fabric sample books.

A table-full of goodies! Several of my handmade art books; Lutradur-decorated night lights; tiles; my original-design postage stamps; upcycled envelopes; Evolon bracelet cuff; upcycled Kindle covers.

Fabric creations: my Owl Totem Doll, a stuffed Lars doll adorned with my pet collars (dog and cat), and fabric postcards.

Two of the products I designed and Zazzle made: a glossy-covered notebook and a clock.

I have many new prints, including several on metallic gloss paper. Treasure bags – great for small gifts or to hold your phone, wallet, etc.

Necklaces! I print my photos on fabric, paper or canvas, and sandwich them between glass slides. Some have copper-embossed backs.

A selection of my photo art ornaments. I print my photos on transparency film and insert them into glass ornaments. There are also lavender sachets, hummingbird prints on small canvases, and stuffed toys with animal photo fabric prints.

George’s wonderful beeswax candles and his sublime soap are going fast!

A basket of George’s soaps; fabric-covered light switch plates; my “Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly” poster.

I’m having so much fun making upcycled envelopes from books that are torn up, scribbled on, or otherwise unusable. I even use a special glue so you can lick and stick them closed!

A bracelet cuff that I made using fabrics from a discarded sample book, with lace.

Today (Sunday 12/15) is the last day – if you’re in the East Bay please stop by – I’m at The Village Shops and Galleries, 10330 San Pablo Avenue, between Eureka and Stockton Streets in El Cerrito, from 11 am to 6 pm. There’s street parking out front, and along with my artwork and crafts I’ve got plenty of snacks and friendly converstaion to offer.

Mail Art pen pal

In a recent post I told you about Postcrossing, a website for people around the world to send and receive postcards. In a scant four months I’ve sent 47 and received 37 cards! My postcards have travelled 395,996 km (246,061 miles) and those I’ve received have gone 298,069 km (185,211 miles). Here’s my Postcrossing map:

In their profiles (click the link to see mine), people tell a bit about themselves and can say what kind of cards they’d like to get. A wonderful Postcrosser from back East who was chosen at random to send me a card saw that I collect vintage embossed holiday cards and mailed me two fabulous old postcards. She used a triangle stamp on the envelope, because I mentioned in my profile that I collect those. Talk about a Happy Mail Day!

Emailing through Postcrossing, we realized that we have many similar interests, and she proposed corresponding by mail. I couldn’t say yes fast enough! She also loves photography, and sent me a greeting card she made from her wonderful photo of a Fall garden, along with two more precious vintage embossed holiday cards from her collection.

For my first offering, I decided to send one of my accordion cards, which I made by printing four of my native flower kaleidoscope designs onto a sheet, and folding it. I wrote on the back.

I’ve started making upcycled envelopes from paper that would otherwise be thrown away or recycled. I chose one that I made from an old calendar of botanical drawings.  The stamp in the right corner is one I designed from my photo of a masdevallia orchid. I had the stamps made through my Zazzle gallery.

Have you had a Happy Mail Day recently? If so please tell!

Here are my other blog posts about handmade postcards:

Passion for Postcards

Handmade Fabric Postcards

Printing on Wood Veneer

Passion for Postcards

I’ve told you before how much I love vintage postcards, and that I love making fabric postcards from my own artwork. Last month I read a great book on mail art called Good Mail Day that had a list of sites to swap mail art. One really struck my fancy, called Postcrossing, where after you sign up you send postcards and then receive postcards back from people all around the world.

In their profiles people tell a bit about themselves and can say what kind of cards they’d like to receive. I have a huge collection of postcard books, and it’s really fun paging through them to find the perfect one for each person. A girl in Belarus said she liked “cars of your country,” so I chose this cool card for her.

It takes a while for you to get your first postcard, because you only get on the list to receive one after one of your cards reaches its destination. You can send out 5 cards at first, so hopefully at least one or two will reach the person quickly. And pretty soon they increase the number you can send out at once; I’m up to 7. This is one of my favorites, sent by a woman in Germany:

She mentioned that when she read my profile she thought it would have been better to get a card from me, so I sent her a message (you can contact people through their profiles if they agree to that) saying that I’d love to send her a card. I just mailed her my own ladybug greeting card:

At first I sent only commercial cards, but a girl in the Ukraine wrote that she liked handmade cards, nature, and animals, so I decided to print one of my hummingbird photos for her. I had read that postcards to Europe shouldn’t be too flimsy or they might crumple, so I printed the back and front on one sheet of paper, folded it over, and pasted them together to make it double-strength. Printing the back let me include a fun “Postcard” graphic I scanned from one of my vintage cards, which I also use to print on my fabric postcard backs.

I just sent my photo of a monarch butterfly on a sunflower to a woman in the Netherlands who likes postcards with flowers and animals. I printed it on Epson Velvet Fine Art paper, which is thicker than most other inkjet paper.

It’s so fun both to send and receive cards. If you sign up for Postcrossing and want to exchange cards let me know – you can do direct swaps along with the random selection of addresses that the site generates for each normal swap. Happy Postcrossing!

Here are my other blog posts about postcards:

Handmade Fabric Postcards

Happy Peeps-Day!

Happy New Year!

Mad Hens

Woman Vacations on Santa Catalina Island

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Printing on Wood Veneer