| Photo Transfer Technique |
From "DIY Crafts"
episode DIC-235 |
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Almost any image can be photocopied and transferred to fabric for creative home accessories -- even your favorite stationery or greeting card!
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Looking for a new way to personalize your decor? Author and craft expert Jean Ray Laury offers this simple method for transferring favorite photos onto fabric. Materials: Photograph
Transfer paper
White, finely woven, smooth, 100 percent cotton fabric
Iron
Tabletop with ironing-board cover or padding
Read directions thoroughly before beginning. - Photocopy or use computer to print image onto transfer paper. Reduce or enlarge the photo as needed to make use of full page. Fill any empty space with decorative graphic elements (other photos, flowers, etc.) as needed, and print or copy a few extra images for practice.
- Trim off any excess paper from the edges of your image.
- Heat iron to cotton or linen setting. For ironing, an iron with a flat sole plate without steam vents works best. Old irons tend to work better, as they usually get hotter.
- Place transfer on pressed fabric, face down, aligning photo with grain of fabric. Tip: Covering with tissue before pressing can protect fabric and prevent yellowing when exposed to hot iron.
- Place iron on top of the transfer; press down hard. Count to five or six seconds (depends upon temperature of iron) and move the iron to another section. Continue until the entire transfer has been set.
- Immediately remove paper by pulling away with the grain of the fabric (removing fabric at a diagonal can cause distortion of image).
- Use image in pillow or other project.
Troubleshooting - For transfers, 200-count smooth cotton -- in white or light colors -- works best, although muslin will do.
- Always make sure photo transfer paper used is compatible with copier or printer.
- The work surface should be a counter or solid table, covered with a pad or heat-resistant cover, rather than an ironing board. Both heat and pressure are required for successful transfers, and an ironing board is too unsteady.
- If paper doesn't peel away easily, the transfer may have cooled. Re-iron it briefly and then pull.
- If residual color remains on transfer paper, or portions of photograph didn't transfer, heat was inadequate.
- Intense heat can cause the surface to bubble.
RESOURCES :
The Photo Transfer Handbook: Snap It, Print It, Stitch It
Model: 1571200649
Author: Jean Ray Laury
C&T Publishing
Phone: 800-284-1114
Photo Art & Craft: 50 Projects Using Photographic Imagery
Model: 0873419723
Author: Carolyn Vosburg Hall
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