Summer 2021 Mini Quilt Challenge: Postcard Quilts

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!

Another week of the Summer Mini Quilts Challenge has passed and I'm so excited to share what I've learned and made! The prompt I chose for the third week of this challenge was postcard quilts! It's a really interesting genre of tradable art quilts that I was super excited to learn more about!

But before we get into that, Friends, check out the announcement post for this challenge! I'll be updating that post with links to each of the individual mini quilt posts if you're interested in checking those out. It also includes details about the guidelines I'm following, which I actually struggled with a little this week, and the full list of prompts!

All of the prompts are based on quilt making techniques that I've only started using recently and need some practice with, or that are totally new that I'd like to try. If there are any techniques you've been wanting to try but haven't found the perfect project for, I'd like to encourage you to add that to your own list of prompts and make a mini quilt!

Now, onto the research and quilt making!

Postcard Research

As mentioned earlier, postcard quilts are a genre of art quilt made to be gifted, traded, and collected. A more commonly used name is fabric postcard, which is more inclusive of the larger sewing community since quilt makers are not the only people who make and exchange these postcards.

Their small size makes fabric postcards fast and easy to create, and allows makers to experiment with new techniques without committing a lot of time and money to a large project. Postcards can also be made using remnants from other projects; scraps of fabric, bits of lace and trimmings, or even orphaned quilt blocks.

Many postcard exchanges are organized every year by individuals, blogs, guilds, and other groups. Each exchange will have its own set of rules concerning postcard construction and theme, but generally agree that the only things swapped are the postcards themselves; no additional gifts, no exchange of money.

Postcard quilts also make great gifts and mementos for friends and family members. It can be a really fun surprise to receive physical mail from someone you love, especially when the only reason for it is to let them know you've been thinking of them!

Postcard Size

According to Canada Post, the dimensions for standard mail (including postcards) is a minimum of 5½" × 3½" and a maximum of about 9½" × 6". However, if sending a postcard internationally, the maximum size is reduced to about 9" × 4½", so check with your local postal service to confirm what restrictions will apply.

The most common dimensions for fabric postcards I found was 6" × 4".

As for depth, postcards should be as thin as possible; any postcard over ¼" thick risks being charged as oversized.

Design Guidelines

One of the reasons fabric postcards are so popular is because there are no strict rules regarding design. You can use any methods, materials, and techniques you can think of!

The design can be modern or traditional, use any combination of colours, and incorporate different types of fabric. Quilting isn't a mandatory feature of a fabric postcard, but can add a lot of great detail to the design. It can be used to create a wholecloth effect, enhance the piecing, or as a thread painted accent.

A lot of postcard makers like to take a found object approach to their design; incorporating ribbons, buttons and other trimmings they find around their workroom. Adding paint, drawing with fabric markers, or printing photos onto fabric are a few more ways to personalize a postcard.

If you prefer to follow a pattern, there are lots of beautiful postcard patterns available, including some free tutorials. I've included links to some at the end of this post that you can check out!

Postcard Assembly

Since postcard quilts aren't quilts in the traditional sense, they're constructed just a little differently.

As usual, start by constructing the quilt top. Make it a little bigger than you want your finished postcard to be, it will be trimmed down to size later. If you want to add hard, bumpy embellishments like buttons, beads, or jewels, do not add them yet. If you want to add applique, you may want to wait until your piece is quilted, but this is up to personal preference.

Since batting adds a lot of thickness and tends to be floppy and unstructured, it isn't generally recommended for making fabric postcards. Instead, use a thick interfacing.

If using fusible interfacing; cut a piece the same size as the quilt top and fuse it to the back according to the product instructions. Quilting is optional.
If using non-fusible interfacing; cut a piece the same size as the quilt top, baste the layers together, and quilt the pieces to hold them together.

Trim the quilt top to the finished size, then add additional embellishments. Leave a ¼" wide border around the perimeter of the quilt top with no embellishment. This space will be needed to finish the edges later.

For the postcard backing, you will need to pick a material that can be written on. Unprinted, light coloured cotton or muslin is a popular choice, but cardstock is also commonly used. Cut a piece the same size as your finished postcard and draw or print a postcard template like the one below:

Fuse the postcard backing to the interfacing layer using fusible net. If using cardstock, remember to turn off the steam setting on your iron so the paper won't get damaged. With everything fused, secure the layers together by stitching around the edges using one of the finishing methods below.

To complete the postcard, add a mailing address, message, and stamp to the back, then send it through the mail. If you're worried about the postcard being damaged during processing, send it in a clear or paper envelope, but be aware that this may affect shipping costs.

Finishing Methods

Traditional binding and facing techniques tend to add a lot of thickness around the edges of a postcard, so alternate finishing methods are more common.

Zig zag stitch, satin stitch, and serging are all fairly common finishing stitches for fabric postcards. Simply stitch around the parameter of the completed postcard to hold the layers together. As a more decorative option, a lot of sewing machines are also programmed with embroidery stitches, or for something a little more subtle, you could finish your postcard edges with a few rows of straight stitching.

If you have a strong preference for bound edges, try the fusible binding technique. This is much flatter than double fold binding.

Making the Mini

With my research complete, I could finally start making my own postcard quilt!

Many of the sources I checked during my research recommended making the postcard at 4" × 6", so I opted to use that size. As for my design, I was inspired to make a space-themed postcard when I stumbled across this fabric found among my scraps:

I used a few pieces of black fabric to make a scrappy background, pressing my seams open to reduce bulk. I pieced the quilt top at 4½" × 6½" so I would be able to trim it later.

For interfacing, I used a thick, non stretch denim salvaged from an old, torn pair of pants. I joined the interfacing layer to the quilt top by quilting them together with a simple straight line design.

To make the planet appliques, I used a stabilized piecing technique, similar to string piecing but using wedge shaped scraps rather than long thin strips.

I used a jar and a few spools of thread I had on hand as circle templates for the planets. I traced them onto a light weight, light coloured fabric, then roughly cut them out. I sewed wedge shaped scraps to the base stabilizer layer, making the large shape blue and green, and the smaller ones orange.

I cut out the circles with an approximate ¼" seam allowance, turned under the edges, and hand stitched them to the quilt top.

In hindsight, I probably could have used a non-stabilized crumb piecing method since that would have allowed me to press seams open and help reduce some bulk. It also would have had one less layer without the stabilizer. Regardless of that, I think I got the applique shapes to be pretty flat and secure.

For the postcard backing, I decided to use muslin. I have had a lot of success drawing on and marking it in the past, and I have a lot of it, so it seemed like the perfect option!

I ran into a bit of a problem when it came to fusing though. I've been using fusible net for the past year while working on my Wetlands quilt, so it is something I have in my stash, but only as oddly shaped scraps.

I seriously considered breaking my rule of working only from my stash so I could buy more fusible netting. It would have made the making process a little easier for me if I'd had a single piece big enough to use, but I would have still been stuck with a bag of netting scraps and no plan to use them.

After a bit of thought, I decided to go ahead and use the scraps, piecing them together to cover the back side of the interfacing. It actually wasn't as difficult as I was worried it would be, and I even have enough scraps to make a few more postcards if I wanted!

I pressed the muslin postcard back onto the fusible net using just my hands. Once I was sure the backing was positioned correctly, I used a hot iron and lots of steam to set the netting and fuse the layers together.

The next step was to finish the edges of the postcard. I started by serging the edges to prevent any fraying, but I didn't love the way the stitching looked. I found a narrow, ⅜” ribbon in my stash and used it to bind the edges and cover the serging. Since the ribbon doesn't have to be double folded, it doesn't add a lot of bulk around the edges of the postcard, it think it makes a great alternative for anyone who prefers binding their quilts!

VA, Postcard Mini Quilt, 2021, 4" x 6", cotton, denim, and muslin.

I had a lot of fun working on this project, keeping everything as flat as possible was an interesting challenge! I still haven't decided who I'll be sending this to, but I am planning to mail it soon. I'm looking forward to making more postcards, both fabric and paper, in the future!

Friends, I would love to exchange postcards with you! Feel free to send me an email and we can work out an exchange!

If you've been making mini quilts this summer, remember to tag them with #summer2021miniquilts so I can find your posts and share my love! I've been using that tag to share my own progress, check out my photos on Instagram @vafibrearts!

For the upcoming fourth week of the challenge, I'd like to follow the English paper piecing prompt. It's a technique I've been wanting to try for a long time, so I'm really excited to be taking that step!