Sometimes You Just Have to Play

My time to create is limited and have to take opportunities to sew, knit, whatever.  One of the Facebook groups I belong to is a postcard sub-group of UK Quilters United, although I didn't take part in the Autumn swap that they had.  So when there was a random "flash" swap over a few days I quickly made a postcard of autumnal leaves on Sunday evening just before the deadline.  Simple fused leaves with outline stitching and some veins which took just over the hour.

 And below is the back, the iron mark from fusing the fabric onto the back of the postcard is showing but it's not really that bad.  I used a strip of selvedge fabric to divide the message area from the address.  It was sent out today and should get to Nicola, my swap partner, before the end of this week.

I haven't made postcards for a long time as the Yahoo group I used to belong to had swaps in groups of up to 6 and postage became expensive and at the time it was to move onto something else. I enjoyed making the leaves postcard so I think it I will explore the postcard making again.

On Monday lunchtime I bought a Quilting Arts magazine as the local WH Smith occasionally stocks it.  One article in there was Fused Geometry by Tracy Williams (sorry, no link here), but basically a fused piece of fabric is cut into a shape and a smaller one cut from it by folding the shape and cutting around so there is a framed and solid of that shape.  I didn't do that, I cut out one outline shape and then cut another.

Then I cut  along the folded edges instead of the outside of the folded shape and got a cross! There you are, not exactly wrong but different.  I did get 4 solid small squares from that though. Ironed then attaching fusible fleece I quilted around the shapes and some echo quilting around the outside edges.  I enjoyed that!

Here's the back

As well as another selvedge I found a stamp from a little kit that I bought at Flying Tiger shop last year, it seemed appropriate.

Here's another in progress which will be quilted later this week

Sort of circles and because I was cutting the original circle from a square of fabric I had enough scrap to cut some small circle shapes by drawing around cotton reels.

It was an enjoyable bit of playtime.

Taking part in a swap however, means that I get a card in return and this came from Nicola who will be receiving my card.  Hers was from an earlier swap called Under the Sea and although you can't appreciate it in the photo the scaly bit of the fish is from shiny fabric.  Lovely.  It is good to take part in a swap.