I was using the Spoonflower fabric samples of my photographic collages, making them into sachets...
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I also had some transfers of my artwork that my friend Kate of Full Circle Studio had printed for me on her commercial press...using this one in making a pillow...
That little bit of sewing re-ignited my desire to sew...and prompted me to make an artist smock with my vintage mattress ticking, using one of the Spoonflower samples as a pocket on the smock..
So now I was hooked...what else could I create using these samples...but there was a problem...I was running out of samples...then I had my eureka moment! I had purchased a large stack of transfer paper at a garage sale during the summer...
Once I found the stack of transfer paper, I sewed up another artist smock, again with my photographic collage printed on fabric for the pocket...this smock is the test model for artist Jody Cain of Latitude Studios...wanting a test run on how they wear in the real world...
At this point, I was firing on all pistons...couldn't I print onto fabric and use the fabric in different ways...cover design for my recycled journals came to mind...here's how I did it...
These were the two types of transfers in the stack I bought...after working with both, I liked the results from the HP paper better...it seemed to be a smoother print
There's an explicit instruction sheet included in each packet...I arranged my images in Photoshop on 8-1/2" x 11" document - the same size as the transfer sheets...I wanted to make use of every inch of paper...and most important...DON'T FORGET TO FLIP YOUR IMAGES HORIZONTALLY! This is especially important if you have writing on your image...always wise to perform a test run on blank paper before printing on the transfer sheet...though I only paid a couple of bucks for my stack at the garage sale, I am assuming that this paper is not cheap...don't let any scraps go to waste! Here's what my printed transfer sheet looked like...
Once you've trimmed the images and heated up your iron (with no steam or water in it!) you are ready to go...I decided to use a lightweight muslin as my fabric...I pre-washed the fabric and then tore it into pieces to correspond to the size of the image...
I purposely wanted the frayed edges...
An aside...I have several pairs of Fiskars scissors...the pair with the ribbon tied on is my fabric scissors...used only for fabric...never paper...the ribbon is a quick visual reminder for me which scissors is which...
In transferring the image to the fabric, you need a flat, firm surface...I used a scrap of birch plywood which was very smooth and even...placed on my work table, I knew that I could press down heavily...don't do this on your ironing board - its not strong enough!
Once you are done ironing (again - follow the instruction sheet on time needed) you just peel off the paper...and voilà!
The image of the daisy was placed off to one side of the muslin...in the open space I stamped the word grow...
The acorn image was sewn onto a cover of a mini journal...
while the daisy transfer was used in the creation of a recycled garden journal cover...
And for those whose curiosity has been piqued...garden journals and artist smocks with my unique photographic collages will be available at my booth at the Vintage Market at Swan Trail's Farm, March 28, outside of Snohomish, WA...get all the details here...
And speaking of one thing leading to another...
I haven't forgotten about my blog...it's just that I've become very enamored of Instagram...so visual, so inspiring, so quick and easy to share photos...it has become consuming...but in a good way...check it out...you'll see...
