DIY Fabric Valentine Postcards

Categories: Gifts, Decor, Holiday, Winter

These fabric Valentine postcards are a great way to send mail art to your loved ones. Instead of the traditional cutesy Valentine’s, I infused my personal style, making them a little edgier. You can make fabric postcards using any thin woven cotton fabrics, so feel free to infuse your style instead. This project has minimal sewing and is a great way of using scraps. There is a lot of fusing thanks to Fairfield World’s great two sided interfacings, Stick and Stiffen. If you’re comfortable with a pair of scissors and a hot iron, then you can handle this project. I plan on mailing these, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Project Notes: Though I made these for Valentine’s Day, you could make them for any reason. It’s a great way to send someone a card that can be displayed as art. Mail art is a big movement, encouraging creativity and the art of pen pals. It’s a great way to make friends all across the globe, sharing a love for handmade art. If you’re interested in making and receiving mail art, consider signing up for the Mail Art 365 project.

What you need to make this project

Materials: Stick Double Sided Fusible Interfacing; Stiffen 2 Sided Fusible Interfacing

Supplies: Coordinating cotton fabric in prints and solids; White cotton fabric; A clear quilting ruler; Chalk or a pencil; Straight pins; An iron; An Ironing Board; Parchment Paper; Scissors; A Sewing Machines; Coordinating thread; Tulip fine fabric markers; Ribbon (optional); Painted wood clothespins (optional)

Quick Shop

Instructions

Step One

Decide which fabrics will be the design backgrounds. On the backside, using the ruler and a pencil or chalk, draw horizontal rectangles that are 6″ wide by 4″ tall. Repeat for the white fabric and 2 sided Stiffen interfacing, making sure you have the same amount of rectangles for each (background, interfacing, and white backing). Cut out the rectangles with scissors.

Step Two

Using the fabrics, create various design arrangements on the background rectangles. I used hearts, rectangles and strips mostly. Layering the fabrics creates an interesting postcard. I isolated designs from the prints and arranged them in bold layouts. Don’t worry about the raw edges. Use straight pins to hold your layout in place for now.

Step Three

Working on postcard at a time, cut pieces of Stick interfacing that are slightly bigger than each design piece.

Step Four

We’ll be working on the ironing board for a while. Fold a large piece of parchment paper in half. Set the iron to cotton with the steam off.

Step Five

In between the parchment paper, lay the design piece right side up, on top of it’s matching Stick piece. Fold the parchment paper over it, making sure none of the fabric and Stick is exposed. Firmly iron the fabric and Stick for a few seconds until it bonds. Let the pieces cool. Open the parchment paper and carefully remove the fused pieces.

Repeat this step for all the pieces of the 1 postcard design, except the background.

TIP: If there is any melted Stick on the parchment paper, rub it off completely, with your fingernails. If there are any stray fragments, they can adhere to the fabric when ironed and mess up your design.

Step Six

Using the scissors, carefully trim any excess Stick from the fabric pieces. This takes a while.

Step Seven

Arrange your pieces on your backing, into your design. Sandwich the fabric postcard in between the folded parchment paper. Firmly iron the pieces into place for a few seconds, making sure the design is fused into place. Let it cool off and carefully remove from the parchment paper. This should be easy to do. Set it aside.

REPEAT STEPS 5-7 for the remaining postcards. Take your time, for the best results.

Step Eight

Time for another sandwich. Create this layering…white rectangle, Stiffen rectangle, and topper rectangle, for each postcard. Try to line up the edges the best you can.

Step Nine

Back to ironing. Slip this sandwich in between the folded parchment paper. Firmly iron the fabrics and interfacing together. It will take longer than the Stick interfacing, so be patient. Keep moving your iron around. Flip the postcard over and iron the other side, so everything is fused nicely. Repeat for the other postcards.

Step Ten

Carefully trim any excess fabric, so the sides are even to the Stiffen interfacing.

Step Eleven

I used red thread to bind the edges. I started at a bottom corner, backstitching in the middle needle position.

Step Twelve

I have a computerized sewing machine. I set mine to regular zig zag stitch, .02 stitch length, and 3.0 stitch width, to create a satin stitch like width. I stitched along all 4 sides, backstitching straight again at the end. I trimmed the thread tails. Repeat for the other postcards.

Step Thirteen

I felt my postcard tops were too stark where the words were. I used a hot pink and red Tulip fine fabric marker to add some coloring to the lettering fabric.

Step Fourteen

Time to make these mailable. On the white back, using a black fabric marker and the ruler, make a vertical line in the center. This is the dividing line in between the message and address. You can make this fancier if desired.

Step Fifteen

On the right bottom half, write the address of the recipient. On the left side, write your Valentine message. Make sure to sign your name, unless you want to be a secret admirer! The writing on the photo is just an example to show placement.

Step Sixteen

Take your fabric postcards to a post office. I’m not sure how much the postage will be on these, since they are heavier than a regular post card. The dimensions should be 100% correct…because I checked the internet before making these. You can use a little glue to help adhere the postage if it doesn’t want to stick to the fabric.

Step Seventeen

OPTIONAL: Now, if you think these are better decoration than mail, you can clip them to a piece of ribbon using painted wood clothespins. This can be strung on a mantle, across a wall, or wherever you need a little love art. Add any Valentines that you receive.