I recently posted a couple of old pictures that my dad took and I really wanted to integrate them into a new project. So I used one picture to try out a fabric transfer project using Gel medium.
The picture is of my mom and I wanted to capture the vintage feel of the picture, so I decided to transfer it to the back of a denim shirt.
DIY:
Supplies: Shirt/piece of fabric, laser printed image, Gel Medium
1. Print your favorite image with a laser printer.
2. Apply a thick amount of Gel Medium on the right side of the paper (so you cover the image up with the gel).
3. Place the paper face down onto the fabric. And let it dry for a couple of hours or overnight.
4. Take some water and dab it onto the paper. Use your fingers to rub the paper of. This may take a while and there will be several layers of paper to remove. Make sure you don’t rub to hard, or you will scratch the image!
The image transfer probably won’t come out as perfect as the original image, but I think that it suits the style and makes it look more unique.
All done!
20 comments
I love this!!!! You have great DIY
Much Love
amyklundt.blogspot.com
Thank you!xx
I thought about what happens when you wash it…!?
Hi, Thank you for reminding me! I totally forgot to mention in the post that you can wash it, bit it’s handwash only! So just gently wash the fabric without to much rubbing.
hello,great diy.what kind gel medium do you use?
Hi, I used the gel medium from liquitex:
http://www.liquitex.com/GelMediums/
xx
I love this idea. Does it need to be a laser printed copy? I’m not sure if my printer is laser or inkjet (embarassing, I know.)
Thanks for your help.
LB
Hi!
Yes, it has to be an inkjet printed image. I don’t really know why, but the image won’t transfer completely when you use an inkjet printed image.
xx
I love this shirt :)
Thank you!
does it only work with black and white images?
No it doesn’t! You can definitely use color images. It’s just that I only have a black & white laser printer at home, so most of my printer involved tutorials will be black and white ;)
Love this! very cool
Thanx!
I loved doing this in high school for art projects. Never thought about doing it on fabric. :) Great DIY. Can’t wait to do it.
Thank you! And let me know how yours turned out!x
Hi, I am french and i love your shirt !
I would like to apply your idea but I haven’t understood the step 2 and 3. Could you explain more clearly please.
Thank you
Hi Camille!
How great that your are trying the tutorial!
Step 2 and 3 are really easy. Just apply a thick amount of the gel medium on the side of the paper where the image is on. Than place the paper with the image face down onto your fabric. And just let it dry for a couple of hours!
Good luck!
Hi! I have so many ideas to use this technique on t shirts but I have to be able to machine wash them. Is there any way to seal the print so it is washable and permanent? Could I paint textile medium on top of the image to seal it and make it permanent? Thank you!
Hi Tracy! When I did a few testruns for this project and machine washed them, the image came off almost entirely. Adding textile medium on top of the image might help, but I would advice to do a few tests before. Happy crafting! Lana x