Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Easy DIY Tagless Clothing Labels (& Hangtags)

I can't stand tags. Neither can my daughter. I have to carefully cut them out of everything. Most tagless labeled clothing you see in the store is silk screened. An easy substitute is the super soft transfer paper from Dharma Trading. The labels look and feel like they are part of the fabric!

First you have to create the text for your labels. I create the text in Adobe Photoshop or Word and save it as a picture. Then reverse it (you have to print it in reverse). I actually pull the graphic into Powerpoint, resize it small and then paste it over and over and over so it fills up a whole page. Then print it out using your ink jet printer:


Care labels and fiber content (Note: it is close to impossible to come up with a fiber content label for upcycled clothing. Technically you are supposed to say: "fiber content unavailable" or something to that effect if you don't know). Here is a link to the FTC's requirements.

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I precut all my sizes, brand, and care instructions and store them in containers like the one below:

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I print everything separately and mix and match them depending on the garment:

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Place them face down onto the fabric...

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......and iron as the directions say. You are supposed to use a harder surface for transfer paper than an ironing board, but it works fine for me when I'm using the perfect heat setting and I use enough pressure:

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Before the fabric cools I peel off the backing:

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Tagless clothing labels!

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You can also easily make your own hang tags. I use a heavy glossy cardstock and have Mr. LBB print them at work on his laser printer. (I'm scared of ink jet for hang tags....the ink will bleed onto the clothing if the tag were to get damp).

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I just cut them out with my rotary cutter, punch a hole and add a string! Some people just use a business card for the same idea.

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Now when people peek inside your kiddos handmade clothing they'll know YOU made it!

28 comments:

  1. My boys dont like tags either! Thanks for sharing how to make clothing labels!

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  2. love it but have a dumb question i am sure- how do you print in reverse?

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  3. Thank you! I may have to try this for the doll clothing :o)

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  4. I don't make clothing, but that is so wonderful! I just ripped a tag out this morning! I have a seam ripper on my desk for that very occasion!

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  5. Awesome, I was just trying to figure out a way to do this too, you've made it easy for me, thanks for sharing so many wonderful techniques!

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  6. Excellent! Just in time for summer camp! Thanks for sharing. We hate tags too.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Hello Ashley :)
    I wanna just say this ;
    Your 'Boo' adorable... and your blog is awesome.
    Kisses for Boo :)*
    S.Ella

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  9. Great idea! Thanks for the tip!

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  10. Awesome post Ashley! And I love your organizer (I have the same one for my snap pieces). One question: the link said that the super soft transfer paper was for use on light fabrics. What do you use for dark colors?

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  11. Thanks for the tip! I have a daughter who won't rest until every tag is cut from her clothing, so this I'll have to try!

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  12. This is a great idea. Fabric tags make me crazy. I get all itchy. Thanks for your tutorial. I will definitely make it.

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  13. Its a great blog and thanks a lot Ashley For these techniques.
    For online shopping visit on our website where you can found lots of cheap and best clothes clothing store

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  14. Ashley you are such an inspiration to so many women. I hope you know that.

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  15. Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave today [27 May 02:00pm GMT]. Thanks, Maria

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  16. awesome idea! It would also keep "shareable" garments like hoodies from being lost or confused. You could put your little one's name in a hidden spot without ruining the design of the clothing.

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  17. This is a great tip. I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com later today!

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  18. Love this idea!! Thanks so much for the tutorial! :)

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  19. Organizing to easily mix and match is such a great idea. These are wonderful! Thanks so much for the ideas, I'll be linking.

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  20. Love it! Great idea- thank you for sharing:)

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  21. Wonderful idea. Thank you, will try this out :-)

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  22. These are wonderful! Thank so much for the tips!

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  23. i love this tutorial..thank you very much :-) it's very helpful and it's exactly what i'm looking for

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  24. I just have to agree that your blog really is very much helpful. Your instructions are explicitly essential to all clothing labels lovers out there who wants to make personal touch with their clothing labels like me! Thanks for the great feed!

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  25. Thank you! I was thinking of having some silk screens made to put my logo on my clothes, but this is so much easier and I could do it at home!!!! Woohoo for this great tute.

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