Did
you know you can use essential oils to transfer prints from a laser
printer or copier onto fabric, wood, or other materials? This easy
method is a lot of fun and opens up many possibilities for personalized
gifts with a really neat effect!
Materials Needed:
Cotton Swabs: These are used to transfer the essential oil to the back of your printed words or picture.
Small Glass Bowl: Used to hold your essential oils while working.
Orange Essential Oil:
Orange oil seems to work best for this process. Pine and other evergreen
oils have also been recommended, but I personally found better success
with orange.
A Small Board: Used to back the fabric during the transfer.
A Laser Printer or Copier: Be certain your printer or copier uses toner. This method doesn't work with inkjet or wax systems.
A Popsicle Stick (or other rigid object): This is to help transfer your design to the fabric.
A Blow Dryer: The heat is used to help the design fuse into the fabric.
Instructions:
Use a program like Microsoft Paint or Photoshop to lay out your
words or design. For this process, dark, solid text and pictures work
best, as the image will fade a bit during the transfer. This can lead to
some really cool vintage or antiqued looks when finished but can appear
too faded if you choose something with light colors or faint gradients.
When you have the design looking how you want it, select the design and
use the program's flip or rotate tools to flip the design horizontally
so you have a mirror-image of the design. Print the design onto normal
copier paper using a laser printer (or copy it on a toner-based copier).
Place the fabric you desire to transfer the print onto on a small
board (this helps keep the fabric flat and helps keep the orange oil
from leaking through the fabric onto anything underneath). Lighter
colored fabric works best for more detailed or colorful images, but you
can also get some neat effects using a dark solid print on darker
fabrics as well.
Place the print of the design over the fabric with the printed side
against the fabric (face-down). Use scotch or masking tape to hold the
print in place.
Place several drops of orange oil in a small glass bowl (the amount you'll need will depend on the size of the transfer).
Dip a cotton swab into the orange oil, and then swab the oil over
the back of the printed design a little at a time (the design will
become visible through the paper as you swab the oil over it).
Use a popsicle stick or other rigid wood or plastic piece to rub
completely over the back of the printed design. This presses the toner
into the fabric, so you need to be fairly firm, but don't press down so
hard that you tear through the paper. Be certain to rub over all parts
of the design. If you have a larger design, you may want to apply oil
over a small part of it, rub over that part to transfer it to the
fabric, and then move on to the next area to help prevent missing any part
of the design.
Carefully peel back one corner or side of the design to
ensure you didn't miss transferring any part of it. If you did,
carefully replace the paper in the same spot and rub over the missing
areas to transfer them. When finished, remove the paper and tape from
the fabric.
Use a blow dryer on its hottest setting to
blow hot air over the design to help fuse it into the fabric (this helps
prevent the design from fading when it is washed). Alternately, the
fabric can be placed in a clothes dryer on its highest heat setting.
Extra Ideas
Use this method to create personalized gift bags or stockings to share your favorite essential oils and blends (or use a small keychain case and 5/8 dram vials to share samples of up to 8 essential oils). Add an Intro to Modern Essentials booklet so the recipient will know how the oils can be used, and you have a
perfect, personalized way to share the gift of essential oils with your
family and friends!
The things you can do with this method
are virtually endless! Use this method to create personalized aprons,
totes, gift tags, gift bags, stockings, game/play mats, t-shirts,
ribbons, and whatever else you can think of!
This method can also be used to transfer prints onto wood with some
neat effects, as the transfer will transfer around the grain and
texture of the wood.
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