Make a 30-Minute Christmas Fabric Postcard
Free Project Instructions for a Quick Holiday Greeting Card
Nov 19, 2008
Decorative holiday fabric does most of the work in this simple, fused fabric postcard. The card takes just a few minutes to make, and the recipient is sure to treasure it. You can adapt the postcard for any holiday by simply choosing a different seasonal fabric.
Supplies List for Christmas Fabric Postcard
- fast2fuse® double-sided fusible interfacing
- Decorative holiday fabric with a fairly large seasonal motif. The photo below shows fabric with candles and poinsettias as the motif.
- Thread in a color that matches the decorative fabric
- Unlined 4”x 6” or 5” x 7” index card or thin white cardboard
- Fine-tipped permanent ink pen
- Glitter glue or glittery fabric paint
- Rotary cutter
- Sewing supplies and sewing machine, or embroidery needle and thread
- (Optional) 8 ½” x 11” piece of white paper or thin cardboard to create a frame for fussy-cutting your fabric
- (Optional) Embellishments: buttons, beads, charms, ribbons, embroidery threads, rubber stamps, etc.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Fabric Postcard
- Cut fast2fuse to the size you’d like your postcard to be, either 4” x 6” or 5” x 7” for mailing in the United States. It’s fine to make your postcard larger, but it will require more postage.
- (Optional) Make a paper or cardboard frame to use for fussy-cutting the decorative fabric. Cut a 4” x 6” or 5” x 7” rectangular opening in a white piece of paper or thin cardboard (the same size as your postcard). If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making a frame, you can use your cut piece of fast2fuse to frame your cutting area.
- Use the frame as a viewing window to choose an interesting area to fussy-cut in the decorative fabric. (Fussy-cutting means carefully choosing a particular motif or section of the fabric to cut, rather than just starting to cut from one edge of the fabric.)
- Outline the area to cut with a marking pen or pencil, then use your rotary cutter to cut on the outline.
- Use your iron to fuse the cut fabric to the fast2fuse.
- Add glittery highlights to the design with glitter paint or glitter glue, then let dry. You may also want to use your sewing machine to do some free-motion embroidery highlighting important motifs.
- Sew around all four edges of the postcard with a tight zigzag stitch.
- Fuse the index card or cardboard to the back of the postcard. It takes a little longer to let the iron’s heat penetrate through the paper than it does through fabric, but paper actually fuses quite well.
- Stabilize the card by sewing around the outer edge one more time. This time you can use a loose zigzag stitch, since your goal is to firmly attach the paper to the rest of the postcard.
- Use the permanent pen to write your message on the paper side of the postcard. If you’re going to mail the card, draw a vertical line down the center of the card. Write your recipient’s address on the right half of the card and your message on the left. Leave enough room for stamps!
Extra Postage Needed
Your postcard will be heavier and possibly larger than a standard postcard. Check the weight before you put it in the mailbox.
Where to Learn More about Making Fabric Postcards
For a complete beginner’s guide to making fabric postcards, look for the book Fast, Fun & Easy® Fabric Postcards, by Franki Kohler (C&T Publishing), It covers many different techniques and includes projects with complete step-by-step instructions.
If you liked this article, try these other easy sewing projects:
How to make a fabric gift pouch in 30 minutes or less
How to make a simple throw pillow cover
How to sew easy quilted potholders
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