Let’s Print, Pray, & Sew! Hi friends! This is Cristin & I have a few projects to share with you that I am SO EXCITED for you to see! Recently, I thought…what if I printed those adorable Print & Pray Shop designs on FABRIC instead of paper? Think of all the cute things that could be sewn!
That’s just what I did and I absolutely LOVE how the projects turned out. I love stitching up little projects, and I’m especially inspired by colorful fabric and designs. I’ll show you what I created, plus I have a few tips to pass along. I hope they inspire you to use the Print & Pray products in different ways. For all of these creations, I used Elaine Davis’ Good to Grow digital set. You can find it in the Print & Pray Shop!
For the first two projects, I stitched up a cute bookmark and added a little flair to the inside flap of my bible cover. I know you must be wondering the most obvious question, “Where do I get this printable fabric?” The answer is that it’s easy to find online or you can check your local sewing store.
I purchased these inkjet fabric sheets online. There are different brands available at different price points. Though inexpensive, and a good option for my experimenting, the sheets I purchased are not washable without treating the fabric. If you’re making a project that will need to be washed like a mug rug or placemat, be sure to find an option to that will be washable and will work for your printer.
When I printed the designs, I made sure to change the printer’s default “normal” setting to “best” to make sure the fabric printed vividly. The fabric sheets come backed with paper which peels off after printing. I noticed my fabric sheets were thin and a little flimsy. I fused a medium weight iron-on interfacing to the back of the fabric sheets after they were printed to add a little body to the fabric, and to reduce the sheerness of the fabric.
I cut out all of the pieces leaving a white border about ⅛” all the way around each piece. For all of these projects, I’m doing raw-edge applique, which means that I’m not turning under the raw, cut edge of the fabric when sewing it down, but leaving it exposed.
Are you also thinking bookmarks would make perfect stocking stuffers or cute gifts just for fun? I want to stock up on ribbon just for this purpose! After I created the main bookmark (check out an online tutorial for bookmarks – there are tons!), I used my sewing machine’s buttonhole attachment to create a buttonhole at the top of the bookmark through which I could thread a bunch of coordinating ribbon. I then sewed the house piece to the bookmark using white thread in my needle and coordinating thread (orange) in the bobbin. I wanted the back of the bookmark to not have white stitching lines. A contrasting thread color would also look pretty when stitching down the applique pieces.
For a cute look, use some embroidery floss (2 strands should do it) or perle cotton and a running stitch to sew down the shapes like you see on the inside cover of my bible. I like to put my faith goals inside the cover of my bible, so this seemed like the perfect place to display this “work in progress” piece.
For this next project, I created a cute doorknob hanger, which is just a mini pillow shape with a ribbon hanger attached. For some of the projects I’m showing, I enlarged the printables using a photo editing program before I printed the fabric sheets. I enlarged this center piece so it would be big enough to stand out.
To make the cute button flowers, I cut a few strips of different fabrics, used pinking shears along the long edge, and used a large running stitch on the opposite edge. Hold one end of the thread and pull the fabric down to gather the fabric. Sew both ends together and add a few stabilizing stitches in the middle. Top with a button.
Last, I made a cute wall hanging or mini quilt using the houses and flowers from the kit. I arranged all the pieces I wanted to display before I cut out the background, so I based the final size on how many cute embellishments I wanted to include. After it was done, I felt like the sky needed some puffy clouds, so I clustered a bunch of white vintage buttons to create two clouds. I love how the buttons look with the mini houses and mushrooms. I finished the mini quilt with red polka dot binding. This process is a little too detailed for me to explain here, but there are lots of good tutorials online, just search “quilt binding tutorial.”
Thank you for letting me show you a few projects I created with printable fabric sheets and some cute printables from the Print & Pray Shop. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to answer your questions! If you are inspired to try out this technique, be sure to use the hashtag #printprayshop when posting your projects to Instagram!
-Cristin
Jacquard Fuseable Fabric
This is beyond the pale, Cristin!!! For real!! I cannot get over how adorable all these items are! I bought a sewing machine last year but have not used it yet! This is really tempting, but some it is over my head! LOL Like the doorknob hanging pillow. So so cute!! But I can’t visualize how to make the flowers! Not your fault–I’m just not familiar with sewing yet.
Where did you get the cute background fabrics? The red and turquoise with polka dots and the fabric for the background of the pillow? You know, in case I ever decide to tackle these! I’d love to know where to get pretty fabric! All of these projects are just so cute and inspiring! Thank you for sharing with us!
~ Kittywittycreates from IG. :D
Hi Amy!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! I hope you use that machine you bought last year! It will be so fun. :)
Local quilt stores are my best sources for cute fabric. I buy mainly quilting cottons. You can always take swatches with you to the store to find a good match, this is quite common! You’ll find all sorts of great background fabrics, often times called “blenders” there. Please ask if you have any more questions!! <3
Oh my goodness Cristin, what a brilliant idea! This opens up a whole new world of printandpray possibilities! I even have a pack of printable fabric in my stash! Can’t wait to find time to play, thanks so much!
Hi Anne! Yay! That’s so exciting! I can’t wait to see what you create! <3
Cristen…these projects are just too cute! Wow! When I think I’ve exhausted ways to use my Print Pray Shop files, you bring us this!! Thank you!
Gayle
@patioponderings
“Cristin” ooops on the spelling! ?
Thank you, Gayle!! <3
love it!
Thank you, Vikki! :)