Going Above and Beyond...

 

You may remember these cute fabric pocket journals from an older post. Recently I taught some other quilters how to make them, and am so impressed with their creative results! We used the Zoom platform to conduct the class, and we all felt that Zoom works really well for this kind of workshop. We met in the morning to go over the initial steps. Then we all sewed through the morning, and returned in the afternoon to cover the remaining steps. These are two of the sample journals I made.

Everyone agreed that the benefits of holding class on Zoom meant no lugging our sewing machines to a classroom, having everything at our fingertips so no chance of forgetting a necessary supply, and enjoying a relaxing day of stitching with friends from the convenience of home. I said it's like having friends over to sew together, but you don't have to tidy up your sewing room! This photo shows the insides of the sample journals.

One of the fun aspects of making this journal is adding a cover collage made from all sorts of bits, pieces, trims, and images. The students really showed off their creativity here. Char pieced part of her cover and then added buttons, shells, lace, and beads. So much texture!

Here's the inside of her journal, which she has started filling with mementos. Cute trims on the pockets!

JoEllen used this vintage fabric image along with beads and frou-frou trim in this journal she made as a birthday gift for a friend.

Here's the inside with decorative stitching on the pockets and a cute sewing machine charm.

Brenda printed one of her watercolor originals onto twill fabric. She then enhanced the colors with embroidery and beads. What a great way to showcase a piece of art.

Here's a close up of her stitches and beads. Brenda admitted that she spent more time on her cover than on the rest of the project as she became so absorbed in it.

Buffy incorporated giant rick rack and an extra quilt block from another project in her cover. Then she went to town with a yo-yo, a discharge printed leaf and a palm tree embellishment.

Here's the inside fabric with the pockets. A great fabric print!

Fold out again, and she has a pen holder and has already started filling the pockets with ephemera.

JoEllen made a second journal for her own use and again used decorative stitching to accent her pockets and edges. I love how she modified one of the pockets to allow her to slip in a small notebook she can change out when it's filled. She plans to use this for a travel journal and is determined that travel will soon be in the works again. She's ready now! I'm sure all of the class members will be making more of these journals soon. Their creativity definitely went above and beyond!

Greetings!

 

Making this spring-like fiber postcard for a swap reminded me that I've done quite a few of these cards in the past, and it's time to get out the supplies to make more! They are a good repository for scraps plus a place to try out some different techniques. I love the butterfly print fabric that became a focal point in this piece.

The postcards can go through the mail, though may require extra postage or hand cancelling at the post office. I used a rubber stamp to create the postcard back. The Pentel gel pen for fabric is a permanent pen that worked nicely for the message. Unfortunately, these are hard to find. I'm not even sure they are manufactured anymore. 

Fusible applied to the back of fabric scraps are then collaged onto the liner, which is Peltex cut to size. Simple bits make a pretty collage design. Then I added some machine decorative stitches, layered the postcard front with the back and finished the edge with a machine satin stitch.

This postcard is one I received in a previous swap and was made by Sarah Boblit. So much handwork on this one! I like how Sarah used a raw-edge binding hand stitched in place. It's just full of texture. And she used cardstock for the back address and message area. She titled it "A Summer's Day in August."

Seed beads and French knots combine to form the large flower center. Postcards can be small yet densely rich in details like this.

And here's another flower center packed with French knots. Sarah clearly spent a lot of time making her postcard.

I used a watercolor on fabric technique to make this image with details added in Micron pen. It was a new method for me at the time, and making something small really suited the learning curve. This one has rat-tail cord couched along the edge to finish it.

And this postcard was a good place to practice Zentangles on fabric along with machine quilting. Again, this one has a close zig-zag stitch edging. I've got some Peltex all cut and ready to make some more fabric greetings. Quick, easy (as easy as you want them to be anyway), and fun!