Wish
You Were Here Postcard
One day class – Thursday
Confident beginner and up
(free motion stitching skills strongly recommended) -
$65.00
Exchanging fabric art postcards is quite
popular right now; there are many online exchange groups with participants from
all over the world. These cards are
designed and made from stabilized fabrics that are often embellished and then
mailed through the postal service to the other participants.
More often than not, these cards are simple abstracts or collages of
novelty prints. The method for
creating fabric postcards taught in this class is specifically aimed at
reproducing scenic images with surprising accuracy. The
cards can be made as simple or complex as you desire and with the addition of
borders can be made into small wall hangings suitable for framing. The
supply list may seem extensive but please note that a number of the supplies are
optional or overlap as to their necessity. In
this class you will learn a method for creating scenic fabric postcards.
(This class will be held at the 4H building).
Supply
List
 | Fabrics: Fat quarters and/or scraps of a variety of fabrics in suitable colors/prints to go with your postcard image. These need not be 100% cotton; misty semi-transparent clouds can be beautifully rendered in silk organza. |
| Muslin or pre-printed postcard backs or a firm piece of cardstock: If you want a fabric back for your postcard, you may draw your own with Pigma pens on muslin or print the back onto pre-treated fabric by computer. Another option is to print the back on a piece of cardstock that you may fuse to the back of your card. NOTE: This will not be necessary if you are using a greeting card blank. |
| Stabilizer:
Heavy-weight stabilizer (made by Pellon and available at fabric stores) will be needed to
stiffen your card and make it sturdy enough to mail.
NOTE: This will not be
necessary if you are using a greeting card blank. You
may also need a tear away embroidery stabilizer such as Sulky Totally Stable if
you plan to embellish with machine embroidery. |
|
Fusible web: ‘Heat
& Bond’ (do not use ‘Lite’) or some other similar product. A
quarter yard or one 8½” x 11” sheet should be plenty (this will not be
necessary if you are using a greeting card blank). |
|
Sewing machine with a free motion presser foot: You
will also need a satin stitch or zigzag foot for finishing the edges of your
postcards. |
|
Extra bobbins: You
will need a variety of different colored threads in the bobbin so bring as many
empty bobbins as possible otherwise you will waste thread stripping the bobbin
for each new color. |
|
Extra sewing machine needles: Stitching
through heavy paper tends to dull needles quickly; it’s advisable to have
extra needles on hand. Size 12 -14
machine quilting or topstitching needles will be fine unless you plan to use
metallic or specialty threads in which case, bring needles appropriate for those
materials. |
|
Thread:
Use
your picture as a guide and choose a basic range of colors that cover those in
the card taking into account any machine embroidery embellishment you may wish
to do. |
|
Rotary cutter, mat and cutting ruler. |
|
Scissors: Fine-jawed
embroidery scissors with 1 ½” blades and a pair of utility shears.
|
|
Glue stick: The
office supply kind. |
|
Pins: Standard
sewing pins. |
|
Other embellishments (optional): Beads,
sequins, ribbons and/or decorative threads may come in handy if you want to
embellish your postcard, however, if you intend to actually mail your card, the
embellishments may interfere with the post office accepting your card. |
|
Iron,
ironing pad/board and press cloth. A
Teflon pressing sheet is recommended. |
|
Plug
strip/extension cord. |
