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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 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. 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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 21
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