Monday, March 19, 2012

The iron-on fusible vinyl stuff

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Choose some fabric

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peel off the backing paper and place the vinyl sticky side down

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Put the protective paper over the top and iron

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make some weather proof bunting for outside the school library.

I love this plastic stuff ! It is beyond easy. Locally there is not a huge choice of laminated fabrics, and they tend to be kind of girly and floral, with this you can turn any fabric into laminated fabric. You can add the plastic to both sides or just one. I imagine it would be perfect for toiletry bags and suchlike as it doesn’t add much weight to the fabric, its still super flexible. Its nice and glossy but clear as clear so there is no fuzziness. As far as know, Merrilyn of Threadneedle craft has some in her online store and has been using it on bags with heaps of success.

I wonder if I could sprinkle glitter between two sheets and then iron them to each other?

(Rumour has it that the school laminator may have reached an untimely end in a similar way)

29 comments:

  1. does it crack - like when turning a bag through the hole in the lining?

    does it last? what's the oldest piece still in use you've seen?

    Assuming it's vilene lamifix, yes I can get that here.

    it is always wise to waterproof your marbles.

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  2. Oh Jodie that is so funny. i think a few laminators have faced death the same way. I love that it is waterproof. It has sooo many possibilities.

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  3. And now they have your confession in print. Previous statements about your incarceration being greatly exaggerated may have to be reversed!

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  4. Is glitter bad for laminators? I did not know that. I will file that away in my memory bank of useful stuff to know.

    As for uses for laminated fabrics, you could make a rain coat. Maybe some placemats? Or you could make UMBRELLAS!!! You could alternate the fabric with clear, glitter filled laminate...

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  5. It does look like you could use a laminator doesn't it ;-) Where did you get that stuff? Spotlight advertised it in their mag ages ago but I still can't get it at Spotty??
    Love that bunting, brilliant idea!

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  6. Oh I've been SO wanting some of this stuff but wondered a little bit about how easy it would be for me to stuff it up...seems it might even be me idiot proof (well ish, there are no guarantees after all)...so have you given the glitter a go? Go on, I dare you! (like you need encouragement!!)...

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  7. Laminated fabric for boys is so hard. I mean boys you like non-boyish stereotype things. My girl likes super girl-stereotype things, so no worry with her (pink, purple, glitter - ah huh!), but my boy is a bit more discerning. He'd love these marbles. I've been wanting to make them new lunch bags..... Ideas are brewing. I wonder if I could make it work on my own screen printed fabrics? Does it seem to work best on lighter cottons, or heavy fabrics ok too?

    I do hope the school buying department don't read your blog. Just don't ask for a laminator for a little while....... Anyway -what's the use of a laminator that won't do glitter.

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  8. Find glitter crayons, clean out the bottom of the electric sharpener. Feed crayons into sharpener - run away when it starts to smoke. Ensure you have a "busy" activity waiting just in case!!
    Take the shavings to your ironing room with some wax-proof paper (baking paper), scatter the shavings on the paper then cover with another piece the same size and iron well - this should give you glitter paper but it is fairly fragile.
    I love the idea of this iron on plastic, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  9. Oooh it looks like "Contact" for fabric.
    Can you cut out pictures of Tom Selleck (Magnum PI days) and put it in between. Yep, I'm showing my age ... that could have been my Year 8 maths book ...

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  10. Wondering, scheming, plotting.......could you use it make dribble-proof fabric books?

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  11. I've used it and turned it through bags. It beats it up a bit, but it's fine.

    I've also quilted through it, and that works ok. It eventually delaminates at the perforations. I made a zipper bag with it and quilted it, and it held up in my purse for about 6 months before delaminating.

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  12. The Super Hot Library Chick hits another home run! Yay!! ;p

    So, were you incarcerated recently due to glitter damage done to school property?? I'm not judging...just asking. I want to get my facts straight before I tweet the info! ;p

    So glad you're back.

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  13. First, glad to see your alive and well!! Next, read your laminating manuals, lots of things will cause an early death to laminators. (from the laminator guardian)
    Also, plastic? The word alone reminds me of the kind my dad had over the seats of his orange 70's impala with the bumps that would mark the back of my legs like the pox!

    I think I'll pass, but thanks for the how to!!

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  14. I heard, could be wrong haven't tested it out but will soon, that normal sticky plastic for covering books is good for making fabric vinyl... Is that the stuff your using or is it speacial bought stuff?

    Laminating machines are evil and will just from one moment to the next choke up and die. Heat settings and thickeness of plastic makes a difference.... had to coax a few in my time. (and kick one or two too)

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  15. What a great product ... the possibilities are endless ... shower caps?!!

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  16. I have used it to make the boys' book bags more waterproof from the inside. Best idea to iron it on after you have done the quilting but before you sew it together. They're still going strong even a couple of years on, but at the flap where you open it it is starting to peel off. I have also used it on one of the boys's matching pencil cases, again there is some peeling off but no major damage. I have handwashed one of the book bags several times with wool wash - not problem. In NZ I got it through Grandmother's Garden in Gordonton. She ordered it specially for me, not sure if they carry it regularly. It was not cheap, so I kept all the scraps, you can iron them with an overlap to make it fit. xoxo

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  17. Oh, how exciting to think of my fabric made into bunting and decorating the library!
    I love it :-)

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  18. Gah!!! I NEED some of this - I don't know what for but I need it badly.

    Thanks so much for psting about this Jodie!

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  19. Joann's carried it online and some stores do too. Thanks for sharing. I keep telling people about it but I couldnt find an example on line. Can I pin you?

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  20. Another wonderful product for sure.
    Funny about that-our school laminator died in just the same way:)

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  21. Love the vinyl, and I adore the colours in these fabrics. Think I'm going to get me some of this and make lotsa stuff :-)

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  22. Hey Jodie,
    I receive an error message when I try to look at anything on Threadneedle Craft's site. It could be due to my dodgy Macbook, but if you find out that something's wrong at their end, and happen to be in touch with Merrilyn, it might be worth letting her know...
    x J

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  23. Hi again .... sorry for the bombardment of comments! Please scrap my last message - must have been my dodgy system.
    x J

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  24. Looks like great fun. Can't wait to give it a go.

    Don't worry about the laminator, they really are not that expensive.

    Rebecca

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  25. We certianly need explorers and adventurers like you, how else would we find out that glitter and laminators don't mix. Thanks for the heads up, I will keep it in mind.

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  26. so clever, I'm ticking over possibilities for a fairy garden.

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  27. I love it...I noticed our laminator went missing after I too attempted a late afternoon, everyone else has gone home lamination. I thought they had removed it for health reasons. Those fumes couldn't have been good for anyone to breathe, not even lowly teachers.

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Hellloooooo !!!!