How to Print on Fabric with Freezer Paper

Share on FacebookPin on PinterestTweet about this on TwitterEmail this to someonePrint this page

Your Laser or Inkjet Printer Can Produce Wonderful Results!

With so many beautiful fabrics to choose from at the quilt store, it’s hard to imagine why you’d want to print your own. However, your printed designs can add truly special touches to a quilt.

For example, photos are often printed on fabric and added to memory quilts. Or, perhaps you want a special fabric for a particular spot in a quilt and can’t find what you need. You might consider creating your own printed fabric using your home printer.

How to Print on Fabric with Freezer Paper

“50th Anniversary Memory Quilt” from Home Sweet Home.

Lisa Capen does a wonderful job of explaining the printing process, printers, ink, and more in the video below. Plus, she demonstrates her method of printing on fabric using freezer paper. Printing your own fabric is not hard to do and adds another level of creativity to a quilt project.

Just keep in mind that the printed fabric you produce can only be as large as the paper the printer will accommodate, typically 8 1/2″ x 11″. If you don’t have a printer, a local print shop will probably work with you. Take both the prepared fabric and the digital file that you want to be printed on the fabric with you.

Be sure to test the printed fabric before incorporating it into a quilt. Wash a sample as you would the quilt to make sure the colors don’t bleed. All fabrics, printers, and inks are different, so print results and colorfastness may vary.

Click here to view the video in YouTube if it does not play on your device.

Keep in mind that you’re likely to get better results if you remove the sizing by pre-washing fabric before printing.

If you find during washing tests that your printed fabric fades, consider further setting the ink with Bubble Jet 2000. Simply follow the instructions on the bottle.

Lisa provided a PDF to print from. It’s available here. Try it and see how well your printer does with fabric. If that works well, do another test using an image you want to sew into your quilt. Lisa’s file is black and white so it’s especially important to test your image if it’s in color.

Wedding Memories Quilt Pattern

This quilt design is a good template for a photo quilt of any theme. Get the pattern here.

Some quilters prefer to use fabric sheets that are designed specifically for printing. EQ Printables Inkjet Fabric Sheets are popular and yield good results. You’ll find them and several other products to choose from here. Be sure to evaluate the drape and feel of the printed fabric while making your selection (check the reviews). Whatever you choose, follow the instructions carefully for the best results.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Quilting Digest has featured many patterns from vendors participating in the Craftsy Marketplace, most of which have been deleted by Craftsy. It's going to take awhile for us to hunt down new sources for those patterns. In the meantime there are many links to patterns on our site that no longer work. We apologize if this article contains one or more of those links and appreciate your patience while we straighten things out. Thank you!




PLEASE NOTE: Quilting Digest does not sell or otherwise provide patterns directly. We showcase patterns and projects from various vendors, bloggers and other sources. Please make a note of where you access a pattern (the link in the yellow box toward the end of each Quilting Digest article). That way you can contact Support for that source if you have downloading problems or other issues. Thank you!

 

11 Comments

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *