Not all experiments work out, or they would just be called 'successes'. I'd heard that you can back a full sheet Avery sticky backed label with fabric and run it through the printer, so I got out a piece of my natural dyed silk - some of the materials I had used to dye it related to the photo collage I wanted to print on it (third photo) which shows an Arbutus tree leaf decomposing and seeming to float into the air where the tree it came from is pictured against the sky. I call it 'Return to Home'. I was careful to trim any stray threads and get the fabric smoothed down and it went through the printer just fine and I printed a second test photo in sepia on it. But when I went to remove the fabric from the sticky label - well you can see it didn't work. What a mess to clean off, but I did remove it all in the sink with a scrub brush and the pictures went with it - although the fabric now has a pink colour where the photos once were. I do have sheets of fabric that I purchased as printer ready, but that fabric is plain white. I have also heard that backing fabric with freezer paper can work, so I might try that in the future. The last photo shows a recent weaving I did that I've pinned to a wool backing - a thrift store find that happened to be the exact colour I needed! I've added strips of silk along the bottom as a fringe and now it's ready for some stitching.
Not all experiments work out, or they would just be called 'successes'. I'd heard that you can back a full sheet Avery sticky backed label with fabric and run it through the printer, so I got out a piece of my natural dyed silk - some of the materials I had used to dye it related to the photo collage I wanted to print on it (third photo) which shows an Arbutus tree leaf decomposing and seeming to float into the air where the tree it came from is pictured against the sky. I call it 'Return to Home'. I was careful to trim any stray threads and get the fabric smoothed down and it went through the printer just fine and I printed a second test photo in sepia on it. But when I went to remove the fabric from the sticky label - well you can see it didn't work. What a mess to clean off, but I did remove it all in the sink with a scrub brush and the pictures went with it - although the fabric now has a pink colour where the photos once were. I do have sheets of fabric that I purchased as printer ready, but that fabric is plain white. I have also heard that backing fabric with freezer paper can work, so I might try that in the future. The last photo shows a recent weaving I did that I've pinned to a wool backing - a thrift store find that happened to be the exact colour I needed! I've added strips of silk along the bottom as a fringe and now it's ready for some stitching. 
3 comments:
The ferezer paper thing does work very well. If you want the photos to be washable soak the fabric first in Bubblejet soak available from Rio Designs in the UK and no doubt elsewhere too.
Live and learn, right! I did a dumb thing as well using 707 spray..thought I'd use it to cover my fish piece so I could roll paint over the rest of the piece. Well..the 707 STUCK really good! Now to peel off the paper..thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for letting me know, Helen. I've got some bubblejet and will use it when I try out the freezer paper.
Robbie - well at least you didn't 'stay stuck' :) Thanks for your story and also for deciding to follow along here!
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