FabricCards

One of my projects this week was to make fabric note cards.  This is VERY fun and relaxing.  So, what is needed to make these cards?  11" x 8 1/2" card stock (cut in half), colorful fabric scraps, scissors, cutting mat and rotary cutter, iron-on light weight fuse paper, a sewing machine, an iron, thread and spray on all purpose adhesive.

First I went into my fabric stash, with the size of the card in mind, and found some fun and colorful fabrics (most of them scraps) to work with that had one or two matching fabrics.  What I have found that makes the most interesting cards is a colorful print fabric that covers the entire front of the note card and contracting fabrics for the appliqued figures.  With the background fabric and matching fabrics in hand I then design the card based on the colors and design of the background fabrics and their coordinating fabrics.  Different things come into play; the size of the print, the theme of the print and what I feel makes a visually interesting card.  Since I was making several cards the idea was to have a mix of different colors and designs. Once I figured out the design, it is then time to execute it.   First I cut out a piece of fuse paper a bit larger than the figure I will be appliqueing onto the background fabric.  Next I draw the design onto the paper side of the fuse paper and iron it onto the back of the matching fabrics, paper side up.  Once I have that done it is time to cut along the lines I have draw of the figure and peel the paper back, leaving the fuse behind.  The figure then gets ironed (fused) onto the front of the background fabric.  Now this figure gets appliqued.  What does that mean.  I use either a zig-zag or blanket stitch and sew along the edge of the figure so that it will not fray.   Designing these cards, for me is a ton of fun.  It takes me back to the day when my daughter was young and we had fun making Valentines together.   Yes, fabric cards are more complicated but the same design elements come into play whether you are using paper or fabric.  

Once I have the sewing part done it is time to adhere the fabric to the card stock.  I used Krylon all purpose spray adhesive.  It is acid free so if the recipient of the card wants to use it decoratively of have it as a keepsake, it will stay looking nice.  It is important to read the directions and use these spray adhesive products properly.  This is NOT a project for children since the adhesive is not designed for use around children.  It is important tp put down newspapers onto a flat surface to catch the over spray before you spray the card stock I then adhere the fabric part of the card onto the paper and smooth it out.  After it dries I trim the card, fold it in half and it is done!  I did not use a new rotary blade when trimming the cards since paper dulls a cutting blade VERY quickly.  I made 11 cards and by the time I finished trimming that last card, the blade was very dull.  

I really like making these cards for a myriad of reasons.  My practical side tells me...look at all the scraps you used up!