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4 Responses to “Has anyone ever made a photo quilt or a photo pillow?”
Not sure but when i was born in 73 my mom took all my clothes and in 1975 made a blanket it’s a bit tatered but i still use it,it’s warm to and all the clothes from a baby to 2yrs old are on it,you know like Micky Mouse and she cut the pictures out into squares and made a quilt,i love my baby blankey,and i’m 33yrs old now.
There are two issues here – how to get the photos onto the fabric, and what pattern to use. The pattern part is easy – you can use any pattern with a space large enough for your photo. You can use blocks patterns that have large center spaces, or you can simply add sashing strips to the photos and assemble them however you like. The first link below is to a website with over 1500 free quilt block patterns. The second is to a bunch of photos of photo quilts you can use for inspiration.
As for putting the photos on fabric, there are a few alternatives. I would avoid the iron on transfer paper that you can get at most office stores. The photo doesn’t last – either it fades or it peels. It’s fine for making a t-shirt, but I wouldn’t use it in a quilt. You can buy paper-backed fabric that is made to go through your inkjet printer at many craft and fabric stores. There are several different brands, so be sure to read the instructions and choose what will work best for you. Some cannot be washed, some need to be heat set before washing. Also check what kind of printer you have. The kind of ink will affect how well it works on the fabric. A word of warning – these fabric sheets are not cheap. You get three or four sheets for upwards of $10. If you’re going to use more than that, I’d recommend making your own sheets using Bubble Jet Set and Bubble Jet Rinse to prepare the fabric. Iron a piece of freezer paper to the back of the fabric so it will go through your printer.
I have made some photo quilts. You need to decide the size of the quilt blocks and then there’s the printer fabric. June Tailor has a printer fabric and you can find it at Wal-Mart or JoAnn’s, there’s also Printed Treasures paper. Hope this helps you.
Printed Treasures photo transfer fabric is really great (Joannes). It is washable and many are not, and it is not flimsy. You can make your own also, and that works well. I scanned them into my pictures, and printed from there. I have found that very old black and white photos should be printed in COLOR–and you will get exactly what your picture is. I make my photo quilts like scrapbook pages. I embroider headlines and embellishments, plus a date. with my machine. I started with the pic and did my own version of a log cabin type to build the block. My first quilt was for my mom’s 80th birthday. It really was a photo essay of 12 photos that showed a life well lived. I started with the pic and did my own version of a log cabin type to buil the block. I framed each picture with a quarter inch of black. My focus fabric was cream with roses. I used the rose and avacado colors for headlines and sashes. I also used these colors in my logs. Each block was different because the pictures were not oriented the same way, but it was all unified. I outline quilted all of those roses in the border. It was very lovely. Don’t be afraid-jump in there and go for it. You’ll have a great time and a great quilt. Joy
December 31st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
lapierre
Not sure but when i was born in 73 my mom took all my clothes and in 1975 made a blanket it’s a bit tatered but i still use it,it’s warm to and all the clothes from a baby to 2yrs old are on it,you know like Micky Mouse and she cut the pictures out into squares and made a quilt,i love my baby blankey,and i’m 33yrs old now.
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:26 pm
liddell
There are two issues here – how to get the photos onto the fabric, and what pattern to use. The pattern part is easy – you can use any pattern with a space large enough for your photo. You can use blocks patterns that have large center spaces, or you can simply add sashing strips to the photos and assemble them however you like. The first link below is to a website with over 1500 free quilt block patterns. The second is to a bunch of photos of photo quilts you can use for inspiration.
As for putting the photos on fabric, there are a few alternatives. I would avoid the iron on transfer paper that you can get at most office stores. The photo doesn’t last – either it fades or it peels. It’s fine for making a t-shirt, but I wouldn’t use it in a quilt. You can buy paper-backed fabric that is made to go through your inkjet printer at many craft and fabric stores. There are several different brands, so be sure to read the instructions and choose what will work best for you. Some cannot be washed, some need to be heat set before washing. Also check what kind of printer you have. The kind of ink will affect how well it works on the fabric. A word of warning – these fabric sheets are not cheap. You get three or four sheets for upwards of $10. If you’re going to use more than that, I’d recommend making your own sheets using Bubble Jet Set and Bubble Jet Rinse to prepare the fabric. Iron a piece of freezer paper to the back of the fabric so it will go through your printer.
January 5th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
harcrow
I have made some photo quilts. You need to decide the size of the quilt blocks and then there’s the printer fabric. June Tailor has a printer fabric and you can find it at Wal-Mart or JoAnn’s, there’s also Printed Treasures paper. Hope this helps you.
January 8th, 2010 at 12:43 am
lashep
Printed Treasures photo transfer fabric is really great (Joannes). It is washable and many are not, and it is not flimsy. You can make your own also, and that works well. I scanned them into my pictures, and printed from there. I have found that very old black and white photos should be printed in COLOR–and you will get exactly what your picture is. I make my photo quilts like scrapbook pages. I embroider headlines and embellishments, plus a date. with my machine. I started with the pic and did my own version of a log cabin type to build the block. My first quilt was for my mom’s 80th birthday. It really was a photo essay of 12 photos that showed a life well lived. I started with the pic and did my own version of a log cabin type to buil the block. I framed each picture with a quarter inch of black. My focus fabric was cream with roses. I used the rose and avacado colors for headlines and sashes. I also used these colors in my logs. Each block was different because the pictures were not oriented the same way, but it was all unified. I outline quilted all of those roses in the border. It was very lovely. Don’t be afraid-jump in there and go for it. You’ll have a great time and a great quilt. Joy