Freezer Paper Print-Outs

It's our turn to jump on the bandwagon with a few freezer-paper projects.  We made these t-shirts in preparation for a baby who is due to arrive in a few more weeks.  I guess we have bunnies on the brain with so many of them romping around the yard right now.  Plus the tags on these say, Rabbit Skins (from Dharma Trading Co.), so I guess that did influence our decision.   (If you haven't seen this technique before, Craftster has tutorials.) I prefer using the C. Jenkins 8.5 x 11 freezer paper sheets rather than the paper rolls from the grocery store though, mainly because you can feed these sheets into your inkjet and print any line design directly onto the paper.  This is great if you want to adjust the size as I did, but it can also save time if you're making many.  (Of course, you can trace designs right onto the paper too.)  Just a few more nifty uses and applications for the freezer sheets here; including printing directly onto cloth as I've done here. 

I'm probably the last one on the block to try this, though I've often admired quilts with old photographs printed onto the fabric and always wondered how difficult that might be.  It made me a bit nervous to tell the truth, but it worked fine.  I did have some ink smudges in places, so make sure your cloth is securely stuck to the paper before you proceed.  I used vintage pictures and photographs printed onto light-weight muslin that was trimmed to fit the sheet.  (After printing, let it dry completely before peeling off the freezer-paper backing.)  I imagine you could make all sorts of labels too.

I used a few as appliques on the newborn onesies I've been working on for baby grand-daughter #2.  She'll have lots of hand-me-downs from Sister, but it's always nice to have a few new things too.  Love how sweet these look with just a touch of blanket-stitching around the neck and a rosebud or bow, or in this case, the printed appliques.  (Used a tight zigzag machine-stitch all around the raw edges.  Close-up view.)  TIP:: For cotton knits use a peel-away iron-on stabilizer on the inside of the garment in the area you're working on.  It's also a little tricky keeping these onesies flat under the sewing-machine needle, requiring a bit of adjustment as you go along, however, not too difficult. 

Updated 4/29 to add:: I didn't use Bubble Jet Set, but did do a wash test on these printed images and had no fading at all.  I used an Epson printer, and their inks are made from permanent pigments, rather than dye-based types, such as the ones used by InkJet printers, which do fade and wash out more readily.  So in that case, you would need the BJS to preserve the ink longer.

Comments

[Suzanne]

I was going to give these a whirl, thanks for the nudge. Yours came out adorable, love that blanket stitching too:-)

[Debbie]

Your onesies are very sweet! There are so many things you can do with freezer paper.

[Kali]

psstt...guess what? you're not the last one on the block to try, I reckon I just might be!
I've wanted to try for a while but have been rather chicken.
Your pieces are certainly sweet and inspirational.

[carolyn]

I think to key to not fading in the was is using the CK jenkins bottle of rinse stuff...

[shannon]

These are so cute, I love the stitching you did around the tshirt collars, and those vintage images are so sweet.

[brit]

I think the blanket stitching makes such a difference. You are so clever!

[Carol]

Adorable!!!

[lucykate crafts...]

they look lovely, i love the word 'onesies', we call them bodysuits here in the uk, it just doesn't sound as cute does it!

[Judy]

Those are sooooo cute.

[Terry]

Did you treat the fabric before printing with a product called Bubble Jet Set? I've never tried printing on fabric that was not treated. I was told that it would wash out. Curious how you did yours. They are adorable. Terry

[Natalie]

Time for me to Google "freezer paper." I see so many wonderful projects that require freezer paper and I still haven't bothered to figure what it is exactly. You've pushed me forward in to a must know state, with your ultra inspiring work!

[Dawn]

Your projects always inspire...
I like the new blog banner. Checking in on bloglines causes me to miss out on details like that.

Happy Tuesday, Vicki!

[Steph]

Wow, these all look lovely.

[Dana]

My quilting class was extoling the virtues of Bubble Jet for this type of project...

[gig harbor flowers]

those are adorable!

[Claire]

I love freezer paper - I have been printing out purses for the craft fairs I have booked using old illustrations - like the ones you made for the tops. Lovely stuff!

[Valerie]

I don't know anything about this but would love to learn more. Thanks for sharing.

[tinker]

Adorable!

[Heidi]

Everything about your site is "simlpy lovely"! I so enjoy it!...Heidi :)

[Heidi]

Everything about your site is "simply lovely"!....Heidi :)

[charlotte]

these are so sweet, Vicki! I used to make those for my little ones, the hard way without these new printer options. Still have them in the keepsake box after so many years because it seemed like they always had them on- the baby clothes they really lived in. just posted about those precious days....what fun to remember. xoC

[Péitseoga]

great idea, i only have a HP inkjet though, the ink is not water resistant at all...

[Chelle]

Those are so cute! I'm glad I stumbled across this! I've never heard of using freezer paper before, I might have to try it!