Home Made Bubble Jet Set

Home Made Bubble Jet Set

I love these pillows from Pottery Barn. So, they were the inspiration for learning how to print on fabric. Here is what I found...

I decided to try this using an image of a Hermes silk scarf. The pictures below are my results.

In reading through these, some people have had different results and have not been able to figure out why. As they use soda ash to change the ph in swimming pools I think it might have something to do with the ph of the water from the tap or it may also be different printers and different ink, the Aussie thinks it is the quality of the Alum.

After washing it failed miserably. Fade, fade, fade. My second attempt with the Epson printer I found at the thrift store for $4 with DuraBrite ink made all the difference. I don't have a pic of that one sorry. It looks pretty much the same as above without the fading though.

With that one I was bummed because it did work, but I want to be able to do larger projects or pieces of fabric. My post "Transfer to Fabric or Paper InkJet" solved this for me kind of.

Good luck with it and have fun.

Added 07/26/2012:  I finally thought of a project to use a smaller pieces of fabric... Tigger Toy Ottoman.

Aussie Homemade Bubble Jet Set Recipe

85% hot water
10% alum
4% washing soda (also known as Soda Ash)
1% fabric softener

So, as an example, if you wanted to make 300g, you would mix:

255g hot water
30g alum
12g washing soda
3g fabric softener

Here's an ounce recipe (makes 16 oz):

13.5 oz hot water
1.5 oz alum
0.5 oz washing soda
0.15 oz fabric softener

As you can see, it's much more accurate to use grams but this is as accurate as you will probably get using ounces. Also, it's a pretty big batch. It's equivalent to 500g of the stuff. I usually only make about half that for a project.

Yes - it should be washing soda, crystal form. I haven't seen washing soda in powder form - do you mean washing powder (as in detergent)? Anyway, the most crucial ingredient is Alum - it's used in dying wool to make the colour 'stick'.

A Gathering of Thoughts Blog Homemade Bubble Jet Set Recipe

This is what you need:

1. Arm & Hammer Soda Wash (this is NOT Detergent!). You can usually find this at larger grocery stores in the Cleaning Aisle. I found mine at CREST FOODS here in Oklahoma. But, I know you can get it (or order it) from most any ACE Hardware Stores.

2. ALUM I found this at my local Wal-Mart grocery store in the Spice Aisle.

3. Fabric Softener (like Downy, etc.). Available almost everywhere.

Here is the RECIPE I used:

2 Tablespoons Alum
2 1/2 teaspoons Washing Soda
1/2 teaspoon Fabric Softener
1 Cup HOT WATER

Mix all ingredients together. Your mixture will be very foamy and milk looking so let it settle down before using (about 15 minutes). Dip pre-cut fabric into mixture for several minutes (about 10 - 15), rinse and hang to dry for 24 hours.

Quilt Rat Homemade Bubble Jet Set Recipe

1 Tablespoon of soda ash
2 Tablespoons alum powder
1 cup hot water.

Important!..............be sure to mix this in a large container......even though this is a small quantity of ingredients, believe me when I tell you that this mixture is really going to "fizz"

Soda Ash at Michael's Craft store. It was right around $10.00 but you know you can use your 40 or 50% off coupons and it then becomes much more affordable.

The Process from the Australian Website

Firstly choose your fabric. It needs to be 100% cotton or 100% silk (haven't tried it with silk). Cut it to a little larger than the paper you run through your inkjet printer.

When you mix all the ingredients, it will foam up - don't worry the foaminess will subside and you will be left with a liquid.

I have added the ingredients (but not stirred them):

Next add your fabric to the mixture. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes. Hang the fabric to dry. If you are in a hurry, you can blast the fabric with the hairdryer to dry.

While you're waiting for the fabric to dry, save any leftover and store in a labeled jar:

Once your fabric is dry, you need to adhere the fabric to something to allow it to go through the printer. I have had success with ironing it to iron-on interfacing. In this example, I glued the fabric to the paper using spray glue (I also used a piece of sticky tape on the first edge to go through the printer so that the fabric wouldn't lift off the page when the printer initially "grabs" the fabric/paper and jam the printer.) You could also use freezer paper.

Then you trim the fabric to fit the paper:

Then print your image onto the fabric/paper. I just used Microsoft Word to strategically place the photos on the fabric. When printing use the highest quality setting.

Once your image is on the fabric, wait 20 minutes*(see EDIT below) before rinsing the excess ink from the fabric. Remove your paper backing. Put some cold water and a little fabric softener in a sink, dunk the fabric straight in and give it a quick swish. At this point, you will lose some of the colour. I guess you need to start with a dark/high contrast photo (I haven't experimented greatly). The fabric softener is a mild detergent.

Wring out excess water then leave to dry. The next photo shows when I have just wrung out the fabric and is still wet:

Once dry, you are now ready to make something with your creation!!!

EDIT: If you are using genuine ink cartridges, you can leave the print for 20 minutes before rinsing but if you are using generic ink cartridges, leave the print overnight before rinsing. There should be no fading.

When washing, only use a mild detergent such as fabric softener or handmade soap.

And one more tip - only treat as much fabric as you will use in a day (this is a tip from Bubble Jet Set instructions).