Monday, January 24, 2011

Technique Class - Fabric Paper

I love the look of fabric on a scrapbook page - probably because I am a sewer from way back, but I've always wondered about what was the best way to attach fabric to a page.
I could have tried sewing it on, but I know that not everyone is a sewer like me and I wanted an idea that the majority, rather than the minority could use.
Solution number 2 - double sided adhesive sheets.
Applying the double sided adhesive sheets to fabric is relatively easy, though you do need plenty of space especially if you are working with larger pieces of fabric. 
The method I used was much like how I used to cover school books with Plastic Contact Paper. 

  1. Cut double sided adhesive to size.
  2. Peel back a portion of the backing paper.
  3. Place adhesive (sticky side down) to the back of the fabric and smooth out the adhesive to ensure the adhesive and fabric are both smooth.
  4. Continue to gradually pull back the backing paper and adhering to fabric until all adhesive is attached.
I have some examples of three different versions of how I attached the adhesive to the fabric.
  • Fabric pieces
I found this fabric in a bundle with some other "Lightening McQueen/Cars" patterns at the Warehouse. My sister has bought some matching sheets & curtains for her third son's bedroom, so finding this was just what the doctor ordered for his "Welcome to the World" album I am creating to celebrate his birth.
I cut out some of the blocks so I could turn them into individual stickers. The blocks on the material face different directions (which annoys me) so I thought this would make the fabric easier to use and more versatile. Also this way I could get more out of the fabric... on scrapbook pages, cards, OTP projects as well.
Being the budget conscious scrapper I am, I then placed the cut pieces onto the backing paper to work out the most economical placement and cut the double sided adhesive to size.
Then I pealed back the backing paper and placed the individual patches into their respective places. The great thing was that this method meant I didn't have to worry about creases in the fabric as they were removed by the sticking process.
 
  • Fitting fabric to fit left over adhesive sheet
I worked out what part of the fabric I wanted to use. Cool fabric - also from the Warehouse.

Not sure if I will leave it whole or not or cut it into pieces so just left it whole for the time being. Otherwise just used the general process discussed above.
 Then I simply cut around the self adhesive paper.
  • Background Paper
The final piece I want to use as a background on a scrapbook page or two so wanted it to be as large as possible. I'm not sure yet, what shaping I will use so have left it whole until I make up my mind. These pictures show the process mentioned at the start of slowly peeling back the backing paper and sticking it down gradually.

 More cool fabric from the Warehouse.

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