The needlewoman can find the materials for making this interesting postcard among the remnants and scraps that were lying around after other handmade masterpieces. Thus, your postcard will not be expensive at all. Of course, you can adjust the design of the postcard to suit your materials and desires. To make this greeting card you will need:
- a piece of white or gray cardboard for the base of the postcard measuring 29.4x21 cm;
- a piece of patterned cardboard with an abstract golden-olive design measuring 14.7x21 cm;
- a piece of bronze-colored metallized cardboard measuring 11x7 cm;
- a scrap of burlap from the most ordinary shopping bag for potatoes or sugar, pre-washed; burlap is sold in craft stores, but it is unreasonably expensive there, so you can make do with what you have on hand;
- metallic gold-colored Lurex thread for knitting or embroidery;
- about 1 m of satin ribbon 1 cm wide, soft cream color;
- shreds of iridescent organza in a rich olive-golden color;
- cream-colored beads and pearl-colored sequins;
- about 27 cm of patterned braid in a soft yellow color, 2.5 cm wide;
- double-sided stationery tape;
- ruler and pencil for marking;
- sewing thread to match the satin ribbon, thin needle, pins;
- candle and matches;
- scissors.
First, you need to prepare a piece of patterned cardboard for the front of the card. To do this, along the long side, moving 3 cm from the right edge, you need to glue a patterned braid. Carefully glue two strips of double-sided tape next to each other from one short edge to the other. We remove the protective layer and place the braid on the adhesive tape so that there are about 3 cm of free ends on both sides. We press it so that it sticks firmly.
Now we glue the protruding ends of the braid to the wrong side. We do this with two small pieces of tape.
Temporarily we put aside the large part and start decorating the small element from metallic bronze cardboard. First you will need a burlap piece. Please note: the part must be cut on the bias - the direction of the cuts is shown in the photo. This way you will prevent the cuts from falling off.The cuts should be located at an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the longitudinal and transverse threads of the fabric. In this way, we cut out a strip of approximately 9x4 cm. It’s okay if the rectangle is a little skewed and its sides are not perfectly even.
Now we take a pin with a thick point and use it to fray the edges of the rectangle by about 8 mm around the entire perimeter. Due to the fact that the burlap is cut on the bias, the edges will not fray, but will acquire a fluffy fringe with the effect of some carelessness. Once you have frayed the edges, try on the piece. If it is too big, trim it down to the size you need.
Then you need to glue a piece of burlap to the metallized cardboard. Using two strips of tape, glue the burlap along the long side of the rectangle, closer to one edge.
The finished piece with burlap should be decorated with metallized gold lurex. Wind 5-6 turns across the piece with the burlap closer to the right edge. Place the coils diagonally and crosswise. Tie a thread on the wrong side. For reliability, you can additionally secure the coils on the reverse side with tape or glue so that they do not move. You can also apply glue or nail polish to the knot to secure it, although this is not necessary. On the front side, straighten the fringe so that the lurex goes over the burlap, but not over the fringe.
We set aside both cardboard pieces and work on the fabric decorative elements. You need to roll five small roses from a satin ribbon. While folding the rose, if necessary, secure the flower with pins. Thread a double thread into a thin needle. Sew all layers of the rose so that the thread is not visible on the front side.Then bring the thread to the right side in the middle of the flower and sew on one sequin and one bead. Bring the thread to the wrong side, secure it with a knot, but do not cut it.
So you need to prepare five roses. From organza you need to cut out five circles with a diameter of about 5 cm. It’s okay if the circles are crooked and don’t even look like circles at all.
We light a candle and begin to process the sections of the cut out shreds of organza. If the cut is brought to the flame from the side, the cut will melt without being deformed. If you bring organza from above the flame, it will melt and bend beautifully. The piece itself will decrease significantly in size. In this case, to obtain melted sepals in the shape of a “cup,” you need to carefully bring the organza with a cut on top of the flame. Work carefully so as not to burn the entire piece of organza and your own fingers.
When all five sepals are ready, you need to sew a rose on each of them. To do this, place the rose in the resulting singed “nests”, bring the thread to the wrong side and make several securing stitches, capturing both the organza and the lower layers of the satin ribbon. Do not cut the thread, but leave it on the wrong side.
The resulting roses need to be used to decorate a small piece with burlap. Sew the roses onto the small cardboard piece, placing them as shown in the photo. Sew straight through all layers - cardboard, burlap, organza and ribbon. For each flower, make at least 3-4 stitches so that they are firmly attached to the cardboard on all sides. Secure the thread on the wrong side with 1-2 knots and cut off the excess end of the thread. If you are not sure about your knot, drip some glue or varnish onto it. Thus, sew four flowers to the small part.
Sew the remaining one flower not to the small part with burlap, but to the patterned part with a border. Try on a small piece to get an idea of where you will place it, and then sew the flower onto the cardboard as shown in the photo or as you want. Fasten the thread to the wrong side and cut off the excess.
The finished decorated parts need to be assembled together. Cover the perimeter of the underside of a small element made of bronze-colored cardboard with double-sided tape. Place a couple of strips in the middle so that the part is better secured. Remove the top protective layer and carefully press the small part onto the large one.
Now that the front side is completely ready and assembled, all that remains is to assemble the card itself. Fold a large sheet of cardboard in half. To make it easier and more even to bend, first scratch the fold line shallowly with a thick needle. Then cover one part with double-sided tape around the perimeter, and also attach several strips in the middle, as in the photo.
Remove the protective strips on the tape. Gently and evenly press the decorative part of the card onto the base. Now your card is completely ready and you can give it to the lucky recipient!
