Image Transfer to Fabric?

[whimsey sara]

I just don't understand how you transfer images/printed text to fabric without printing directly onto a prepared piece of fabric. Can someone please explain it to me?
I hate to sound stupid, but I just don't get the "glue it on" thing. How do I glue paper to fabric to make it stick? Is there a way to lift the image and text off the paper to transfer it to the fabric without creating something stiff and unworkable?
Oh, please, Please help me!
Thanks! Whimsey Sara
(sara bockenstedt)

[Barbara Hynes]

See "Quilted Memories" by Leslie Riley; also, Jean Ray Laury has an older book (might be out of print, check the library) on transferring images to fabric. There are several Yahoo groups on this subject that you might want to investigate. There have been a lot of new techniques and discoveries made recently in this area. Also, a Google search will lead you to some very informative sites. I print out the good stuff I find and put it in a binder for future use.

[Ilene London]

Re: Leslie Riley's techniques I have had success with Leslie's method of using an inkjet printer to print the image on a transparency, then transferring it to fabric using Golden acrylic medium (the white liquid-y kind in a bottle, not the thick gel medium in a jar).
Good luck! Ilene

[Neki Rivera]

You can also make (or have them made) thermofax screens )and print the image. i second the Jean Ray Laurie book. I think there was a reprint a couple of years ago.
Also it depends on the use the created work will have and how much stiffness can be tolerated.

Coincidentally i just uploaded my first 2 photos and they are loosely on this topic : )

neki desu

[arlee barr]

You can use several methods--- print on a tshirt transfer, which is the easiest but is rather stiff, or paint your printed image with gel medium, put wet image side down on the fabric, burnish with a spoon, then let dry. When it's dry, soak and rub GENTLY the paper off. You could also print on a photocopier, place face down on your fabric, use a solvent based cleaner to gently wet the back of the image, burnish with a spoon, then peel off the paper.

[arlee barr]

Just as an aside, Maggie Grey has been working with tshirt transfers, breaking up the stiffness by needlefelting and stitching directly on them. I never did like the slickness of them myself :} Dinner always slides off my chest, even with a big "shelf" :}

[whimsey sara]

Thank you! So, I can use rubbing alcohol on the back? Or will that adversly affect the fabric?

[arlee barr]

Booze evaporates, whether it's methyl or ethyl :} Test first for sure though if the fabric is precious!

[Susie Monday]

Hi Sara

There are a lot of ways to do this depending on the tools and technology you use. Making a thermofax or photosilkscreen will give you one way to transfer a one-color version. You can also use gel medium to make a kind of decal with many printed images. It will be stiff, but that isnt important for some usages. You can also transfer onto a smaller cloth (printing with your printer) then fuse cutouts or smaller pieces to a larger piece of fabric. You can use citrisol to "melt" some inks and transfer a rather watery kind of image to another piece of fabric. Jane Dunnewold at Artcloth Studios has some great books and CDS that explain all these methods in detail.

[Karen]

H Sara
I would agree that you look at Quilted Memories.
There is also a Yahoo group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inkjet_transfers/
They have loads of info about anything and everything to do with ink jet prints.
I use the same method as Ilene printing onto transparency etc.
There is also a product called Extravorganza - a sheer fabric that you can print directly onto
It all depends what you want to do (?)
I have some images on my blog using ink jet prints
Warm regards
Karen
http://www.karens-gardenstudio.blogspot.com/