Today I have a fun iron-on project to share with you. It started out with this cool graphic from the book Design Parts Sourcebook: Rock and Street Culture
A Collection of Images for Artists and Designers
I added the words "Good and Bad" to the banners underneath the little angel and devil birds.
Then I flipped them as the directions on the package of printable iron-on transfer material said to do.
I added a bunch more stuff to the page for future use so as not to waste it. I used my paper printing test to figure out size and placement.
And here you have it after the images were ironed onto the back shoulder area of the t-shirt.
I should also note I started with a big long sleeve shirt and cut it smaller and the sleeves off turning it into a tank top. So now I have a shirt that has my good bird/angel on one shoulder and my bad bird/angel on my other shoulder. Which one do you think I listen to more??? Don't answer that.
And I want to share with you one more graphic. This one was made by selecting inverse instead of flipping. I clicked the wrong button but I thought it was a way-happy accident! So if you like this graphic pop on over to Amazon and grab yourself a cool copy of this book that contains a CD with tons of images to use in your projects.
Design Parts Sourcebook: Rock and Street Culture
A Collection of Images for Artists and Designers
Oilshock Designs
Sub-culture
graphics are ready for use in this book providing imagery that is
useful for a variety or art types. Developed by a group of experienced
designers from the apparel industry, these inspired images are great
for printing onto T-shirts and other clothing and accessories, CD’s
flyers, Web pages and even as references for tattoo art.
The
illustrations are provided as print reference in the pages of the book
and also provided on a companion CD-ROM. The files are available as
both Illustrator EPS files and JPEG files, making them easy to modify
and customize.
Oilshock designs is a designers’ company on
fashion, apparel and sub-cultures, started in 2006, separated from
JELLYFISH which was established by Satoru Kurahara in 1993.
Now onto today's Q & A
This question was asked by
"The bottle cap bookmark is so simple yet serves a really great purpose and looks like it's a fun project too.
My question is this: What is the best way to shrink a 100% wool
sweater? I know I've done it before by mistake. But now that I want it
to happen each time I take my old sweater out of the bucket of hot
water it seems to have stretched!! I would like to make felted purses
for Christmas.
Any suggestions?"
Answer:
As the author of Sweater Surgery
How to Make New Things from Old Sweaters
I have felted probably 100 sweaters.
How I felt a wool sweater:
1. Throw it in the wash with a towel or a pair of jeans (this causes more agitation and helps mat the fibers together more)
2. I set my washer to hot wash cold rinse, again radical temperature change is key to felting wool sweaters.
3. Walk away
4. Throw sweater and towel/jeans in dryer on "hot"
5. Repeat step 1-4 until I like the density of the felting of the sweater.
6. Go make something cute!
For ideas on what to make with your felted wool sweater, click on the Sweater Surgery link below, grab yourself a copy of Sweater Surgery
How to Make New Things from Old Sweaters or pop on over to the Sweater Surgery Blog!
Keep those questions coming so you can be entered to win a free book and SideWinder Bobbin Winder.
And want to increase your odds of winning and know of a great recycled craft project, blog, Etsy Designer or Website? It can be your own or someone else's. Pop on over to Recycled Crafts at CraftGossip.com and click on "Suggest a Link" (specify "Recycled Crafts" ) and you will be entered to win a free book and Bobbin Winder there too!
when i solder, i seem to end up with a gloppy mess. i use the solder that already has the flux in it, and i use a regular ordinary soldering tool. i use copper tape - probably about .25" wide. i really love the look of microscope slides and other small pieces of glass or pottery surrounded by solder. how can i get the soldering thinner and smooth?
Posted by: f lynn rush | August 18, 2009 at 08:36 PM
I love, love, love the good angel - bad angel embellishment. I'm going to look for the Design Parts Sourcebook up here in Canada.
Thank you ever so much for answering my question on shrinking sweaters. It's so easy from the description. I can hardly wait to start working on the felted items.
I have another question. I am also going to be making cloth lined purses with a vintage look. I am going to be using an assortment of materials for handles bamboo, acrylic wood already made handles, some recycled, some from cloth and wide tape. The one that I am having a bit of a problem with is the clear plastic tubing. I would make it just as a carry purse strap length and maybe put some loose beads etc inside the clear plastic. How do you get the ends of the clear plastic to attach to the purse. It's too heavy to sew through. I guess you could try to rivet but that may weaken the ends. Melting them requires real careful work and maybe some coverup with cloth. Any suggestions?
Posted by: Maxine Kollar | August 18, 2009 at 09:31 PM
Would using an eyelet setting tool help with the tubular handles? Then you could attach them to the purse with whatever thread, fiber or lacing you wished. I like your idea of filling the tubes with something else. Beads, sequins, very thin ribbon, rolled fabric etc. would look great toning with your material.
I don't know the size of the tube you are planning to use. If it is too small for an eyelet then I would guess you could get a similar fixing by piecing it with a hot needle.
If you have a really fine pointed soldering iron perhaps you could piece the plastic handles that way?
Posted by: Suella | August 19, 2009 at 10:17 AM