Printing Out Photos for My Quilt

If you have never printed photos on to fabric before, it is a really fun process. There are sooo many different ways you can accomplish this task. I use different methods depending on what I am using the photos for. I always try and consider how my project will "live". Is it something that someone will wear; will it be washed periodically; will it get a lot of wear and tear; will there be a lot of rubbing.

I have been working on my daughter's graduation quilt; which she will be taking with her to college. She will need something she can throw in the wash. She will more than likely still use gentle or hand wash cycle, but she can still wash it as I made it colorfast.

First I chose 100% cotton poplin fabric. It has a really smooth finish and very little texture. I cut it out to my desired size (8 1/2 by 11).

Then I used Bubble Jet Set 2000 to rinse the fabric. The directions are right on the bottle. How much simpler can you get! There is a pic below. Also, there is the Jet Rinse I use for after I finish printing.



After I rinsed the fabric in the Jet Set, I let it dry and ironed it to a nice crisp finish. I then ironed it onto freezer paper. This is the one I use below. I just love freezer paper. I use it for so many different craft and sewing projects. You iron the shiny side of the freezer paper onto the back of the fabric, and when you are done printing it out or cutting, you simply peel off the paper and it doesn't leave any residue.


I pick out, doctor, and play with my photos in any old program. I then print them out in best quality. But, I should caution against using any other type of paper as your source. Just leave the setting as regular paper. I have done this MANY times and for the over all life of your project, you will get a much better finish.

After the ink is dry I like to run a dry iron over the photos. I then give them a gentle rinse in the Bubble Jet Rinse. I heat dry them with a blow dryer and then press them. (Just because I'm always worried about the life of my project and the photos fading, I still give them another rinse in fabric softener and water.) Do not ring out your fabric or rub on top of the photos. Just dab or lay it flat.

I know there are so many ways out there to do this. I use the June Tailor fabric sheets as well. Even though it does not require it, I still use the above methods of rinsing with the Bubble Jet Rinse and then the fabric softener. I have tried skipping the rinsing, and was really sorry I did after the project was washed a few times.

My motto is, if I'm going to spend a lot of time making this; then I want to make sure it will stand up to the test of time and not fade right away so that whomever I give it to will end up throwing it away.

It's been a lot of work, but it still is a lot of fun and my photos are really sharp and full of color.