I’m sharing how to make fabric postcards. Fabric postcards are fun projects for using up scraps, and they also make great gifts. In this spirit of the winter season, I’m also sharing a quick tip for turning your fabric postcard into an ornament.
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In 2016, I had the pleasure of taking a class on fabric postcards at a delightful store called The City Quilter. While the brick-and-mortar store closed just a few months later, The City Quilter still exists online and if you ever ever need some New York City themed fabric, check out their online store! Here are just a few of the wonderful postcards the teacher shared during the class.
I had a lot of fun in the class and it turned out that fabric postcards are a lot easier to make than I thought they would be. Fabric postcards are great low-sew projects. In this post, I’m sharing a “fussy cut” version, where I picked out a specific section from my fabric to make the central image of my card, and a “scrappy” version, which is perfect for using up bits and pieces of leftover fabric. I used a scrappy Christmas quilt block for my ornament version.
Here are just a few of the ways you can gift fabric postcards.
- Make fabric postcards to send to friends and family. Yes, they can be mailed through the postal system! These would make fun holiday cards, birthday cards, thank you notes, or souvenirs (if you bring them with you to send during a trip).
- Gift a set of fabric postcards. Maybe a loved one is going off to college, moving to a new city, or just loves to write. Make a set of fabric postcards and gift the set along with fabric markers and postage.
- Make customized fabric postcards ornaments to use as gift tag. Write a short note on the back and it’s like a gift, gift tag, and ornament all rolled into one. How fun!
This is the twenty-first pattern in the Little Gifts Sew Along. Are you just hearing about the Little Gifts Sew Along? Get all the details here.
- You can join in by sewing the projects as you have time.
- Share your progress and post pictures of your finished projects. Tag your projects and posts #sewlittlegifts and #stockingstuffersal on all social media.
- If you’d like to chat with other sewists, join the Underground Crafters Facebook group.
- By the end of the SAL, you’ll have up to 25 handmade gifts.
- Use the button below on social media. Right click (on desktop) or tap and hold (on mobile) to save.
How To Make Fabric Postcards (And Fabric Postcard Ornaments)
Sewing Project by Underground Crafter
Fabric postcards make great stocking stuffers, ornaments, or even gift sets. These low-sew projects are great ways to use up small pieces of fabric, scraps from other projects, or leftover quilt blocks. You can customize your fabric postcards with embroidery, fabric paint, or iron-on. This is the twenty-first of 25 free sewing projects by 12 bloggers in the Little Gifts Sew Along.
Finished Size
- 4” (10 cm) x 6” (15 cm)
Tools
- Sewing machine with zigzag or overcasting stitches and an appropriate presser foot, such as a Baby Lock Jubilant with the G Presser Foot. (Read my review of the Jubilant here.)
- Rotary cutter and cutting mat OR fabric scissors and marking pen.
- 4” x 8” quilting ruler.
- Iron and iron-safe surface.
- Goddess Sheet or teflon pressing sheet.
- Basic sewing supplies (seam ripper, thread snips, etc.).
Materials
- 100% cotton fabric for front of postcard. Use assorted scraps, fat eighths or quarter yard prints, quilt blocks, or remnants of other projects.
- Backing fabric. If you plan to send your postcard in the mail, use white or another light color for best results.
- Double-sided stiff fusible interfacing, such as Fast2Fuse or Fairfield Stiffen.
- Double-sided paper backed fusible web, such as Lite Steam-a-Seam 2.
- Thread in your choice of color for stitching and bobbin.
- To make a “fussy cut” fabric postcard, you will also need to cut a 4” (10 cm) x 6” (15 cm) window out of a piece of cardstock. Alternatively, you can use a fussy cut ruler.
Optional Materials
- Embroidery floss and embroidery needle to make ornament hanging, or for embellishment
- Permanent fabric markers for embellishment
- Iron-on or heat transfer vinyl and weeder for embellishment
Instructions
Prepare fabric, interfacing, and fusible
- Cut a 4.5” (11.5 cm) x 6.5” (16.5 cm) fabric piece for the front of each postcard.
- If using scraps, sew pieces together first and then trim to desired size. Alternatively, use a quilt block…
- …and then trim to desired size.
- If making a “fussy cut” front, make sure your image fits into the cardstock window or within the 4” (10 cm) x 6” (15 cm) guidelines of your fussy cut ruler.
- Cut a 5” (13 cm) x 7” (18 cm) fabric piece for back of each postcard.
- Cut 4” (10 cm) x 6” (15 cm) piece of double-sided stiff fusible interfacing for each postcard.
- Cut 4.5” (11.5 cm) x 6.5” (16.5 cm) piece of double-sided paper backed fusible to for each postcard.
Create front of postcard
- Heat the iron to the highest heat for the fabric you are using and prepare an iron-safe surface.
- Make a “sandwich” for the front of your postcard.
- Start with the the Goddess Sheet or teflon pressing sheet on the bottom, on top of the iron-safe surface.
- Place the stiff interfacing on top of the pressing sheet.
- Place the front of postcard fabric with right side up on top of the interfacing.
- With iron, press firmly down on the fabric for 30 seconds or as directed by the interfacing package.
- Allow the piece to cool and then gently peel away from the pressing sheet.
- Embellish and decorate the top of the postcard as desired. You may want to embroider; use your sewing machine to write, create symbols, or quilt; add iron-on, or sew on buttons or other embellishments. If using the sewing machine or embroidery floss, choose a light color floss or bobbin thread so that the thread won’t be visible through fabric once the backing is applied. Trim away any excess pieces of thread before continuing to the next step.
Attach back of postcard
- Heat the iron to the highest heat for the fabric you are using and prepare the iron-safe surface.
- Make a “sandwich” for the back of your postcard.
- Start with the the Goddess Sheet or teflon pressing sheet on the bottom, on top of the iron-safe surface.
- Place the paper backed fusible web with paper side down on top of the pressing sheet.
- Place the fabric for the back of the postcard with right side up on top of the fusible web.
- With iron, press firmly down on the fabric for 30 seconds or as directed by the fusible package.
- Allow the piece to cool and then gently peel away from the pressing sheet. Remove any bits of fusible that are still attached to the pressing sheet.
- Peel off the paper backing of the fusible.
- Make another “sandwich” for the front of your postcard.
- Start with the the Goddess Sheet or teflon pressing sheet on the bottom, on top of the iron-safe surface.
- Place the front of the postcard facing down onto the pressing sheet.
- Place the back of the postcard facing right side up with the exposed fusible adhesive facing the front piece.
- Position the pieces to make sure you have your front and back aligned appropriately.
- With iron, press firmly down on the fabric for 30 seconds or as directed by the fusible package.
- Allow the piece to cool and then gently peel away from the pressing sheet. Remove any bits of fusible that are still attached to the pressing sheet.
- Trim the postcard down to 4” (10 cm) x 6” (15 cm).
Add ornament hanging (optional)
- Thread your embroidery needle with embroidery floss in a similar or lighter color to the thread you will use to seam the edges of your postcard.
- Tie a knot at the end of the floss and then insert needle from the back of the postcard to the front from the top corner. Insert the needle from the front to the back on the opposite corner.
- Adjust length of hanging and then fasten off floss, tying a small knot in the back.
Finish postcard with an overcast stitch edge
- Attach the overcasting or zigzag presser foot to your machine.
- Adjust the stitch settings. Choose an overcasting or zigzag stitch. Make a short length of stitch (such as 0.5) and a long width of stitch (such as 3.5).
- With the postcard facing right side up, align the outer edge of the postcard so that it just touches the outer right position of the needle. Slowly work your zigzag or overcasting stitch along the edges of the postcard.
- If you’ve added the ornament hanging, be sure to move more slowly over the knots to cover them with the overcast stitch and to avoid tangling up the hanging in your machine.
- Trim off excess pieces of thread.
Prepare postcard for mailing
- If you plan to send the postcard in the mail, use permanent fabric markers or iron-on or heat transfer vinyl to write “postcard” at the top of the back piece.
- With the fabric marker or iron-on or heat transfer vinyl, add a vertical line down the center of the card. The recipient’s address will be written to the right of the line while your message will be written on the left of the line.
- Place a stamp in the upper right corner of the postcard before mailing. Since your postcard may be too thick to be processed by a machine, additional charges may apply. For best results, use a first class mail (letter) stamp rather than a postcard stamp.
Prepare postcard as a gift tag
- If you plan to use the postcard as a gift tag, you can use permanent fabric markers or iron-on or heat transfer vinyl to write a note on the back.
