Making Fabric ATCs and Postcards, arlee style
Tue, February 5, 2008 at 12:06PM If you have never made one of these before, or even if you have, here's the method i use. It saves fiddling with tiny bits that slide around on the machine and makes for easier edge finishes. You can print or email this entry to a friend too--just click on the right button at the bottom of the entry :} And credit where credit due, please, is all i ask.
1. I save bits that are very small, adding them to what i call 'the Component Box". They are generally samples in a technique, off cuts from projects, extras i have made or special scraps; all are fabric or paper. I chose these for this tute: a piece of prequilted fabric paper, a soluble threadwork motif and a piece of hand painted fabric:
2. I attached the painted fabric to the prequlted fabric paper and stitched the outine of the ATC. ATCs are 2 and 1/2 by 3 and 1/2 inches, about business card size. Notice NO TRIMMING SHAPE YET.
3. Then i attached the cilia piece with a few beads. I recommend doing any embellishing before you go any further than creating the top layer. Also keep things that protrude away from the edges so it will go under a machine needle in one of the next few steps.
4. The prequilted piece i used was already pretty stiff, so i can skip the step that i usually do of laying the front on a larger scrap of batting. There is also the backing fabric (beige) there as well in this photo--notice still no trimming of the edges. The batting and the backing i cut a bit bigger than the atc so i can see that everything has coverage.
5. I stitch around the shape now on all three layers (if you have batting), but i leave one short edge open.
6. NOW you can trim the edges evenly:
7. I add a piece of cardstock for firmness. I use ceral boxes! Cut it slightly smaller so that it slides in easily between the batting and backing. Round the corners too so they don't catch on any stitching inside. If your card has any printing make sure it's against the batting, as it may show through the backing :}
8. Take it back to the machine, go over the short open edge to close and then zigzag around the edges a couple of times. You can do better coverage with several passes, or leave it slightly more "organic" as i do :} You can also add novelty edgings at this point.
And voila! The front:
And the back, with the information: title, number and edition number, signature, and URL:
I use the same process for postcards, finding that layers that are bigger than the finished piece are so much easier to deal with!
arlee
This tutorial was written in response to Susan Lenz's Cybre Fybre atc trade.
and her postcards as well:
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Reader Comments (7)
http:/artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com/ for Cyberfyber. There is an international swap happening later in the year if you want to check it out
-Julie