So if you just read the last post showing you how to work with freezer paper as a stencil for painted fabric projects you'll know that you have to manually transfer the centers of words and designs by hand.
I knew there had to be a better way, I mean who has time for that?!(or the patience)NOT ME!
I began to experiment for you in my lab, aka craft room, and came up with a very simple solution. I made a "carrier sheet" like you have with heat transfer vinyl. How you ask? See below....
The Supply List:
I used my Cricut Maker to quickly cut a bunting banner out of some linen fabric. I just drew a rectangle and a triangle and then sliced them into one design. The rotary blade made this a fast cut project.
Now to design the words for the bunting! I'm using the font Mostly Sunshine from the Love to Craft Bundle Volume 2. Isn't it gorgeous?!?! These are my favorite kinds of fonts, give me all the hand written cursive fonts please.
I changed the paper size and shape to match my bunting so I could scale it properly.
Make sure to weld the font so you don't have to worry about each letter cutting separately then group it back together.
As we learned in the last post you need to flip the design horizontally to cut on the wax side of the freezer paper.
Set up the file to be cut BUT don't cut it yet. This is where the fancy trick comes into play!! The blade should be 1, Speed 1, and Force 5. Yes, a very light force because...
First, cut a piece of transfer tape to size and lay it sticky side up on the cutting mat.
Now lay your freezer paper, wax side up on top of the transfer tape. Use an application tool to get a firm grip.
Load that into the machine and send the file to be cut. Double check your settings for your machine by test cutting in the corner first. I have a fairly new blade in mine. You want it to cut the freezer paper but not the transfer tape.
Weed out the words making sure the centers stay attached to the transfer tape.
Now you're able to lift off the transfer tape and apply it to your fabric!!!No more worries about tearing the paper or having to place each center by hand.
Give it a quick press to adhere the freezer paper to the fabric. I only pressed for maybe 5 seconds. I didn't want to worry about melting the transfer tape. Also please make sure that you have Teflon paper or parchment between the transfer tape and heat source, nobody wants melted plastic!
Now peel away the transfer tape just like you would if this was regular heat transfer vinyl.
Dab the fabric paint over the design and let it dry.
After it's dry to the touch, peel off the freezer paper and use your tweezers to pull out the smaller center pieces.
Give it another press with heat, this time for 15 seconds to heat-set the paint permanently onto the fabric.
Since I'm making my project a bunting I used the heat press to fold over the top so I could stitch a pocket for a wood rod.
Sew a simple straight line along the bottom edge.
I wanted my edges to fray to give it a rustic look but I don't want it to completely unravel! Just stitch a line around the edge of the whole bunting making sure not to stitch the pocket you just made closed.
Then I took my fingers and frayed the edges a bit.
Insert a wood dowel and add some string to make the hanger. This is going to be a gift for my friend who is getting married this weekend, it will be a perfect addition to a wedding photo gallery wall.
So there you have it, a hack to make freezer paper into an easy to work with material like heat transfer vinyl!!Just add transfer tape first and lessen the force. So simple right?!?
10 Animal Themed Display Fonts
All your Design Needs
