Postcards

Two postings in one day!  I thought I would share the postcards that I've made this week.  The first one is another birthday swap this time for Carole, who requested cats.  I've used Katharine Guerrier's mini quilt style to add a frame around a couple of cats.  This fat quarter of Makower fabric has been used time and again for fussy cutting the cats from it.  I also add some interest with doing wiggly cutting of the postcard before sewing with zigzag stitch.

The second one that I made was for an Embellisher Group swap and it was a postcard of something starting with the letter A.  I received this one while I was away from Denise with A for Apple and it came with this lovely machine embroidered card

So I had to think of what to make for Eileen, to whom I had to send.  And is a very common word often using the Ampersand (&) symbol, so after playing about with Word and the WordArt to make the symbol to get the size right I was able to use the print out to make a template to cut out some pre-felt.

Using some black felt and needling some roving on top I used the cut pre-felt and needled that in.  I then free machined around the edge of the character and did some &'s in and around the symbol.

Due to ongoing decoration I had all 3 machines on my dining table.  My main sewing machine (at the back) was set up for normal stitching, the smaller one (at the front) for free machining (the foot and the darning plate was still on that machine from the previous week's course) and the embellisher.  I think it may be the first time that all three were out together.

I could almost pretend that I had a sewing machine shop!  Here's the completed card below

Last, but not least, is the postcard that I received from Lesley with the Fabric Painting theme, and she painted this very luscious pear (there was some metallic paint with this which added to the texture)