T shirt making

[Disneyfan754321]

I found a super cute shirt design on etsy, but it's just a digital file.
I was looking up what to do with the file.
I could do the transfer and iron on. I am afraid it will look bad or not wash well. What's the best and affordable way to make shirts.
I looked up some websites but I only need 5.

 

[KayaWildfire]

If you buy the digital file, your only option is to print it out and iron it on. We have had good luck doing it that way, we got transfers and shirts online for cheap and then just printed the transfers on our regular printer. It went better when we borrowed grandma's iron, which I'm fairly certain came over with Christopher Columbus, because it got much hotter than our iron could. Ours look very nice. Ebay also has some cute already made designs for a good price as well.

 

[NYCgrrl]

If you buy the digital file, your only option is to print it out and iron it on. We have had good luck doing it that way, we got transfers and shirts online for cheap and then just printed the transfers on our regular printer. It went better when we borrowed grandma's iron, which I'm fairly certain came over with Christopher Columbus, because it got much hotter than our iron could. Ours look very nice. Ebay also has some cute already made designs for a good price as well.

Yes a good heavyweight iron with higher temps will do a much better job than many of the newer irons. I dragged the same seamstress' iron around since the '80's. Lasted into the 2010's when my former DIL got her hands on it but that's a different tale of woe. Don't have the right kind of iron and nobody to borrow one from? Take it to your local dry cleaners and many will do it for you.

Here's a link to a well written tutorial on transferring an iron on design:

https://www.lifewire.com/iron-on-transfers-for-tshirts-1079024

Tie dying is pretty easy to do at home and can further personalize you shirts at a great price; all you need is fabric dye or Kool Aid and vinegar (less expensive than Rit or Tintex dye but the colors are less vibrant), and rubber bands. If you've never done it before and/or time is short opt for one color only on a white t shirt.

 

[Iralyn]

I just made some shirts with transfers and they turned out well. With my not so old iron. Just followed the directions (including using a hard surface, not ironing board) and took my time. I think doing it on white t-shirts is easiest as you can leave more around it without it being too obvious. Only washed once so far but held up fine. The nice thing about having the digital design is that you can always try again if need be.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

You guys are super awesome.
Is there a better brand of transfers? I am going to use light colored shirts for sure I dont want to bake my kids in florida.
I was reading reviews on amazon, people talked about cracking and peeling. I am guessing these are the people who used new irons..lol
I need to get them printed at staples or somewhere has anyone done that?
Do I need to trim all the way to the design? What about the middle parts that is not printed on?

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Yes a good heavyweight iron with higher temps will do a much better job than many of the newer irons. I dragged the same seamstress' iron around since the '80's. Lasted into the 2010's when my former DIL got her hands on it but that's a different tale of woe. Don't have the right kind of iron and nobody to borrow one from? Take it to your local dry cleaners and many will do it for you.

Here's a link to a well written tutorial on transferring an iron on design:

https://www.lifewire.com/iron-on-transfers-for-tshirts-1079024

Tie dying is pretty easy to do at home and can further personalize you shirts at a great price; all you need is fabric dye or Kool Aid and vinegar (less expensive than Rit or Tintex dye but the colors are less vibrant), and rubber bands. If you've never done it before and/or time is short opt for one color only on a white t shirt.

Do you think the dry cleaners will do a good job centering? They have a shirt shop at the mall I could also call them I guess

 

[NYCgrrl]

Do you think the dry cleaners will do a good job centering? They have a shirt shop at the mall I could also call them I guess

I would do the centering myself but then I'm one of those annoying obsessed with the details people. I'm a pretty good seamstress but sometimes pay for others to make items for me. A dear friend is a special occasion dress designer and tailor and he always sighs when I have him make something for me since he knows I brook no easy way out . My thinking on the centering is that only you know exactly where you want the graphic placed.

Since you have a shirt shop in the local mall I'd definitely ask them if they can do it. Maybe they'll even have a design you like.

 

[kayemgi]

I've made a bunch of shirts for my daughter for our trips using iron-on transfers and they hold up well. I usually don't let her wear any newly made shirts before an upcoming trip so I can be sure it will be good for the trip, but she loves them and wears them a ton after our trips and since she's young and growing I'm not too fussed about washing and drying them. They do start to crack and fade after a long time, but I'm talking months of wearing, washing, and drying. If you follow the instructions that come with the transfers you should be in good shape!

 

[Turkey Lurkey]

If you feel crafty enough, and the image is simple, you could try screen printing it. There are a number of tutorials for easy DIY screen printing on Youtube. It was something I'm thinking about trying for our next trip.


TL

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I buy the transfer paper at Michael or Walmart that is made for dark fabrics even if I am not putting it on a dark fabric shirt. I wash the shirts in cool water on gentle and hag them to try. They last for about 5 washing before they start to fade. Wash the shirts before you start and be sure the shirt is fully dry and the iron has no water in it when you do the transfer

 

[KayaWildfire]

And washing the shirts inside out helps immensely with cracking and fading.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I bought shirts at hobby lobby for 2.88 each.
Bought trasfermagic brand transfers for 5.25
( with the 40%off coupon) now im stuck at the printing part. I have been printing on paper to see if it looks right. It's not turning out right too big for the paper, too small. The transfer magic came with the hands tshirt maker software but it will not work on my computer. So I'm stuck with Microsoft paint.
I called the tshirt store and they wont use my design due to copyright issues. So I will keep trying I guess just print it anyways and what will be will be.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I bought shirts at hobby lobby for 2.88 each.
Bought trasfermagic brand transfers for 5.25
( with the 40%off coupon) now im stuck at the printing part. I have been printing on paper to see if it looks right. It's not turning out right too big for the paper, too small. The transfer magic came with the hands tshirt maker software but it will not work on my computer. So I'm stuck with Microsoft paint.
I called the tshirt store and they wont use my design due to copyright issues. So I will keep trying I guess just print it anyways and what will be will be.

OK, let me be sure I understand the problems you are having.
You did a few paper tests and found the graphic either too large or too small. Do you mean it's the wrong size for the t shirt OR the bed of the printer?
Your system will not accept the hands software? If it's due to a lack of power in your operating system or an excess of downloaded software. Maybe you can delete some of the under or un-used programs using your Control Panel and upload then. Another possibility is to borrow a friend/family member's computer or go to your public library. I would also try to communicate with the designer you purchased the file from to see if they have an answer to the problems.

HTH.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

Hobby Lobby has really cheap shirts. I made shirts for our Spring Break vacation. I caught a sale and got our shirts for like $2.19 each. The hardest part of the whole process was finding where we could download a Disney Font to our words on our shirts. Ours match our magic band colors and have our names in the back

 

[NYCgrrl]

View attachment 385234 Hobby Lobby has really cheap shirts. I made shirts for our Spring Break vacation. I caught a sale and got our shirts for like $2.19 each. The hardest part of the whole process was finding where we could download a Disney Font to our words on our shirts. Ours match our magic band colors and have our names in the back

Great looking t-shirts!
Do you recall what the name of the font was? Could be useful for someone's project.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

Great looking t-shirts!
Do you recall what the name of the font was? Could be useful for someone's project.

I think it’s called Waltograph. My only issue with it was that I couldn’t print out bigger letters than the largest font size on my computer. I’d have liked the names a bit bigger and someone more computer savvy may know how to do it. Anyway, I bought the iron on sheets at Hobby Lobby too. And it took us less than an hour to get all 5 shirts done. They are hanging ready to pack in 2 weeks.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I tried to go to the library but they wouldn't let me use my paper. I was told to go to staples I can use there computers and printers.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I tried to go to the library but they wouldn't let me use my paper. I was told to go to staples I can use there computers and printers.

That’s odd. It shouldn’t matter what paper you are using. It’s not like you take it apart and have the sticky side on anything. I do think not all paper is created equal. I bought the center artwork on eBay, and it was obvious a home print job which is ok, but the paper they used was a lot harder to get apart.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

They turned out super cute... but after wearing them all day. Went on a water ride and the black bled purple it may be the iron on brand. Next year I wont wait till the last min and get them screen printed. I almost bought the kit for 40.00 at hobby lobby just a lot of steps. I may still just to make some kid shirts between now and next march. Thanks all.
And dont use jolees boutique the paper stitch yo the design it was a mess... the first brand I bought was better transfer magic it was just a little too shiny I should have stayed with it

 

[katyjeka]

For years I would iron on designs. I tried every type of transfer but for some reason some would stay after washing and just as many didn't. I invested in a Cricut machine and the difference is amazing. You can iron on vinyl but my favorite is to make a stencil and fabric paint it on. If you stick with the iron on shirts my only advice is to not do a large solid design. I made the mistake of putting a large design on our shirts and everyone in our group complained of how hot the shirts were. Have a great trip and happy designing.