How to Make Fabric Postcards

Fabric postcards are an original take on a common item. They add personality to an otherwise dull affair. You can select from a wide variety of fabrics, making the postcard a unique representation of your or your recipient's tastes. You can chose fabrics to match party or wedding dresses, or great seasonal or holiday fabrics. This project uses paper and fabric starch to stiffen the cards and make them suitable to mail.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors Card stock Fabric Spray or liquid starch Newspaper Hot glue

Instructions

How to Make Fabric Postcards

1. Cut two pieces of card stock, one measuring 4x6 inches, and one measuring 3x5 inches.You need paper to add stability to the postcard so it can be processed through the mail sorting machines.

2. Cut a piece of fabric measuring 5x7 inches. Be sure to chose a thin cotton or light flannel. Silks, fleeces and leathers as well as very thick fabrics don't work for this project. Soak the fabric in liquid starch or saturate it with spray starch. Lay the fabric flat on top of a piece of newspaper to dry with the decorative side facing down. This stiffens the paper.

3. Lay the 4x6 piece of card stock in the center of the fabric. Squirt a bead of hot glue down the left side of the card stock and fold the left one inch of fabric over the paper, securing it firmly. Press it flat to remove any bulky glue bumps. Fold the top layer down to measure, but do not add the glue yet. Use scissors to cut the excess fabric that overlaps at the corner. Apply a thin bead of glue and attach the top fold. Repeat this process with the right and bottom flaps.

4. Apply a thin layer of hot glue to the edge of the 3x5 piece of card stock and glue it on the part of the postcard you just made so that the paper covers the edges of the fabric you just glued down. This gives you a clean, crisp-looking postcard with a fabric backing and a paper front to write your message on.

5. Draw a line down the center of the piece of paper, dividing it in half. On the left-hand side of the postcard, write your message. On the right-hand side, write the recipient's address and your return address and affix the postage.

Resources

• Browse fabrics