Printing on Fabric: Be sure to have a good image to begin with. Save it as a tif file for printed output not a jpg or gif. Because jpg format compresses as it saves, the image will lose quality each time they're resaved. gif only supports 256 colors. If you're scanning an image use at least 150 dpi for printed output. The 75 dpi is fine for scanning images to use on homepages, but your printer will support greater dpi output. Also be sure to check your printer options and settings to get the best output.

Use whatever fabric you like, (natural fiber is recommended). I usually take sizing out of fabric first and press it very smooth before printing on it. If you don't take the sizing out, the ink sits on top too much, rather than bonding with the fibers.Cut it to 8 1/2 x 11 inches and affix it to full-page Avery Labels. Rip off the paper backing, as you would with any stick on label, then affix the fabric to the sticky side, once again making sure it covers the leading edge in particular completely (no sticky label extending beyond the fabric so the label won't stick to your printer rollers).

Load it in your printer (making sure which side should be up), and print! Depending on the fabric, you may want to seal the edges from unraveling with a thin bead of glue. After printing, let it dry and cure for several hours and then iron with dry iron as hot as your fabric will take, then spray with two coats of fixative, drying and pressing in-between. Don't remove label until all the pressing and spraying is complete. Much easier to handle and keep square.

You can use the Avery labels over and over again, until the stick-um doesn't grip well at the edges any longer.

Anne Gerdes

Printing your own fabric: Just read Anne's hint about printing on fabric. I have not tried exactly what Anne suggested, but have printed on fabric for quite a while and have a few comments. Judee' Williamson (my biz partner and fabric maven) ALWAYS pulls threads on the fabric first so that the fabric itself is square, and then cuts the fabric along the pull lines. She considers it a vital point! Then she irons the fabric to a piece of freezer paper. The freezer paper can be used over and over. It holds the fabric gently. The fabric can easily be removed from freezer paper. And the paper is cut to the correct size - usually 8 1/2" x 11" - and fed into the printer just as Anne described.

Nicole Walton Marble

To print on fabric I use my ordinary bubblejet printer. Take a piece of thin cotton lawn (for some reason off white gives the best results) glue it on a piece of regular paper, only the bottom and the sides with a glue stick (or iron it on freezing paper for you Americans, we don't have that here) Make sure that the bottom of the paper and the fabric are cut in one line, and feed this through your printer. On some printers' setup you can click on "fabric sheet" but I use the normal setting. When printed, peel the fabric off the sheet and iron (without steam) to set the colors.

You can make all sorts of things like that: tablecloths, carpets, curtains (matching the wallpaper) etc. I copied some material on my scanner and reduced it to scale, then printed it on fabric.

I heard that in America you can buy something like bubblejet set, but as we cannot buy that here in New Zealand I have no experience with it.

Dorothee

Flocked Wallpaper: If you want impressed designs, lay 'velvet' paper on top of a doily or something else with a raised design, spray with fabric starch and iron heavily. The nap will stay raised where there is no design and flatten where there is a design.

You can also do this on velvet or that upholstery fabric that has a nap.

Anne Gerdes

Fabric Printing: After the size has been washed out, no fabric softener in rinse water..Poly/cotton works best, iron to shiny side of white freezer paper, rule cut line with sheet of paper and cut inside of line to have 8-1/2 x 11 regular size paper. Print like special paper option on inkjet printer and let dry, cover with press cloth an design is permanent. In regular size they can be washed.

Lenora

Printing on Fabric:  I've got directions for one way to print on fabric at http://wingsnthings.tripod.com/spring.htm   It uses a regular printer and fabric ironed onto freezer paper.

Lee Menconi

Printing Fabric: I like to buy the packages of June Tailor Printer Fabric. Wal-Mart in the quilting dept, 4.00. And I have also bought it at Hobby Lobby for 5.29, and seen it at JoAnn's. There are 4 sheets to the package and it comes in bleached or unbleached muslin. It's fabric on sticky paper (like the labels) For rugs, I leave the backing on to stabilize. Then I add fringe if I want to. For quilts, upholstery, clothing, curtains and pillows and such, I peel the backing off. I have had really good experiences using this. I do have the capacity to print and iron on like transfers, but haven't found this necessary. I have had no problems with the fabric through the printer. I do make sure there are no loose threads on the sheet before I put it through.

Fannye

Fabric Printing: One other word on the fabric printing. I took regular fabric (black with red cherries) for the ME room. Scanned it, reduced it, then printed it for wallpaper and fabric. Had wonderful teensy cherry paper and fabric.

Fannye

Tapestry Canvas: The canvas that is shown in the Dodge book is called "Penelope". That is the term for the canvas that has 2 parallel threads woven in each direction. It is the double woven canvas that is used where you will often see a detailed feature worked in small stitches (petitpoint) and the background worked in a stitch twice that size by going over the 2 threads (gros point). It can be found in natural brown or white.

Any needlework shop should be able to get it for you if they do not already carry it. The thread count should be 22 threads to the inch or more. This canvas can be used to stitch on directly as well as to make the baskets that are shown by wetting it, molding it around a form, and allowing it to dry. The sizing that is in the canvas will dry in the new shape and allow it to conform to the shape that you want.

If your local needlework shop does not supply small pieces of this canvas, you can often buy a full width (45" or 60") buy only a few inches. This will supply you with lots of projects.

Jeanette

Printing on Fabric:You need to "fix" the printing in the fabric before steaming or ironing. Use "Patricia Nimocks Spray Fixative" Matte. It's available from Dee's Delights - and therefore any miniature shop.

Nicole Marble

Fray Stopper: I was interested in your tip of using clear nail varnish as a fray stopper. I did try it and was surprised how good it was. My tip is don't spend money on extra fray stop. Water down Elmer’s glue and use this, it is just as good as the expensive fray stopper and as we do such small dolls we sometimes have to coat the whole piece of material with it and then cut our tiny pieces out.

Wendy Graham

Needlepoint Canvas: Needlepoint canvas and cross stitch fabric [one type of which is known as Aida cloth] are NOT the same. The needlepoint canvas is quite stiff and has large holes [relatively speaking - the fewer the threads per inch, the larger the holes] but generally there is more hole than fabric. Cross stitch fabric can actually be any even weave fabric where you work your stitches in the small spaces between the vertical and the horizontal threads. The later also has the feel of regular cloth as opposed to an almost cardboard-like feel to the needlepoint canvas. Hope this helps.

I did a web search asking for needlecraft supplies and got a huge number of sites. Checking out a few, I was reminded that needlepoint canvas is also sometimes called mono canvas [has 1 thread on each side of a hole] or penelope canvas [which has 2 threads on each side of a hole] and may or may not still be made [I could be dating myself here ;-D ]

Elaine

Printing on Fabric: I found this product on a quilt store site. I think that it could be very useful all of us who want to match fabric to the wallpaper we are using in a room. This is the web site: http://www.rosiescalicocupboard.com./index.html

BUBBLE JET SET ~ A new way to print on fabric. (WILL NOT WASH OUT!) This is a permanent inkset for inkjet and bubble jet printers. Results may vary with different printers and inks. Makes ink jet printing permanent on regular cotton or silk fabric. Stop Buying Fabric Sheets - NOW you can make your own!!! You saturate fabric in the solution for 5 minutes. Lay flat to dry until fabric is stiff. Iron fabric to smooth side of freezer paper. Cut to size to fit your printer.

Print on treated fabric and let set for 24 hours for best results. Rinse with cold water before machine wash.

Ann Fisher

Chenille: I have chenille on my web site http://www.minidolls.com . It can be glued down in patterns to form all kinds of designs and is perfect for making chenille bedspreads.

You might have to shape and steam on the bed after your done gluing to get around the stiffness.

Michelle Geoffrion-Mahler

Chenille: Victoria Aunger definitely has the BEST chenille (about 2mm in all colors) and kits. Anyway, I have tried them all, but this tiny chenille thread is the best and really looks like the right scale and everything. TRY IT - YOU WON'T BE SORRY! And it's not as time-consuming as punch or as messy as paint. Honest! And I don't even work for Vickie! She will even send you samples of the chenille. Her address is:

Victoria Aunger
P.O. Box 354
Taft, CA 93268
Phone: (805) 763-4424

Kay Baughman

Chenille: To make chenille you can use the punch needle to do Russian embroidery and it looks like the real thing. You do the design on the wrong side of the fabric and you can set the stitch to any length. I hope I haven't confused you completely. There are several different brands of punch needles, one that comes to my mind is Pretty Punch. If I can be of any more assistance please e-mail me and I will try to explain it further.

Alberta

Crochet Pattern site; http://www.seafore.com Go and try any pattern there that you like just use a size 16 hook and tatting thread.

Dana

Fur For Bears: My friend Pam, the antique doll & teddy dealer, is also an aspiring artist of same. When she makes tiny teddies, she uses the same mohair as for big bears, but gives it a crewcut (with her poodle-grooming clippers!) to make the pelt shorter and closer to small scale. So maybe you could use faux fur and shear it.

Loretta Sniarowski

While Recuperating in Bed. I spent my time doing mini needlework; cross-stitch mostly...sure helped the time go by!!

Jo

Roombox Exteriors: I've completed many roomboxes, and finish the outside almost exclusively with sewing fabric applied with Tacky Glue. It gives a neater, more durable finish and is less likely to be spoiled by handling than if you wallpaper it. You can also apply sewing trims around the "window" portion of the box -- possibilities are endless. For a while, I was able to find a brick print on fabric which was in 1/12 scale. Quilting fabric stores and JoAnn's are great sources. Let your imagination run wild.

Anita Myers