Cyanotype Postcards

Sue has been part of a postcard swap group for over 15 years, maybe 17 or 18? But we have finally decided to end our exchanges; the group has decreased in size over the years down to just 5.  Elizabeth joined us for the tail end.  There was not a particular theme for this round, just whatever each person wants to create. Sue decided to see how cyanotype prints of spring flowers would work.  

She gathered some blossoms from periwinkle, money plant, and azaleas and set up the components to expose them to the sun.  The cotton fabric was previously treated with the cyanotype chemicals.  The base is foam core board topped with the fabric, plant materials, and glass held in place with binder clips.  The arrangements were spritzed with water and vinegar before covering with the glass.  Different additions can vary the results of the print.

Then they were set outside in the sun for several hours.  The picture below show the boards after sun exposure.

 

Then the glass and plant materials are removed.  Sometimes the success of the print is evident, other times it takes extensive rinsing to get to the final print.  Rinsing is always required, but some pieces that Sue treated have more solution on them and take more rinsing.

 

Above is the periwinkle piece before and after rinsing.  You can see what a difference rinsing makes.  After several water changes, the piece soaked overnight to get to the final result. Sue used the periwinkle piece to create her postcards.  The printed fabric was cut into four 4 x 6 inch pieces and fused to the postcard base (a stiff interfacing like TimTex), then the purple stitching was added.  A backing of cardstock was fused to the other side and edges satin stitched.  

 

 

Above are the 4 postcards that were sent.  Sue was happy with the results to celebrate Spring and the final exchange of the group.

Fall Postcard Swap

It's that time of year again, Sue's postcard group's fall swap is underway.  All have not been sent yet but hers have been sent and received so we're giving you a look at what she made for this round. The theme was "shadows".  Keeping it simple, she went with a fall leaf and added shadows for depth.  She started out with a leaf print on a pale blue-green linen.

Unlike our usual printing, this is NOT a Thermofax print!  This time the leaf itself was pressed into the paint (a mixture of red, yellow and bronze) and then used to print on the fabric.

It needed more definition so she added an outline and veins with a bronze Sharpie marker.

Next she added some more color to the leaf with red, yellow and orange Inktense pencils.

The colors were blended by brushing with water - maybe a little too much as you can see where it bled outside the lines :(  The others are better, Sue kept this one for herself.  

Next was adding the shadows, also done with Inktense pencils.  This is the initial application, as things progressed, she added more color to deepen the shadows.

These are the finished leaves.  Stitching, postcard backs and edge finish remain to be completed.

Here's Sue's finished card. The others were in the mail before she remembered she hadn't taken a finished picture of group!  Oh well, you get the idea.  When the rest of the "shadow" cards arrive, we'll share a picture.

Have you made fabric postcards?  It's a great way to try out a technique on a small scale, and brightens the recipient's day with artful mail!

Postcard Swap

Sue's fabric postcard swap group is still carrying on after about 15 years, swapping cards twice a year.  We are still at 5 members, though one of our originals bowed out after the last exchange. However we picked up a new member so we break even.  Our spring swap is due by the end of June; 3 of us have sent our cards, while 2 are still in the works.  Sue sent hers out last week so it's safe to reveal here on the blog.

The theme for this go-round is "corvids".  Corvids, also known as the crow family, is a family of birds that includes crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers.  Before doing a little research, Sue only knew of crows being in this group, so when she saw the other birds included, she chose to feature the blue jay. Since those in her back yard didn't cooperate for a photograph, she found one licensed to use on Wikimedia Commons taken by Jocelyn Anderson. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Jay_(185317371).jpeg ) Sue's first step was to alter the image in Photoshop to remove the background and apply a filter as she does when creating screen images. Then the image was printed in black and white on inkjet fabric sheets.  (Sue uses EQ Printables by The Electric Quilt Company)

The images were then colored with water soluble wax pastels made by Reeves, and cut out.  After applying the color, brushing over it with water softens and blends the color.

Finding a background for the card was the next step.  Sue settled on a piece of ice-dyed fabric that was mainly green but with bits of other colors to give the effect of a tree or greenery. The base of the postcard is a stiff fusible like Peltex that is fusible on both sides, so the fronts and backs of the cards can be fused in place before stitching.

Then a branch was cut out of brown hand-dyed fabric and fused on top of the background.

Some machine stitching added texture to the branch. Then the blue jays were fused on top and stitched around the edges.  The fusible product used is Mistyfuse, a very thin fusible.

After adding the backing, the edges are satin stitched.  Here's a close up.

The other 2 cards received so far both feature crows.

This interpretation of the theme is by Grace Ng.  One member pointed out that 3 crows together means "health".  How appropriate!

Cathy Tyler created her version of Mourdour, a talking raven who lives in North Yorkshire, England.

Can't wait to see the next two cards!

Postcard Swap

Our regular blog followers may recall previous posts about Sue's postcard swap group.  It looks like it's been a while since we've posted about a swap.  We have been a steadfast group of 5 for a number of years (the original group got its start more than 10 years ago).  For our most recent swap in November we grew to 6 participants, but one member has decided to bow out so we'll be back to 5.   Our theme for this round was "silhouettes".  It's always fun to see how everyone interprets the theme.

Sue opted for choosing a Thermofax screen as her silhouette (no surprise there).  The screen she chose was poppies.  She started with some ice dyed fabric and first printed grasses as part of the background.

Then the poppies were screen printed in black to create the silhouette.

Each of the finished cards was slightly different because of the ice dyed background fabric. This is the group of cards that Sue made.  She chose poppies as the silhouette in honor veterans.

The other "posties" had varied interpretations.

Grace is our new member who made this lovely layered silhouette of the queen. The text in the background is overlaid with the blue and red segments.

Cathy created this striking California sunset.

Sherry had a unique interpretation with this cat silhouette created from thread scraps trapped under tulle.

Lois lamented that our visions of ourselves don't always match what we see in the mirror. :(

Paula got us all humming a tune with her interpretation of the song "Silhouettes on the Shade".

What will the theme be next time?  Our next round will be due by the end of June.  Guess you'll have to follow along to see what comes next.

Postcards at Sacred Threads

One of the features of the Sacred Threads exhibit this year was a display of postcards contributed by artists across the country.  The cards were to reflect the artist's hopes and dreams and were anonymous, with a message about their hopes and dreams on the back.

The cards were hung from bicycle rims making for a novel (and space saving) display.

Sue contributed 2 postcards to the show, which are shown in the pictures below.  Both include the words Hope, Peace, and Joy.

Have you ever tried your hand at making postcards?  It's a great way to try out new techniques on a small scale.

Spring Postcard Swap

It was that time of year again for Sue's postcard swap group to send out cards by the end of June.  Now that one errant card has finally been received (it returned to sender and had to be resent), all are in and can be shared.  The theme this time around was "Mint Condition".  Somewhat predictable but all interesting interpretations of this theme - all but one related to food or drink!

Sherry was "first out of the gate" with her "mint julip condition" in time for Derby Day in May.

Cathy decided to "show me the money"  with Euros fresh from the mint!

Sue's card was a tribute to Girls Scouts' thin mint cookies, her favorite mint condition.

Paula introduced us to Mint Condition by Caribou Coffee, which is a mixture of coffee, chocolate, peppermint, and whipped cream.  Sounds yummy!

And Lois's card reminds us of the many choices when the mint craving hits!

Stay tuned for the fall swap due by the end of November, theme still to be determined.

Thoroughly Modern Postcards

November was the month for the second postcard swap of 2016 with Sue's VCQ swap group. Our theme was "Thoroughly Modern". Since everyone in the group has now received their cards, it's safe to share pictures.

Sue has been working on a neutral quilt project, and decided to use some of the scraps to create her. cards.  She decided that improvisational piecing would be the way to go.

Rather than keeping them totally neutral, she decided to add a solid pop of color. Two of the cards got a red accent.

Two got a blue accent.

And two got a yellow accent.

Above are a few other interpretations of the theme.

Perfect 10

A few weeks ago, Sue posted about the postcard swap she participates in, and the current swap that was going on.  At that point, 4 cards had been received.  Sue was still in the process of creating her cards.  The first idea that popped into her head on the "Perfect 10" theme was incorporating ten toes - toes in the sand, to be exact - so she decided to go with that.  The sand part was simple - selecting fabrics and free-form cutting to layer on the foundation of the card. 

Above are the fabric choices, card background below.

Each one was layered a little bit differently.  The foundation Sue uses is Peltex that is fusible on both sides, so these were first fused in place and then machine stitched along the raw edges.  The next part was creating and adding the toes.

She took a picture of her feet and after removing the background in Photoshop, applied a film grain filter to get the "sand" effect.  Then the image was printed on photo transfer fabric sheets.

After applying Mistyfuse to the back, they were individually cut out to apply to each card.

After the toes were fused on, Sue free-motion stitched around the edges.  Here's a finished card...

And the group of six that were mailed.

This was a fun, and fairly quick, card to create!