Will a DIY InkJet Iron-On Transfer Stick to a Running Shirt?
October 7, 2009 7:23 AM   Subscribe

[Will-it-Stick Filter] I need to put an iron-on transfer on a runner's singlette. Will it stick?

The singlette is 92% polyester, 8% spandex. The iron-on transfer paper I'm considering using is Avery Personal Creations InkJet Stretchable Transfer Paper. Will it stick? Will it look all crackly and weird?

Thanks for your help!
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)
 
I'm guessing this will vary widely by fabric/finish/degree of wear/transfer technique. Could you do a small test patch on another singlette, or on the inside of the singlette you have?
posted by Bardolph at 7:35 AM on October 7, 2009


Response by poster: That's a really good idea. I'll definitely do that; I just wondered if anybody had successfully attached a large-ish transfer to this kind of fabric.
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 7:59 AM on October 7, 2009


Best answer: Probably won't work all that great. The product description says "For use on 100% cotton or poly/cotton blend fabric". Adhesives that work well on cotton often fail on !00% synthetics.

There's a different option for transferring onto polyester: make a heat transfer using polyester dye, which is called disperse dye, and iron it on. Some ways to make the transfer include using Crayola Fabric Transfer Crayons (which are completely different from wax crayons, although they look similar) or with paints you make from disperse dyes; a good source for the dyes is PRO Chemical & Dye. Here's an example of the crayon method.
posted by Ery at 8:09 AM on October 7, 2009


Best answer: By the way, spandex is highly sensitive to heat. When you do the iron-on transfer, be careful not to damage the spandex.
posted by Ery at 8:21 AM on October 7, 2009


Best answer: This is what I did to get the image I wanted onto a runner's shirt: http://krisalis.org/weblog/?p=2345
posted by netsirk at 8:22 AM on October 7, 2009


Best answer: those iron-on transfers aren't great to begin with, and a lot of times need massive heat to stick. You may be better off doing it on a stretch cotton scrap and sewing it to the final shirt.

I'd be very shocked if you could even get a hot enough iron to adhere it properly near that sort of fabric without causing some kind of damage to the shirt itself. Spandex and highly synthetic blends rarely get along nicely with hot irons.
posted by Kellydamnit at 9:19 AM on October 7, 2009


Response by poster: Thanks for all of your help. It looks like the best option may be to make iron-ons on pieces of cotton and attach them to the shirt.
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 10:25 AM on October 7, 2009


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