Friday, February 25, 2011

DIY Clothing Labels

I was all over the Internet looking for easy clothing labels without having to put out a large financial commitment. Especially since Federal Trade regulations require fiber content and washing instructions. Huge print runs for each fiber blend can become expensive.
So off to the fabric store, I went looking for alternatives.
Here's what I came up with and it works!

There are many different inkjet fabrics on the market but, there are only a few that fit my needs.
This one by Blumenthal Craft PhotoFabric 100% Cotton Poplin Roll is one of the best brands I've found for a couple of reasons.
First, it's fused "on grain". Not all brands are. This will present problems with fraying if you use a lesser brand.
Second, this is the only brand that I can find that is BOTH hand washable and dry cleanable, but only if you follow directions.
Let's begin.

I laid out my graphics so that after it's folded in half, the back side when flipped up will have all the washing and fiber information.
(You have to find your own daughter to help you with that step...sorry.)

Follow the package directions and don't skip any steps!

Run your fabric through your inkjet printer.
Let it dry completely. I actually let mine sit for about 3 hours. You want to be sure it's dry.

Peel the paper backing off and place in lukewarm water to soak and rinse.

After rinsing, I laid mine out onto a clean towel to absorb some of water before ironing.

Press hot.
I put it on the wool setting and pressed until dry with a piece of cotton as a pressing cloth always next to the inked side.
There was a very faint release of ink, but all the colors stayed vibrant, clear and clean.

Cut by using a straight edge and rotary cutter. This way you can get a VERY clean line.

Using these tools instead of scissors, will help cut "on grain" to eliminate fraying.

I finger pressed in half and folded in about a 1/4" on both top edges.

This will give you a clean area to hand or machine stitch your labels in.

They hold up well and do not seem to be fading.

Since I have just completed stitching these into about 300 alpaca hand knit items,
I am very happy with the outcome!

9 comments:

Say It In Color said...

I am so inspired by your dedication and follow through to details!! How much approximately are the baby blankets? Or do you sell them or have a place where they will be sold? Maybe I missed that part. Gorgeous stuff!!!

Amber Dawn Inventive Soul said...

I NEED THIS FABRIC PAPER!!!
:o)
Thank you for sharing the info on how you went about preparing and creating the label Terisa!

Rissa @ Hazel and Honeysuckle said...

What a fantastic idea, thanks so much for sharing! I've been looking into options like this but like you didn't want to put in a big financial commitment at this stage! Thanks so much!

Yolanda @ Miss Refashionista said...

Thanks a bunch for the idea. There should be more like you in the world!! :)

Jenn Erickson said...

So cool! What a wonderful way to make custom tags. I've never seen the printable fabric, and am looking forward to picking some up and playing with it! Jenn/Rook No. 17

Sew A Little Happiness said...

Fabulous! Thank you! I'm visiting from Someday Crafts!

Thanks for the info on what to use!

Unknown said...

This is wonderful - thanks so much for sharing this!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Fabulous information and tutorial. I am SO glad it's not a youtube as I haven't the bandwidth to access videos. The logo is one of the best I've ever seen...absolutely brilliant!

Dainty Luxe said...

This is great, do you have a link where we can purchase that from?

Also, I noticed it said hand wash or dry clean. Can it be machine washed? Thank you so much!