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Iron On Letters For Clothing
Iron On Letters For Clothing are a smart way to add pazazz to ones wardrobe. Everything from tee shirts to sports wear to childrens clothing and party dress can be enhanced with iron on letters. In the past it was necessary to sew on letters and patches but today it has never been easier to create your own lettering and just iron them on. It gives total freedom to express yourself with humor or whatever statement you want to make.
Iron on letters are readily available on and offline. Michaels.com has a large selection to chose from online and Walmart carries a large selection if you prefer to shop locally. It is possible to find pre-made iron-on letters of every size color and shape but it is a lot of fun to design your own and print them out on your home computer. You can Design it, Iron It and Wear It!
Here's how it can be accomplished:
The most important element of the process is the iron-on transfer paper that the letter will be printed on. Iron on paper adds another demension of fun and excitement to the process but it is important to select the right paper for your project. Different types of fabric require different types of paper. And it is important to select the right kind of paper from a style point of view because some papers are bright and shiny while others have duller finishes. That variety is what makes creating your own iron on letters fun because of the flexibility the media offers so you are only limited by your taste and imagination.
You will need the following things:
- Fabric of at least 50% cotton
- Iron
- Iron-on transfer paper
- Computer
- Printer
- Scissors
Once you have selected your transfer paper and all these items are assembled and ready to go here are the steps for ironing on letters:
1. Go to your computer and open up a word processing program. Any program with type letters will work but it is more fun to use a publishing program of some sort that will enable you to express your creativity with different styles of letters, images and diagrams. Design your message letters and save them.
2. After the letters are selected on your computer it is necessary to reverse the images because the way the adhesive is applied to the transfer paper the letters will be reversed when ironed on. Your word or publisher program should have the ability to mirror image your text.
3. Once you have finished the design of your letters it is time to print your creation. To safeguard your supply of transfer paper it is a good idea to do a trial run with regular paper first to check out the letters for sizing and layout. When you are satisfied the layout is correct load the transfer paper into the printer and print the letters.
4. Now that the iron-on letters are created it is time to prepare the clothing article receiving the letters. The area of the clothing item where the letters will be applied should be crease and wrinkle-free and as flat as possible so it is a good idea to carefully iron the fabric area first.
5. Trim the edges of the transfer letters so that only about 1/4 inch of excell paper remains.
6. Position the printed letters on the transfer paper on the fabric. Double check the location and keep in mind you will be doing this in the mirror image. The letters will appear to be backwards while they are laid on the article of clothing but after they are ironed on they will be forward facing in the correct alignment. Just prior to applying the iron double check the layout. Once they are ironed on they are fixed.
7. Next is the step where the iron-on letters on the transfer paper and the article of clothing are united. Put your iron on the setting for cotton or something close to it with no steam and start ironing over the letters. Use the same procedures of time and pressure as required for normal shirt ironing.
Check a letter for adhesion to make sure you are applying the correct amount of heat and pressure.
8. When the ironing is complete and you are sure the letters have been securely adhered to the fabric pull off the backing paper and the clothing article is ready for wear and appreciation by your family, friends and admirers.