About Sarah Expertise Pattern making, fitting, fabric choices, garment construction, design choices - all aspects of making a garment! I'm a professional in the fashion industry. I'm responsible for fitting garments on live models, making garment construction choices that make sense for the fabrics, approving wash care instructions, patternmaking and draping on the form. I work with wovens and knits. My garments have won numerous awards (both design and construction) throughout my college career.
Experience Graduated BFA in fashion design; Currently work as a technical designer/pattern make/fitter for a large contemporary fashion company for 2+ years.
Organizations Philadelphia Sewing Collective - www.phillysewing.org
Education/Credentials BFA in Fashion Design from Moore College of Art & Design; Summa Cum Laude
I'm considering printing my own designs off the computer and transferring them onto t-shirts using transfer-ons...my problem with all of this is that these designs tend to not withstand a wash and I was wondering if there are any sorts of liquids of protective covers I can stick or sew onto the fabric to keep the designs safe and longstanding.
Answer Hi Jess!
There are a few ways to help protect iron on transfers, but they mostly have to do with the wash care.
An iron on transfer is basically just a layer of glue. The best way to preserve an iron on transfer is to limit the heat that the transfer comes in contact with, and also abrasion - as this would rough away the surface of the transfer.
When you're washing the t-shirt, wash in cold water. Turn the t-shirt inside out before you put it in the washer, and wash on the gentle cycle. You can also hand wash the shirt (turned inside out), in a sink of cold water. Also, using a more gentle detergent will help prolong the life of the transfer. Try to avoid tumble drying the shirt. This puts a lot of heat on the transfer, and after a while it will crack. Lay it flat to dry, or hang it. <- If you are going to hang it, keep it out of direct sunlight because this will quickly fade the transfer. If you're going to sell these shirts, I would get care labels made with this information on it, or find some way of advising your buyers when they buy one.
On a more basic construction level, you can try to find t-shirts with a minimal amount of stretch. Knits come with a wide range of stretch, and a jersey material that is a cotton/spandex blend will stretch much more than a 100% cotton jersey. Iron on transfers don't have a lot of give, so if you pull on a t-shirt and stetch that transfer, the transfer will crack, will buckle in places, and won't ever want to lie flat again. Iron on transfers work best on a woven (non stretch) material that has a plain cotton surface, nothing too bumpy or shiny. Muslin and cotton broadcloth come to mind.
Here is something I've never tried, and it might just be disastrous - but may be worth testing! If your iron on transfer sheets are clear (not a white base), try ironing on your printed transfer, and then ironing another blank sheet on top of it - sort of a protective layer. Like I said, I haven't tried this so it might just melt the transfer underneath it, or be too stiff, etc. Also, it is still just TWO layers of glue (so the wash care instructions above still apply), but that clear layer on top will add some amount of protection.
Hope all of this helps. :) Let me know if you have any other questions!
