Michjmf09

Hello,

Thought I would throw this question out to everyone. I am doing an art/quilting project. I was wondering if anyone had experience or suggestions for photo transfers onto fabric? I will not need to wash this quilt-I actually was just going to do a front piece and then possibly mount on a stretcher. I might, possibly actually make a “real” quilt and do a wall hanging. Not sure. I am using vintage clothes from the 80’s. Not sure how I’m going to incorporate acid washed jeans and ugly knit fabrics from polos yet!

Also, any suggestions on fabric to transfers those photos on? I don’t want to use vintage fabric for the actual photo transfers. Want the photos to be as crisp as possible.

thanks,
Michele

quiltingshorttimer

I find it easiest to take my photo to the local t-shirt print shop and have them do it all--resize, crop, etc and then print. My efforts to do it with the special fabrics on my home printer were never what I wanted them to be.

Iceblossom

I keep trying to get my friend to join this board, she taught classes on photo quilts and could offer all sorts of advice. There are many different ways you can do it. Quiltingshorttimer has a great way! My first stop is often my office supply store where I can use the options on their copiers.

I'm not current with the differences between laser jets and ink jets and all that. There are papers and treatments and things that can be done for the home printer, and need to be done depending on your equipment. I had great results with my color ink jet -- I typically buy what I can at the office store, better prices in general than at the fabric store. Haven't done anything fabric related with my current laser jet but it's just black and white anyway.

You can copy your picture to a film that you run through your printer and then iron that on the fabric. Caution with that is reversing your image, to make words print correctly on the fabric, they need to be backwards. There are software programs that you can use, or again, you can reverse it on a copier.

I prefer to print directly on my fabric. You can buy prepared at the quilt store for $$, but being cheap I iron my fabric onto a backing of freezer paper which I then cut to my 8.5x11 size. Run it through the printer and peel off the paper, it was just to stiffen it up through the process. I'm typically printing on solids, but I've used prints too. I mostly use these for labels.

Depending on your printer you may have a path to open out for envelopes or stiffer stock, use that if you have it.

I did a lot of things with fabric for a number of years, tie-dye, and tea dye and over dyes, and batiks and bleach cast off and all sorts of things. My advice is to always start with prewashed fabric, you want to make sure your fabric is ready to take your treatment. I use a "free" soap so no scents or softener and no dryer sheet. We have really nice water here, other people may have some specific issues with alkalinity, hardness, etc. where there may be a needed additive.

In my trying new things, I've been using wool dryer balls for the last 6 months or so and I'm loving them. They seem to keep dryer loads of fabric from tangling as badly.

jillmc

This was my first attempt at transferring a drawing onto fabric. My grandson colored this picture and asked me to make him a pillow! I used our very basic ink jet printer/copier and a piece of Crafters Images photo fabric that I ordered from Amazon. Worked great! The quilting doesn’t show up on this picture, but there is a lot of dimension on the drawing. Can’t wait to do more!

IrishgalfromNJ

I have used Avery Printable Fabric Sheets. This is the latest thing I printed onto it. I'm going to make this into a bag someday.

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Iceblossom

This was the last printed project I did just about a year ago, and actually I was visiting my friend in Phoenix and she did it for me. I found the free clip art and got a good snapshot to go with it. We put the two together to make "Super Suz". It was done all with pretty basic programs and printed on a home ink jet on the professionally made paper.

My friend was retiring from being a school teacher and I made an alphabet lap sized quilt in her honor, each block represented a letter of the alphabet. PS: The block is also a Snowball and has Stars (her favorite motif) in the corners in addition to Super Suz.

Michjmf09

Thanks all for sharing your projects. Love them all! Gives me some really good suggestions. I have a feeling it will be trial and error just like my artwork. But at least my ace in the hole is a professional tshirt place. Having been doing some image transfers from magazines with non fabric mediums. Definitely a process, but I still have gotten a few I love.
And thanks Iceblossom about discussing the fabrics. I will make sure to prewash! Planning on it anyway because most of my clothes are from thrift stores. Too bad I didn’t keep my purple stylish jeans from 1987. Yikes!

ckcowl

I have put many photos on fabrics over the years. I use good quality permanent ink in my photo quality jet set printer. I use prepared for dyeing (pfd fabric) I cut the fabric the size of printer paper and press freezer paper to it. I run it through my printer- let it set( cure) for 24 hours then heat set. I’ve had very good luck with this process. I’ve made many memory quilts with loved ones/ family photos. Years later some still look good