Fiber art postcards feel more personal

Tired of getting junk mail? Take a tip from Laurie Walton of Glenburn and try sending – and receiving – fabric postcards. Yup, postcards made of fabric to send through the mail. She has made and sent more than 60 fabric postcards and has received as many from quilters and fiber artists from all over the United States. Fabric postcards also have come to her from Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.

Walton had a “eureka” moment when she opened the Summer 2004 issue of Quilting Arts magazine and found an article about fabric postcards. According to the article, in 2003 a Quiltart.com list member put out a challenge to create fiber postcards that could be sent through the mail. Several months later, droves of fiber artists had signed up for the challenge.

“It was the first time I had heard of it,” said Walton, a quilter for 30 years. “I was amazed and I wanted to find out more.” She jumped right into the fiber art stream and joined an online fabric postcard swap group.

“Swaps are a big commitment,” she said. “But it’s fun to come up with new ideas.” One of her ideas was to make a cutout in the postcard, which she filled with needle lace. “Like a dream catcher,” she said. “I thought I’d break the rules and put a hole in it.”

Fabric postcards, she said, are just exactly that: Rectangles of postcard-size fabric, 33/4 inches by 53/4 inches, and put together like a miniature quilt with the three traditional layers.

“It’s the perfect way to try new techniques,” Walton said. On her fabric postcards, she has tried glitter painting, beading, free motion machine stitching, decorative machine stitching and hand embroidery. She has used appliqu? and patchwork techniques and has embellished the surface with netting overlays, nubby yarns and eyelash yarns.

“You’re limited only by your imagination,” she said.

Walton, a member of Clueless Quilters, based in Stetson, writes the Pine Tree Quilters Guild newsletter, Patchwork Press. In a coming issue she tells how to make fabric postcards, and gave permission to share instructions with By Hand readers:

. Step 1. Develop an idea for a top. Some design a tiny patchwork quilt. Others appliqu? shapes held in place with fusible bond onto background fabric, or a piece of fabric is decorated like a small painting or collage.

. Step 2. Apply a thin layer of quilt batting or interfacing material available at fabric stores.

. Step 3. Quilt and embellish as desired. Flat buttons, seed beads and couched threads and yarns are best.

. Step 4. The address side of the fabric postcard should look like the back of a real postcard. Use muslin or light colored fabric. A computer printer can be used for this step, but Walton makes hers by hand with the aid of a rubber stamp. She suggests using a fabric pen for writing the address and a message.

. Step 5. Using a sewing machine, satin stitch or zigzag stitch the three layers together around the edges. After stitching the layers together, Walton sometimes uses a couching stitch to embellish further the postcard edge with nubby yarn. At that point, the postcard is ready for the mailbox.

Be sure, Walton said, to press a self-sticking stamp firmly in place. If the fabric postcard is light enough it will cost 23 cents to mail. Otherwise, it will cost 37 cents.

Walton said the fabric postcards are so much fun to do, she plans to continue making them. She also is willing to give advice on making them, or to trade with those who make them. She can be reached at 945-9486.

Walton’s favorite fabric postcard Web sites are www.art2mail.com and www.postmarkdart.com.

Ardeana Hamlin may be reached at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.