Description:
Photographs, postcards, magazine clippings, and other printed images can be transferred to fabric relatively easily as is shown in Jean Ray Laury's The Photo Transfer Handbook. Using a laser copier at a copy shop, the image can be photocopied onto heat-transfer paper and then pressed onto the fabric with a household iron, or for an even more permanent application you can bring your fabric along to the copy shop and have the image set with a professional heat press. You can also begin with an image in your computer and use an ink-jet printer to output the image onto special photo-transfer paper (generally available at craft and office-supply stores) and then iron it on or use a home heat press. (Even if you don't have a scanner you may still be able to use this option; for example, if your computer has fax capabilities, scan the picture at a copy shop and fax it to yourself.) Quilter Jean Ray Laury offers extensive information on both methods and their variations, as well as helpful troubleshooting tips, four step-by-step projects, and a remarkable gallery of quilts by various artists showcasing this technique, in styles ranging from snapshot-cute to art-quilt sophisticated. Aimed primarily at quilters, the advice here should prove equally helpful to anyone who works with fabric, since garments and home-decor items can readily benefit from this interesting approach. --Amy Handy
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