Poor Man's Fabric Label

**jabraso** · 02-24-2017, 12:50

Weather's been abysmal around here the past month: wet, icy, muddy, rainy, windy, floody, and generally unsuitable for being outdoors. so I've been keeping occupied with small projects. This is one that I didn't find much info on HF about so I thought I'd share.

I like making things and have made a lot of hammock specific stuff. I have always thought it would be cool to have my own logo on my stuff, not for any practical reason, but just because I think its cool. I wanted something personal and meaningful, so I took a screenshot on Google Earth of a section of the mountain range nearest my parents house where I grew up.mountain1.JPG Then traced and shaded it on the computermountain1 outline.png.

I initially though I could try the printable iron on transfer paper, but realized it doesn't work on the lightweight synthetic fabrics that hammock gear is made out of. I eventually stumbled across this method where you iron a piece of butcher/freezer paper (paper one side, plastic on the other) onto a piece of thin tight woven cotton fabric then trim it to a size your inkjet printer will accept and print onto the fabric side. I was skeptical but tried it on a whim and it worked!

I sewed some custom printed tags to some of my stuff sacks. While they're not perfect, they turned out pretty well.
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**Eidson** · 02-24-2017, 13:05

Thanks for the share! The custom tag idea has crossed my mind a few times, but I never stumbled across a simple solution like the one you linked. From your design to final product, I think it is a great idea throughout and ended up looking really good.

**Caminante** · 02-24-2017, 13:05

Super cool! I absolutely have to try this, I've been messing around with what "my" label would look like. I priced out custom labels on eBay and decided it wasn't worth it from a home hobbyist standpoint.

**Billy Goat** · 02-24-2017, 13:27

This is super cool. I've wanted custom tags made for a while. Super simple, text only designs are available pretty cheaply, but I wanted some graphics. The only time I an find something like that for less than $4/tag, you have to order 1000 or more. It's not worth it to me. Just had a thought... could RBTR begin to offer poly printed labels? THAT could be amazing.

Cheers,
the Goat

**jellyfish** · 02-24-2017, 13:29

This looks fun and neat.

But I always end up cutting or tearing labels off of things. I doubt I would want to do that if my label said that I made it. Hahahaha

**sqidmark** · 02-24-2017, 13:49

That's water based ink. I know what it does on paper when it gets wet.

**Caminante** · 02-24-2017, 13:54

Originally Posted by sqidmark

That's water based ink. I know what it does on paper when it gets wet.

Did you check the link? It's set with vinegar and survived being washed and scrubbed with a toothbrush.

**jabraso** · 02-24-2017, 14:15

Originally Posted by sqidmark

That's water based ink. I know what it does on paper when it gets wet.

Originally Posted by Caminante

Did you check the link? It's set with vinegar and survived being washed and scrubbed with a toothbrush.

I set it with vinegar and rinsed it with warm tap watter, wrung it out, and dried it with a hair dryer. It didn't smudge, run, or fade... I was doubtful at first but pleasantly surprised.

**Crazytown3** · 02-24-2017, 14:23

Originally Posted by jabraso

I took a screenshot on Google Earth of a section of the mountain range nearest my parents house where I grew up. Then traced and shaded it on the computer.

That's a great idea! The weather has been abysmal around here, and it looks like more of the same for the next week or two.

If you don't mind me asking, which range is that?

**jabraso** · 02-24-2017, 14:27

Originally Posted by Billy Goat

This is super cool. I've wanted custom tags made for a while. Super simple, text only designs are available pretty cheaply, but I wanted some graphics. The only time I an find something like that for less than $4/tag, you have to order 1000 or more. It's not worth it to me. Just had a thought... could RBTR begin to offer poly printed labels? THAT could be amazing.

Cheers,
the Goat

Should work the same with colored graphics as well, I just did black because I was going for something simple and subtle.

It would work best with simple logos because you loose some of the fine details because of the weave of the fabric. I'll take a few close up pictures later today.