Level: Beginner

Send a personal message on your own sewn post cards. This simple project is perfect for those small fabric treasures we keep in our stash and lots of decorative stitch creativity. Share it with a special young sewist in your life! The Jem Platinum 760 is the perfect starter machine for any beginner. Its generous offering of decorative stitches and ease of use guarantees that learning to sew will be fun and inspiring!

Janome Supplies Required

• Any Janome Sewing machine with decorative stitches (the Jem 760 is featured in these instructions)
• 

Fabrics Required:

• Fabric pieces approximately 5” x 7”
• 1 Medium Solid fabric
• 1 Contrasting print
• 1 Solid light fabric

Notions Required:

• Embroidery thread in contrasting color to the fabric
• Extra Firm Stabilizer
• Fusible Web
• Iron
• Cutting tools: Scissors and/or Rotary Cutter

Prepare Fabric:

1. Cut the stabilizer 4 ½” X 6 ½” (slightly larger than the finished card).
2. Cut base fabric slightly larger than stabilizer.
3. Fuse the fabric to the stabilizer.
   Note: Stabilizers are available in both fusible and non fusible. When using non fusible stabilizer, apply fusible web to the wrong side of the base fabric.
4. Trim the base fabric close to the stabilizer edges.
5. Iron a strip of fusible web to a 2 ½ “X 4 ½” strip of contrasting fabric.
6. Fuse the contrasting strip to the base fabric, slightly off center or covering one corner
7. Trim close to stabilizer.

Sewing Rows of Stitches:
The stitches used in this project are merely suggestions. Be creative with all the stitch choices on your machine. Adjust the width and /or length for additional variations. See the stitch chart above for stitch options.

1. Attach the “F” foot. Select Stitch #47.
2. Sew a row of Stitch #47 along one side of the raw edge of the contrast strip.
   Note: Place the red arrow on the “F” foot along the raw edge to guide sewing.
3. Select Stitch #45. Sew a row of Stitch #45 along the opposite side of the contrast fabric.
4. Sew a row of Stitch #44 on one side of the contrast fabric.
   Note: Place the edge of the “F” foot along the previously sewn row to guide your sewing a straight row.
5. Sew a row of Stitch #41 on the opposite side.

Create Musical Notes:
Note: The Auto Lock Button, located on the front of the machine, can be used to sew just one pattern of any stitch. Satin Stitches #31 through #39 will create individual geometric shapes.

1. Select Stitch #32.
2. Begin sewing stitch #32, then immediately touch the Auto Lock button.
   Note: One pattern will be sewn, with the final stitch sewing a lock stitch.
3. Continue to sew 2 more patterns of Stitch #32 approximately 1” apart.

These oval stitches will create the base of the notes.

1. Select Stitch #6, a stretch stitch.
   
2. Place the presser foot at one end of one oval stitch. Sew for approximately ½”.
   Note: Using a fabric marking pen, place a line on the fabric to mark the size of each stem line.
3. Stop sewing and press the reverse button.
4. Resume sewing. The next stitch will lock the pattern of stitches. This will create the stem of the note.
5. Continue to add stems to the other oval stitch patterns.
   

Adding more patterns:

1. Sew 2 more short rows, approximately 1” apart, of Stitch #6 next to each other.
2. Turn the fabric 90 degrees and sew 2 more rows across the previous rows.
   

   Optional stitch: Select zig zag Stitch #5. Adjust Width to 2.5, Length 3.0.

   Note: Keep the presser foot next to each first sewn line to keep the spacing even.

   • Select Stitch #21. Sew several patterns of this eyelet stitch between the notes.
   Finishing
   1. Fuse a light solid fabric to the unfinished side of the stabilizer.
   2. Trim all layers to 4” X 6”.
   3. Select Zig Zag stitch #5. Adjust length to 3.5.
   4. Sew around all edges. Keep the inner right edge of the “F” foot along the raw edge of all layers of fabric. This stitch will “wrap” the raw edges.
   
   Optional finishing:
   1. Choose an appliqué stitch (#24 or #25) or a stretch stitch (#19, #21 or #24).
   2. Sew approximately ¼ “from all outside edges.
   3. Do not pivot the corners, Sew off the fabric on each of the 4 rows.
   4. Trim the edges with pinking sheers or a wave Rotary cutter.

   Use a fabric friendly pen to write a message on your post card to a special friend. Place a stamp on your card and drop it in a mail box. Won’t your friends be surprised!!