Taking the time to do something properly

I have decided that I have to take the time to try to be a bit more scientific in my approach to printing out my digital images.  I have been trying to get images for deadlines, rather than taking the time to really experiment.

I have another image that I printed out using the TAP paper.  I did it for our ATASDA group.  We were meeting just before the Moomba Festival and the challenge was to produce something for that theme.  As usual, I was wanting an image straight away, I hadn't given myself time to really work on a design.  And I was in the midst of trying to work out the best way to print out some fabric using the home printer.

photo

The design used a photo I took a couple of years ago, some words, some pattern put into one of the words and a little bit of distortion of the reflected word. I enhanced the hue and saturation a bit also.

digital image

The colours have come up much brighter than my swan images, both the TAP one and the treated cotton one. It is actually quite good colour, much more intense than the ones I had produced using the swan images. As I had used a different image, it didn't really tell me how the different image transfer techniques compared.

That's the trouble with trying to compare products, you should only change one thing at a time but I am too impatient and want to use the fabric in a particular way - NOW.

Perhaps I will take the time to do some proper experiments, making sure I use the same base fabric, the same computer settings, the same image, the same hue and saturation settings, etc.  I will have to stop being frugal and say that I am experimenting, not trying to produce fabric for use in a specific quilt or artwork.

And I'll have to make sure I use the proper iron settings - here is an example of what happens when you forget to turn off the steam when using the TAP. 

And here is what happens when you forget that you are using a transfer technique and you should have reversed your text (and the whole image, really).

  Fortunately I had done the above two images rather small so I didn't waste a lot of TAP and fabric.  

Another version of the swans

The online group challenge is to make 12" square art quilts (which will be on show at the Australasian Quilt Convention in April).  I decided to use my swan images again.  I also decided to try another medium for getting my image onto fabric.  I used Transfer Artist Paper (TAP).  It has a slight plastic feel to it (and you have to remember to use the protective paper when ironing it!).  I thought it might give me stronger colours but I am not sure if it has.  I didn't bump up the colours the same as I did with the treated cotton, so I can't really say.

The computer image

 This time it printed out a bit pinker than I had expected.

Making an image to fit 12" square was another challenge and I ended up changing the design a little.

The TAP paper is in US letter, necessitating lots of remembering.  The printer, the printer settings, etc, had to be changed for each print. Once again, I had to print out two images to be overlapped to make the image the correct size.
It is also important to remember to reverse the image before printing as you have to iron it onto your fabric, it is a transfer.  I have only used it on cotton so far but apparently it will adhere to all sorts of surfaces, even non-fabric surfaces.
I thought I had managed it but when I measured the pieced work it was only 10 3/4 inches.  How had that happened???
Anyway, I will have to admit that my printer won't print 12" and work around this.

But I have remembered to put the quilt top together before sewing this time.  I decided to use colour in the border to try to pick up the little bit of colour that is in my pictures.  I think this has been one of my problems with the inkjet printing, the image I have been using is almost black and white, so I am not getting a good idea of what colours print well.