World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of September 22, 1997:

Our question this week comes from Katherine L. Piechocki

What is the most reliable, efficient, easiest way to transfer photographs onto fabric?

Jane Fleming :
Iron the muslin on freezer paper and then run this through a color printer. This worked very well for me and the photograph turned out very detailed and clear.... If photograph on fabric fades after washing place a piece of paper over photo and iron it. this will brighten the photo again.....

Jane Fleming :
Place the muslin on freezer paper and then run this through a color printer.
Theresa Menzie :
I have used to Photos to Fabric that Ami Simms has demonstrated on the HGTV Show "Simply Quilts". I had never seen anything like this before, I am a new quilter and a poor ironer!!! Once you find a reliable copy center to make the transfers, the rest is really easy. Follow the directions carefully, especially the part about the pictures not being to dark, and you will be thrilled with the results. I am doing several small wallhangings for Christmas gifts
Louise M. Joiner :
I do not know of a way to do it at home but would like to know. I always take mine to Kinko's Copies and they do it for me with their machines.
Anthony :
I've had good luck with the laser color copier/heat press technique. Don't have a color laser printer. I find that a good technician on the laser copier at Kinkos can get greater image saturation than I can with el cheapo inkjet printer. This means a brighter, stronger image which translates to more visual impact when transferred to fabric. Agree that the press is far, far superior to the hand iron. Be sure to get the copy in mirror image to account for the reversed image even if the picture doesn't contain any writing. Otherwise, even faces will look off kilter. It's also a good idea to get several proofs on paper before the final on your photo transfer paper (our Kinkos only charges for the final "acceptable" image. The tech can make a dramatic difference with adjustments to the copier controls.

Meets two of your tests, reliable and easy. Efficient, probably not, unless, like me, you're always finding reasons to go to Kinkos anyway.

Kathleen Roae :
I use a color flatbed scanner to scan a
picture into my computer and then print
it out on my high resolution color
printer. I either print onto transfer
paper or directly onto "fabric" paper.
Pictures printed onto transfer paper need
to be reversed so that when you iron
them onto fabric they come out the
"right" way. Cannon makes fabric sheets
that you can use in a printer, which you
then use in your project as you would use
any cotton/muslin fabric.
Janet Atkins :
Get someone with a color copier, transfer paper, and a heat press to do it for you. I am looking into this for my own business (we're about to get a color copier) and it really seems that the best results come when a heat press is used, instead of an iron.
Ann Anderson :
I have had great success by taking the photo
to a copy store with a color copier and a
heat press. The copiers, such as a Canon
color copy can zoom and shrink and also
make color corrections. The copy is made
onto a material which is press under high
heat by a "t-shirt" press. The new fabric
is very washable and color fast. You can
buy the transfer paper in some quilt stores,
but I know that many of the copy place
do not like to put "unknown" material
through their $50,000 to $100,000 copiers.
Also the heat from an iron may not be as good
as a commercial heat press.
Estelle McClurg :
I take the picture and the fabric to a photocopy store and have them do it. The stores that print photos on Tshirts do the best work.

World Wide Quilting Page * Question of the Week