Thursday, July 29, 2010

Fabric Tape Tutorial- Remix

The Challenge: I was trolling through my Google Reader one day when I stumbled upon a reference for a fabric tape tutorial by annekata. I clicked over and found this super cute idea for turning packing tape into fabric tape. I loved the look of it but rather than fabric glued to the back of packing tape I wanted it to be actual fabric tape. To me this meant strips of fabric with an adhesive directly applied to the fabric. So I took this as a challenge and did a little reworking and researching and found a different approach to making fabric tape that I hope you enjoy!

The Process: I began by searching for a cheap readily available double- sided adhesive and although there are many on the market; few have the width that I was looking for. I was also looking for a tape that would adhere well to a variety of surfaces. It had to be paper backed so that I wasn’t dealing with a sticky adhesive while storing the tape, and of course, I’d like it to be inexpensive. The Res Q Tape works great on a variety of media and has the added bonus of fabric being its intended surface. It also comes in 2 widths, one of which is the wider 1 1/2" I was looking for. It is paper backed, so no problem storing it, and at a buck a yard, it was the least expensive of the adhesives I found. Additionally, if you time your purchase with a notions sale or use a 40% off coupon than it becomes pretty inexpensive. I am still combing the hardware and office supply stores for an alternative that is just plain cheap but in the meantime I’m really happy with this product. The paper backing is fairly thick so rolling it as an option for storing didn’t work very well but I’m fine storing it as a strip. So take a look and then give it a try!

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Fabric Tape Tutorial- Remix


Tools and Materials:
Fabric wider than 1 3/4" and any length desired.
Res Q Tape by Dritz (in 1 1/2" width)
Scissors






Step One: Lay out your fabric of choice on a flat surface wrong side up, and then using your hand to apply pressure, adhere sticky side of tape to fabric. Do not remove the paper backing on the tape.






Step Two: Trim your tape at the bottom of your fabric piece. Flip over fabric and tape and smooth out fabric again applying slight pressure with your hand to ensure complete adhesion.




Step Three: Flip your fabric over again so that the tape is visible (wrong side up) and using the paper backing of your tape as a guide, trim away the excess fabric on both sides of the tape.
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Step Four: Store your fabric tape in strips with the paper backing in place until ready to use. When ready to use cut to desired length, pull off backing fabric and use as desired.






Here are a couple more projects I did with my fabric tape. One shows the tape cut in half width wise and the other shows the tape cut into triangles to make photo corners. If you hop over to annekata’s site you’ll see some super cute packages she made up with her fabric tape as well as some ideas for its use. And if you can think of way of improving on this tape OR create some of your own, I’d love to hear from you and see some pics of your tape and projects. And if you should feel so inclined please post them to my Facebook fan page so we can all see and drool over your coolness. Thanks again and Happy Crafting!

5 comments:

Lessons Learned said...

stop it that is too cute! you are so clever. i always leave your blog with a longer to do list.
i have a question though...your beige/brown paper with the stamped words - are they stamped or typed? and do you make them? i can't get my lettering the way i want it.

Jen said...

Thank You! I usually stamp my words, using clear acrylic letter stamps. I really like playing with the spacing so I do each letter individually. I do quite a bit of writing by hand as well. I have begun experimenting with typing my words and then printing them onto fabric and cutting them up and inking the edges. It's fun- and I know what you mean about the to do list there's so much crafty goodness out there and so little time to try it!! I enjoy the challenge though. :)

Cristi Baxter Clothier said...

Oh my, oh my, oh my, Jen!!!! LOVE this idea. You ARE so clever! This would be great for art journaling. Yesterday I bought my boys some new bedding and each was wrapped with this 2 1/2" cotton twill tape. I couldn't wait to get it into my studio and stamp or paint on it. I'll let you know how it turns out. Must be a "tape- minded" kind of week, lol.

Dana Barbieri said...

I really, really LOVE this Jen! I have try this now. I think I will try it with paper as well and incorporate into a collage.
Thanks!!

Dana Barbieri said...

P.S. Saw your article in Somerset Home. Congrats, looks great. Also, you should add a share button to your post. would love to tweet this.