Last month I wrote about starting the year off right by learning to quilt or trying a different method of quilting. Stretching your brain with new and challenging techniques keeps your mind active. Why not use quilting to add art and beauty to your world? A fun challenge is creating miniature art pieces. Making mailable mini postcard quilts, aka “art to mail,” is a fun way to brighten your day and that of your friends. Yes, these are little quilty postcards that you can send to your family, friends, soldiers, veterans, etc.

Basic Supplies

The sky is the limit as to what techniques or supplies you can use, but here are the essentials. Like a quilt, your card needs three layers – patterned or decorative front (top), fusible stabilizer (middle), and fabric or cardstock (backing). You just need a few pieces of fabric for the front and a plain rectangle for the address (back side). Add some fusible interfacing or stabilizer to give the postcard support. Fast2Fuse, which has iron-on glue on both sides or something similar, works well. You can use a dense piece of batting and add fusible. A sewing machine and thread come in handy for piecing and quilting and for the securing the edges. The United States Post Office does have some regulations you need to follow for mailing. Your postcard should finish at 4 inches high and 6 inches wide and be no thicker than 1/8 inch.

Create A Design

You can sew a simple piecing design and then fuse it to the top, or you can sew directly onto the interfacing. Pick a pretty piece of fabric and just use that as your front. There are no rules (well, except for those USPS ones listed previously). You can add quilting or not, your choice. Since the front is fused to the center by ironing them together, quilting is not necessary, but it does add interest. If you are a quilter, grab a leftover block or part of a UFO (unfinished object) and use that rather than making something.

Challenge Yourself

Because the design space is small, it is the perfect place to experiment or test out new materials. Have you always wanted to try fabric painting? Give it a go. Or do you have a set of watercolor fabric crayons? I used mine to make an Edgar Allen Poe Raven postcard. Add embellishments or yarn couching or other mixed media. But remember if you have yarn or other items that could get caught in a mail sorting machine, it is best to send your card in an envelope.