DIY fabric transfers tutorial

 
As requested, here is the tutorial if you fancy giving this technique a go.

To make your own fabric transfers, you will need some TAP paper.  TAP stands for Transfer Artist Paper, it comes in A4 sheets and allows you to transfer drawn or inkjet printed images onto fabric.  You can actually use it to transfer images to pretty much any surface including glass, metal or wood but here I am talking about what I know which is transferring to fabric.

This is what the paper looks like.  From left - back of TAP paper, Front of TAP paper, silicone release paper (this came with the paper and is used for protecting your fabric from the heat of the iron).

To make your own fabric transfers, just draw your images onto the white side of the paper.  Do not press down too hard with your colours or you will scratch into the coating.  

Here are the pens I used to make the images - ordinary kids felt pens (these are washable colours) and fine liners (which are permanant pigment ink markers).

I then cut out all the images I want to use with a thin border around the image (as above).

With a hot iron, place one of the cut out images drawn side down onto fabric, cover with the silicone release paper (to protect fabric from being scorched by the hot iron) and press down for about 10 - 20 seconds.  I find you can happily move your iron across the images as you press, the cut outs stay in position and do not move.

Carefully turn up the corner of the cut out and if it removes easily, it's done.  If it is still tacky and doesn't come away easily, press a little more.

After transferring, I washed the fabric in a bowl with a small amount of washing powder and hand hot water.  I squeezed and scrunched up the fabric as I washed for a couple of minutes.  I then rinsed it and ironed it with a hot iron.  I ironed right over the transfered images without the silicone paper.  The pictures above and below show the fabric after washing and ironing.  I am pretty impressed, particularly as the felt pens I used were washable!!

So, I can see lots of potential in this technique, particulary with decorating kids t-shirts and clothes, mixing the technique with embroidery and applique for fun little pieces and for making labels for quilts (any writing would need to be written back to front, so it appears the right way round after transferring).

What do you think?  Is this something you can see yourself trying?

Let me know if you have any questions, I can answer them in the comments below.

Comments

[Tami]

That could not be more AWESOME! I totally see myself doing that. Where did you get the artist transfer paper? Can I get that at a fabric store or an art store like Michaels? I just found you through the pillow party. I am going to follow. PS... I love your little drawings! I'm going to try this for my boys with some robots or some aliens or something! Can't wait!!!

[Paloma]

Wow!! looks like lots of fun! I think this is not only fun for us grown ups but also for 8 years and older girls who love to design their own stuff. I have some girls here who spend hours drawing little designs they hope to put on a t-shirt someday. Thanks for sharing Aneela.

[Linda]

This is so helpful! My daughter draws and I have been trying to figure out how to get the images on fabric. What type of fabric do you suggest?

Thank you so much!

Linda :-)

[angela]

Thank you for sharing!

[Shannon]

That is awesome! makes me totally wish I could draw! thanks for sharing!

[paulette doyle]

VERY cool!! I am going to have to 'play' with this..looks like fun!
Thanks for taking the time to show us!
P

[elsa]

thank you so much! I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, have some drawings a little friend of mine did and want to put them on fabric! great tutorial!

[aneela]

Tami,
You should be able to buy the paper from a craft store.
Online, I found some here,
http://www.amazon.com/Lesley-Rileys-Transfer-Artist-5-Sheet/dp/1607052539
and here
http://www.lesleyriley.com/store.php?cat=1

[aneela]

Linda,
I am using regular 100% cotton white fabric but you could really play around with different patterns and colours.

[ferne]

Great Post! This looks like a lot of fun!

[Gabrielle]

I can see so many fun things to do with this! Custom t-shirts and labelled fabric baskets are high on my list of things to try. Can you tell me what the finished texture of the transfers are? The last time I tried a transfer technique it involved a liquid media that left the fabric very stiff and not nice to work with or stitch through.

[aneela]

Gabrielle,
The parts of the fabric that have been transferred on remain kind of stiff but flexible. I'm not entirely sure if you would be able to stitch through those parts easily but I will give it a go and report how it goes on the blog.

[Angela]

love this, looks like fun! i will definitely try this! thanks, lady. :)

[Sarah@PingsAndNeedles]

Lovely tute Aneela !

I'm such a fan of transfer paper - I've been using it for about 15 years - Back in the day I used it to print my paintings onto fabric for cushions and nowadays I use it for everything from quilt labels to little pin cushions ...

If you iron over the image with the silicone paper for a bit longer, after it's cooled down a bit, you can get off any of the rough white border that might remain, and it seems to set the image in a bit more smoothly .... I find it quite easy to sew through, but it depends on the paper you use ... trial and error !

Yay! Everyone get transferring :)

[Jenni]

I see a Spring Break project in my future! Super fun; thank you for sharing!

[ina]

How fun! ;0

[Linda]

Aneela,

Thanks so much for letting me know about the fabric! I'll get the supplies together and see what my crafty daughter can come up with! :-)

[LeeAnn]

This reminded me of a gift I gave my sister a few years ago (and since I "rediscovered it" on my blog I might have to make up a spoonflower replica!) I made up a hand drawn image using basically the same technique you have here. I applied it to an Old Navy t-shirt. The initial results looked great! However, the one downside is that over time and exposure to sunlight is that the transfered image will start to yellow.
You can view the image I drew here: http://mintbasil.blogspot.com/2007/02/my-new-blog-adventure.html

[Emma]

Thank you, I can't WAIT to try this.
Emma :)

[Imby]

oh that is great, I have been making I spy quilts in preschools and the kids all write their names, that makes up the final block but I had to then spend waaaayyyy too much time scanning and getting a digital image to a tshirt transfer shop to get it done, now I think this will work perfectly for my next group - THANKYOU!!

[anna]

love this aneela. thanks for sharing your wise information. :)

[taylor kate]

thanks for the tutorial! :)

[Rachel at Stitched in Color]

This new paper is definitely something I'd like to try!

[jenclair]

Love this technique! Thanks for sharing!

[Helen]

Thanks for this tute - I've never heard of this technique - can't wait to play with it!

[Bonny Schmid]

Thank you for the tutorial! I ordered my TAP - I got it at Joann's online for only $12 for 18 sheets;) Can't wait to receive it and start playing:) My granddaughter (3 1/2 years old) is going to create her Mom a picture that I will sew into a pillow for her birthday later this month.

http://www.joann.com:80/joann/search/searchall.jsp?keyword=transfer%20artist%20paper&catPath=All%20Products////Product%20Home////UserSearch1=transfer%20artist%20paper&_requestid=828795

[Jennifer]

Such a great idea. I will definitely give this a try. :)

[sewkatiedid]

Totally awesome. This would be so good for auction quilts with the kids.

[Eileensideways]

this is amazing. you are so creative and your drawings so cute.

[Kathryn]

Thank you for posting this! I will be trying this very soon I think! So much potential!!!

[Alison]

I've used it a few times, and still can't get it to transfer completely. I even bought a new iron. Everyone makes it look so easy, but I don't find it so.
Secondly, how could someone be using it for 15 years. Isn't it supposed to be a 'new' invention? From Lesley Riley? Pretty sure it was supposed to be new out last year?

[aneela]

Alison,
I'm not sure why it is not working for you, perhaps try a different fabric, higher heat setting or different pens to do the drawing/colouring?
Even though the TAP is fairly new, variations of paper that can be drawn/copied on and then used to transfer imagery onto fabric have been around for years. Papers I have used in the past lost a lot of colour vibrancy in transferring and also didn't wash and wear successfully.

[Gina.S]

Great idea! i have a lot of the Tap sitting around now i know what to do with it! Thanks

[Scarlette Hobbs]

thanks, i bought the stuff but never knew how to use it, appreciate natalie sending your link. scarlette

[Roselinde Klass]

Hi there
Your results are really sweet!
I did alot of this last summer with my eight year old daughter, it was
like magic seeing her drawings pressed onto clothing.
unfortunately after a few wash and wears in regular machine cycle there is definate fading, so I recommend for longevity to handwash your articles with TaP on them.
happy crafting
Roselinde

[Kat]

absolutely adorable! Beautifully done, I will try to do this and combine it with some embroidery.
Love your ideas
Kat, Australia