I spent a few hours this weekend sewing up a couple of larger pillows and some cute little pillows with ribbon hangers for our digital iron-on transfer images. These are so easy to make - trust me, I am not a seamstress, so if I can do it, so can you! Here's how you can create your own pillows and other home decor items with Studio Gabby Girl Digital Image Downloads for Iron-On transfers and Home Decor.
Just cut squares of fabric into the desired size - I used 14" square for the larger pillows and 6" square for the smaller pillows. The ribbon attachments were roughly 12" long before sewing. Pin them, wrong sides together, and sew with approximately a 1/2" seam allowance. In our Etsy shop, we show our images on burlap since it's so popular in home decor today. However, in this case, I used natural, unbleached 100% cotton fabric. This is NOT muslin I used, but rather 100% cotton. It has a really nice texture, is fairly opaque and accepts iron-on transfers beautifully. I found it at my local Wal-Mart for $2.50 a yard!
I also purchased my Iron-On Transfer sheets there (found them in the craft department). I think there were 7 sheets for $5.99. These work great and are super easy to use. Make sure to follow instructions with them for printing and ironing. Also, when you order from Studio Gabby Girl you get a HOW-TO sheet with every order with all of my tips and tricks for using our digital images for iron-on transfer.
Once you see how easy it is to use our digital download images, you will be creating up a storm! I gave two of the little hanging pillows away as gifts this weekend to my mom and sister. They absolutely loved them! My mom used hers as a little door accent on her outside apartment door and my sister hung hers on her bedroom door.
Completed mini pillows with ribbon hanger attachments.
Here's some step-by-step photos to help you get started in learning how to iron-on transfer Studio Gabby Girl digital image downloads:
Step 1: PRE-HEAT YOUR IRON FOR 10 MINUTES! This is very important to the outcome of a successful transfer. Lay your fabric (in this case a sewn pillow slip) on a HARD SURFACE. Do NOT use your ironing board. I used our countertop with a pressing cloth under my fabric. You must iron onto a hard surface to get the best iron-on results!
Step 2: Preheat your fabric for approximately 45 seconds, pressing all the wrinkles out of the fabric and making sure it is warm to the touch.
Step 3: Position your iron-on transfer image, backing paper side up, image side down onto your fabric where you want it placed. At this point your fabric should still be warm, which also helps your transfer grab onto the fabric before ironing it down. Notice the transfer is cut closely around the digital download image to give the final image a seamless look. Iron on the transfer, being careful not to move the image, pressing it all over evenly for approximately 90 seconds and also according to the manufacturer's instructions. 90 seconds works good for me.
Let the iron-on image cool for approximately 45 seconds, or slightly warm to the touch. It helps to have the fabric slightly warm as it seems to peel back easier and doesn't pull at the image as much. Carefully grab one edge of the backer paper and slowly, slowly peel it off to reveal the image you just ironed on.
The completed iron-on image, transferred to fabric. In this case, this is a little 6" pillow with attached ribbon hanger, ready for stuffing.
I like to transfer a batch of images as long as I have the iron and fabric ready. Here are some completed little pillows I did, ready for stuffing.
A larger pillow slip, made with our Custom Monogram Digital Images
Here is our Vintage Birds with Sing phrase cut off digital image ironed onto a gorgeous piece of quilting fabric done up in a nice goldenrod color. I think they look beautiful on a rich background like this too! The sky is the limit on the possibilities you can create with Studio Gabby Girl Digital Image Downloads.
