So I took a leap of faith this week, one that more established artists might laugh at but was kind of a big deal to me — I dropped off some fabric postcards to our local art gallery shop to be juried for possible sale. They can be mailed in clear envelopes with first-class postage.

Origami crane fabric postcard, all cotton, backed with watercolor paper and finished with Terry Grant’s edge technique

I really like doing origami with fabric. This is a crane I came up with a few years ago, making a wall hanging for friends for the wedding, and experimenting on a (not done yet) baby quilt for the same couple (baby is almost three now, I know…). I omit a couple of folds to keep the bulk down, and it gives it a bit of a unique look. I’d like to be able to make them smaller, but the corners get tricky and I haven’t found a starch I like.

Origami fish fabric postcard, all cotton, with delica beads, backed with watercolor paper and finished with Terry Grant’s edge technique

This is my favorite of these three. The pattern lends itself well to fabric, since all of the raw edges end up folded under. The points are still tricky.

Origami butterfly fabric postcard, all cotton, with delica beads, backed with watercolor paper and finished with Terry Grant’s edge technique

I had to manipulate this photo to get the colors to come out right — the red is the same fabric as in the crane above. There are three long raw edges on this one, so I do wonder how they’ll hold up even with the close quilting/applique. The beads also serve to anchor key folds down onto the backing. I’ll be doing some more experimenting with this pattern, or looking for a better one.

I need to find a faster edge finish, to keep the price point down on these. I love the way this looks, but it’s two passes with a very short stitch length, which takes up a lot of thread and is time consuming.

After a whirlwind of sewing and then traveling to something like nine states and visiting almost everyone in the world I could possibly be related to, I bring you the finished flower girl dress:

Silk dupioni flower girl dress, from the Pascal pattern printed in the Issue 114 - September/October 2007 of Sew Beautiful magazine, with hand embroidery and beading, modeled by the lovely Nora.

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