Iron on transfers - rubbish?

[NoSoggyBottoms]

Thought I had a great present idea last night as money is tight. Buy cheap plain t shirts from Ebay and an iron on transfer...then make my own t shirts! However, I've now found out that I'd be lucky if they even last after one wash, so whats the point?

Should I just forget it or is there anything I can do to make the transfer more permanent?

Transfers aren't great.

Try baker ross for some cheap craft ideas.

Are you looking to put a slogan on your t-shirt?

As you could use fabric pens, you either seal them with an iron on hot or tumble drier.

Most transfers are rubbish, especially the cheap ones.

Bondaweb is wonderful stuff though, if you iron it on to scrap fabric, cut out your shape, you can then attach it to a top by ironing again. All good unless you repeatedly tumble dry the top, or iron directly on the icon. good basic instructions

Thank you.

Was planning on putting a picture (Minecraft ) on the tshirts, so wouldn't be able to use fabric pens for that.

Will look at the baker ross link.

Have some bondaweb...will have a think about if I could use that. I'm not all that handy when it comes to this! Need something simple.

If only you could stick a t-shirt through an inkjet printer

They are fine, I've used them a lot and found they last pretty well if used correctly - DDs friend still wears the top I made him over 2 years ago, he rarely has it off his back, so it's been wished to death, but the motif is still looking good - same with a dress I made her other friend - I've also sld them & not had a problem with complaints or returns.

It's important you follow the instructions properly, don't iron onto,synthetic fabrics - must be at least 50% cotton, the more the better & make sure they are sealed onto the fabric properly in the first place, this takes both lots of heat AND pressure, most transfers use a colour change system to show its heated enough - the Phoenix ones I use go brown - but make sure it's ALL VERY brown & cool properly before removing the backing - otherwise you can loosen the transfer.

And don't forget that wish care is very important too - if you read the instructions on your BOUGHT printed T shirts etc, it won't be throw in a machine on a high heat.

In short, handled properly they can last for years

Oh, & I'd also advise cutting around your design, lettering etc, it looks better, more professional & it helps the stability, the square block of print that looks like PVC can get pulled around when worn, this can weaken it too

Thinking on it, if your not confident with Transfers - are you on Pinterest? There are some good DIY simple screen print tutorials on there, that could be your answer

rockinhippy thank you for your reply. I was watching a YouTube video about how to iron on the transfer. Took a lot longer than I've done it in the past, and they emphasised not only heat but pressure. I remember using transfers years ago, and they didn't look great, but now I think it's because I didn't spend enough time doing it.

Thanks for the tip of the cotton content of the t shirt.

Do you need to wash the t shirt first (if it's new)? I'm sure I've also heard this somewhere?

I'm not on Piinterest, but what a good excuse to sign up . Costs need to be really low though...thats the only thing putting me off the screen printing idea at the mo, but will investigate!

Thanks again

Oh, and as far as the actual transfers go, I was going to buy them from Ebay ready printed. Would the quality of the paper generally be poor or not necessarily? Would it be worth contacting the seller to find out?

Sorry about more questions!

It will depend on the T-shirt, but I've not washed the fabrics nor the tops I've transferred onto & not had any problems -, as I said, wash care is important though, my stuff has labels, but you could make swing tickets from printable business cards & add wash care instructions to those & pin on with ribbon

The screen print type idea, is loosely screen printing, very effective but cheap - I think I saved it on my oŵn Pinterest craft board for use with DD - if you want I can send you an invite, but will need you to message me an email address & ill see if I can find the link for you

I can't say for sure as I've not used thebready printed ones, but it's a possibility, if you have access to a printer, it's very easy to drag images of the Internet & to do your own

Apologies for typos, my iPad has a mind of its own :-/

Found it, no need for Pinterest :)

[http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-presidents-day-shirts-intermediate-freezer-paper-stenciling.html HERE]

Oops

HERE