The Photo Transfer Handbook: Snap It, Print It, Stitch It
Photographs, postcards, magazine clippings, and other printed images can be transferred to fabric relatively easily as is shown in Jean Ray Laury'sThe Photo Transfer Handbook. Using a laser copier at a copy shop, the image can be photocopied onto heat-transfer paper and then pressed onto the fabric with a household iron, or for an even more permanent application you can bring your fabric along to the copy shop and have the image set with a professional heat press. You can also begin with an image in your computer and use an ink-jet printer to output the image onto special photo-transfer paper (generally available at craft and office-supply stores) and then iron it on or use a home heat press. (Even if you don't have a scanner you may still be able to use this option; for example, if your computer has fax capabilities, scan the picture at a copy shop and fax it to yourself.)Quilter Jean Ray Laury offers extensive information on both methods and their variations, as well as helpful troubleshooting tips, four step-by-step projects, and a remarkable gallery of quilts by various artists showcasing this technique, in styles ranging from snapshot-cute to art-quilt sophisticated. Aimed primarily at quilters, the advice here should prove equally helpful to anyone who works with fabric, since garments and home-decor items can readily benefit from this interesting approach.--Amy Handy