5th Annual Holiday Potluck

We had the Fiberexplorations' 5th annual holiday potluck & fabric postcard exchange this past weekend. This year, Nancy hosted us at Passages, her ridgetop home in the Cascades.  I can't tell you how beautiful everything was!  It was a bright, cold, and sparkling Saturday afternoon, but we were warm and cozy inside, as Nancy's husband, Gary, told us the history of Passages and how it came to be named.

More than one of us proclaimed that if we lived there, we'd probably never leave.  It felt like we were nestled inside someone's dream vision of the ultimate tree house.  Here's a view from their music room, high in the Douglas firs:

Nancy's view

Gary took photos of us as a group, but it's my fault that they aren't included here.  My camera is persnickety, and all the shots were blurred.  We'll try again next year!

On the other hand, our fabric postcard exchange was a big hit again. There was no theme this year, as you can see, and they were all unique:

There were several long tables set out in Nancy's spacious studio-in-the-treetops, and that's where we ate our linner (combo lunch-dinner).   Every potluck dish was incredible, and all the major food groups were included, which can be rare at a potluck.  One offering deserves special mention, as it seemed to generate the most taste-approving sounds, and that was the rum cake that Lisa brought.  (But credit goes to her husband, Laine, for making the cake!)

As the sun dropped lower in the western sky, we realized that we did, indeed, need to return to the valley. We said our goodbyes, while Nancy and Gary insisted that we each take one of their special wineglasses as a keepsake.  The glasses were printed with the word Passages, which will always be a reminder of this holiday afternoon in the mountains,  celebrating with great food & drink, laughter, stories, and creative friends.

Thanks, Nancy & Gary!

"Letters" Challenge Unveiled

Our annual holiday potluck was held on Dec. 17th at Deb's, and after a great meal, we exchanged fabric postcards.  This year we added Put a bird on it to the holiday theme of our cards:

Our holiday fabric postcards.

 A few members were unable to attend the gathering, including Torrie (a huge snowstorm kept her on the other side of the mountains), but she sent a photo of her postcard:

Torrie's postcard

 Before unveiling the "Letters" challenge quilts, Chris showed a really cool gift she made for her daughter, a cover for her e-reader:

Chris's e-reader cover.

Inside the e-reader cover.

And the challenge quilts . . .

"64 by 64"  -- Torrie

 In 1964, Torrie began corresponding with a penpal in Australia, which has developed into a lifelong friendship that's continued to this day.  They've even met in person twice!  This quilt is a testament to that correspondence; the blue in the center represents the ocean that separates them.

"DNA" -- Chris

"Egg" -- Nancy

(title to be added) -- Deb

"Love" -- Patty

"Madrona"  -- Erika

"Postcard for my Family" (in progress)  -- Maureen

Detail of  Maureen's "Postcard"

"The Signal and the Noise" -- Deb

"Too Much Noise and Not Enough Transparency" -- Deb

Lisa's "Plork!?" (the sound raindrops make when they hit the ground)

My "Blue Secrets" (not yet quilted)

Another challenge with varied and interesting interpretations of the theme.  That part's always a thrill to me.  What will we do next?  Stay tuned to find out!

More Holiday Fabric Postcards

The winner of my first blog post was nandas (Nancy of Portland, OR) and the prize was one of my fabric postcards.  Now that she's probably received it, I can show it here.   I love the quaint message it sends:

The winner of my first blog contest received this fabric postcard.

I have a collection of vintage postcards that I often use (in part or whole) when designing fabric postcards.  This year I added tiny accents of glitter paint, and I like the added sparkle.  Here's another:

Another fabric postcard enhanced with glitter paint.

The next one is very special.  I made it for my son's girlfriend, Brandi, knowing that she loves mermaids.  (So do I, which is why I 'd previously downloaded this vintage postcard!)  I quilted the outlines of the major features with cotton thread, then switched to a copper-colored rayon for the hair, which added a nice texture.  The original colors of the postcard were very light and ethereal, so I added some tints of color using LuminArte's Primary Pigments (ground colors mixed with pure mica pigments) for a bit more intensity:

Brandi's Dream.

It's hard for me to admit this:  I grow very attached to these little beauties, so much that it's difficult to send them out into the world.  But my other friend Nancy wisely advised me to release them for others to enjoy!  No one else can enjoy them if you keep them all for yourself.  She's so right.  Anyway, I can always revisit my photos of them.

Holiday Postcards Exchanged (fabric, of course!)

 Here are the fabric postcards made by members of Fiberexplorations for our 2011 holiday postcard exchange:

Fiberexplorations' 2011 fabric postcards.

As we've done the previous two years, everyone brought a potluck dish and we sat down for a lively dinner and conversation.  Erica, our resident wine expert, treated us to Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, which was wonderful.  After dinner, we drew names to see whose card we would receive.  (Until that time, none of us knew who would receive our card, or whose card we'd receive.)   In the following photo, we're each  holding the postcard we've received:

Holding the postcards we've received.

And another photo to document the makers of each postcard:

Holding the postcards we made for the exchange.

 In my next post, I'll include photos of all the Architecture Challenge quilts.

Winner of first blog contest!

Vintage Christmas postcard.

The winner of my first blog contest (fairly chosen by the Random Number Generator) is Nancy D-D from Portland, or "nandas."  Congratuations, Nancy!  I'll get your holiday-themed fabric postcard in the mail this week.*   Please contact me via email with your address.  And thanks to all who entered!  Please stay tuned for future contests.  This was so much fun that I'm going to dream up some ideas for more contests, either monthly or bimonthly.

(*I'm not posting a picture of it until you've had time to receive it in the mail.  I wouldn't want to spoil your surprise!)

Tomorrow night is Fiberexplorations' holiday dinner meeting.  We'll draw names and exchange the fabric postcards we've each made.   I hope to have good lighting so I can photograph each one and show them in my next post.  Keep watching!

Blog contest deadline extended; more on Fabric Postcards!

FYI:  The contest announced here on Nov. 29  has been extended until tomorrow (Thurs., Dec. 8) at midnight.  The prize is one of my fabric postcards!  Follow this link to enter.
The first fabric postcard I ever made, and still one of my favorites, this reindeer (a Laurel Burch fabric) was simply freemotion quilted with satin-stitched edges:

Joanna Price's holiday reindeer, 2005.

Blogger is now cooperating, so I can add more info to my previous post about fabric postcards.  Shown below are the 4 layers:  the top (or "base fabric"), cotton batting, Timtex, and the back (several examples shown, stamped with "Postcard").

The 4 layers of a fabric postcard.

Besides the examples above, here are the backs of three different fabric postcards (clockwise, the handwritten example is mine, followed by postcards made by Lisa Encabo and Chris Deibel):

The backs of 3 finished fabric postcards. Always sign and date them!

 Next, the postcards I've received from past holiday exchanges within Fiberexplorations:

Hand-appliqued, hand-beaded by Chris Deibel, 2009.

Always one for a Hawaiian theme, this was from Lisa Encabo in 2010.

Time to start stitching some more!

It's Fabric Postcard Time Again!

Making fabric postcards!

It feels like Santa's taken up residence on my kitchen table!  I needed this large surface to spread out the bits and pieces I use for making fabric postcards.  A few were finished (or at least nearly so) last year, and many more are somewhere in-progress. 
Next Monday is Fiberexplorations' third annual holiday dinner/meeting, hosted this year by Deb.  We all bring a potluck dish and a fabric postcard, then draw names and exchange the cards.  It's always a treat to receive a piece of art made by another member of the group.  I'm trying to upload the cards I've received from the past two dinners (from Chris in 2009; from Lisa in 2010), but blogger isn't cooperating at the moment!
Instead, I'll show you how I assemble my 4-layered fabric postcards.   The top layer (or "base fabric") is usually pieced or includes some fusible applique, such as the two examples below.  Strips of green fabrics were randomly stitched together, backed with fusible web, then cut into tree shapes.  Then they're fused to the base fabric.  A layer of cotton batting goes under this base fabric, and those layers are quilted.   NOTE:  I use either fusible web or a fusible spray baste to hold the layers together during construction.

Strip-pieced trees fused to base fabrics (batting layer visible underneath).

Sometimes I go to my vintage postcard collection, and photocopy some of them onto pre-treated fabric sheets for ink-jet printers.  Fusible web is added to the back of the photocopies, then sections are cut out and fused to the base fabric.  Other fabrics (with fusible web already attached), are fussy-cut and added to the design:

Vintage postcards trimmed and fused to base fabrics (batting layer visible underneath).

Sometimes (after the quilting is done),  I pull out my box of ribbons and begin adding some surface embellishment.  Angelina fibers, tiny seed beads, glitter glue, and fairy dust are all great additions!  Just be sure nothing dangles or protrudes from the postcard, or you might not be able to mail it.

Ribbons and other sparkles!

The finished size of my postcards is 4" x 6".  I used to start off by cutting my base fabric that size, but this year I'm cutting it and the batting  4.5" x 6.5" so there's room to trim after quilting.  Yes, these can go through the US Mail;  just take them into the post office and ask that they hand-cancel the stamp (rather than putting your fabric postcard through a machine).  Fabric postcards can be mailed at regular letter rates (not postcard rates).