Easy Valentine Fabric Postcard
Create a One-of-a-Kind Valentine’s Gift in Two Hours or Less
Show your Valentine what's really in your heart with this simple fabric postcard you can actually send through the mail. It's sure to be treasured for years to come.
Looking for a gift that’s truly one of a kind? A creative way to express how you feel about someone special this Valentine’s day? Try making this quick and easy fabric postcard. The one shown in the photo was finished in less than an hour.
Supplies You’ll Need to Create This Postcard
You can find most of these supplies in your stash, and the rest at any fabric store or quilt shop.
- 5” x 7” piece of fast2fuse® double-sided fusible interfacing
- 3” x 3” scrap of white focus fabric for the heart
- 3” x 3” piece of fusible web (Wonder Under or similar brand)
- Scraps of red, pink, and white for background fabrics
- 5” x 7” piece of white or beige backing fabric
- Fine-tipped permanent ink pen
- Rotary cutter
- Sewing supplies and sewing machine, or embroidery needle and thread
- Embellishments: buttons, beads, charms, ribbons, embroidery threads, rubber stamps, etc. Get creative – use whatever you find in your stash and around your house.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Arrange the background fabric in a pattern you like on the fusible interfacing, then iron to fuse into place. As you design, keep in mind that you’re going to be trimming the postcard down to 4” x 6” before you finish.
- Create the heart. First, fuse the heart fabric to the fusible web, leaving the paper on the reverse side. Fold the fused fabric in half with the paper side out, then draw half a heart freehand onto the paper backing. Cut out on the drawn lines and unfold. You should have a complete heart. Remove the backing paper.
- Find a pleasing spot for the heart on the background snippets, then fuse into place.
- Stitch around the edge of the heart, using a blanket stitch or dense zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. Stitch down the raw edges of your background fabrics too. This is especially important if you’re going to mail the postcard instead of hand-delivering it. This is a good time to try out some of the decorative stitches from your sewing machine.
- Dress up your design by adding embellishments and decorative stitching. The heart postcard shown here includes two decorative sewing machine stitches and a fancy button. Have fun with your embellishing! A postcard is a low-risk way to try out new designs and techniques. Just be sure to do all your embellishing before you fuse the fabric onto the address side of the postcard. That way, you’ll have a clean surface to write your message on, with no stitches showing through. If you’re planning to mail your postcard, don’t use any three-dimensional embellishments that might get caught in the post office’s sorting machines. If you’re going to give the postcard in person or mail it in an envelope, the sky’s the limit!
- Fuse the backing fabric to the reverse side of the fusible interfacing.
- Trim the postcard to 4” x 6”, then stay stitch around the outside edge of the postcard to secure the fabrics in place. You can use a straight stitch or a tight zigzag sewing machine stitch. If you have enough time, you could even bind your postcard like a miniature quilt. Secure everything really well if you’re planning to mail your postcard.
- Use the permanent pen to write your message on the backing fabric. If you’re going to mail the card, draw a vertical line down the center of the card. Write your recipient’s address on the right half of the card. Leave enough room for stamps!
Extra Postage Needed
If you send your postcard through the mail, you'll probably need extra postage, since your postcard will be heavier and possibly larger than a standard postcard. Check before you put it in the mailbox.
Where to Learn More about Making Fabric Postcards
For a complete beginner’s guide to making fabric postcards, look for the book Fast, Fun & Easy® Fabric Postcards, by Franki Kohler. It covers many different techniques and includes projects with complete step-by-step instructions.
