Create a Fabric Family Picture Book for Baby with PrintModa Studio fabric printer

by Wendy Chow July 1, 2025

Looking for a unique and meaningful way to bond with your little one? Creating a fabric family picture book is the perfect blend of creativity and sentimentality. It’s a delightful project that allows you to showcase cherished memories while recognising familiar faces.

Thanks to Brother's PrintModa Studio Fabric Printer (shown below), crafting this one-of-a-kind project has never been easier. PrintModa Studio brings your favorite family photos to life on fabric with vibrant, high-resolution prints, allowing you to create something truly special. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or new to sewing, this project is a fun and rewarding way to make a lasting memento that your little one will adore.

In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of making your own fabric family picture book, from setting up the pages, printing them on fabric to stitching the pages together with the Artspira app and the Artspira+ subscription service installed.

Note: To respect the privacy of some of the people featured in this tutorial, their identity have intentionally been censored.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Basic sewing machine – Brother Innovis BQ3100, Quilt Club Series sewing machine was featured in this blog post.
Smartphone or tablet with Artspira app installed and login with Artspira+ subscription
Download baby book template here**.
Download up to eight digital photos of loved ones, one for each page. For this particular project I used a picture of my family on the cover and the pages in between, photos of both sets of grandparents, husband and I. On the back cover I used a photo of our dog.
Desktop or laptop computer
Brother Printmoda Studio HL-JF1 fabric printer to print baby book pages
Rotary cutter
Quilting ruler (s)
Cutting mat
Batting – Use insulated batting (optional) to create rustling / crinkle noise. Cut two (2) 6½in x 10½in rectangles
Quilting cotton for binding: ⅛ yard. This is based on 42in width of fabric (WOF). Cut 2 strips, 2in x WOF. You can get creative here and sew 2in strips together to make up the length required for the project (85in) to add color to the overall project.
Iron-on vinyl. Cut four (4) 8in x 13in rectangles. Iron-on vinyl is advised to keep the baby book’s longevity and make it easier to wipe and clean.
Coordinating thread(s) – 50 weight for piecing, general construction
Scissors for fabric
Fabric pen or pencil
Pins
Clips
Heramarker
Seam ripper
Snips (optional)
Iron
Basting spray
Walking foot (Brother MuVit Dual Feed Foot was used in this tutorial)

*This blog post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something the author and designer may earn a commission.

DIRECTIONS

Read through all the directions before you start. Seam allowance throughout the project is ¼in, unless specified. The directions are broken down into three key parts: Setup and Print Pages, Page Assembly and Book Assembly.

Setup and Print Pages

Step 1: Download** eight (8) photos of your loved ones and baby book template here. The baby book template is a PowerPoint document. You’ll use this template to layout pages for the baby book.

Step 2: Open baby book template document (download** the file here) on your laptop or desktop. Upload, resize and crop each photo to be 4in x 5in and place each photo at its designated page. Take extra care when placing photos as they are not numerically in order in the book template document. The page numbers are in white text on the blue rectangles in the template. However, they will be once the pages are sewn together.

Step 3: Select all the text, shapes and photos on one slide. Right click and group all the selected items.

Step 4: Right click on the grouped items and select ‘save as picture’ and save picture as a PNG file at a safe location on your laptop or desktop.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all four slides.

Step 5: Transfer and save all four slides to your smartphone or table with Artspria installed and logged in.

Step 6: Open the Artspiria app on your smartphone or tablet. Press the ‘+ New’ option located at the center, bottom of the app. Then select ‘Printing’ > ‘Design Editor’ which is located in the center, right of the app.

Step 7: App will prompt document size. Select ‘A4’ under ‘Fabric Roll’ option. Then hit ‘Done’ on the top right corner of the app to confirm selection.

Step 8: A new screen will appear. At the bottom of the app, there’s a ‘+’ icon. Click on that and import photo from ‘Camera Roll’.

Step 9: Select one of the imported PNG files from your desktop or laptop.

Step 10: Selected photo will appear on the A4 page. Ensure the uploaded photo is selected. There should be a blue bounding box around the uploaded photo. Then adjust the size of the photo by selecting ‘Layout’ on the bottom of the app.

On the bottom left, there’s a lock icon. Click on that to unlock it. Then adjust the height to be 6½in and 10½in to be the width. Click on ‘done’ to confirm resizing adjustments.

Step 11: Select the uploaded photo and move it so it is centered and within the red bounding box of the document.

Step 12: On the top right corner of the app, hit ‘save’ and name your document. To avoid confusion throughout the construction, I have named the file by page number. For example, “page 1 and 8”.

Step 13: On the top right corner of the app again, select ‘done’ and you’ll be given an option to select your printer and the option to hit ‘Print’ on the bottom of the app will appear. Click on that and also follow the prompts on the PrintModa printer.

Step 14: Wait for the page to print.

Repeat Setup and Print Pages, Steps 6 to 14 for all four pages.

Page Assembly

Step 1: Remove plastic film from the back of each printed page.

Step 2: Following the iron-on vinyl directions, using the grey rectangle outline on each printed page as a guide, center and iron on vinyl.

Step 3: Following the outer grey outline, trim each printed page to 6½in x 10½in rectangle with a rotary cutter and quilting ruler.

Step 4: Create a total of two book sandwiches. Each sandwich is comprised of the following layers:

Book Sandwich 1:
• Pages 8/1
• Batting
• Pages 2/7

Book Sandwich 2:
• Page 6/3
• Batting
• Page 4/5

Spray baste between each layer of the book sandwich with basting spray. Ensure that each printed page is rotated the same way and the wrong sides of the printed pages are touching the batting. Book Sandwich 1 used in this photo example.

Step 5: With the sewing machine, stitch baste the layer permanently but stitching approx. ⅛in from the raw edges. By stitch basting, this is going to ensure the layers do not shift as binding is added.

Repeat this step for both Book Sandwiches. Set Book Sandwiches aside for Binding, Step 2.

Binding

Step 1: Fold binding strips in half lengthwise.

Step 2: Bind each Book Sandwich using your preferred method to enclose raw edges. Machine binding is suggested since vinyl is used in this project and using a hand needle to go through the materials might be difficult, if hand binding.

If you’re not sure how to machine binding, be sure to check out my previous guest blog post on the Brother Stitching Sewcial on how. And if you need additional visual support, be sure to watch my Facebook recording on how to machine bind on Brother’s YouTube channel.

Tip: Adjust the stitch length on your sewing machine to 3.0mm or a longer stitch length for this step because of the layers of vinyl.

Book Assembly

Step 1: Take Book Sandwich 2, turn it around so pages 4 and 5 are facing upward. Then with a quilting ruler, measure 5¼in away from the left, short edge of the book. Mark the center with a heramarker. This guide is the sewing guide in holding the book pages together.

Step 2: Take Book Sandwich 1 and lay it on a flat surface, Pages 8/1 touching the surface and Pages 2/7 facing up. Then place Book Sandwich 2 on top of Book Sandwich 1 with Pages 6/3 touching Book Sandwich 1 and Pages 4/5 facing up. Ensure the binded edges are lined up with each other and clip the layers in place.

Step 3: Attach walking foot to the sewing machine and adjust to a longer stitch length. 3.0mm stitch length was used for this project. Then sew on the marked guideline from the previous step. For additional enforcement, go over the guideline twice and don’t forget to reverse stitch at the start and end of the stitch. Trim any loose threads and enjoy!

A fabric family picture book is more than just a project—it’s a heartfelt expression of love and connection. With Brother's PrintModa Studio Fabric Printer and Artspira + subscription, you can transform your favorite family photos into a tactile, interactive treasure for your little one. Whether it’s for bedtime bonding or on-the-go entertainment, this handmade book will become a cherished part of your baby’s early years. Plus, it’s a beautiful way to nurture their curiosity and strengthen their connection to loved ones.

*This blog post is written by a Brother Sews brand ambassador and sponsored by Brother International US. This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you use these links to buy something, I may receive a commission.

** By downloading the baby book template files, you agree to sign up for The Weekend Quilter email newsletter. I hate marketing emails as much as you do 😉—just the good stuff: quilt-y inspo’, tips, and exclusive freebies!