Failure!!

The agony of crafting defeat.  I should have listened.  I wanted to save a few dollars. . . .

Learn from my mistake.

So I'm hear to tell you that you *do* need to use Bubble Jet Set when printing onto fabric with an inkjet printer.  I took a picture of Maddie's watercolor painting:

I cleaned it up in Photoshop Elements, resized it and everything.  Then I prepared my fabric -- Kona Cotton in some shade of white.  Snow, maybe?  I cut it to about 9" X 11 1/2" and ironed it.  Then I cut a piece of Renyolds Freezer Paper (the kind that has one side that is coated in plastic) to size -- 8 1/2" X 11".  I did all this cutting with a rotary cutter and a ruler, by the way.  Super quick and easy!  Then I ironed them together.  After that I cut off the extra fabric and made sure there weren't any bubbles in the fabric.  The final step was a quick going over of the fabric with a lint roller to remove any stray fuzz that might come between the ink and the fabric.

I ran the paper/fabric sheet through my printer using the "normal" paper setting and it worked great!  The fabric looked great!  I was so happy!  Maddie was excited about the tote I was going to make her.  I ironed the heck out of it on *hot*.  I figured that might set that ink.  Doesn't heat always set a stain?  And what is ink on a fabric, if not a stain?  Hmmmmm?   I ask you?

Well, I left it to set for a few days until I got up the courage to plunge it into a sink of cool water.  (I wasn't planning to wash the bag I made for her, but I worried about rain, spills and what not, so test it I must.)  You can see the results.

So learn from my lesson.  And now I'm off to purchase a bottle of Bubble Jet Set.  And probably some Bubble Jet Set Rinse.  I've angered the gods and I must pay retribution.

And if you like books and reading, please check out the latest episode of Booga Talk!  Pete and I wax nostalgic about our first childhood reading experiences and other such nonsense.  It's a hoot!

Comments

[Nicole]

Ouch!!! I have a product at home that I think is better than bubble jetset :) I'll email it to you.

[Pooch]

I says Kudos for trying! It's a learning experience, though disappointing I know.

Onward and upward!

:)

[Mary-Heather]

That makes me want to buy a Bubble Jet Set RIGHT NOW. Not that I had a desire to print on fabric before... but I do now, and I'd like to do it with the right stuff! OK, I'm a sucker.

[lorinda]

I've used the t-shirt iron-ons with some success; but I'll watch for your Bubble Jet updates.