Photo Transfers with Orange Power

1 July Update: Orange Power Sticky Spot + Goo Dissolver is the only Australian product that I have found works reliably with this technique. Check the Orange Power website for where to buy, including at Coles, BILO and larger IGAs. Australian Purchasers – You can purchase Orange Power online.

Further to the Twelve by Twelve Kilauea Colorplay challenge, several people have asked me about the image transfer process that I used on my two quilts: Harakeke#1 and Harakeke#2:

 
Other tutorials, including shibori and quilting finishing techniques, can be found under the FREE STUFF tab in the drop down menu.

First of all, here are some splodgy samples made with an expensive commercial product. The product purports to have a “subtle” water colour effect. As you can see, I had great difficulty controlling this effect. I also used up half the bottle in the process…

Next I tried putting fabric sheets through my printers. That worked after a fashion but I was limited by the A4 size of my printer. Finally, I tried the Citra Solv technique using an Australian citrus-based cleaning product Orange Power Sticky Spot & Goo Remover* . This technique involves printing an image on a piece of paper; placing the image face down on fabric; brushing the back of the paper with the orange oil product and burnishing with a spoon. The results were much more distinct:

My photo was printed on my laser printer – this uses toner and I understand it works better than an ink-jet image. Lisa has a step-by-step tutorial of this technique on her blog Something About Nothing. See the Citra-Solv Artist Gallery for other examples of this versatile cleaning product at work. My kind of cleaning!

*1 July Update: Australian De Solv It does NOT work for this technique.