Making a fabric collage with a digital image

by Cyndi on October 7th, 2008

Technique Tuesday

I love to use my digital images in physical work! I never have to worry about copyright issues. I know that my images can be as mundane or as bizarre as the situation calls for. But mostly, after spending a lot of time at the computer, I like to step away and get my hands dirty, so to speak!

For this little art quilt collage, you’ll need to gather up some items, including the fabrics and interfacing that you want to use, the printed out image, some embellishments, and the tools: a cutting board and rotary cutter (or scissors), an iron, awl, hammer, eyelet setter, needles and threads, wire cutters, and chain nose pliers.

Print out the image that you wish to use on Ink jet T-shirt transfer paper. Cut it to size.

Cut out the interfacing (I used Timtex for this piece, a very heavy and stiff fabric), and cut your front fabric 4 inches longer and wider. Center the fabric on the front of the interfacing, and wrap it around to the back, creating mitered corners as shown above. Use a hot iron to crease the mitered folds sharply, but don’t adhere or stitch them down yet.

Iron the image onto muslin according to the directions on the package of transfer paper.

Use your awl, eyelet setter and hammer to insert eyelets into each corner and wherever else you’d like to attach embellishments. I use the top two for hanging the piece, and the ones across the bottom for hanging dangles.

Stitch on the surface embellishments. Bury the threads in the back under the fabric flaps as much as possible. This is why you don’t want to stitch them down in the beginning; the eyelets in the corners will hold the fabric from slipping while you work. Finish by stitching the mitered corners together and to the interfacing.

Decide what your piece needs for hanging embellishments.

Use your wire cutters and pliers to hang the dangles. You can also add fancier hooks to the top two holes, but I didn’t want to on this piece. Maybe I’ll go back later and add them once I know where the piece will hang.