Friday Finishes giveaway!

This week I worked on a wall hanging, using a design by Jennie of Elefantz. She offered this design on her blog and you can still find the free design, along with other inspirational sayings. They are wonderful designs to make for a friend who could use some comforting words.

I wanted to get an outdoor photo but it was too windy today. The fabric I used is a dark red/purple, so it all depends on your computer screen. I did the fabric appliques with raw edge fusible.

Another thing I did was a small fraktur piece. I found a pack of watercolor postcards and wanted to try one with a simple design. I used watercolor pencils and then I used a bit of gloss medium on the colors so I could antique the background and it kept the colors from running but with flash it cast off too much glare. I was thinking this would be fun to do and send to friends, but not sure how well the card would hold up, especially if it got wet or torn. I usually use regular watercolors so I can get better colors and shading, but this was a practice run to see if I could keep my hands steady for the ink outlines and painting, not too bad for a rush piece.

For the next one, I will antique the paper first, then use a spray finish to protect the whole card. Would you like to be a card tester? Leave a comment that you would like to receive this card and I will pick a winner and announce it on Monday night. I will mail the card to the winner and we shall see if it holds up or gets ruined in the post. Sorry, but this giveaway is for US post, only.

Valentine Postcard!

I decided to try another postcard, using a different method. Since I printed out two smaller backings, I decided to try a practice run to see how it would work, so I kept it simple this time.

I started by finding old postcard backings to print out. They print out larger, so I reduced them until I got the right size. This one was made with a smaller version. You can find the free postcard backings at Fuzzimo. I used card stock and printed out two at a time.

To make the applique piece, I used a fun art print that I won from Sauder's Fabrics. I used Pellon heavy fusible and ironed the piece to that, then added the appliques using a medium weight fusible. Once I had those on, I sewed down the appliqués. Once the appliques were done, I added a piece of batting and a scrap piece of fabric to the back of the batting, so I could do free motion on a smoother surface. When all of the quilting was done, I added another piece of fusible and attached the card back and sewed it around the edges. I think it would have been easier to use fusible web, to save on cutting and attaching so many fusibles, but the nice part is, it gives it a nice quilted card look and stays thin and stiff, so perfect for sending in a card or envelope.

I think the card stock was what actually gave it, it's stiffness, so you could use peltex type products, as well. I also tried a tighter, small blanket stitch and it really chewed into the card stock, so sewing the edges with that, is something I need to work on. I also forgot to stitch an eye on the bird, so I glued a silly eye on, lol.

This is a great way to make cards if you want a quilted look and I am thinking that I could sew the top together first and then just attach the back, on last, without stitching, will have to see how that works out.

The design is just a simple heart and bird, hand drawn, so no pattern needed. I used variegated red to black for the outer stitch. I also wanted to write the word love, in free motion, but forgot that too.

Here is the back of the card. You can see where some of the card stock tore at the edges. I started out in the wrong spot, then figured out where to place the edge with the foot, then my bobbin ran out, so that didn't help. I love the look of the card though, nice antique look and you can use printer fabric to make them, as well.

This week we got snow, then sleet and rain, so the snow is icy and hard. I went out skiing in my back yard, but I really had to watch myself and the areas that were sunken in, but I just went slow and did ten laps this time. The kitty that my neighbor left when she moved is still hanging around, he comes every morning for food and water and I think he is also being taking care of by the new neighbors at night. He must be doing ok, he was following me around the yard and being silly.

Easter Pillow!

No postcards today. I was looking for things and found an old print out, that I had done years ago and forgot about. Today I cut it down to the photo and made a pillow with it.

I used June Tailor's Print 'n Press to print the design, which is an antique post card design. All I had to do was print it out and it was still good after all these years. I would recommend letting it dry for a few days before using it, to set the colors. I ironed it onto fabric, then cut 1/8 around the edge of the design. I placed the design onto the background fabric, then lay the crochet trim around the edge and sewed it down by machine. The crochet trim is a moda product that I won years ago, finally using my stash.

The buttons were an after thought, a way to cover up the sloppy corners of the trim. After I sewed the buttons on, I sewed it into a pillow and decided some smaller buttons would look good on the outer edges of the pillow. The one thing I think I would do differently, is to use fusible on the back of the design to hold it down better. The iron on is a bit like soft rubber, so I would not sew onto that. I made an egg  years ago and it does hold up well, but also fades and cracks a bit with age.

I hope you enjoy my new pillow. It was fun to make and looks great on my shelf. The finished pillow is 12" x 8". I had to take a photo without flash to avoid glare, then lighten the photo up, so it might seem a bit brighter than it actually is.