Image Transfer

There are several ways to transfer an image to fabric, some can be time consuming, others can get a little expensive. Today I am talking about one of the least expensive and quickest methods of all, and that is done using T-shirt transfer paper. It is a great option for the times when you need to get the job done quick. I must mention that this method will change the hand of your fabric somewhat, but I am finding that they have greatly improved and don't leave the fabric feeling quite so "plastic-y" as they did just a few years ago. The paper I used for my current projects, is by Avery, but many retailers may have their own store brand as well. The Avery pack comes with very good, detailed instructions.I set up, by lowering my ironing board to a level that will allow me to stand over it and put good, even pressure while bearing down with my iron.
I slip a solid board into a pillowcase, this becomes my actual ironing surface and as you can see by the top photo, excellent results were achieved on a variety of fabrics, including papertoweling. That hard surface is the key to success.

I experimented a little beyond simply printing on it and I thought I show you the results. There are always little leftover bits when you trim around the image before pressing.....DON'T throw them out, you can't put them back through the printer, but you CAN still play with them.
Here I took a leftover bit and drew on it with a simple ball point pen.
Now, I could have transferred that as is, but I wanted to take it a step further. I got out some of my acrylic inks and did a wash over the paper........that workedso then I tried brushing those inks on the paper and once it had dried, I drew on it......that worked too!

And here they are after being transferred to fabrics..........I'll do a bit of stitching and likely turn these into postcards.



As I said there are several varieties of transfer papers on the market, you need to test them and decide what works best for you and the results you wish to achieve..........and yes, I have tried TAP........I blogged about it here.