Pretty little Postcards ~ in fabric

Love stamp in reds, on silk dupioni

Love Stamp and rainbow colors

I added metallic decorative stitches in the background

Celebrate stamp was sent as a
birthday postcard to a friend

Postcards are 4"x6" even with this tail
it will still fit into a clear envelope

January 2014
Sheree McKee
sewfabsew.blogspot.com

Welcome !  This is my new blog, dedicated to a current obsession with fabric postcards.

Here are some recent creations I made to exchange with members of an online swap group.  Our theme was Every Stamp Tells a Story.

Dimensional fabric paint looks like metal rivets

I confiscated an old box of mixed stamps from my sons closet. He never really got interested in stamp collecting.  I figured recycling the postal treasures would make great sense
for this sewing project.


I began by selecting a story stamp, such as birds, love, flowers.  Then I took random portrait stamps and created a "stamp fabric" with them.  I  layered them onto the back sticky side of heavy duty, clear packing tape. Then I cut out a motif shape.


My first "stamp fabric" was attached to duct tape, but warning.... stitching through it gummed up my machine needle!  However, the clear packing tape was much cleaner to sew through.

The dimensional paint dabs (rivets) have a reason.  They hold down the intersection of stamps.  Some of the older stamps wanted to curl away from my tape.  Next time I will gently iron them flat before adhering.


It's rare that I ever make two identical postcards.  I like to experiment with changes in the background fabrics and edge finishes.  If you don't have old postal stamps, you could use a variety of stickers for this method.


Fabric postcards can be flat or embellished. They are often a collage of fabrics, trims, and other tidbits. The more dimensional you make your postcard, the more you'll pay for special postage rates to mail it.  I mailed some of these in clear cellophane envelopes.


Uncle Sam might be proud of my stamp recycling techniques. Or, as my sister stated, I could have just ruined a "really valuable" vintage stamp somewhere in these postcards.  Oops!


Thanks for stopping by.....

ShereeSews in M!ch!gan

                                                                           

                                                                                      A little glitter tulle and feathers add spark!