How to properly add prints to elastic fabrics and what prints to buy

Helena Lachowiczová
2023-04-02T16:14:59+02:00

My dear seamstresses and women,

today I have prepared a new article for you on the topic of how to add prints to elastic materials, what prints and where to buy. I chose the topic not completely randomly. My last two cuts, which I digitized, are now for printing. But it doesn't have to be. You can also use buttons or CAM snaps.

But in order.

I'll start with the most important.

Is working with prints difficult and complicated?

The answer is: No, it is not.

The push buttons that I have been using for years are simple switch buttons that are easy to add without any problems. There is nothing difficult and complicated about it, and there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Although I keep reading about it in one piece on the networks, but that's only because the users don't have the right information about how to use these prints.

I often read about the seamstress's print " breaking out ". That it is difficult to put them on correctly and " click " them correctly. That the husband can add pressure because it takes strength.

Such "press myths" are nonsense. Push-ups are not done by force and it is certainly not difficult. Presses will not come off if they are snapped in with the right tool and the right pressure.

So what prints do I use?

It's not so much a brand of prints as a technique. The prints are all the same. Only the seller, packaging and/or surface finish are different. And of course the price. Here you will often come across jersey prints, by which I mean prints that can be used on fine fabrics and not the bulky ones for tents :), brand Roland baby.

These prints are nickel plated. No finish, but they are nice, not scratched. The same cannot be said about the other brand, which can also be bought in the Czech Republic - Koh-i-noor . On the contrary, they are scratched very often.

Another type that can be bought quite well in the Czech Republic is the Prym brand. You can also choose from many colors. But if you're not picky, like me, you can get by with white.

All these prints are referred to as "snaps, snap buttons". Their standard size is 10mm diameter. It's the size I use too.

Personally, I think that the prints sold in the Czech Republic are overpriced, it is pointless to buy them in the packaging they are sold in, and it is better to order them from abroad. Of course, if you need a few prints, it's not worth it, but otherwise it is.

If you can order from abroad, try Elvelycan design prints. The prints are sold in units of 10 or 50 and have a beautiful finish. The price of the entire press set / male, female and two latches will be about 7 CZK.

I also use these from Elvelycan and or similar stores. It's really not so much about the brand as it is about the technique. She is important. The pressure itself is not responsible for cutting your fabric if you press too hard.

The technique of adding prints

I come to the technique itself. You don't need a lot of pressure or force to make these beautiful and functional prints. Definitely not a hammer and washer. That way you might destroy your entire creation or smash your fingers.

To assign prints you need this:

This is the first thing I recommend unless you want a more expensive press. The Prym Vario Patent Pliers are a winner over all hammers and washers and bruised fingers. They are easy to use and cheap. The price is from 299 CZK to 350 CZK. In addition, you can buy them for example here - Stoklasa - and throw in some haberdashery and that's it.

Vario pliers have several uses. That's why Vario too, right? You can put an attachment on them for riveting, printing. The print attachments with jersey prints look like this. Attention, you have to buy them again!

With these pliers, printing is a breeze. You insert one part, the other part, press, you don't need to press any extra and the print is in place.

The advantage is that you won't cut the fabric. If you don't push too much, but only as much as the pliers will allow, it's okay. There is no need to underline any parts of the clothing with special reinforcements or to be glued. It's nonsense. The jersey prints are well designed and won't tear even from the bamboo.

Press

The second option, if you print enough, is a press. The press costs from 1000 CZK to about 3000 CZK. I used to buy it for 650 CZK, but that's been a long time and things have become more expensive. Now it costs about 1000 CZK. But it's an excellent investment. Especially if you print often.

The press is fixed in place on the table. But it doesn't have to be either. The attachment is put on the jersey press and you set the force with the help of a screw, which you will then transfer to the press piston with a lever. For the first power setting, you destroy two or three presses. So don't try it right away and certainly not on a job :-)

You set up the press and then just print. Pushing the lever is not difficult. The pressure does not change, and neither do the resulting effect and the force used. Presses crawl like butter there.

You can buy the press from Stoklasa, for example.

And that's really all.

It is not hard. It really just takes knowing the technique, which consists of the right tool and the right pressure. Nothing special. Prints are a friend.

And what about you? Are you going to try out a print cut?