Quilters Join Crafters in Making Decorative Postcards by Donna Hussain

Transform your fabric scraps into beautiful postcards!

My stash of fabric scraps left over from quilting is taking over the closet of my guest bedroom. Although I try to diminish the scrap piles by using the fabric for accent colors in new quilting projects, my stash continues to grow. Could it be true that scraps stored in a dark warm place multiply?


My friend, Lyn Strauch, who shares my love of quilting, recently introduced me to new creative activity: making decorative postcards from colorful fabrics, buttons, sequins, fancy threads, paint, stamps, trim and assorted doodads to send to friends and loved ones. If addressed and stamped, the US Post Office will deliver the postcards by mail. While a quilt takes months to sew, a decorative card takes only an hour or two to make. We quilters already have most of the needed supplies on hand. Our pleasure is threefold: we enjoy the creative process of making the postcards, we bask in the delight and smiles of those who receive our cards, and we rejoice in finding a use for fabric in our stash.


Several weeks ago my art quilt circle spent a very pleasant Sunday afternoon making decorative postcards under Lyn’s guidance. I learned many useful tips from Lyn that I now share with you.

Getting instruction from Lyn Strauch.

Lyn Strauch teaching a class on fabric postcards.

Supplies and Directions

Cut Timtex or Peltex available at fabric stores into 4x6 inch rectangles, postcard size. These stiff products are used for the postcard base. One side of the card is for the mailing address and message. The other side is decorated with fabric and embellishments that are fused, machine sewn, glued, painted, stamped, or hand-stitched to the surface.

All kinds of remnants can be used in a fabric postcard.

The decoration is made by a selection of:
Fabric scraps
Beads
Decorative threads
Rickrack
Buttons
Crystals
Sequins
Yarns
Ribbons
Fabric trim
Found objects
Tulle
Netting
Stamps
Paint
Rosettes
Doodads


Fusible web products like Wonder Under or Steam a Seam are used to fuse fabric designs to the card. Iron these fusible products to the back side of your chosen fabric before you cut the fabric into desired decorative shapes. Some Peltex products are manufactured with a fusible web surface, but you will still need a fusible web product for layered fabric designs.


CAUTION: Cover the ironing board surface with parchment paper or an appliqué press cloth before you begin to fuse. Without this protection your ironing board cover may be damaged with sticky fusible web scraps. In addition, always place an appliqué press sheet between your iron and the items you are fusing. Without this interface you risk permanent damage to your iron.


Fuse muslin or a light-colored solid fabric to the message-address side of the card. Write the word POSTCARD with a pen along to top edge of the card (a Post Office requirement), then draw a vertical line down the center of the card to separate the left-hand message area from the address area to the right.


Sew borders for your postcards with your sewing machine using the satin stitch, blanket stitch or zigzags. Decorative machine stitching can also be used in the embellishment of your cards.


The post office should have a standard rate for mailing decorative postcards. Unfortunately, the rate seems to vary from one city to another. So take your decorated cards to the post office to check the mailing rate. Flat postcards should need only a postcard stamp. If the card has heavy decorations it may require the stamp rate of a letter. If you have decorated the card with three-dimensional protruding objects, like shells, you will be required to send the card in a padded envelope.


Lyn has a collection of over one hundred fifty decorative postcards that she has made or received from others in postcard swaps. The postcard photos in this article are from her collection. To learn about swap options, type the words Yahoo Groups Postcards in the search window of your computer. You can join a group that interests you by asking to enroll as a member. When a new swap is posted you learn the theme of the swap, for example Purple, Autumn, Triangles, or Warm, and the date your postcards are due. You later have the pleasure of receiving postcards in return from your swapmates. Sounds like fun.

Lyn Strauch with her postcard collection.

For further information on making decorative postcards, I recommend (click on the links to go to Amazon):

Fast, Fun, and Easy Fabric Postcards
by Franki Kohler

Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Postcards: Keepsakes You Can Make & Mail

Quilt Designs for Postcards
by American School of Needlework

Quilt Designs for Postcards

Positively Postcards
by Bonnie Sabel and Louis-Philippe O’Donnell

Positively Postcards: Quilted Keepsakes to Save or Send (That Patchwork Place)

California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country, authored books, and is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus. Click on her name to see all of her past articles.


The photo shows Donna with her husband, Pascha.



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Quilters Join Crafters in Making Decorative Postcards by Donna Hussain

"Traveling This Summer? Sew A Money Belt!" by Donna Hussain

Pickpocket

All travelers worry about the safety of their credit cards, tickets, passports, travelers checks, and cash. Wearing a money belt for valuables under your clothing when traveling is a foil to pickpockets, purse snatchers, and careless loss, like a wallet dropping out of a pocket when you place your jacket in the overhead bin of a plane.

A home-made money belt is easy to sew and inexpensive to make. Surprisingly, it is also comfortable to wear. My husband does not limit the use of his money belt to travel, but wears it daily. He keeps only a few bills in his pockets knowing that he has extra cash and credit cards in his money belt for unexpected expenses.

Money Belt by Donna Hussain
(Zipper open to show possible contents...)

To sew a money belt, follow the directions below.

Supplies:
A 12-inch all purpose non-separating zipper
11½ inches x 18 inches of soft, durable, 100% cotton bottomweight fabric
3/4 yard elastic waistband, 1 to 2 inches wide

Money Belt Supplies

1. Fold the cotton fabric in half lengthwise. Center the zipper on the cut edge. Make a mark on the cut edge of the money belt fabric at the start of the zipper opening and at the end of the zipper opening.

Marking the zipper location.

2. Remove the zipper. Stitch the raw edges of the folded fabric together on your sewing machine. The stitch line should be about ½ inch from the raw edges. Use your regular stitch-length from the fabric edge to the first mark, back stitch ¼ inch, then forward stitch ¼ inch. Stop.
Change the stitch length to long stitches (for later easy removal). Sew to the second mark. Stop.
Change the stitch length back to regular stitch length. Sew ¼ inch forward, ¼ inch backward, then forward again to the fabric edge.
(The backstitching helps lock the seam on each end of the zipper.)

Sewing the seam

3. Press the seam allowance open.

Seam allowance pressed open

4. Place the zipper wrong side up over the sewn seam line using your marks on the fabric as a placement guide. Baste the upper half of the zipper to the upper flap of the open seam allowance. Make sure that your basting stitches penetrate the flap only, not the money belt itself.
Baste the lower half of the zipper to the lower flap of the seam allowance. Check to make sure that your basting stitches do not go into the fabric of the money belt tube.

Baste the zipper to the seam allowance flaps

5. Machine stitch the zipper to the seam allowance (flaps only).

6. Turn the money belt tube inside out. The zipper is now hidden from view. Cut the seam directly over the zipper with sharp scissors or a seam ripper to expose the zipper. Check that the zipper opens and closes with ease.

7. Adjust the money belt tube so that the zipper is aligned near the top. Press the money belt flat.

Pressed money belt

8. Prepare to hem the raw edges at the sides of the money belt. Do so by turning the raw edges of the fabric ½ inch to the inside of the tube for a hem. Press.
Before machine stitching to close the sides of the money belt, insert one inch of the elastic waistband into one end of the money belt at zipper level. When stitching the side seam closed the elastic will be stitched in place. Do not cut the elastic to size or sew the second side seam until the eventual user tries on the money belt to measure the length of elastic needed for comfort.
For durability sew three rows of stitching on the right and left sides of the money belt. A row of stitching is also advisable along the bottom fold. It does not matter that the rows of stitching are visible. After all, the belt will be worn underneath clothing.

Money belt stitching

9. For family travel abroad a money belt made with two pockets joined by elastic, one worn in the back, one covering the belly, is helpful. Items you need infrequently, like passports and tickets, can be stored in the pocket worn in the back. The front pocket is handy for easy access to cash and credit cards.

Happy Travels!

California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country, authored books, and is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus. Click on her name to see all of her past articles.


The photo shows Donna with her husband, Pascha.



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"Traveling This Summer? Sew A Money Belt!" by Donna Hussain

The Value of Quilt Shows by Donna Hussain

Star Spangles by Donna Hussain
A quilt based on an Islamic design.

Many women remember snuggling in bed on cold winter nights under quilts made by their moms or grandmothers. They become quilters because they want to give similar gifts of love and comfort to their families and friends. While making their first quilt they learn basic sewing skills. Other quilters have a lifetime of experience at the sewing machine. In all likelihood they sew clothing, Halloween costumes, doll wardrobes, band uniforms, and prom dresses in addition to quilts. In quilt competitions this group of quilters has a decided advantage over sewing novices because judges grade both the construction skill of the quilt maker and her artistry. The winners of major quilt shows are talented artists who have mastered sewing techniques for quilt construction and choose fabric as their medium of expression.

Featured artist gets premium space at a quilt show.

These artists deserve the prizes. (The awards advertised for the Pacific International Quilt Festival in October, 2009 is $18,000 in cash and prizes.) At shows all quilters flock to the winning quilts to study their construction techniques, their use of color, and their embellishments, their thread play and quilting patterns, the design of their borders, they way they portray their theme in abstraction or minute detail, a view from afar or through magnification. There is much to learn by the study of displayed quilts. In the process we less talented quilters harvest ideas for future quilts of our own.

Quilts displayed at a show inspire
other quilters with color, technique and design.

To be juried into a major quilt show like the American Quilters Society spring show in Paducah, or the International Quilters Association’s fall show in Houston is an honor for the average quilter. We don’t expect to win, but are thrilled that other quilters will view, and hopefully admire, our work. Acceptance into the show is a way of validating the growth of our creativity and the improvement of our quilting skills.

Most quilt guilds sponsor an annual local show for the display of their members’ quilts. The show is usually the highlight of the guild’s calendar year and its major fundraiser. Space is rented to vendors to sell fabric, books, and quilt supplies. Sometimes judges are hired; sometimes not. Judges usually give two encouraging comments and two suggestions for improvement on the judging sheet for each quilt. The advice can be very helpful even though I tend to scoff upon receiving a comment like “Quilting corners need improvement” telling myself that there is nothing wrong with my corners. But you can be sure that I pay close attention thereafter to corners when sewing my quilts.

Quilt shows are a lot of work!
Here the quilt frames are being raised.

Other advantages of guild quilt shows include giving members a deadline to finish quilts in progress and a place to display their talent. The show certainly promotes quilting to the local community. A guild is usually energized by a show because it requires so much work, so much involvement of its members. New friendships are made and bonds between members are strengthened.

Guild members develop friendships while
they take a break in preparation for a quilt show.

I recommend that all quilters join a local quilt guild. Novice quilters are always welcome. They are usually surprised at the support they receive from more experienced members. The sew and show portion of monthly guild meetings helps beginners decide which style of quilting they favor and which color combinations they like. Most guilds offer inexpensive quilt classes that help beginners master quilting skills. In quilt shows most guilds include a category called “First Quilts” to encourage novice quilters to display their quilts.

Quilts hung in a show might be in many categories,
giving both the novice and the expert chances at recognition.

Although my quilts have been juried into a number of national quilt shows I have never won a large financial prize. My only claim to fame was becoming a finalist in the contest Reflections on Heritage sponsored by Quilters Newsletter Magazine in 2002. The quilts of the forty finalists traveled together as an exhibit to Quilt Expo VIII in Barcelona, Spain in April, 2002, then on to the Houston show in the fall on that year.

When I first read about the contest I speculated that my quilt, Star Spangles, which coincidentally had recently been completed, would be the only entry representing a Muslim heritage. Since I was sure the contest organizers wanted a balanced representation of cultures, I figured my quilt would be a shoo-in. Allowed seventy-five words in the application I wrote:

My husband was born in India and raised in the Islamic faith, while I come from an American Christian family. I try to represent our mixed family heritage in quilts for our home. The pattern for this quilt was taken from a tastir panel (a line pattern, a geometrical motif) that is typical of the beauty of Islamic ornamentation. But the creation of this quilt required the inspiration of my two Kansas grandmothers who passed on their love of quilting to me.

Husbands offer both labor and support,
"Your quilt is going to Barcelona?"

How excited I was to receive official news that I was selected as a finalist. I told my husband that I wanted to travel to Barcelona to stand behind my quilt to hear the comments of viewers. “What?” he said. “Why would you want to do that? You don’t even speak Spanish.”


California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country, authored books, and is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus. Click on her name to see all of her past articles.


The photo shows Donna with her husband, Pascha.

The Value of Quilt Shows by Donna Hussain

How to Make Clamshell Quilt Templates and Sew Curved Seams by Donna Hussain

"Lamplight" by Donna Hussain

Quilt completed after completing a clamshell class by Monica Calvert.

When learning to quilt I easily mastered sewing quilt blocks with straight line seams on my sewing machine. All I had to do was place the fabric pieces right sides together, then line up my ¼” sewing machine foot with the edge of the fabric for stitching. There are hundreds of quilt blocks that require such minimal sewing skill.

Straight-line stitching, the basic skill required to make any quilt.

To machine-piece a quilt block with curved seams, like Drunkard's Path, requires more skill. As a novice quilter, I joined a clamshell class given by Monica Calvert at a quilt shop near my home to learn her curved seam techniques. I had no intention of actually making a clamshell quilt until Monica demonstrated the amazing versatility and design potential of the block during class sessions.

Clamshell Row

A template is used to cut clamshell shapes. Clamshell templates can be made at home using graph paper and a compass. Draw three circles with the same diameter as illustrated below. Circles with a 9” diameter are recommended for starters. As you gain skill in sewing curves you can work with smaller clamshell shapes.

Drawing a Clamshell Template

Cut out the clamshell shape that you have drawn on the graph paper. This is your template but the graph paper is too flimsy for practical use. Use the paper cutout as a pattern to draw the clamshell shape on light cardboard, a manila folder, or plastic sheet. A clamshell template cut from these materials will be stiff enough to last for repeated use in drawing clamshells on fabric.

To make fabric clamshells place your template on the wrong side of fabric and draw the template’s outline with pencil or pen. This line will be your stitch line so make sure that the line is dark and easy to see.

In cutting out the fabric clamshell you must allow for a seam allowance, so cut the fabric ¼” away from the stitch line. For ease in later sewing, it is helpful to widen the seam allowance to 3/8” along the pointed tip.

Drawing and Cutting Lines

To practice sewing clamshell blocks together:

• Select two fabrics. Cut out two clamshells with nine inch diameters from each of the two fabrics.
• Sew the pointed ends together of one color set as illustrated below. (The red clamshells.)
  

Preparing to Sew Clamshells Together

• Mark the mid-point of the convex curve of the clamshells to be inset. (Blue clamshells). You can determine this mid-point by folding the clamshell in half.
• The next step is to inset the blue clamshells into the concave curves of the red clamshells, as illustrated. To do so, place the sewn-together red clamshells face up. Turn a blue clamshell face down so that the stitch line on the back side is visible. Poke a pin through the mid-point of the blue stitch line through to the midpoint of the seam joining the red clamshells together.
• Join the ends of the red and blue seam lines together with pins. Divide the space to be pinned together in half again and again, each time poking the pins through the blue stitch line to the red stitch line. Many pins will be necessary to flatten out all potential puckers.
• Machine stitch along the seam lines removing pins as you go.
  

Pinning Clamshells Together on the Stitch Line

The design possibilities using clamshell blocks are endless. Keep adding clamshells by sewing convex curves to concave curves until you reach the size you want for your quiltop.

Possible placements of clamshells in a quilt design.

You can vary the fabric and color of the clamshells or cut clamshells from fabric pieced together. I suggest that you draw a clamshell grid like the one below and experiment with different coloring patterns using crayons or felt pens.

Clamshell Grid

When using clamshells you may mix the blocks with other patchwork blocks or appliqué sections.
The shape of four clamshells sewn together reminded me of Indian designs, of oil lamps hanging in a mosque. In "Lamplight", I used a black clamshell to represent the lamp base. I visualized perforations in the lamp sides to allow light to pass through. I quilted a candle flame in the top clamshell which is pieced. All of the blocks beneath the arch are nine-inch clamshells, though some along the sides were trimmed to make a straight edge. I consciously used darker fabrics for the area under the lamps, and lightened the background colors close to the flame. The purpose of the Islamic arch in the quilt is to place the lamps in context.

Give clamshells a try. They are easier to sew than you may think!



California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country, authored books, and is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus. Click on her name to see all of her past articles.



The photo shows Donna with her husband, Pascha.

How to Make Clamshell Quilt Templates and Sew Curved Seams by Donna Hussain

How To Make Bias Tubes For Quilt Top Appliqué by Donna Hussain

The most common use for bias tubes when making quilt tops is for the appliqué of stems in floral bouquets. The tubes can also serve as window sills, chair legs, door frames, vines, fence posts, tree trunks, and lettering. I have also seen the tubes used to appliqué woven baskets, a jungle gym, the reins of a horse, and the rope of a swing. My favorite use of bias tubes is to sew interlacing designs on quilt tops. (See previous post, Interlacing Design for Quilt Borders)

Interlacing Design Using Bias Tubes

Although bias tubes can be purchased at most fabric stores the colors are limited and buyers generally have only one choice of tube width. Sewing your own bias tubes has many advantages. You can choose tube fabric from your stash to match the colors of your quilt. The cost of making tubes at home is minimal, and you have a variety of width options. In this article I describe the construction method I favor when sewing home-made bias tubes.

A bias tube begins with a strip of fabric that is cut on the bias. Why cut on the bias? Because bias strips stretch. In most quilting projects the fabric is cut on the straight of the grain to avoid stretching so that quilt blocks come out square. In bias tube appliqué stretching is an advantage. It allows you to appliqué the tubes in curves and circles without puckering. In addition, the threads on a bias cut do not unravel as they sometimes do when fabric is cut on the straight of the grain. So I favor tubes made from bias strips for straight-line appliqué as well as for curves.

A common method of making a bias tube is folding a strip of fabric with right sides together, then stitching the raw edges together. The sewn tube must then be turned inside out to hide the seam, often a struggle. I recommend an easier process for sewing the tubes, the use of bias bars available at most fabric and quilt stores. Bias bars are available in plastic and metal (your choice) and usually come in packets with at least three bars of different sizes ranging from 1/8” to 2” wide. For most of my projects, I favor the ¼” bar which makes a ¼” tube. The width of the bias bar you use determines the width of the tube you sew.

Metal Bias Bars

To make a bias tube, start with a square of fabric cut on the straight of the grain.


Align the 45 degree angle mark on your plastic ruler with the edge of the fabric. Use a rotary cutter to make a bias cut.



Measuring from the bias-cut edge, cut strips of fabric for use in making bias tubes. The strip width will depend on the width of the bias bar you are planning to use. Here is a helpful rule of thumb:

Strip width = (bias bar width x 2) + ½” (for seam allowances)

For example, if you are using a bias bar ¼” wide, cut 1 inch wide fabric strips.
( ¼” x 2) + ½” = 1”)

You are now ready to sew bias tubes from the fabric strips. Here are directions.

1. Fold each bias strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Press.



2. Raise your sewing machine needle to the up position. Place your bias bar in a folded, pressed fabric strip. Place the bar and strip under the presser foot aligning the fold with the outer edge of the foot. Adjust the needle position to the right of left as necessary to encase the bias bar snuggly. Once the needle position is set remove the bias bar. If you start sewing before the bias bar is removed from the folded fabric you risk breaking your needle.

(If your sewing machine does not have the feature of a movable needle position you can move the folded strip to the right or left of the presser-foot edge until the needle encases the bias bar snugly. Remove the bias bar. As you sew, try to keep the same distance from the fold to the edge of the presser foot.)

3. Sew the length of the folded strip keeping the fold aligned with the presser-foot edge. The use of lightweight thread will reduce seam bulk.



4. Re-insert the bias bar into the sewn tube. Trim the raw edges as close to the stitching as possible (1/8” or less).



5. Twist the seam to the middle of the bias bar. With the bar in the tube, press the seam allowance flat against the tube. Both metal and plastic bias bars can be safely pressed though the metal bars do get hot. Be careful.

6. Remove the bias bar and press the tube again, once with the seam side up, once with the seam side down.

When you are ready to appliqué a bias tube to your quilt top you have several options for hiding the two raw ends of the tubes. You can simply turn under a tube ends and stitch them in place. Or you can hide the end under another appliqué element such as a flower petal. Sometimes ends can be sewn into seams.

If you use bias tubes in innovative ways in your quilting, please leave a comment. I would like to hear from you. If you have photos of your work using bias tubes, leave the link so we can all come visit!

January 19, 2010

A reader asks "When you need an extra long piece of the bias strip & you are sewing them with wrong sides together, how do you connect the pieces to get a longer piece?"

When crossovers needed to hide the introduction of  a new tube segment are far apart (as illustrated below) an extra long bias tube may be necessary in order to sew an interlacing pattern. 

Quilt diagram

This extra long bias tube is made by joining two (or more) bias strips with a seam.  This joining must be prior to pressing the strip in half lengthwise in preparation for making a bias tube. Unfortunately this seam will create bulk that will reduce the tube’s flexibility for sewing curved designs but will work for straight line sewing.  I minimize the bulk by placing the two strips at right angles with right sides together, then machine stitch a diagonal seam.  Trim the seam.

California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country, authored books, and is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus. Click on her name to see all of her past articles.



The photo shows Donna with her husband, Pascha.

How To Make Bias Tubes For Quilt Top Appliqué by Donna Hussain