Winter Theme Postcard Swap

January 2019
Sheree McKee

SewFabSew.blogspot.com

This swap with three other gals, was for an "Anything Winter" theme.  

I like landscapes, so here's some quick and basic instructions.

It's also easy to create two fabric postcards at a time.  

Begin with a 5" x 13" strip of SKY FABRIC and FUSIBLE STABILIZER - fuse together

Overlay a SNOW FABRIC with some hills and valleys - then fuse to SKY

This is a close up of the 5"x13' panel.

Machine stitch both the sky and the snow.  I used metallic thread on the snow.

If you use a white bobbin, the stitching is less likely to show through the final backing.

Layer some motifs like felt snowbanks, and some tree shapes or even animals (with fusible web on the backs ahead of time)

Outline stitch the snowbanks then decorative stitch the trees

It's time to trim with a rotary cutter, and create two 6" x 4 1/8" (regulation size) postcard shapes.

These metal stars are paper brads.  

Poke a large needle hole then push the brad prongs through and spread the prongs.  

But keep them away from postcard edge so your sewing machine foot will clear the metal stars when overcasting or binding your perimeter edges.

Finally, you will fuse a backing fabric on reverse side. 

This layer covers over your motif outline stitching and brads.

Keep it light in color, because you will address and write on this backing.

Complete outer edges as desired.

I had some felt Bucks and Bears in my stash of embellishments.  
They were glued on with Aleene's Tacky Glue as a final step.

Spring Landscapes 2018 Critique

Sheree McKee
April 2018
SewFabSew.blogspot.com

Spring Landscapes 2018 Critique

I'm not ashamed to critique my own work.  I learn from it.  One of the reasons, I rarely create identical fabric postcards is because I learn something from each progression of construction.

To begin, my Spring Landscape swap was inspired by a screenshot on my iMac computer -as seen above.  I fell in love with the clear and sharply focused reflections in the water.  

The colors were soft hues of pink and plum.  

Attempt #1
Purple / Aqua
My tree line fabric did not have enough contrast on the right side. It blended into the purple mountains behind.  I used a triple stitch of variegated thread for defining the water waves.  I regret using a too wide satin stitch to define the ground. This sky is an iridescent watercolor fabric with a touch of sparkle.  My favorite part is the corded edging.

Attempt #2
Purple / Lime Green
I reversed the layout by moving large mountains to opposite side.  I used a lime green tree line for more contrast.  I switched to a decorative stitch that look like spiked bushes at the groundline. I felt the water needed to be milky so I added a single layer of sparkle organza.  Then I used a wave stitch and changed the length for each row of stitching so all the waves were not evenly spaced.  The sparkle organza looks better in reality, than in this photo. The sky fabric has metallic silver circles which represent swirls of wind.

Attempt #3
Orange / Green
I found some orange fish fabric and thought it would make a great lake.  Of course, a reflection of the sunny sky.   This time, I layered some peach colored bridal tulle over the water, to mute the water.  I don't like my choice of straight stitching along the green mountain tops and really should have used a different stitch. I used a dark green corded edge, but it really isn't even noticed.

Attempt #4
Orange / Green
My blanket stitch on hills better represents blades of grass.  But I messed up, by using two layers of aqua organza on the water.  The two layers are too opaque to see the fish in water, they are lost.  If you notice the corded edge...  I tied random knots in the cording to add a unique texture along the outer edges, but this is very hard to stitch.  It is hard to get the presser foot over the lumps evenly.

Miriam from Ireland
Created a landscape of the historic Poulnabrone Dolmen, a Celtic tomb
in Ireland.  She cleverly used a frayed fabric to create grass, and
a layer of tulle for texture on the ground.

Sue B from California
Created a seascape landscape.  The seagrass and flowers are free-motion stitched. The watercolor sky and background remind me of Diamond Head volcano in Hawaii

Fabric Landscapes in Winter Whites (Postcards)

Fabric Landscapes in Winter Whites (Postcards)

February 2017

Sheree McKee

sewfabsew.blogspot.com

Almost evening takes on shades of purple

The shades of winter here in the Great Lakes area, can be just as pretty as any other season.  While many people think of winter as dreary, there are other opinions of this icy time of year.

Winter can be fresh and pure, or dark and gray.  But witness a sunny winter day, and the sparkle is unbelievable!

These fabric postcards (FPC) are a swap between myself, and two members of PostCardMailArt Yahoo Group, Meena Schaldenbrand of Michigan and MaryLou Curry in Ontario, Canada.

Meena created a lovely layered scene.  The third layer is a satin jacquard, the second layer is a punched pine tree scene, the top layer is fine tulle.  All together the postcard is delicate and beautiful, as well as unique.

by Meena Schaldenbrand

MaryLou loves handwork and crewel embroidery.  She used a napped wool-like background to create her landscape in horizontal layout.  She crewel embroidered the hills and pine trees.  Then using a specialty metallic thread she added in twinkling snowflakes.

by MaryLou Curry

I decided to use a vertical layout for my landscapes below.  All of my work is by sewing machine.  I used decorative machine stitching to outline the birds and hills.  The tiny stars are glued in place (still fresh in this photo).  I also used feathers in different shades to represent pine trees.  Each feather was cut to shape.  My last layer of snow is a piece of cotton quilt batting.  Several of the fabrics have sparkle or metallic threads, but the photos do not show it well.

by Sheree McKee for MaryLou

by Sheree McKee version 2

Ideas for getting started with your fabric choices ~

Colors:  Whites and Creams, Grays and muted Blues,  shades of grayed Violets

Textures: Lofty batting, or napped fleece / wools for snow.  Sparkly organza or metallics for ice.

Prints:  Swirls can represent clouds or wind, Speckles and Dots resemble snowfall,  Striations for barren fields or tree bark

#1  Select 3-4 landscape fabrics, fuse webbing
to backsides then cut approx. 2"x7" each.
Prepare a Stabilizer sized 5"x7"

#2  Trim the non-sky fabrics on one side into hills
I added the white dot on right and eventually
eliminated the darkest purple

#3  Layout your fabrics in a test run on top
of your stabilizer.  I originally had five colors.

#4  I decided to eliminate the darkest purple,
rearranged, then used only four landscape fabric choices

#5  Cut away about half of your strips  

#6  All layers fused and stitched with different thread
colors.  I created the branches at bottom with
bobbin work, using heavy pearl cotton in my bobbin.

#7  The final postcard is trimmed to 6"wide by 4"tall.
This is the reverse side, before fusing a final
cotton backing fabric - a solid violet color.

#8  To complete, I stitched along outer edges but used
a feather stitch in bottom 2/3 and a straight stitch
along the skyline area.

Web articles on fabric landscapes:
Nancy Zieman: How to Design Winter Landscapes

Kathy McNeil: Choosing Fabrics - Landscapes (Video)


You might also like my previous blog article: 

Radius Shaped Edges on Fabric Postcards