I have recently finished this little journal for my daughter. It is for her photography ideas and inspirations and she requested some vintage photographs for the cover. It was a good inspiration for me as I have been wanting to try out this technique for a while now. Using an eco friendly orange household cleaner called Citra Solv, it is possible to transfer a toner ink based photocopy or print onto fabric and it will become permanent! Yes, permanent!
I was really excited to try this for the first time. I'll give the short version here, but if you want more detail there are some helpful instructions here.
I used a scrap of cotton curtain lining which had a nice smooth feel and a tight weave. Using masking tape, I stuck - print side down- the toner print I wanted to use. (Remember to reverse your image before you print it- especially if you are using some text in your image.) I'm used a collage of old family photos for my first experiment.
Underneath the fabric I placed a piece of cardboard and underneath that a few layers of fabric just to provide a little "give".
The paper I used was the cheapest kind of printer paper you can buy - I think mine came from Asdas.
Be sure not to have any masking tape over the area where your image is.
I used a pin to pierce a couple of holes in the foil on the top of the Citra Solv bottle and then poured a small amount into an old plastic lid. Using a flat natural bristled paint brush I brushed over the back of the paper using only just enough liquid to wet the paper but not oversaturate it. Once you do this you will be able to see right through the paper to your image.
Using the back of a tablespoon, I rubbed hard all over the image. Perhaps I could have rubbed even harder as my image didn't turn out quite as strong as I expected. I think another factor in this was that all my photos were quite small and perhaps a larger image would come out clearer. You will definitely lose some detail however you do it, but I love the aged vintage effect anyway so I didn't mind at all...
...and here is how it turned out. I was quite pleased with the technique and will surely be using this again for many things ; homemade journals, pillows, sachets....wherever the inspiration takes me! The Citra Solv is not cheap, but a little goes a long way. Use it sparingly. It smells wonderful and is also super for removing stains and general household cleaning. I bought 4 little 8oz bottles all for craft use and am now down to my last one as I used the other 3 for cleaning. I am telling you...once you have smelt the stuff, you'll be hooked!
I wonder if you'll give this a try...let me know if you do :-)
Doda
Doda this is beautiful, off to find some citra solv now.
I have some beautiful family black and white photos thanks for such clear instructions.
Posted by: Debbie | November 02, 2011 at 07:25 AM
Fantastic - and a beautiful project - thank you
Posted by: Katherine | November 02, 2011 at 07:53 AM
Love it and am going to actually try this as a friend did this too and i havent got round to it. So now its written in B&W i'll do it :)
Love what you have done with the image transfer too
Posted by: jayne | November 02, 2011 at 08:01 AM
Fabulous first post for IACW, just love this idea, and the finished result. Have googled Citra solv and found a 32oz bottle for 17.99, but it's the lavender and bergamot one - will that do just the same?
Elx
Posted by: Eleanor | November 02, 2011 at 10:40 AM
OMG! This is an incredible idea! Right. Where to find Citra Solv?! Thank you for such fabulous inspiration!
Posted by: Gabrielle | November 02, 2011 at 10:42 AM
oooh i so need to try this...and if it smells citrusy too...bonus!!
lovely project :0)
Posted by: Alix | November 02, 2011 at 12:45 PM
It made such a fab B&W image... keen to try this :) TFS
Mandy
Posted by: Mandy | November 02, 2011 at 01:19 PM
Fabulous, I need to find some citra solv, to try this out.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Lynne V | November 02, 2011 at 06:06 PM
Ecohip.co.uk is the place to buy it in the UK. It's the orange concentrate that does the job. Thanks for all your lovely comments :-)
Posted by: Doda | November 02, 2011 at 10:11 PM
What a fabulous technique, gorgeous finished project too, thanks for sharing xxx
Posted by: Tracey Jackson | November 03, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Loving this Doda!
Posted by: Laura | November 03, 2011 at 01:29 PM
Fantastic keepsake.
Posted by: Erika | November 04, 2011 at 08:48 AM
What an amazing post and an amazing technique - awesome work
Posted by: Scrapdolly | November 06, 2011 at 04:19 PM