It inspired me to make this.
It's a photo I took of my two kids this summer while at Grandma and Grandpa's. They are standing on the corral fence trying to entice the horses and "Mee-Moo" the cow to come over. In the editing program I used the Timeless preset from One Willow Presets for the effect. Then I "washed out" the edges of the picture with a highlight priority.
Did you know that you don't need special fabric for the printer? Nope... you just need... Freezer Paper!
Can you find Freezer Paper in Canada? Not sure... I haven't. But I haven't looked all over Canada :) I grabbed mine at Walmart in Minot, ND.
Cut a piece of freezer paper the size of a 8.5 x 11 piece of computer paper. Then, just iron it on to the back of the fabric that you'd like to print the photo on. Cut the fabric to the size of the freezer paper after it's been ironed on.
UPDATE: I had a reader who commented and then found a solution that you can prepare your fabric with that will "set" the ink so that it's permanent and can be washed in the future. It's called Bubble Jet Set and you can read about how to use it here.
Thanks "Swankygirl109"!
I took my picture and put it on a word document so that I could size it to fill up the most of a regular sheet of paper. Put your freezer papered fabric into the printer so that it will print on just the fabric side (NOT the freezer paper).
Press print and viola!
I wanted to add a little depth to my pillow so I threw on an embroidery hoop and free-handed a little vine and leaf pattern on opposite corners in a dark gray that matched the ink.
Once I finished the embroidery I gently ironed out the kinks made by the hoop.
Pick out a fabric for the backing and then pin the two fabrics right sides facing. Sew all the way around but leave an opening for turning and stuffing. When you've got it turned right side out and have it stuffed to perfection you can use a hidden stitch to close the opening.
And here you'll have a charming, personalized gift.
Another Update:
These pillows were so easy to make and so personal that I ended up making probably 8 for people for Christmas. Foolishly I didn't take pictures of them all but did snag this one of the one I made my dad after he opened it on Christmas morning. My dad is an all around outdoorsman and it was important to him to pass on these things to his grandchildren. He bought my son his first fishing rod and gave it to him this summer. He put a lead weight on the line and taught Kai to cast on the grass and then took us out on the boat and was the one to help him cast in the water - with a real hook. This picture was from Kai's second fishing outing and where he caught his first fish so it was quite the event.
If you don't want to be restricted to an 8.5 x 11 pillow you can make "photo patches". Check out the "Love Notes" pillow I made for Valentine's Day!
For real: my jaw was hanging open. I am awestruck!
ReplyDeleteThe picture is a treasure but this trick you've shared is amazingly cool! Wow. Seriously. Thank you so much!
So cute!!! I have found freezer paper in Canada- our Sobey's Cash and Carry has it, but only the brown stuff and I had to buy a HUGE roll. It should still work though. I might have to make this for the grandmas for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought when I saw them in Country Living "wow those are actually really cool instead of what you normally find with pics on fabric." My mom actually has some really neat black and white pics from when she was younger that would be fun. But I thought it would be expensive to execute...thank you so much for the how to. Your pillow turned out awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks ladies! They're so simple I think they could get addicting to make! And Jen... good to know freezer paper does exist in Canada!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is so cool! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a GREAT idea! I've never seen this done before! Super cool and a perfect gift for mother in laws and mothers indeed! :D
ReplyDeleteHey so I guess you know someone that I know. Aimee Sartison suggest I check out your blog as she said I'd enjoy it and she was right! :)
I'll be following your regularly.
www.lifelikehoney.com
Very cool pillows. If you're printing directly onto the fabric, what is the purpose of the freezer paper? Just to keep the fabric stiff in the printer?
ReplyDeleteErica - yes, the freezer paper is just to keep it stiff so it will go through the printer properly. Works great. I just finished 5 more pillows tonight :)
ReplyDeleteTeaka - thanks for coming by! Aimee is such a dear friend and I miss her like crazy! She's a good person to have in common :)
it never says to remove freezer paper - does it stay attached when pillow is finished?
DeleteNo, thanks for clarifying. You peel it off as soon as it's come out of the printer.
DeleteDo you have to do anything special to set the ink? I'm just afraid if it accidentally gets wet it would ruin the pillow. Very very cute idea! I may try this for my Grandma. :)Also, this may seem silly but is wax paper the same thing as freezer paper?
ReplyDeleteHi.. I didn't do anything to set the ink. I wouldn't wash them as I'm sure they'd be ruined. As for accidentally getting wet... one of my pillows was sitting on a pack of open wipes before I stuffed it and I thought all the ink would run as there was a large wet spot but it didn't (thankfully). I think the difference between wax paper and freezer paper is that wax is "waxed" on both sides and freezer paper only on one. If you tried to iron wax paper onto fabric you'd have a very sticky waxy iron so you do actually need to track down freezer paper. I've heard from others that you can also usually get it from a local butcher or meat shop as they commonly use it. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteOk. That makes sense. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI searched around the internet and found that this site had a way to set the ink (with bubble jet set and bubble jet rinse) so the fabric could be washed. I thought it might be helpful because I love the pillow idea but don't want to worry about my gift fading or washing away! :) Thanks for your tutorial and help!
ReplyDeletehttp://quiltbug.com/Articles/bubble-jet-set.htm
Very cool thank you! It would definitely be a must if making a quilt. I had no idea such a thing existed! I'll add the link you posted in an update to this post so others can see how to set their own pics. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAdorable!! What a treasure for those lucky Grandmas!
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect for Grandma gifts...I will definitely be trying it!
ReplyDeleteI'm a flooded out Minot resident and just stumbled upon your blog via Pinterest--small world! Our Walmart here is ca-razy these days, isn't it?!
Love it. a friend is getting married and want pictures on fabric to make a quilt later. thank you so much. off to the store for freezer paper. :)
ReplyDeleteSo, does it have to be an inkjet printer or will a laser printer work too?
ReplyDeleteI've never used a home laser printer but I just "googled" it and some mentioned that because it uses heat in the process the fabric may be stiffer. Maybe you could try a small test picture? If you do, please let us know if it works!
ReplyDeleteI read a blog where you can use vinegar to set the ink after you print it. Just soak the fabric in a vinegar bath for 5-10 min (I believe) and then wash. MUCH cheaper than Bubble Jet Set!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteLOVE it!!! Does it matter what type of fabric you use? Also, do you iron the "waxy" side of the wax paper to the fabric?? THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL IDEA!!
ReplyDeleteHi! I don't think the type of fabric matters at all as long as you can see what you're print on it. Wax paper won't work as both sides are waxy so you definitely need to use freezer paper where only one side is waxy. Iron the waxy side to the fabric (otherwise it won't stick and you'll have wax all over your iron :) Then when you print make sure you're printing directly onto the fabric and NOT the freezer paper.
Deletewonder if you could lay a piece of regular paper on top of the waxed paper before you iron - then wax wouldn't get on your iron?
DeleteDefinitely worth a try! It's really just to keep the fabric stiff while you run it through the printer so it could totally work.
DeleteCan you color print too?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
ReplyDeleteHi, just reading the questions about wax paper vs. freezer paper. Freezer paper is actually plasticky on one side, not wax. Wax paper is going to prevent the ink from sticking to the fabric- that's what you use when doing batik to block out where the fabric will hold dye. Hope this bit of info helps.
ReplyDelete