How I Paper Piece

The other day I worked on some fabric postcards.  This particular swap was themed "Black and Orange". 

I had the idea in my head of what I wanted to do for these cards, but I couldn't find the right sized paper pieced tree pattern, so I made my own.  As I started the paper piecing process I kept having trouble lining up my next piece.  I'd use the light box to help line it up, but then things would shift as I took it to the machine. and I wasn't quite sure where the line was anymore. I would either have the top too far off or the bottom in the wrong spot, so I decided to try it a little different.

Instead of trimming the pieces to a 1/4 in seam allowance AFTER I sewed the pieces together, I decided to trim it BEFORE the actual sewing.  Here is what I mean:

This is what I have so far.  It is ready for the next piece of fabric.

I flip my paper over.  The piece I am adding next is piece #7.

I find the line I am going to sew on next and fold the paper right on that line.

Fold it all the way and crease it.  You can now see all the extra fabric from my last few pieces.

Line up your ruler and trim that fabric off.

Since I was making a postcard that won't get washed, I used a 1/8th seam allowance.

Flip your block back over.

You now have a nice straight edge to line up your next piece with.

Line it up and take it to the machine.

Sew on the proper line.

Press that piece open 

The iron not only presses the fabric, but it also presses out the crease you just made in the paper.

Continue the process for the rest of your pattern.

Feel Free to use my Paper Piecing Tree pattern to make your own 4 x 6 postcard.  

These trees would also look great as Christmas trees, or winter evergreens. or even pastel spring trees.  

The possibilities are endless.

Four pretty orange trees making their way across the US.

=^..^=

Attic Window Block Tutorial

I write the newsletter for my guild and the chairperson over the BOM asked me to put instructions in the newsletter on how to do set in seams.  So I decided to use my own photos and do a mini tutorial for the newsletter.  Then I thought it would be good for everyone to have access to larger photos if they need them, so I am putting it here on my blog as well.

The theme for the guild's January 2012 Block of the Month is Attic Windows.  There are only a few requirements we must follow this month.  We have to have a winter scene in the center, a light blue fabric on the left, and a dark blue fabric on the bottom.   Below is my version for the January BOM.

Hello fellow Swamp Fox Quilters and anyone else who is reading along today.  :)

First pick out your favorite winter scene and two blue fabrics.  One light and one dark.

Fussy Cut a 7.5 inch sqaure from your Winter Scene fabric

Cut one 2.5 in x 10 inch dark blue strip

Cute one 2.5 in x 10 inch light blue strip

To help remember which strip goes where, layout the strips next to the 7.5 inch square with the light blue on the left and the dark blue on the bottom

Place the light blue strip and the winter scenes right sides together.

Place a mark on the blue strip 1/4 in above the bottom of the winter scene.

Sew to that line.

Fold the light blue strip out of the way.

Line up the dark blue strip on the bottom of your winter scene.

Place a mark on the dark blue strip 1/4 inch in from the left edge of the winter scene.

Sew to that line.

After you have sewn both sides, fold the block in half diagonally making sure the blue fabrics line up with each other. Using a long enough ruler, line up the diagonal edge and extend it over the blue strips.

Mark a line on the blue fabric.  I flipped the block over so I could mark on the light blue fabric since it was easier to see.

Sew on that line.

Trim off the excess.

To avoid bulky seams, press the seams in opposite directions from each other and flare out the center where all three fabrics come together.  Press.

You should end up with a 9.5 inch attic window block.

And if you don't win the all the blocks from the BOM you can make 11 more and have enough to make a small quilt of your own.  :)

=^..^=

Fabric Postcard Tutorial

As requested, here is my version of a fabric postcard tutorial.  This is my very first tutorial so if you have any suggestions for improvement, or see any errors, please let me know.






Fabric postcards are made of three layers: the top (which is the art work), the middle, and the back.  They are very similar to quilts in this manner, just stiffer and smaller. This tutorial shows how to make a fall themed postcard, but these same concepts can be used to create any themed postcard.

*Out of peltex, or similar stiff stabilizer, cut a 4 x 6 inch rectangle.  

         This is your blank canvas.

*Out of your base fabric, cut a 4 x 6 inch rectangle.

*Using a green leafy fabric, cut a 2 x 6 inch rectangle.

*Using a light brown fabric, cut a 1.5 x 5 inch rectangle.

*Using Scraps, cut out three leaf designs.  

          For this postcard I used my Sizzix die cutter to cut out my leaves.  

*Out of muslin, cut a 4 x 6 inch rectangle.  This piece is for the back of the card.

Cut enough Wonder Under, or other similar fusing material, to fuse on the back of all your fabric pieces.
Iron them onto the back of your fabric.  I like to cut my wonder under the exact size as my pieces and then iron them on.  It helps keep the iron and the ironing board cleaner.

If you are going to use a die cutting machine to cut your leaves, it is best to iron the wonder under on the back before you cut out the shape.  It will save time by elimnating the trimming of the wonder under, and will help prevent getting sticky stuff on your iron.

Peel off the paper from the wonder under on the base fabric and the green leafy fabric.

Iron the base fabric onto the peltex.

Center the green strip of fabric on the base fabric and  iron on.

Using thread to match, add some decorative stitching to cover the raw edges of the green fabric strip.

I used a close zig zag stitch.
The width was set at 3.6
The length was set at .6

Peel off the paper from the wonder under on the light brown rectangle fabric and center it on top of the green leafy strip of fabric.  Iron it down.

Change your thread color and add some decorative stitching to cover the raw edges of this strip, just as you did for the first green strip.

I used the same zig zag stitch as above.

Place your three leaves how ever you like on the center of the light brown strip.  Once you have them where you like them,  iron them in place.

Since these leaves are too small for me to zig zag stitch around or use a blanket stitch, I decided to do some freehand stitching on top of them to make sure they stay on the card.  Wonder Under usually keeps things in place, but I like that extra security, plus the stitching looks good.  Put your feed dogs down, and "draw" some veins on your leaves with your sewing machine needle and thread.  I used two different threads for this. For the orange leaf I used a light brown thread and the other leaves I used an orange thread.

For extra flair, I did some free hand quilting on the outer edge of the base fabric.  This space is a good place to practice free hand quilting designs.

I didn't add any extra embellishments for this card, but If you wanted to add items such as beads or buttons to the card, this would be the time to do it.

We are almost finished. The hardest part, decorating the front, is complete.  But now we need to cover the back of the postcard to hide all our stitches.  Peel the paper off the wonder under and iron the muslin to the back of the postcard.

Trim off all the loose threads, fabric sticking out, or other fly aways.

 You can use your rotary cutter and ruler for this or a pair of sharp scissors.  I prefer to use scissors.  In the past when using a rotary cutter I have cut the peltex slightly and then my card gets all wonky instead of being a true rectangle.  It is these little things that make a fabric postcard look wonderful even if you only spent 30 min on it.

This step may seem super easy, but it is very important for a smooth edged card.

Choose a thread to accent the postcard

and set your zig zag stitch to:
Width = 3.6
Length = .4

Zig Zag stitch around all the edges of the card.  When doing this, you want your needle to only enter the fabric on the zig, but not the zag.  Take a look at the photo. When the needle comes down on the right, it is not catching any part of the card. It is resting right beside it.  If you master this technique, your card will have a nice clean edge.

For the corners, gradually turn the card as you enter the turn.  This helps give you nice smooth corners.

Add another round of zig zag stitching, with a stitch width of .2 to get a very dense filled in edging.

This photo shows my finished second round.

I don't like to clip my threads on a zig zag stitch.  If I do they keep wanting to pull out from both sides and I don't like getting the fabric glue out to keep them in place. So to prevent this, without breaking the thread, I change to a straight stitch and stitch just on the inside of the zig zag stitch all the way around the card.  At the end I tack the stitches and then clip the threads.  This extra stitching also adds a nice touch to the finished card.

Using a pen that can write clearly and legibly on the muslin, I usually use an Ultra Fine Tip permanent marker, write the words "Post Card" on the back.


 Address the card and put a stamp on it.

Flip the card over and admire it.


Don't forget to take a photo of it and then drop it in the mail.