Help with iron-on transfers

[sunshine1259]

Hello, all. I am working on my FE for our cruise in September, but I have encountered a problem. As I was ironing on the transfers, only 1 letter would transfer; the first letter of my name . I thought about going and getting some new iron-ons, but what if it continues to happen? Have any of you experienced this? If so, were you able to fix it and how?

Otherwise, I have this FE with a B where my name was going. I don't even want to attempt to do my husbands name, although, his is shorter than mine.

Any help or adivice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Is your iron hot enough? Are you moving it around over the entire transfer? Are you ironing it long enough?

Maybe these questions sound stupid to you, but I have never had that happen, and just want to cover all the bases.

 

[sunshine1259]

Is your iron hot enough? Are you moving it around over the entire transfer? Are you ironing it long enough?

Maybe these questions sound stupid to you, but I have never had that happen, and just want to cover all the bases.

Yes, to all of the above. I even left the iron on for a couple of minutes. Like I said, one of the letters worked but not the other one. So, I don't know what happened.

 

[heartbeeps]

did you pre-wash the shirts first?
did you eliminate fabric softener?
what type of shirts are you using (100% cotton)?
how old are the transfers?
were the transfers exposed to extreme heat or cold at any point?

might be easier for you to give us - step by step - the steps you took to get to this point, otherwise it's just a guessing game of us asking 20questions trying to figure it out.

 

[heartbeeps]

did you follow these steps? http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1772213

(which ones, if any, did you skip?)

 

[dogodisney]

Are you using premade iron-on letters or transfer sheets that you printed?

 

[sunshine1259]

The transfers that I used are the ones that you transfer from paper. I am printing them on a simple piece of cotton fabric, not a t-shirt. I did not preshink or do anything else to the fabric.

I don't think that it was exposed to extreme; it's been rather warm here in California. I don't know how old the transfers were. But like I said one letter did transfer. I only tried the next 2 letters and gave up trying.

But I didn't do anything special other than cut the letters out place them one at a time to the place I wanted to transfer them to, and then heated the iron to the hottest temperature. That's about it.

Thanks everyone for trying help me out. I hope there is answer to this dilema. I am just thinking now that maybe the transfers were just getting old.

Oh, and I bought the transfers from our local fabric store.

 

[dogodisney]

The fabric needs to be washed before you iron-on the transfers. '
What brand are you using?

 

[mickeyvixie]

OP....not meaning to butt in on your thread but I have a few questions too. I asked on a seperate thread but it went the way of lost socks in the dryer.
I am usually crazy enuf to hand paint all the designs on but am running out of time to do that this trip.

OK...here we go..

1. how close can I or should I cut to the design?

2. Now if I understand this right.......the DARK transfers will "transfer" white from your design (like the white in the american flag will show up white, no matter the shirt color)

3. How do you put more then one piece of the transfer paper together on the shirt.? SO is a large guy and I could only print so big. I have to piece something together. Not too worried about it matching perfect but somewhat close. Can I put a piece of masking tape on the back or should I maybe pin it on the edges were there is no design???? I was wondering because the directions say something about not ironing the article of clothing after putting it on. Same thing goes for a front/back design. Tho that I suppose I could just pull the shirt over a board

HELP IS APPRECIATED!

 

[sunshine1259]

The fabric needs to be washed before you iron-on the transfers. '
What brand are you using?

Actually, I don't know. And I can't wash it now, because the FE is almost done. I was just trying to iron-on our names. The problem that I have now, if I don't get new iron-ons, is I have this "B" that's just sort of there. I am trying to figure out what to do about that. Does anyone know how to remove an iron-on? It is metallic gold on yellow fabric.

 

[dogodisney]

OP....not meaning to butt in on your thread but I have a few questions too. I asked on a seperate thread but it went the way of lost socks in the dryer.
I am usually crazy enuf to hand paint all the designs on but am running out of time to do that this trip.

OK...here we go..

1. how close can I or should I cut to the design?

2. Now if I understand this right.......the DARK transfers will "transfer" white from your design (like the white in the american flag will show up white, no matter the shirt color)

3. How do you put more then one piece of the transfer paper together on the shirt.? SO is a large guy and I could only print so big. I have to piece something together. Not too worried about it matching perfect but somewhat close. Can I put a piece of masking tape on the back or should I maybe pin it on the edges were there is no design???? I was wondering because the directions say something about not ironing the article of clothing after putting it on. Same thing goes for a front/back design. Tho that I suppose I could just pull the shirt over a board

HELP IS APPRECIATED!

#1...trim to what looks good to you
#2 Yes, dark transfers will be white
#3 I don't have an answer for you as far as piecing two sheets together. What size shirt are you working on?
Could you possibly do a design on one sheet and do the wording on another? That way you could spread the wording out so it takes up more room.

Actually, I don't know. And I can't wash it now, because the FE is almost done. I was just trying to iron-on our names. The problem that I have now, if I don't get new iron-ons, is I have this "B" that's just sort of there. I am trying to figure out what to do about that. Does anyone know how to remove an iron-on? It is metallic gold on yellow fabric.

I'm sorry that I can't help you. I don't think you can remove the iron on.
Hopefully someone else can give you some answers.

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y]

OP....not meaning to butt in on your thread but I have a few questions too. I asked on a seperate thread but it went the way of lost socks in the dryer.
I am usually crazy enuf to hand paint all the designs on but am running out of time to do that this trip.

OK...here we go..

1. how close can I or should I cut to the design?

2. Now if I understand this right.......the DARK transfers will "transfer" white from your design (like the white in the american flag will show up white, no matter the shirt color)

3. How do you put more then one piece of the transfer paper together on the shirt.? SO is a large guy and I could only print so big. I have to piece something together. Not too worried about it matching perfect but somewhat close. Can I put a piece of masking tape on the back or should I maybe pin it on the edges were there is no design???? I was wondering because the directions say something about not ironing the article of clothing after putting it on. Same thing goes for a front/back design. Tho that I suppose I could just pull the shirt over a board

HELP IS APPRECIATED!

1) I cut to the edge of the design - like in an example of a rectangular design - I would cut the design around the square border.

2) Yes, a dark transfer will be white in any place that the design is white - no matter the shirt color.

3) I have never pieced together a design so I do not have any experience with this really but I just did two designs that overlapped on the same shirt. I just placed the designs on the shirt the way I wanted them to be, placed the parchment paper over both and ironed normally. I had no problems doing it this way. The only thing I am not sure of is whether or not they shifted at all. I obviously was not trying to line up perfectly two designs. I would say it's worth a shot if you don't mind wasting the shirt and transfers. I am not sure how large of a shirt your design is going on but I have done a full page transfer for a 2X shirt for a friend of mine and although it looked a little small, it worked fine.

When doing a front/back design. Just place something between the two shirt layers. I have used a shelf from my entertainment center, others have mentioned using a cutting board.

I hope this helps!

 

[dogodisney]

I did front and back designs on some of my shirts. What I did was put a piece of the transfer paper inside the shirt to cover the first design. I made sure the first design was really cool before applying the second one.

 

[sunshine1259]

Well, what I did was to move one of the pockets to cover the "B". Now, I think that I will go and get some different type of iron-ons. Maybe the kind that I used for our last name.

Thanks everyone for your help and support.

 

[heartbeeps]

Well, what I did was to move one of the pockets to cover the "B". Now, I think that I will go and get some different type of iron-ons. Maybe the kind that I used for our last name.

Thanks everyone for your help and support.

I'd wash the fabric, too - and no fabric softener!

 

[mickeyvixie]

DOGO and M I C K E Y--thank you for your help...I know stupid questions but first time I ever did this. Oh, and the shirt is a 3x and it going to be VERY NOTICIBLE (if you know what I mean.. ), whether he wants to be or not Since everyone is still asleep, I am going to try a few tests on an old shirt about the piecing together with the transfer I printed backwards . Hey I had a 5 yr old distracting me. I will try the tape too and let you all know if it works.

SUNSHINE---again sorry for highjacking your thread temporarily. I hope that your project comes out ok. I know the directions for my paper says to iron the material itself for a few minutes to get out the moisture before ironing on the transfer. Maybe that will help Good luck!

 

[mickeyvixie]

1/2 hour later....here I am
This is what I learned about iron on transfers this morning.
pressure pressure pressure --I pretended I was that machine at the t-shirt shop
Get the shirt/material nice and warmed up before placing the transfer

ON PIECING , well...pieces, together
1. masking tape does work -I put another piece of material over the iron on to protect my iron and did it a bit longer then recommended.

2. duct tape DOES NOT work--it melted

3. overlap the image slightly to avoid a line down the middle OR push that puppy together REALLY REALLY REALLY tightly before taping. Both ways work fine. A second pair of hands would be a good thing here(one to tape and one to hold the design still)--dont ask a man to help

4. not necessary to move the iron around--in fact DONT if you can help it, the image WILL slide a bit and you will wind up with a bigger gap between pieces. I lifted the iron every few seconds to avoid burning the shirt but didnt slide it.

So in a nutshell, dont use duct tape, and lift dont slide
Hope my experiment helps someone. Off to do the real shirts before the masses wake up . THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE HELP.

 

[sunshine1259]

Just wanted to finish this thread by saying that I have my FE done and it looks great!!! Instead of iron-on, I thought about the doing felt. AT the fabric store, they have pre-cut letters in different sizes and colors. So, I bought "Brenda" in red and "Eric" in blue for .19 a letter. Have glue gun will travel. And presto!! My FE is complete.

I want to thank you all again for your help. It really meant alot to me.

 

[dogodisney]

1/2 hour later....here I am
This is what I learned about iron on transfers this morning.
pressure pressure pressure --I pretended I was that machine at the t-shirt shop
Get the shirt/material nice and warmed up before placing the transfer

ON PIECING , well...pieces, together
1. masking tape does work -I put another piece of material over the iron on to protect my iron and did it a bit longer then recommended.

2. duct tape DOES NOT work--it melted

3. overlap the image slightly to avoid a line down the middle OR push that puppy together REALLY REALLY REALLY tightly before taping. Both ways work fine. A second pair of hands would be a good thing here(one to tape and one to hold the design still)--dont ask a man to help

4. not necessary to move the iron around--in fact DONT if you can help it, the image WILL slide a bit and you will wind up with a bigger gap between pieces. I lifted the iron every few seconds to avoid burning the shirt but didnt slide it.

So in a nutshell, dont use duct tape, and lift dont slide
Hope my experiment helps someone. Off to do the real shirts before the masses wake up . THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE HELP.

So glad that you were able to get it to work. You may want to add your comments to the thread about making t-shirts. Ut is trhe one that was started by heartbeeps.

Just wanted to finish this thread by saying that I have my FE done and it looks great!!! Instead of iron-on, I thought about the doing felt. AT the fabric store, they have pre-cut letters in different sizes and colors. So, I bought "Brenda" in red and "Eric" in blue for .19 a letter. Have glue gun will travel. And presto!! My FE is complete.

I want to thank you all again for your help. It really meant alot to me.

Glad you found a way to get finish you project. Sorry I wasn't more help. I am new to this too.

 

[mickeyvixie]

So glad that you were able to get it to work. You may want to add your comments to the thread about making t-shirts. Ut is trhe one that was started by heartbeeps.

I will do that.
Do you have a link for it? You know the search engine around here leaves something to be desired LOL

OP---Glad you got your shirts straightened out. Dont forget to show us the results.