Freezer Paper Transfer

Look what I was playing with last night. 

Wanna know how I did it?

First you'll need freezer paper. Apparently you can get it all over the US but the only place I've found it in Ontario is at Metro grocery store. I ended up with a huge 50' roll for ~ $6. It's 18" wide so it's going to last me forever. You'll also need a piece of printer paper and some spray adhesive. I used a pre-washed painter's dropcloth for my fabric.

Cut a piece of freezer paper to slightly larger than 8"x11". Take a plain piece of printer paper and spray glue it to the non-waxy side of the freezer paper. Trim the freezer paper down to size.

Find an image that you like - I chose a postmark - and edit it however you wish. I changed the colour of mine to be a bit browner instead of pure black and I lightened it a bit so it would look faded on the material. Flip your image so it's backwards.

Put your paper in the printer so that the image will be printed on the waxy side of the paper. Print your image.

Lay out your fabric (or whatever surface you're transferring to) and moisten it a bit with water. I just took a wet washcloth and dabbed it all over the material, but a spray bottle would work too. I did read later that if you spray the fabric with hairspray before you wet it you'll get a better transfer with less running. I'm going to try that next time.

Place your image face down and rub all over the back of the paper with a smooth object. Some tutorials say to use a spoon - I used the lid of the spray glue can and also an empty glass votive - 'cause I was too lazy to go downstairs and get a spoon. Make sure that you don't move the paper while you're rubbing the image or it will smudge.

Lift the paper carefully and you should have an image that is right side around. On fabric it transfers a bit unevenly which is perfect - you want it to look old and worn.

You can then take your damp cloth and wipe the freezer paper clean to be used again. Mine left some lines on the paper but they are permanent and won't transfer.

I loved this so much that I did it again with a Kailua postmark and then with a "Paris" image.

I had intended to make pillow covers with them, but now I'm thinking of recovering a foot stool I use all the time. The one limitation is that the material cannot be washed as is or the ink will come off. I've heard that if you wait 24 hours you can then wash it and it will only fade a little. I've also heard that you can iron it before you lift the paper (put a cloth in between the paper and the iron!) and that will set it.

This was so easy that I had trouble making myself stop. Tom's going to come home one day and find graphics on everything.

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I'm linking up here this week!