Anything But a Card Challenge - RRR#88 - Second post

If you're here, chances are you've come from Really Reasonable Ribbon's 88th Challenge  - Anything But a Card. 

My contributions to the challenge are postcards, but they are made of fabric and other embellishments that are sewn on. I fused cotton fabrics, using 'Heat 'n Bond' onto a material called "Timtex", a VERY stiff Pellon like material, developed for use in the brim of hats. (My design was inspired by a tag in Basic Grey's beautiful 'Lily Kate' line from years ago.)

Using hand and machine sewing, the design was worked on top of the card. It was a blast figuring out how the different flowers could be formed. Below is a map of ribbons and trims used.

As you can see, there are quite a few heart shaped elements (one of my favorites), and I challenged myself to make the largest flower with heart-shaped petals. 

 Each open petal is a length of narrow ribbon with the ends brought together with the same side facing up, side by side. (The tip of the pedal will not lie flat at this stage.) Attach the two cut ends down next to one another where the center of the flower will be. Grab the tip of the petal and rotate the top side of ribbon to face the card's surface. Still holding the petal tip, move towards the flower center until you like the shape. and tack the tip down to the surface.

The ric-rac flower is formed by using a thread to draw the valley points together. Other embellishments include glass, brass, and shell beads, buttons, ladder yarn, and invisible thread.

Thanks so much for coming by to visit, and please leave me a comment. I would particularly like to know if my instructions for the large flower are clear, and if making one, is something you might try.

See you at your place soon!

Anything But a Card Challenge - RRR#88

Over at Really Reasonable Ribbon they are having a challenge to make 'anything but a card' using ribbons and trims. (Since my couch made from ribbons is out at the dry cleaners at the moment, I decided to share one of my smaller projects.) This heart seems timely with Valentine's Day close at hand.

 I fell in love with fabric postcards the first time I was given one by a friend. The postcard is basically a fabric sandwich with a stiff filling. This makes it very easy to embellish to the hilt, while having a 'canvas' that doesn't collapse under the weight.

A narrow red trim covers the boundary between the two background fabrics. (My trim wobbles a bit since I chose to sew it on, rather than use glue.)

 

The leaves and other bits of greenery are made from 7mm (about 1/4") silk ribbon. Any very soft narrow ribbon can be used for ribbon embroidery; it just needs to go on a needle and be able to be pulled through the fabric 'sandwich'. Sequins, beads of glass and brass, invisible thread, and embroidery floss, finish off the composition.

For more fun, visit Really Reasonable Ribbon's blog to see what their designers, and other folks, have made. If you enjoyed seeing a fabric postcard, please leave a comment. I'd love to share more, if there is an interest. (OK. More than just the ones I shared for this challenge.)

P.S. If you like fabric postcards with a holiday theme, you might enjoy my Easter egg cards here.

Easter Eggs on Fabric Postcards

Nothing gets me in the mood for lots of color and reflected light like Spring. For the past couple of years I've made fabric postcards of fabric colored eggs with sequined, beaded and embroidered details. If you're not familiar with fabric postcards, they are usually 4"X6" mini quilts with a middle layer of stiff material (like Timtex or thick Pellon) as the 'batting'. The very stiff surface allows marvelous detail to be applied without worrying about keeping the fabric taught.  Rumor has it that they can be mailed, but I've never put mine to the test.

 Above are three postcards in various stages of the process. I chose three fabrics that worked together for the egg image, and then cut through all three layers of fabric so I could mix and match. (I love having three slightly different 'canvases' on which to work because I can try out different approaches in the same color scheme. The far left card just has the background and egg image fussed (I use 'Heat n Bond') on one side.

The middle postcard is finished on the front with everything but some detailing on the background. I tried to use the embellishments to transition between the three fabrics comprising the egg. The wonderful sequins come from Cartwright's Sequins, Beads, Buttons, and Glitter. I stumbled on to her site many years ago when she first started online. Since then, Cartwright's has grown to be the largest selection of sequins I've seen anywhere. If you love hand sewing with beads and sequins, or use glitter, you owe yourself a trip to her site!
A little ribbon embroidery makes the fence and the butterfly, and that gate handle is the smallest eye (from a hook and eye closure) I could find. The fabulous bunny is a hand carved bone bead from China.

 The card to the left is finished. After embellishing the front, I iron fabric to the backside, with the front side placed on a deep soft surface so the sequins and other fragile items are not crushed by the heat and pressure. To bind the postcard, polka-dot grosgrain was folded over the edge and whipped down with a blanket stitch.

Voila! You now have a bit of art to send through the mail, or if you aren't finished admiring your handy work yet, put your eggs in a basket and watch people marvel as they pick up your 'Faberge' eggs.