As I posted a few days ago my castle wall project is well on its
way. Inklingo released a new block collection Judy Martin's Waltzing Matilda just
recently and I had to get it for my collection. So now it is in my collection
my thoughts has turned to the Inklingo 9 inch star which is my next project
after the castle wall quilt.
Look what happens. I start playing around
with Inklingo and I got carried away and started the printing my 9"
star project after I printed my octagon wedges for my castle wall quilt.
I am going to do 12 blocks this time and I
thought I would share my way of working with Inklingo. There is some important
steps I always take when I print my fabrics to make my life easier and for the
process to run smoothly. That doesn't mean I print perfectly every time but
this way I have the least amount of trouble and generally if I am having
trouble it is because I am hurrying or because I have skipped a step thinking I
can get by this time. Well guess what. I am not perfect and we all have bad
days. So I hope this helps you work through the printing stage.
1. Choose the collection you want to work
with and purchase it from the Inklingo website if you haven't done so already.
Then decide how many blocks you will need to print.
I know some quilters who have purchased the
collection they like and haven't taken the next step. We might have to do some
Inklingo workshops in the New Year to encourage them to take the next step.
2. Prepare your fabric selection, by
choosing your fabric, washing and pressing the fabric while still just damp.
3. Print out Monkey's Cheat Sheet so you
can record your projects printing details. That way if you need to print more
you have all the details and you can just print rather than having to work out
it again.
4. Cut a small piece off each fabric to
print your test page so you can work out which ink will be suitable for each
fabric. Iron it a piece of freezer paper and follow the Inklingo instructions
on printing your test page.
Cynthia's Tip #1 I keep all my test page fabric samples in my
Inklingo folder as a reference guide. This is if I want to print on small
pieces or there is a chance I may not have enough fabric for the whole project
and want to skip the test page printing. I look through my samples for a
similar fabric weight and colour and use that to select the ink colour I need
and I always go one shade lighter to be safe.
5. Once selected look at how many pieces
you need to print and choose the layout
you need and the custom sizing to work out your page size, so you can work out how many
sheets you need to print. Then print on the custom setting you need on to a
piece of paper first. This is to check you have all the lines and the print
direction is correct. Adjust if needed. This avoids wasting fabric.
Cynthia's Tip #2 I always cut my freezer
paper slightly larger than my fabric. Then press the fabric to one end of the
freezer paper so I have an edge of just freezer paper that is the edge that
goes into my printer first. I have found this works the best for me; it reduces
the amount of times the fabric gets jammed in the printer. So if you are having
trouble it may help.
7. Check the first print on your
fabric and once you are happy cut the rest of your fabric and freezer paper you
need and print the remaining sheets and fill in all the details onto your Cheat
sheet for future reference.
Cynthia's Tip #3 Depending on how many
sheets I am printing depends on how many sheets of freezer paper I cut as you
can use the freezer paper a few times before you have to replace it. If I am
only printing 2-3 sheets I only cut the 1 piece of freezer paper and reuse it.
If I am print 4- 8 sheets I will cut 2 sheets and so on for more sheets. If the
freezer paper gets a little bit linty as it will with some fabrics I run the
shiny side of the freezer paper along the edge of my iron board then use a lint
brush or roller to clean the iron board edge. This helps keep the freezer paper
clean and your fabric will stick better to the freezer paper and you are less
likely to get printer jams.
8. Repeat with all your fabrics for your
project.
9. Cut your shapes out using your rotary
cutter or scissors what way works the best for the shapes you have printed.
Linda has a great tutorial on the Inklingo blog on cutting.
Then you are ready to sew by hand or by machine.
I am affiliate with Inklingo so when you purchase something from
Inklingo don’t forget to highlight Cynthia’s Ark when you get to the where do
you hear about Inklingo question and help me learn and experiment with Inklingo
so I can help you.
Until Next Time
Try Inklingo
Cynthia
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