Printing on Fabric

http://thequiltrat.blogspot.ca/search/label/inkjet%20solution%20%28homemade%20Bubble%20Jet%20set%29Note*  if you are looking for information on printing fabric with an inkjet printer and or, a homemade Bubble Jet Set solution......please click on the "Tutorials" tab above

It has been a little while since I last ran fabric through my printer, I have been wanting to try printing a photo in sections on fabric and stitching it back together. So come along and I'll show you what I did.

First, I made up a batch of my homemade Inkjet set solution, that will allow me "set" the printer ink into the fabric so they won't run or bleed. I have shown this before but, I wanted to prepare a good sized piece of fabric this time, so I tweaked my recipe just a wee bit. The recipe is very simple.

2 tablespoons of Alum   (the stuff used when making pickles)
2 tablespoons of Soda Ash  (the stuff fabric dyers use  NOT washing soda)
2 cups VERY hot water
I mixed this all together.....made certain everything was completely dissolved, added my dampened fabric (which was previously pre-washed) and let it soak for approximately 20 minutes, at which point I gently squeezed out the excess liquid and hung the fabric to dry. (Be sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the solution)
I prepared enough fabric to create 18 printable sheets.

How do you make printable fabric sheets, you ask?  just follow these steps.
Once your solution soaked fabric is thoroughly dry, you need to press it well with a dry iron (no steam!) The  fabric at this stage is susceptible to scorching, so be mindful of that too.
Cut fabric and freezer paper into pieces a bit larger than 8.5 x 11 so that you will be able to trim them perfectly.

Press a piece of freezer paper to the backside of each of your fabric pieces

trim to the size of copy paper....8.5 x 11

Next, to be certain each piece of fabric goes smoothly through my printer, I stitch each piece of prepared fabric to a sheet of cardstock using a zig zag stitch. take a close look at the photos below, leaving that little bit of cardstock at the edge ensures that the printer will grab it and feed it through perfectly each and every time (I ran 10 sheets through in this session and each one printed exactly as I wanted)
Caution! be absolutely certain that you have trimmed the threads as close as possible.....you do NOT want any loose threads that can get caught up in the printer.

here is a look at 4 sheets after they came out of the printer.

I removed the stitching by simply sliding the seam ripper along the edge, to take the fabric off of the cardstock and freezer paper ( I can reuse that cardstock many more times) and now I am ready for the next step...............ahhh...but that will be in another post.

For those who want to know what kind of printer I used, I currently have an inexpensive Canon Pixma iP2600 ink jet colour printer. 

Inspiration

Lately I have become quite fascinated with feathers, I have had some interesting visitors to my bird feeder this summer. Recently, this tiny little Red Breasted Nuthatch has been popping by. It is only 3 - 4 inches and moves very swiftly so you need to be quick to snag a photo.

 This pretty little bird was the inspiration for the doodle below.

Yesterday, I was quite surprised to find this looking back at me just outside my window...... It appears to be a Broad Winged Hawk.......this beauty was roughly 20 inches long (maybe bigger)
I took this photo through the window......he was only about 3 feet away and I swear he was posing for me!

Tentest Design wall

Sometimes you need something more substantial than a flannel design wall. Those are great for block placement, but what if you want to add embellishments?.....you can not easily audition beads, buttons or found objects in an upright position.  
I thought you would like to see what I use. At the lumber store, I purchased a sheet of "Tentest", I bought a 4'x8' sheet and asked them to cut it down to a more manageable 4'x6' size

close up of the cut end

This product is a fibrous board, also great for use as a bulletin board. It is sturdy, fairly lightweight and pins into very easily. I took an inexpensive bed-sheet and essentially made a large pillowcase out of it to slip right over the whole piece....I can use both sides if I want to.

4'x6' covered Tentest

 You can pin just about anything to this, so now, you can quickly see how the addition of  various embellishments will look......walk away, step back and assess before making a commitment.

Sun-Print & Thread

Do you recall the sun-print I made using feathers? here is what they look like now, with just a small bit of stitching added. I tried to maintain a light airy feel.