Cutting Fabric

Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » December 30th, 2017, 11:45 am

My apologies in advance if my question isn't clear, but here goes...
I've been experimenting (successfully) with cutting fabric. However, now I want to cut the fabric such that once it's weeded, the remaining pieces are still affixed to an iron-able backing so that I can peel the entire set of pieces, in their proper places, off the mat to flip the backing over onto whatever it's going to be ironed onto. I'm imagining something like what we do with heat transfer vinyl, but with fabric instead of vinyl.
I'm working on old black and white photos, and want to use this process for layering intricately cut shades of gray, black and white, upon each other.
Hopefully, this will make sense to someone.
Again, what should be the bottom layer next to the mat that has a sticky surface for the fabric on top, and can withstand the heat of an iron?
Thanks so much!!!
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby Gigi » December 30th, 2017, 1:03 pm

Do you mean something like Wonder Under?? You could fuse it to the fabric and then cut out your pieces. I would experiment to see which way you get better results cutting - with the Wonder Under (or whatever you choose to use) on the mat or reversed and facing up. That could make a difference in getting good vs great results. I don't know - I have not cut that combination but I would think the Wonder Under would give the fabric more structure and make it easier to cut. Not sure I answered your question so lmk if not and I will try again! :)
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 2nd, 2018, 11:16 am

Thank you so much for trying to help, Gigi. I use Wonder Under and Terial Magic to make my fabric the perfect density for cutting (hooray!!), but my need to be able to lift all the cut pieces, intact, and then flip them onto another layer of fabric cuttings, where they will be all fused together.
Imagine cutting heat transfer vinyl. Once the cutter has done its work, we weed the extraneous pieces. The pieces we want to use are all lying, face down, on what looks like a clear piece of plastic. We lift the plastic with all our vinyl pieces just where we want them, and flip it over onto a tee shirt, to iron it down. It's the equivalent of the clear piece of plastic that I'm looking for, to use with fabric. I trying to figure out how I can affix my stiff fabric to something that will allow me to cut intricate pieces, and after weeding will allow me to lift my many cut pieces and then set them on top of fabric to be ironed down. Just like we do with heat transfer vinyl. I'm going to see if I can quickly re-find the applique picture I made of my mother to show you what I'm talking about.
Thanks again,
C
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 2nd, 2018, 11:32 am

Here's a picture I did. It still needs to be quilted. As I moved higher and higher up in the value scale, my cuts became more intricate. It was a bit of a pain to move the extremely little pieces from the mat to the picture. If I could figure out what to put beneath the fabric (much like the clear plastic behind the heat transfer vinyl) to let me transfer it all in one piece from the mat to the picture, it would be a much faster process with perfect alignment. I've thought about contact paper over the the top of the fabric, but there would be two issues; 1) it would impede the delicate cuts of the fabric and 2) I wouldn't be able to iron on it.

MomFaceBookFabric.jpg
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby Gigi » January 2nd, 2018, 2:07 pm

I was just thinking about contact paper. Hmmmmm. Obviously I don't totally understand your process, but why couldn't you iron the fabric on the wonder under or whatever first, place them on the mat with the contact paper acting like the plastic you described, cut the fabric just to the contact paper, not through it, weed it and turn it over and place them where you want. No??? I know I am oversimplifying it but trying to think of options...
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 2nd, 2018, 4:05 pm

My only concern about the contact paper is that I can't iron on it. That would mean that I would still need to align the contact with the fabric adhered, place it in the correct position and then gently pull back and place the fabric into position. I'm concerned the that peeling off process could distort the fabric or cause raveling. The tiny pieces are really delicate.
Keep thinking of the fabric as being my version of heat transfer vinyl, looking for something ironable to put underneath.
Again, thanks so much for your thoughts on this. I'm sure there's something out there!
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby Gigi » January 2nd, 2018, 4:49 pm

What about freezer paper as the backing sheet? I have used it for many things and you can iron it - and it's inexpensive. Would that work???
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby pigtailpat » January 3rd, 2018, 11:46 am

I have no idea what the OP said in her post (too confusing for my brain to follow), but if the idea is to lift up ALL positive and negative pieces from the mat to transfer the whole thing intact to be fused to another piece of fabric, duck wall repair fabric (it is a self-adhesive fiberglass) laid over the cut media (after the cut) might do it, but I never used it on fabric I dunno if it will release or not from the fabric..............
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 12th, 2018, 1:46 pm

Hmmm pigtailpat - Sounds like it's worth testing.
Gigi - Have you tried cutting anything above freezer paper, without penetrating? That sounds like a possibility, too. Just not sure of my setting skills. Lol
Thanks to both of you!
Carol
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 12th, 2018, 1:53 pm

Gigi and Pigtailpat, someone just told me about "rhinestone transfer tape." It looks like a possibility, too. I'm getting ready to leave for a trip, but will test it out and post the results upon my return.
Best regards,
Carol
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby Gigi » January 12th, 2018, 3:26 pm

Great idea - didn't even think about that!
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 12th, 2018, 5:17 pm

I really do need to work on preparing for our trip, BUT...I just can't stop thinking about the "transfer tape." Lol

I'm thinking I might try this:

Step 1 - Pre-treat fabric by stiffening with Terial Magic and then iron onto Wonder Under or Steam a Seam

Step 2 - Prep layers to cut fabric
Top - Fabric ironed onto Wonder Under
Middle - Layer of Wonder Under backing paper
Bottom - Mat

Step 3 - Cut and weed

Step 4 - Prep layers to remove cut pieces from mat
Top - Transfer Tape pressed onto cut fabric pieces
Middle - Remaining cut fabric - preferably just fabric, not through paper(??)
Bottom - Mat

My theory is that using these steps would enable me to have the iron-on material left on the back of the fabric and ready for ironing (in place) when I carefully lift it from the mat, with the transfer tape.

This is like a major, mental breakthrough. I'm so excited.
But for now, I need to get ready for my trip!
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby pigtailpat » January 13th, 2018, 10:17 am

here is the problem with using transfer tape (or even the fiberglass wall repair kit) to transfer fabric - the underside of the fabric has the wonder under fusible adhesive, but most fabric adhesives need heat to adhere. The underside of the your fabric needs to be firmly stuck to the media under (i.e. the fabric to be transferred to), so that the transfer tape or whatever you use can release.

Transfer tape (R tape) works really well with vinyl, because the vinyl media underneath is so sticky, it will stick very well to the media being transferred to, so that when the R tape is pulled, it releases with the vinyl in place. You might be able to apply heat through the fiberglass stuff (using another piece of fabric to protect your iron) without the fiberglass melting. I do not think you will be able to apply heat through rhinestone transfer as it has many of the same properties as R tape for vinyl - only slightly a little different.

However, on the other hand, applying heat over the fiberglass wall repair stuff might make the adhesive under that permanent to your fabric and it won't release.
Either way, I urge you to be cautious about what you envision, buy only in very limited quantity, and TEST on non-project media to save your sanity.

Pat
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby Gigi » January 13th, 2018, 11:50 am

Great advice Pat - and you would certainly know! Thanks so much for sharing.
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby CarolBly » January 14th, 2018, 11:43 am

Thanks for the advice, Pat. I'm planning to start small. Also, my understanding is that there are at least three level of tackiness for the transfer tape. I feels as if I'm getting closer to what I want, not matter how this sorts out.
Best regards,
Carol
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Re: Cutting Fabric

Postby pigtailpat » January 19th, 2018, 8:18 pm

Carol good luck, let us know how it works (or doesn't).
Pat
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