How to use inklingo
Choose a project and determine the number of patches
required of each fabric.
Insert the Inklingo CD into the CD drive.
Acrobat Reader will launch from the CD and
automatically open the Inklingo file.
The files cannot be copied onto your hard drive.
The Inklingo CD must be in the drive to print.
PRINT TEST PAGES on the wrong side of each fabric,
so you can choose the Inklingo template with the
lightest, thinnest Inklingo color that you can see.
(See the important notes on pages 18 to 21.)
Printers usually allow you to print any size you want as
a “custom” paper setting but in the unlikely situation
that your printer does not allow you to create a custom
size, choose the closest size from the list of presets
provided in your printer’s print dialog box.
Determine the number of pages of each fabric to print
for the required number of patches.
Cut the fabric and the freezer paper to the desired size
and iron the freezer paper on the RIGHT side of the
fabric. Use a hot, dry iron on a hard surface. You can
use adhesive labels to stabilize the fabric if you prefer.
In the print dialog box, the options must be set to
print full size, without scaling. You cannot re-size the
templates without affecting the width of the seam
allowance and the lines too.
Look at the template to determine the most efficient
size of fabric sheet to print.
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Notice “current page” and the other selections and
always look at the Preview window and the page
dimensions! If your printer has different settings like
“good, better, best,” experiment to see which one you
prefer. I usually choose “best” even though each page
takes a little longer to print.
Trim any loose threads. Cut, don’t pull! Load the fabric
into the printer one sheet at a time.
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For example, if you need 9 one-inch hexagons from a
particular fabric, you can print on sheets 7 x 8½ inches
instead of 8½ x 11 inches to save fabric.
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If you make a mistake when printing, you can wash
the ink out of the fabric and use it later. It is not
wasted. (Note: Do not press before washing because
heat tends to set Inkjet inks.)
inklingo •Linda Franz
When the Inklingo templates are printed, remove the
freezer paper. It can be re-used several times.
Cut the rows of shapes apart on the solid lines, using a
straight edge and a rotary cutter.
Stack identical rows carefully, using the registration
marks along the edges and cut several layers at a time.
There is no measuring involved. Hundreds of patches
can be cut out very quickly because Inklingo templates
are arranged for speed cutting. Always work safely with
a sharp rotary cutter.
As soon as the fabric patches are cut out, they are
ready to piece or appliqué by hand or by machine
along the dashed lines, using your favorite technique.
No basting, no tracing. You are ready to sew!
Once the rows are cut apart, make the remaining cuts
to separate the individual templates.
Hand piecing books & DVDs
For detailed instructions for hand piecing with a
running stitch, including details on pressing and
trimming, please see my books and DVDs. There are
sample pages and book reviews at www.lindafranz.com
Quilted Diamonds 2: more Austen-tatious diamonds
to hand piece, includes a two-hour lesson on DVD for
the price of a book alone.
Quilted Diamonds: Jane Austen, Jane Stickle &
Friends also includes well-illustrated instructions for
hand piecing and hand appliqué.
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Jane Austen’s Writing Table Quilt (DVD and CD) has
clear instructions for hand piecing and demonstrations
for pressing complex quilt blocks.
inklingo •Linda Franz
Choosing inklingo Colors
There are two very important rules to remember.
1. Inklingo uses ultra-fine lines, even lighter and finer
than the light pencil lines we use with freezer paper
templates.
2. Inklingo colors must be tested on each fabric.
These two rules are fundamental to Inklingo!
When you print your test on each fabric, locate the
color that allows you to see the stitching line easily
and try to use a lower number.
To see what I mean, pick a fine, white cotton or
muslin from your stash, cut and stabilize a fabric sheet
8½ x 7½ inches and print page 20. The recommended
Inklingo colors for white or muslin fabric are 00 and
01. See how light they are? If you can barely see those
dashed stitching lines, that is perfect! You can use
02, 04 or 05 but only if the stitching line does not
shadow through on the front.
If you can see the stitching line easily without reading
glasses or task lighting, there is probably too much ink!
The cutting lines are easier to see because they use
more ink. The stitching lines should be just a hint,
not a clearly defined line.
Testing is essential.
On light fabrics, the stitching line should be very, very
faint so it is difficult to show you in a photograph.
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The Inklingo technique requires a shift in attitude
when compared with ordinary marking methods.
inklingo •Linda Franz
The stitching line must not show on the right side of
the fabric.
A test is simple. Print, cut and sew a few patches,
press them and rinse in water. If the ink shows on the
front, try again. It will help you in the long run!
Please do not take a shortcut! It would be terrible to
print hundreds of patches and spend hours assembling
a beautiful quilt, only to see ink on the front!
You may be surprised to see how easily you adjust.
Remember that some quilters stitch without marking
any seam line at all.
If ink from the stitching line shows AT ALL on the
front of the fabric, don’t use it! You risk having it show
in the finished quilt!
Printing a test page is the best way to save time!
It is important to use a very fine, light line to get good
results with Inklingo.
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Red ink 36 was too much for this fabric. There are
slight traces of red along the seams. I should have used
a much lighter Inklingo color. I could have seen a
lighter line easily enough.
inklingo •Linda Franz
The Inklingo method saves so much time and makes
the whole process so easy and precise that the time it
takes to print and sew a few test patches is worth it.
The good news is that you can wash or rinse your test
page and use that sheet of fabric again. All Inklingo
colors should wash out easily immediately after
they are printed. However, once Inkjet ink has been
pressed with a hot iron it may not wash out at all.
Black ink is the most permanent Inkjet ink and is not
recommended for the Inklingo method. Even a very
fine black line is likely to smear or bleed through to
show on the front of the quilt.
Play it safe! When you are choosing which color to
print, assume the ink will not wash out!
Any time you print the wrong color on a fabric sheet
you can rinse or wash that fabric and use it again.
Heat tends to set Inkjet ink so it is harder to wash out
after a quilt block has been pressed.
There are 20 Inklingo ink colors and two or more
might be good choices for a particular fabric. Always
choose the lightest, finest ink that you can see on the
wrong side of the fabric.
Inklingo colors will appear crisper and sharper on
paper so it is necessary to test on each fabric.
Inklingo colors 00, 01, 02, 04 and 05 are the best.
More ink and a heavier line weight are applied as
the numbers get higher. You will notice a method in
the numbering. For example, all of the red Inklingo
variations end in 6.
Color 50 is the least desirable. It should only be used
as a last resort, and ONLY if careful testing convinces
you that the ink will not show on the right side of any
of the fabrics.
The Inklingo method is faster, more precise and more
fun than traditional methods IF YOU CHOOSE THE
RIGHT INK. I cannot overemphasize the importance
of testing.
Some day, we may have Inkjet ink cartridges with ink
that is guaranteed to wash out even after the quilt
blocks are pressed with a hot iron. Until that day, we
need to use ultra-fine lines, even lighter than a pencil
line, to take advantage of this fast, precise, simple
method of cutting patches to piece or appliqué by
hand or machine.
inklingo •Linda Franz
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