Mary- Photo quilts?

[kayser]

Mary,

I think I remember you saying that you used to do quilts and now you incorporate quilting into your photo hobby with photo quilts? Do you have any pictures of these quilts? I'd love to see them! I've seen kits for them but haven't actually seen one made.

Thanks!

[Mary]

Hi Kay - this is picture of a memorial quilt that I did last year for a friend. She had a childhood to adulthood friend who died suddenly - they were both in their early 40's. The friend was a very successful fashion designer whose work had appeared in all the top fashion magazines. At the time of her death I borrowed the magazines and scanned the pictures and covers. I also asked for some of the material and laces used in her designs. 4 years later after I retired I made the quilt and also one for the friend's mother. They were very well received and I am so glad I thought ahead and then found the time to do them. I printed the scanned photos onto moire taffeta after bumping up contrast etc in PSE.
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9034/memoryquilt6gs.th.jpg (http://img73.imageshack.us/my.php?image=memoryquilt6gs.jpg)

A fun thing that I have been doing for new babies is a bib with a picture of the mother as a baby on one side and a picture of the father as a baby on the other side. I add the words "I look just like my Mommy/Daddy" on the pictures. Then I put a soft laminate on each side and call them inlaw bibs. Just flip it over depending on what grandparents visit.:)

[Ward Grant]

Mary, what a great idea. Can I ask a "how-to" question since I am not a quilter. How are the pictures attached to the material?

[Mary]

Hi Ward - after I printed the pictures onto the taffeta I cut each out and then sewed each picture piece to pieces of the background fabric. After assembling the blocks I attached them all together to create the top. The math involved was driving me 'round the bend at times. Thanks for asking :) :)

[Ward Grant]

I think I see the key in my puzzlement...after I printed the pictures onto the taffeta... I thought you were using original images, but transferring to cloth makes a lot of sense.

[NMarti]

Mary
Very cute idea on the bib. That keeps everybody happy!:D

Did you have any trouble printing on the fabric? Did you buy some specially prepared for printers? I ask because I have been toying with the idea of an ancestors quilt for some time and even have the pictures picked out but just wasn't that happy with the iron-on transfer method. I have done several quilt tops and had them professionally quilted but have been holding back on this one.

[Mary]

Hi Nancy
I use 2 different methods for printing on fabric. There are some pretty blah fabric sheets for sale (muslin) that are already adhered to a backing paper that you remove after printing. I also use Freezer paper ironed to the back of the material that I want to print on. It is also removed once the printing is complete. I have found that a smooth fabric like moire taffeta works really well. The one caution is I have only printed on fabric on a printer that has a straight through feed set at the thick (envelope) setting on my Epson. I know for sure that laser printers are a no no and the HP printers may not work because they don't have a straight through feed.

One of my friends has been successful using the same fabric method in a photocopy machine. She just hopes that nobody at the copy place notices what she is doing.:o

[Wendy]

Hi Mary ...

What a beautiful quilt ... Quilting has always facinated me but sadly I am totally useless at doing it :(.

I think that the bib idea is facinating ... and I should imagine that it goes down well with everyone :). It would make a great gift !!

Wendy

[BettyC]

About 12 years ago my daughter and I made a memory quilt for each grandmother. We got our selected old pictures "Xeroxed" in color. We then put the pics face-down on the fabric pieces. Then there was a liquid from the craft store that we "gooped" all over the back of the pic, saturating it. (Yes, images were reversed unless you copied twice.) When dry, you then had to re-wet the piece and scrape off the backing of the pics' paper--a very tedious process and not always successful! There are advancements in this area by now, I would think. The quilts were treasured and loved by all.

Betty

[NMarti]

Thanks Mary - did you then seal them with something? How do you keep the ink from running if it gets wet?

[Mary]

Good point Nancy - because this is more an art piece than a blanket it isn't meant to be washed. I would use an iron-on transfer probably if it was going to be washed - like you would make a picture on a t-shirt I guess.:)

[NMarti]

I agree about them being a work of art. My mom was telling me about a product you can spray the fabric with that is supposed to seal it but I can't find anything like that when doing a search and she can't remember where she read about it or the name of the spray. I was hoping you might know about it.

[Mary]

People have been using the same spray fixative that you would use on charcoal or pastel paintings (Krylon) but I don't think it would make any fabric washable. It would keep dust off and make it smudge proof. Do you think that may have been what she was referring to - or maybe somebody knows of something else.:)

[Jodi Frye]

I found this link for the actual proper paper...I mean material to use...supposedly the best for quilting ( said by another source)...check out the ' how it works' link on the right.

http://www.printedtreasures.com/PrntTrsr/PTPages.nsf/KLKey/Home%20First%20Page?OpenDocument

[NMarti]

Thanks Jodi. That looks like just what I need. I'm gonna order a pack and see how it does.

[kayser]

Thanks for the link; it was fun to look through the idea gallery. There was one creation using the Warhol effect. I'm wondering if I can talk my mother-in-law into doing a joint project with me; she's just getting into quilting and I think she'd like this.

Nancy- let us know how it goes!

[Jodi Frye]

Yes Nanci please let us know ! The possiblities are pretty much endless with something like this. I actually got the link from someone who creates photo quilts for a living. I probably should have bookmarked it :rolleyes:

[jo]

Wow! Great idea for gifts! I just ordered some sew-ons to try out.