There are many different ways you can approach this project.

I do find that iron-on inkjet transfers show wear fairly quickly on children's clothing, though simple black inkjet transfers on a dyed background last through a good many wearings, and they show their wear gracefully, unlike detailed photographs in transfers. Large bold print is better than fine small print. I've been wondering if another brand of inkjet transfer might be more resistant to wear. The iron-ons seem to me to last longer with adults' clothing, probably a combination of taking more care to always launder the clothing inside-out, and simply the fact that adults do not tend to wear the same item of clothing as frequently. Photographic opaque inkjet transfers for dark fabric show wear much more quickly, in my experience. I like to use black writing on a hand-dyed background; see my September 3, 2006 posting on the Dye Forum for pictures of one example.

The easiest way to apply writing to a shirt is with a permanent fabric marker. Markers labeled for use on fabric last longer than Sharpies and other 'permanent' markers not intended for clothing. These can last quite well, if the clothing is not exposed to bleach. (Best to avoid clothing with white backgrounds for babies!) Here are a couple of examples: "Texas wildflowers tee" and "Poison dart frog snap-crotch baby shirt".

A third method is screen-printing with inks intended for screen printing on fabric. This is best for text that you wish to use more than once, of course. Photographic methods for transferring an image to the screen can be used.

I have created a stencil to use with puffy fabric paint; look at my results here:  "Fabric puffy paint with a stencil" (Click on the image to see a close-up.) All fabric paint is more subject to wear than a good fiber reactive dye, but this shirt lasted quite well through many wearings by my sons.

The most permanent methods, however, require the use of dye, preferably fiber reactive dyes, which last a lot better than other kinds of dyes. I really like the effects I've obtained by using a tjanting with melted wax, then dyeing with Procion MX dyes (on 100% cotton shirts). Here's an example I did with the words 'may peace prevail on earth' written by hand with wax around a peace sign:

"May Peace Prevail On Earth: single-wax batik with low water immersion dyed background".(Click on the images to see close-ups.)

An easier alternative is to use a water-soluble resist, but you have to be careful in the dye application step. Here's an example I made: "Immersion Dyeing with Water Soluble Resist" If you write on a shirt with Elmer's Blue School Gel, then paint on or spray on fiber reactive dye with soda ash activator mixed in, the results are good. Use detergent and extremely hot water to wash out the Blue School Gel. Do not fold the shirt in half to fit it into a bucket of dye, because the dry glue gel can transfer to the other part of the shirt.

With shirts made of 100% polyester or other synthetic fiber, Crayola Fabric Transfer Crayons work well, if you remember to do the writing on the paper backwards so it will be frontwards when ironed on. (I confess to, once, when very tired, forgetting to reverse the printing for an inkjet iron-on.) These can also work on 50% polyester/50% cotton, but the colors will not be as bright as on 100% synthetic fiber shirts. Don't confuse these with ordinary wax crayons; they are actually made of disperse dye. See "Iron-on Fabric Crayons for Synthetic Fibers".

A more challenging way to transfer text to fabric is by using Inkodye brand light-sensitive vat dyes with a transparent stencil. Sun painting could be done with individual plastic or metal letters that you arrange on top of the fabric while you dry transparent fabric paint in the sun or under an intense heat lamp. (You can't use a transparency for sun painting.) Blueprinting with a transparency could be quite easy, if you buy shirts that are ready-prepared for blueprinting, and can be done with a transparency. See "How to Dye and Paint Fabric with Light".

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