Bookmarks and Postcards for Heritage Day

The Capital Quilters Guild Heritage Day auction is coming up soon on October 1.  In addition to the auction of the quilts, the guild sponsors a Boutique of hand-made items.  I decided to spend this afternoon sewing up some postcards and bookmarks.

I used some fabric paper that I made a long time ago and never used.

The first piece was tissue paper on muslin, along with some collaged paper from a catalog.  The drawn vine or seaweed was an idea for a quilting motif on Golden Threads paper that I no longer needed.

From this fabric paper, I made all of these in the "Undersea" series.

Here is another piece of fabric paper.  I used paper napkin, commercial fabric, painted fabric, and collaged paper.

From that piece, I made two postcards.  The heavy pink areas are pink thread in a decorative stitch from my Janome 6600.

And here are two bookmarks from the same piece.

Another fabric paper I had lying around was made by gluing colorful foil candy wrappers to muslin with watered-down white glue, and painting and stamping over them with Lumiere paint.  These are quite shiny.  Even the silk sari ribbons have a metallic stripe.

The backs of these are painted watercolor paper.

Speaking of watercolor, I cut up a failed painting of a landscape and made a couple bookmarks out of it.  Trust me, this painting looks better in slices!

Tomorrow I go to the doctor, then plan to meet Cathy Kirk from the Capital Quilters' Guild to pick up two tops that were donated for the auction.  They need to be quilted.  My friend Jean has offered to help bind them.

"I am thankful for..." Fabric Postcards

My goals for Monday changed when I realized that I needed to send in my postcards for soldiers in Iraq. One of the ladies in the Carolina Longarm Association wants to send enough postcards for every soldier in her husband's troop, and she asked to have them by Thanksgiving. Okay, that meant mailing them today. And it ties in perfectly with Vicki Welsh's November Postcard Challenge, "I am thankful for..."

So, up to the wreck of a sewing room, searching madly for relocated things, pulling stuff out, trying out my new set-up. I already dislike several things about the new room, but was able to get a few cards done.

I am thankful for our service men and women who are doing a valiant job far from home under sometimes terrible conditions.

Three cards are based loosely on the American flag, but with a field of white snowflakes on blue instead of stars. I used a piece of striped satiny-type uphostery fabric for the red and white part of the flag. They are each a little different.

The first one features lots of zigzag stitching in white and red thread over the stripes, and a luscious blue yarn around the border.

The next one has rickrack to make more stripes in the red area. I just zigzagged the outer border with red metallic thread.

The third one is a little more "artsy." I added a star cut from Angelina to the blue area, red silk ribbons on the dark red stripes, snowflake buttons, covered the whole thing with gold-dot white tulle, and then zapped with my heat gun. Here is a tip: don't put the buttons so close to the edge that you have to zig-zag! Or put the buttons on last!

I also finished a little winter scene that features a fabric pine tree, a batting snowman, and silvery snowflake stitching. For fun, I added some button mittens and snowflakes. Same comment about the buttons being too close to the edging. I used tiny black pompoms for the snowman's face. I sprayed the whole thing with crystalline glitter mist, a new product I had not used before.

And finally, because this one looks like a wintry mountain scene, I sent one of my postcards from the October postcard challenge. (Vicki, don't count this one again.)I hope these cards might bring a little joy to a soldier far from home during the holidays.

Valentine Fabric Postcards

I have been busy making more fabric postcards. All of these were begun on my Babylock Embellishing Machine.

I think this is my favorite of all the fabric postcards I have ever made. I achieved the colors and layering effects that I was hoping for. It started out with a hot pink felt backing, to which I punched down strips of cotton fabric, silk, roving, and some striped ribbon. To that layer, I added silk and wool roving and a little Angelina. I covered all that with some of the same rainbow organza from the Trash to Treasure project. I stamped some flowers with blue and blue-green paint. Then, out with the heat gun to make some of the organza disappear and reveal some of the hidden layers.

Then I did some free-motion quilting to Peltex with black thread to add images of flowers and hearts. The edging is a combination of blue and red rayon threads.

The back is painted watercolor paper. This one is not for sale...I have a special artistic someone in mind who I think would like this.

Joy, 2009

The next one also has a layered look with a bit of dimension. Well, this one has a little bit of everything...beading, hand embroidery, sparkly yarn on the edging...I call it Love is Glorious.

Love is Glorious, 2009

The next one has a sort of artsy look to it. Silk and cotton fabrics were cut in heart and flower motifs, needle-punched to a cheerful orange/peach/pink print cotton, and then machine-quilted in black thread. My favorite new binding is to wrap a strip of rainbow organza around the edge and machine stitch it down.

Hearts and Flowers, 2009

And finally, the winner of the Sparkliest Postcard of the day: Secret Love. This one started out as lots of silk and Angelina needle-felted to a piece of coral chiffon (the scarf I bought in the mountains.) Then I added some free-motion machine-quilting, but I did not like the look. So, I added a message. :) You still could not see the word Love, thus the name of the card, but when I outlined it in black ink, it was not so secret any more.

This one also features a wrap of rainbow organza around the border. This is what the back looks like.

Secret Love, back, 2009

I am almost finished with an embellished purse that is very girly-looking. Hope to post it next!

Fantasy Garden, 2009

I was notified that another of my fabric postcards is being showcased in what is called a "treasury" of Etsy finds. This one, "Hey Mr. Postman" is by Dayna at ThreadedExpressions on Etsy. Mine is the very first one in the collection.

I recently joined a "Creative Challenge" posted on a Needle-Felting list. The base is fabric is made from a black trash bag ironed to strips of colored plastic from shopping bags. I have been cutting up plastic bags and household items to get some colored plastic, and am ready to begin. Sounds awful, but the picture of the finished product looks lovely when organza and pretty stitching is added.

Felted Fabric Postcards

I was in need of a fabric postcard to mail to a family member with an early January birthday. Okay, so it's January 3. Our family has sort of a one-month grace period in either direction for remembering birthdays. The ones early in the month always sneak up on me. Early in the year is almost impossible.

I finsihed some of the felted pieces from a few days ago, added Timtex backing, and machine-stitched on the Bernina. I added a few beads and crystals, and they were done. I used a pretty scrapbook paper for the other side.

Mardi Gras

Color Collision

Fantasy Garden

Fantasy Garden detail

These don't look all that different from other fabric postcards I made before the embellisher.

If you would like to spend a long time looking at some really awesome fabric postcards and ATC's, visit the Cyber Fiber exhibit. Beautiful eye candy!

More Fun with Felt

Yesterday, we took down all the Christmas lights and decorations. They always come down a lot faster than they go up. I set a goal to have it all done by 5:00 PM. We almost made it, until it was time to take down the undecorated tree. Our tree this year was ten feet tall, hand-selected by my husband in Ashe County the week of Thanksgiving. We had to purchase a new base for it to hold water. The trunk was too fat for our old base. Plus, I wanted to be double-sure that no water would leak on the new wood floors. So, DH starts peering under the tree to un-bolt the tree from the base...and discovered that some sort of insect decided to breed in the water over the holidays! EEEEEEEYEWWW! At first, we thought they were spiders, but it turned out that they had wings. Thousands of these things. To me they looked like baby deer flies. Anyway, it took two disgusting hours to clean up all the mess. What a downer of a way to end the holidays!

The day before that (New Year's Eve) I played around some more with the new Embellisher. I bought this copy of Cloth Paper Scissors a while back, and remembered an article by Pokey Bolton on Needle-felted ATC's (Artist Trading Cards.)

I have no desire to make ATC's, but thought it would be fun to make some backgrounds for fabric postcards.

I started with a piece of fuchsia felt, of which I for some reason have vast quantities, and punched down some strips of fabric scraps, mostly in turquoise. Then, I started adding bits of my left-over fibers, and ribbons. I took the piece to my sewing machine and added some machine stitching. Then I cut the piece up into three postcard size pieces, and a few leftover bits.

These were really fun to do, although more time-consuming than you would think. They have lots of layers of stuff, creating some dimension. I will probably add a little bit of beading before making them into postcards.

While working on this project, I experienced the first broken needle on my Baby Lock 12-needle embellishing machine. Got to admit, I was a bit afraid of those twelve needles at first. Mainly, that I would stab my fingers with twelve needles at once! There is a removable finger guard that I do not intend to remove while needle-felting.

Well, I had read that you should not continue to use the machine with a broken needle, even with eleven others to continue the work. I noticed a clunking sound once the needle broke. So, out came the instructions. I was going along fine until I had to put the needle casing back in the machine. A mere forty-five minutes later, I figured out how to do it. The needle casing reminded me of a Gatling gun.

Wishing you all a happy and safe new year with lots of time to try new things!

New Postcard

Snow Ballet

While in my sewing room yesterday to make and apply binding to Hunting Season II (boring job), I found a half-finished postcard that was needing some TLC. My friend Pauline (see yesterday's blog re: potted plant rescue) sometimes sends me the fabric left over when she has her dresses shortened. This one was royal and turquoise blue sheer fabric with sequins!

Don't ask what I did to it, because I can't remember. I know it involved adding some sheer navy ribbon with silver snowflakes, a blue and silver fiber, and snowflake beads and buttons. Some time before yesterday I used the heat gun to melt something away. The three hearts are just some fused Angelina that I cut out freehand and stitched down. I like the feathery yarn trim on the outside! And a few clear Swarovski crystals.

I may send this as a non-traditional Valentine!

Two More Fabric Postcards

Magma

Serenity

Both of these cards were constructed the same way. I fused a fabric base to a piece of Timtex, a stiff interfacing. Then I fused a laundry sheet pre-painted with metallic Lumiere paints, using Misty Fuse. Then I had fun adding either bits of ribbon or bits of foil and some Angelina fibers. Since the dryer sheets were kind of "holy" after painting, everything was fused to the same base of Misty Fuse (covering with parchment paper.) I stitched through everything with metallic threads, using decorative stitches on my machine. Then, out with the heat gun for a little blast of melting action. That's when the orange piece began to look like molten rock! After fusing a fabric or watercolor paper to the other side, I zigzagged around the edges about three times, changing thread colors on the orange piece.

I got my entries mailed in to MQX for the spring show, and will have to wait and see if either Something "Girly" or "Carolina Woodland Spring" gets juried in. My first attempts at a juried competition! If you plan to show a quilt at Machine Quilters Expo this year, the deadline for photo entries is January 15.

Bet You Can't Make Just One

Fabric postcard, that is. Once I have all my stuff out, I end up making another, and another, and another...

Autumn Splendor- this one is shiny and features Angelina fibers, laundry sheet flowers painted with Lumiere paint, metallic thread stitching, ribbons, fused commercial print with fruits, autumn leaves from a purchased spray, and of course a few Swarovski crystals.

Last night I received great news from daughter-in-law Emily. If you have been reading my blog, you may remember that their apartment building burned down in September, and all of their belongings suffered water, smoke, or soot damage. Yesterday, the dry cleaners returned all their cleaning that was salvageable...and the white wedding quilt I made for them is now fresh, shiny, and beautiful again! When I saw it after the fire, it was rather brown and not too promising. I was starting to gather my white fabrics to make them a new one, but I am glad that this one survived. It has Floribunda quilting a la Nichole Webb, a sateen back and some white satin squares mixed with the cottons on the front.

Last Post before New York trip

Tomorrow morning it is off to New York! I am so excited! I am not sure if Charlie wants to deal with taking the laptop, so I may not be posting again until next Monday. We have been having such unseasonably hot weather- 94 degrees yesterday! The New York weather is predicted to be in the fifties and sixties, so that will be a lovely change. It is supposed to rain the first few days. I need to go look through my closets for a jacket and something to wear to dinner at the University Club on Friday night. Anyway, here are two pictures to leave with you- more postcards! I had all my stuff out to make my two thank-you cards, so I just kept going. I want to have a few small pieces available when I speak at the Piedmont Quilters' Guild in January.
Dragonfly-I found this foil-stamped piece of black fabric left over from my Melody Crust workshop last winter. I stitched the stamped fabric to a stabilizer and stitched with Sulky Iridescent thread. Then I cut it out, and attached to a piece of fabric I had previously painted with Shiva Paintstiks in pastel colors. After attaching to the Peltex base, I quilted with more of the iridescent and also a blue metallic thread. Two green Swarovski crystals make the eyes. This one is shiny and jewel-like!
Shine On! - This one is similar to Glowing Roses. The background is a maroon hand-dye, lightened and brightened with Shiva Paintstiks and Vegas Gold Tsukineko ink. There is Angelina added to the flower layers, silver ink artwork, and Swarovski crystals.

Two More Fabric Postcards

Hot off the press...two new fabric postcards that will be sent as thank-you cards.

Glowing Roses- for Tom and Pauline, who brought the beautiful bouquet of orange-peach-yellow-amber roses to me at the party on Saturday. These little posies somewhat capture the colors, and I have added Angelina fibers, Swarovski crystals, and some artwork with a silver pen for a little added sparkle.

Mountain Memories- for Kenny and Katy, who let me me stay at their home while I was working at the quilt show in Clemmons last week. This view reminds me of one of the places we stop and watch the sunset when we drive through the Christmas tree farms in the Ashe County mountains.

Postcard Fun

Here is a fabric postcard that I made to send to my sister-in-law, Lee, who lives in Asheville, NC. For my birthday she sent me an inscribed copy of the novel Cataloochee, by Wayne Caldwell. The author attends her church, but in order to get the signed edition, she stood in line at the bookstore. What a great gift! I am an avid reader, and love books about the North Carolina mountains. This one again makes me thankful that I live in the present day, not back when times were hard. This is an excellent book about the old mountain ways.

Fabric Postcards: Horses and Houses

We finally got to move into our mountain cabin on Thursday! What a dream come true! We had a few very busy days as we hung cabinets, bought a bed, and then got right to work on the pig-picking we hosted on Saturday! We are so grateful to all our helpers and friends who made this possible.




I finished a few more fabric postcards today. A group of my teacher friends asked me to make them some to choose from, and we are supposed to get together tomorrow night. One of them wanted a horse, so I tried a few different ones using a commercial novelty print.

Life is Good- I cut out two different horses and arranged them in a sort of a fancy stable. They have a nice brown and black fuzzy fiber fringe stitched on with copper-colored metallic thread.

True Love- Two more horses from the novelty print, surrounded by a floral wreath of flowers I stamped with Shiva Paintstix, then cut out and fused. I made the wreath during the Melody Crust workshop, thinking it might be a quilt label.

Wild and Free- This gorgeous fellow is the same horse on the left in Life is Good, but looks totally different in a natural setting. I used twisted yarns to surround the central medallion and the postcard edge. The cross-hatch design was already in the fabric, so I just stitched over it.


This card of the mountain cabin is for my son and daughter-in-law, in thanks for the beautiful sign they gave me for my birthday.
(See June 22 post.) I liked doing it so much, that I may do lots more landscape postcards or small quilts. The cabin and trees are from a novelty fabric, and I just freehand cut the sky, hills, and floral areas. I even added a little back art to this one- it has a mighty antlered buck atop a hill of bare trees.