Thursday, June 4, 2009

Patchy Fabric Card Tutorial

Photobucket

So many of you sweetly commented on the fabric cards I made for the swap at SewingMamas and a few of you even asked for a little how-to. I had a LITTLE extra time this week so I thought I would put a tutorial together. Besides, I needed to add some boy cards to my stash so it wasn't too hard to take some pictures while I sewed them up. I'm sure there are tons of ways to do these, but this is the way I like the best after a bunch of trial and error. This project is such a great way to use scraps, even teeny tiny pieces.



1. Gather Supplies

Blank Notecards with Envelopes
Fabric scraps at least as long as your card, can be any width
Lightweight/midweight fusible interfacing
Glue stick"0"
Matching thread

2. Measure the front of your cardstock and cut a piece of interfacing the same size.




3. Cut your fabric scraps into 1"-2" strips at least as long as your card. I like to use 5 per card, but you can do whatever strikes your fancy.

4. At your ironing board lay the fabric strips on the fusible side of the interfacing in an order that pleases your eye, then fuse in place. Make sure at least some of every strip is fused so that when you take it to the machine they wont be moving around. Go ahead and give it a press from the back, too, just to ensure a good bond.





5. Trim the fabric to the size of the interfacing rectangle. Then take to your sewing machine and zigzag along each raw edge, making sure to keep your zigzag more on the "loose" side to be sure you are catching it in.




6. Now, take your glue stick and run a line around the edge on the back of your interfacing rectangle and glue it onto the cardstock. Then take your card back to your sewing machine and zigzag the fabric to the cardstock around the perimeter.




That's it! You've got a finished card. Wasn't that easy? It's even easier to sew up a bunch at once and use chain sewing techniques. These can make a great gift or just keep some to have on hand. Handmade is such a nice touch! Use your imagination and have fun.

As you can see, I "appliqued" one of the funky vehicles on the front of the tall card. If you want to do something like that, just glue your image down and zigzag around it after you've completed step 5.




Enjoy and let me know if you give these a whirl or if I have made no sense at all and you have a question, feel free to ask!

2 comments:

Minka said...

Thank you! I have been wondering how these are made.

nylon spandex fabric said...

nice post,thank you for share