I’m excited to share another cheater printing method today!  You might remember that awhile back I used  Sizzix dies and contact paper to make a screen printed design on fabric.  Click here to see that tutorial.  Today, I am relief printing with Sizzix embossing plates and freezer paper stenciling with diecuts to create this 12 Days of Christmas inspired linen pillow cover.

To begin, cut two bird shapes using the Bird #2 die from prewashed white Essex fabric.  Then use a brayer to roll red fabric ink suitable for printmaking onto the bonus textured impressions embossing folder.  Apply the ink to one side of the folder for one bird and to the other side of the folder for the mirror image bird.  After the ink has dried for about 24 hours, iron on the wrong side of the fabric to heat set the ink.  To prepare the birds for applique, use your die again to cut fusible webbing and attach it to the wrong side of the birds.  Set your birds aside.

To create the lettering, run a piece of Freezer Paper, with the waxy side facing up, through your Big Shot using the Tim Holtz Word Play Alphabet Die.   

You do not want to use the die cut letters but rather the paper around each letter which will be used as a stencil.  Cut the necessary number and letters and arrange them on the pillow front.  Cover any areas likely to be accidentally touched by ink with strips of the freezer paper.  Using a warm iron, melt the freezer paper to your fabric.  Make sure that there are no bubbles or loose edges under which the ink could seep.

Place a piece of newspaper on the table below your fabric and apply fabric paint with a stencil brush.  Again, the ink needs to set overnight.  

When the ink is dry, peel the stencil off the pillow front.  Heat set your ink with a hot iron on the wrong side of the fabric.  Then position the birds and attach them using a hot iron.  Finally, stitch around the edges of the appliques.

The 16″ pillow cover could be finished in a number of ways.  I chose to make an envelope closure with bias cut binding and rounded corners.

Supplies

http://www.sizzix.com/product/657361/sizzix-bigz-die-w-bonus-textured-impressions-bird-2