AboutConnie Hester Expertise Quilting and applique expert.Can advise on the following topics:quilting, art quilts, quilt design and construction, machine and hand quilting, paper foundation piecing, machine piecing, hand piecing, raw edge applique, turned-edge applique and fiber art.
Experience Winning awards in international fiber and art competitions since 1983; http://www.conniehester.com/
BS,MS
See my work and books at http://www.conniehester.com/
Expert: Connie Hester Date: 8/28/2006 Subject: printing photos on fabric
Question Hi Connie,
We finally got down to printing last night and had so much trouble. The fabric kept bunching up when the rollers pulled it through. Do I iron int to the shiny/slippery side of the freezer paper causing it to stick? I wasn't sure if this would affect the ink. After ironing it to the freezer paper do I still need to tape the edges?
What weight card stock do I use to attatch it to? We have some, but I thought it was maybe too heavy, we tried using it. Should the card stock also be trimmed to 8 1/4"x11"?
Lastly, we had a lot of picture and word distortion when pulliing the fabric free of the tape. What do you recommend for this?
I really appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Amy
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Connie,
Sorry to keep bothering you on this topic. I am planning to make a project that will hang on the wall and can't be washed. Do you recommend some kind of a spray treatment that will help preserve it?
Thanks, Amy
Answer -
No problem, Amy!
Preserve it in what way exactly? By printing directly onto the fabric, rather than doing image transfers with acrylic medium, you are neither changing the hand/drape of the fabric nor looking forward to the acrylic cracking/crumbling in the future.
Also, by printing with Epson's pigment-based ink rather than HP dye-based ink, you will not experience the quick, inevitable fading associated with HP inks. I have experiemented with the UV sprays on the market and have found none that help retard the fading which accompanies dye-based inks.
Since you won't be washing or rubbing against the photos, you won't even need to spray a quick, F-I-N-E mist of clear spray paint over the photos, to prevent the "crocking" that can happen with pigment-based inks (since they sit on top of the fabric fibers rather than soaking through the fibers like dye-based inks do). This is a preventative step I do for clothing items or pieces which I know will get heavy use and/or washing in the washing machine.
Connie Hester
Answer Yes, iron the fabric onto the shiny side of the freezer paper in order to firm up the fabric. Push hard on the iron, and use a setting for cotton (but not so hot it will scorch the fabric). Make sure it is evenly adhered with no air bubbles. Trim the fabric/freezer paper to 8 1/4" x 11".
Then, align the top edge of the fabric/freezer paper about 3/4" down from the top edge of a piece of card stock. (I use 110 lb., but even a piece of regular printer paper will help stabilize any flimsiness of the fabric/freezer paper.) Run a continuous piece (or pieces) of cellophane tape across the top edge of the fabric/freezer paper, to tape it securely to the card stock.
It should feed through your printer easily now.
It is very important to insure that the fabric is evenly adhered to the freezer paper, or any bubbles will cause it to be pulled up and distorted as it feeds through the printer, as you discovered.
As you pull the fabric away from the freezer paper after printing, pull an entire straight edge (like the bottom edge) up, all together, rather than a corner, where pulling on the diagonal will distort the printed image.
