Pretty Fabric Postage Stamps

Just recently I’ve done a sew along over on Instagram by Sunny Day Supply Company. The #sunnystockingsal where you can make a darling patchwork Christmas stocking. All the details are over at the Sunny Day Supply blog and I think it would have to be one of my favourite sew alongs held every year. I already can’t wait for next year. This year I made a sweet scrappy diamond stocking with a little pocket on the back and there was a lot of interest in my little postage stamps that I used to add something a little extra special to the pocket (if you want to see my stocking, pop on over to my Instagram page).

Here’s a quick tutorial so you can make your own to adorn your sweet patchwork projects with. They are such a quick and easy little make, and something extra special without too much effort. Oh and did I mention they are a great little scrap busting make for all those tiny little precious pieces that are way too small to be used in other makes.

So, without further ado let’s get started!

Supplies

• Fabric for fussy cutting, dive right into your scrap pile to search for all those precious little left-over goodies
• Fusible web. (I use extra strength heat and bond)
• Pinking shears (I have both a scallop and zig zag pair)
• Pressing cloth or baking paper (yes baking paper, it works a treat)
• White or other light-coloured fabric (I use homespun) or felt for the background
• Iron
• Standard sewing supplies

Postage Stamp Instructions

1. Raid your fabric scraps, or any fabric really and find some darling little illustrations to fussy cut. These can either match the theme of your project. Or you can just make some for fun of course. A great little scrap busting project and you’ll have plenty on hand for future makes.

2. Take your fabric and arrange on a piece of fusible web (the glue side, not the paper side) that is slightly larger/same size as your fabric.

3. Place your pressing cloth or a piece of baking paper on top and press with a hot iron, no steam. The pressing cloth stops your iron from sticking to the glue on the fusible webbing. If you don’t have a pressing cloth baking paper works just as well.

4. Using a rotary cutter and quilters ruler, square up your illustration and cut close to the edge. Depending on what I’m doing I like to leave about 3/8ths to 1/4 of an inch around the edge, enough to stitch around without stitching over your prints.

5. Carefully remove the paper from the back of your fussy cut prints. You want to avoid fraying the edges. If you can’t get the paper away easily, carefully slip a pin between the fabric and the paper. This is usually enough to loosen the paper off without fraying your fabric

6. Arrange your fussy cut on top of a solid piece of light-coloured fabric or felt. With at least ½ inch around all sides of your print. Using your pressing cloth or baking paper, press with a hot iron, again, no steam.

7. Depending on what I’m using the stamps for, I then also like to fuse a piece of web to the back of the postage stamp. That way I can secure it straight to the primary piece of fabric and know it won’t move at all when I’m sewing around it. To do this just follow step 2. You are doing the same thing except this time your adding the web to the back of your solid print and not your fussy cut illustration.

8. Trim around your fabric stamp with your rotary cutter making sure it is square and leaving at least ¼ inch of light solid print all around the edges. You want to leave enough solid print in case you make a mistake trimming in the next step. If your not a confident with the pinking shears, you can leave a bit more until you get the hang of it.

9. I then take my pinking shears and cut around all four sides of the solid print to make a zig zag border. I also have a pair of scallop ones that I love using too. You may need to do this a couple of times to get it neat and exactly how you want.

10. Ta da! You now have some super cute postage stamps that you can use to embellish your next sewing or patchwork project with. All you need to do is adhere them to your project with the fusible web, then stitch around them just inside the fussy cut print about 1/8^th of an inch.

Have fun making lots of sweet postage stamps. You can even get creative if you want and add some stitching, just like I have with this apple one.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me by leaving a comment below.

Happy sewing, Kellie X.

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