Christine's Color Connection
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A newsletter for quilters who love color
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How-to Make Fabric Art Cards
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Winter greetings! I've been busy these past few months, speaking and teaching for quilt guilds. I've also written an article on color theory, with lots of visuals, for a modern-quilt publication. (More about that when it comes out.) In between, I've been having fun!
I'm continuing in that work/fun vein, this time creating fabric cards for a craft fair (Thanksgiving weekend) and Victorian Christmas (this month), both in Nevada City, CA. The cards are wonderfully rewarding and SO easy to make. Here's how:
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For most of my cards I use
Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics, but any quilting cottons you love will work beautifully. The key ingredient is Terial Magic Fabric Stabilizer, a nontoxic spray that makes fabric as stable as paper, but rinses out easily. I use 5 x 7-inch cardstock, a popular invitation/greeting card size. (See "Resources" at the end for details.)
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I rough-cut my fabric pieces 6 x 8 inches, then moisten them with Terial Magic (there is a photo of this step later). When almost dry, I iron the pieces. They should feel more like paper than fabric. Practice with scraps to determine for how much Terial Magic to use.
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It's time to trim! To create a 1/2-inch white border around the fabric, I trim the rectangle to 4 by 5 7/8 inches. Why not trim to 4 by 6 inches? The cardstock I use is just
under 7 inches, so I trim the fabric a little less than 6 inches. (Tip: a 17-inch
rotating rotary mat is helpful because you don't need to move the fabric as you trim.)
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Perhaps it makes more sense if I show you the trimmed piece on my white pressing surface, below. As you can see, four dots on this Tiddlywinks fabric are about 4 inches wide. I did need to "whack" into a row of dots at the lower edge to get the correct length.
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I apply a good coating of glue to the front of the card using an Avery glue stick, making sure I've oriented the card so it opens on the right edge. Eyeball the placement of the fabric and press firmly, making sure the corners are secure. That's it!
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Let me show you a few steps I should have photographed for the "Tiddlywinks" card. Here are four more Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. (Note the selvage on one edge of the fabric in the upper left; it will be trimmed.)
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I spray and layer the rough-cut pieces in a glass bowl.
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Then I put the layered pieces in a plastic bag and "squish" to distribute the liquid through the layers. Let the bag sit for an hour or so..
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I slip the cards (with white envelopes, not shown here) into flat, crystal-clear bags with a "lip-and-tape" closure (see Resources). To seal the bag, peel off the red strip at the top and fold over the flap. They reopen easily.
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Ta da! I love the way these cards look together, so bright and colorful. If you make cards for friends who quilt, sew, or craft, remind them that the fabric can easily be lifted from the card, rinsed, pressed, and reused in a small project. Mini hexies or yo-yos anyone?
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More cards to give as gifts.
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Resources
Here's what you'll need to make your own fabric art cards:
You'll find Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics at
www.gloriouscolor.com. Many, many quilt shops and online retailers carry these fabrics.
Terial Magic is available in some quilt/fabric shops and online from sellers such as Amazon. The Terial Magic website has an excellent how-to-use tutorial.
eBay contains a good selection of A7 greeting/invitation cards with envelopes. They usually come in batches of 50 cards/envelopes and cost $25-$30. Most sellers offer free shipping.
I slip my cards into A7, poly-clear flat bags with lip-and-tape closure from
GTBAG.com. Choose the bags that measure 5 7/16" x 7 1/4". (They're slightly larger to make it possible to insert the cards and envelopes.) One hundred bags are $8.00, plus tax and postage. Call them if you're unsure; they're very helpful.
Finally, I would LOVE to see the cards you make. You can email me through my website or the email address below. To see my latest work, follow me on Facebook or Instagram.
As always, thanks so much for looking and reading this post; feel free to share it with your fabric-loving friends. May your days be "merry and bright" this Christmas season!
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Contact Info
Christine Barnes
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