4 Postcards Made with Teabags

Years ago I saved the teabags I had from drinking tea. I let them dry, then opened the bags and threw away the tea leaves. The tea bags would stain the paper teabags, but not the silk-type teabags. I saved the teabags and then stamped different stamps on them. The paper took the stamp very well, while the silk-type bags did stamp, but was more translucent. Not sure what I wanted to do with these stamped teabags? I had seen people make small quilts using teabags (not stamped) and it was an interesting look. 

I belong to a Fabric Postcard online group and the challenge postcard to make for January is Tea. Anything to do with tea. I decided to make a few postcards using these teabags after the challenge was announced. I knew I needed to quilt them to hold all the teabags together, so I glued the teabags in place and quilted them and then cut to 4" x 6" size and stitched around the edges. The backs are all stamped with the Postcard stamp on the back of each postcard.

They turned out to have an old fashioned vintage style look to them because of the tea staining. I have lots of stamped teabags left, so perhaps I will make more postcards, maybe adding some lace trim to them for more of a vintage look.

All 4 postcards have this stamped on the back of them.

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10 Fabric Postcards (9 Coneflower with Bee & a Sunflower) + Hot Air Balloon Over My House

I made these fabric postcards quite a while ago and never shared them. My good friend asked me to make 10 coneflower postcards with bees after she saw the one I made and donated to the Wish Challenge at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show earlier this year. Then she changed it to 9 plus one sunflower postcard. So here they are.

Seeing balloons in the air over my house is a common site, but I don't always get

 the balloon aligned this good! I took several shots to get the Zia to show in the center. This is a Rainbow Rider hot air balloon. Rainbow Rider has several balloon designs and they sell rides in them. I have never been up in a balloon and not sure I ever will? Guess I have a bit of a height phobia, especially being exposed all around me like that. I'd rather be on the ground watching them fly by.

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Eleven Fabric Postcards for Sisters (Oregon) Outdoor Quilt Show Wish Contest 2023

Hello fabric postcard lovers. I made eleven fabric postcards this year for the annual Make a Wish fundraiser that happens during the Sisters, Oregon Outdoor Quilt Show. My favorite quilt show! 

This year the 2 fabrics chosen are from Andover Fabric and designed by Giucy Giuce from his Fabric from the Attic and Fabric from the Basement lines. The pink fabric is Rant- Dried Orchid and the dark print is Alien Diamond- Shirt.

Postcard Challenge: Create a fabric postcard using BOTH of the two challenge fabrics shown below. Cards will be juried with cash prizes for the top three selections, and then matted and framed for silent auction.

Alien Diamond- Shirt

Rant- Dried Orchid

I created eleven cards total (I requested 6 sets of the fabric though, as I knew I could create more than 6 cards from each set). I always have fun making these cards. I have had several of my postcards framed to be sold for more money than just the postcard itself (which are also sold, but for less money). It's an honor to have my cards chosen to get framed, although I usually am not told what cards, if any get framed. I have a friend who attends the show and lives nearby and she tells me and takes photos, but I wish they would inform us postcard makers and send us a photo of all the cards we make that they frame, as it would be great to know that and see it too, especially if we cannot attend the show. Only one year did I get an email that they framed one of my cards and emailed me a photo of it. I guess they have different people volunteering (or staff?) each year, so it is up to that person?

Here are my postcards. I machine blanket stitched around most of the appliqué shapes, added some hand embroidery like French knots and backstitching on some cards. I added some hot fix crystals on a few cards for bling. I hand blanket stitched around each card along the outside edge to hold the layers together.

I used Crafter's Edge die cuts to cut out the Canning Jar and the Hearts. 

I cut these shapes out from die cuts also. Circles, a diamond that I cut on half for the ears and the tip of the diamond for the nose. I hand stitched on the whiskers, which are slightly crooked for a bit of whimsey, as well as those cockeyed eyes, lol!

I tried something different and new to me for the outside edges of the postcard on this one. I saw a video showing how Susan Carlson did the edges of one of her art quilts using scraps. She glued the scraps on all around the quilt. The scraps blended well with her quilt. I thought I would give it a go on a postcard and see what I thought. I only did this one that way. I think that edging would maybe look better on a larger quilt, rather than a small postcard (4" x 6" are the size of these postcards). Do you have an opinion about the scrappy edge? Like it? Don't like it? Check out the video I watched at the end of this post.

A pink sunflower. One of my favorite flowers are sunflowers.

More die cuts used here. A pentagon for the flower and a tumbler die cut for the pot.

Besides sunflowers, I LOVE Echinacea (coneflowers)! This is my favorite flower. Cannot grow them, darn! I tried from seed and plants and they just don't grow at all, even though they sell both plants and seeds here. Must be doing something wrong or it's too cold or too hot? So I will create them in my quilting instead.

Under my Tip of the Morning Tuesday page, I have a tutorial for how I create this kind of flower. I start with a circle (using a die cut for me) and then show you how to make cuts. This flower always looks great, even if the circle or cuts are wonky. As in nature, nothing is perfect.

Made this with more die cuts: a teacup, hearts and flowers. A touch of hand embroidery and some crystal bling.

No die cuts used here! I drew this one out myself. I wanted another coneflower and a bee on it. A jumbo bee, lol! I was looking for something to use for the wings and I was recently given something that was tied with a variegated organza ribbon, so I fused some fusible we to the ribbon and I created the bee's wings. Added 3 crystals for a bit more bling to the wing. Wing bling? LOL!

For this card, I wanted to do a reverse appliqué, so I first sewed an under layer crazy quilt style and then cut out the flower in the center of the dark fabric (used a flower die cut) and machine blanket stitched it in place. As you can see the blanket stitching is biting into the background, since it is reverse appliqué. A bit of crystal bling was added too.

More die cuts, this time I used ovals to create the butterfly. I do have a butterfly die cut, but it was too large for the postcard, so I only used the center body from that die cut to create this.

I used 3 different rubber stamps to stamp the Postcard Stamp onto the backside of each card. Just showing this one here so you get the idea.

All eleven cards together.

The deadline for entering the contest to be juried is May 4, 2023 (cards need to be received by this date). However, they accept ALL postcards (using any or all of your own fabric, not just the contest fabrics) through June 10, 2023.

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3 Fabric Postcards

Hello my postcard loving friends. I created 3 fabric postcards using the Crossover II Die Cutting machine from Crafter's Edge and the Tea Time Set die cut and the 0.5" Increment Circle set die cut.

I used some scrappy pieced neutral colored backgrounds for all 3 postcards and then fused the appliqué pieces on top. Satin stitched the edges all around the postcards in white thread. All 3 postcards measure 5" x 7". I usually make 4" x 6" postcards, but I like this slightly larger size. They would be suitable to frame in a standard 5 x 7 frame or a mat with an opening size that's 5 x 7 with a larger frame.

A single teacup and saucer.

I stacked 2 teacups here.

Appliqué circles.

I stamped all the backs of the postcards like this.

These were a fun little project made faster by using the die cuts. I like to have a few postcards on hand to send out for birthdays and other occasions. 

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Happy Birthday Balloons Postcards

An online friend celebrated her 60th birthday in June and asked for us online friends to help her celebrate by sending her a birthday card. So I wanted to make her a handmade card and decided to make a fabric postcard using the Crafter's Edge Balloons die cuts. While I was at it I made a second postcard just to have on hand. 

I used batik fabric scraps for the balloons and I had a rubber stamp that says, Birthday Wishes, so stamped that at the bottom. The balloon strings were drawn on with a pigma pen. The background fabric was a confetti-looking fabric that went well with the balloons. Then I satin stitched the edges. I popped the postcard into an envelope because it had a long journey to Germany, and I wanted it to arrive clean. It did arrive safely and just before her birthday. I know she received over 100 cards too! 

It was so fast and easy to cut the balloons with the die cuts.

The back of both cards were stamped with a postcard stamp.

Balloons die cut set from Crafter's Edge.

All during the month of July, the Crossover II die cut machine is on sale for 25% off. No code is needed as it's marked at the sale price. 

Get your Crossover II die cut machine now while it's on sale. You will love how easy it is to use and how quickly you can cut out your project(s).

Add the machine to your cart and the sale price will be in your cart (in case it doesn't show the sale price on the page). Regular price is $249.99. 25% off = $187.49 on sale. Happy die cutting!

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10 Gnome Fabric Postcards

This was a recent custom order for 10 Christmas postcards. I chose to make them all gnomes, but 3 different gnomes. I used mostly batik fabric. I used a gray and white fabric that I use for beards that I bought decades ago.

I hope all the recipients of these postcards love them. They would be great framed too.

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Applique Fabric Birthday & Hanukkah Postcards

These postcards I made for a custom order and the first 2 cards I made and gave to my friend who just had a birthday a few days ago.

This is the birthday card I gave to my friend.

This is the Hanukkah card I gave to my friend. It's a bit early, but since I was dropping off the cards anyhow, I thought I should give it early. She like llamas, so I thought she might enjoy this play on words one. I cut out the llama from fabric and fused it.

Just candles without a Menorah.

I used this stamp on the back of all the postcards.

2 Dreidel cards.

I made several of this style card with a Menorah. I painted the candle flames. I used up scraps of batik fabrics for all of these postcards (except the llamas).

This and the one below are more llamas from the same fabric I had.

All of the Hanukkah postcards here.

A couple of birthday cupcake postcards.

I made the rest of the birthday cards with balloons and hand embroidered the strings. Some have 3 balloons, some have 4.

All of the birthday postcards her together.

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