Snowflake Holiday Postcards

I have been making my Christmas postcards for several years now. I make between 60 and 80 of them which means that they can't be too involved! I usually have 3 designs and make multiples of each. My first set of cards for this season are snowflake cards and they were fast and easy to make!

I have been pondering ideas to use my sunprinted snowflake fabric for a couple of months. But when I saw these Cedar Canyon snowflake stencils at Sew Thankful, I immediately knew what to do! 

I made 15 cards and I think the total time was about 3 hours.

I started last night with by stenciling snowflakes all over the sunprinted fabric (you could use any wintry looking fabric). I used a foam brush and Jacquard Metallic Silver paint, undiluted. I wanted to place my snowflakes between the sunprinted images. For a similar effect your could paint in 2 or three layers, starting with a medium blue metallic, then a light blue metallic and then the silver. That will give you a similar depth.

 

Here's what the fat quarter of fabric looks like painted. Next fuse this to a layer of Timtex, fast2fuse or other stiff interfacing. Fuse another fat quarter on the back for the address side of the postcard. I used a pale purple for mine.

 

Cut the fabric into 4 x 6 postcards. If your fabric was a full fat quarter (18 x 20) you can get 15 cards.

 

Finish the edges. You can zig-zag stitch the edges, straight stitch them or, like I did, serge them. I like the serger because it's a very clean edge and it's fast! I used Superior Razzle Dazzle thread in the upper looper. The color is Frosty Morning. It has just a bit of blue and purple wound with the silver. Razzle Dazzle is a great thread to use in the serger but you could also wind it on a bobbin and finish the cards on the sewing machine with the cards facing right side down.

You can call the cards done or...

...add a little more bling! I added some hot fix crystals to each card. On cards where the snowflake designs were well balanced on the card, I used the crystals to highlight one of the snowflakes Like in this card. If the snowflakes were not so well placed on the card, I used the crystals to make a new snowflake, like in the first photo of the post.

15 down, 50 or so to go!

Don't forget, there's only 1 day left to enter the November postcard challenge!

Comments

[Becky in VA]

Your postcards are gorgeous and the demo is very interesting. 15 cards in 3 hours is very fast!

[Judi]

Great postcard and thanks for the tutorial. This is the first year I haven't made cards but there is still time. So little time so much to do.

[Ruth Lane]

These are cool - I love the depth that you achieved.

[Lynn Douglass]

I saw those stencils too, but didn't know what I'd do with them. Great idea!

[Mary]

These are beautiful! I'm probably going to do some snowflake cards too but like 2 not 80.

[Robin in Short Pump]

Oh, you are too ambitious at this time of year LOL. These are beautiful, Vicki and thanks for showing me (you did that just for me, right?) that you can do them on the serger.

[paula.thequilter]

Question: do you 'turn the corner' on your serger or do you run off the end and then weave in the tails? If you 'turn the corner' how do you do that? I love these snowflake postcards. Do the hot fix crystals mess up the postoffice?

[Vicki Welsh]

As for turning corners on the serger, I do it both ways but on this card I turned the corner. When I get th the end of one side I pull the card back from the needle just far enough to get the threads off of the loopers - so thats only about 1/8. Then I turn it and serge down the other side. When doing postcards I dont take the time to weave in the ends, I just add a drop of Fray Check to both sides of the cards at the ending corner and then clip the threads.

The post offices doesnt seem to have a problem with the hot fix crystals but I usually try to keep them at least 3/8 from the bottom edge - the edge that will go through the machines.

Vicki Welsh
Virginia
My Blog: Field Trips in Fiber
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[Jeanne Turner McBrayer]

Beautiful cards...what did you use to sun-print the snowflakes? Buttons? I love the table runner, too.

[Debra Spincic]

Beautiful!

[Shasta]

These are great - thanks for the great tutorial.

[Ivory Spring]

These are particularly beautiful!

[sue b]

awesome, awesome, awesome!

[Summerset]

Lovely and a perfect use of the fabric.

[Cindy Is Crafty]

These are stinkin' awesome Vicki! Love them!

[Grayce]

Wow, Vicki! You are so talented! Thank You so much for helping to teach those of us (me!) who are less crafty. I am very interested in your postcards, they're gorgeous and such a good idea and I can't wait to try them. Your keepsake quilt pattern is purr-fect for some 'cat' fabric i have been collecting for 2-3 years but i couldn't find the right pattern to 'showcase' the cat characters on the fabric. Thank You Thank You, this pattern will make my gift quilt so much fun to make now! Happy sewing!