I've been looking to expand my range by including toddlers. Alternative Apparel do a great eco-friendly range of babies/toddlers t's. They are 50% poly, 12% rayon and 38% cotton. Anyone out there tried sublimating on these or something similar? Is it worth it?
We have several customers using the burn outs and few thermals. With only 50% poly you do not get the bright bold colors as you would on 100% poly. The result is more of a faded or washed out look. This is actually the fashion forward/trendy look they are after.
It's all in the Math. When you use 50/50, you get 50% of the ink to actuallystay on the shirt. This is because the inks only dye the Poly threads. The cotton threads will not be dyed. The more Poly the better the print. The more cotton the more washout. This is what I did, go to your local thrift store or garage sale and pick up some different blends and print a bunch of small graphics and cut your samples into small swatches. Print & Press all your samples at the same time, Temp and Pressure. and see what you get. In my test the more Poly meant brighter and vivid look as the poly % dropped so did the quality of the image.
You have to use 100% if you are doing photo shirts but like was stated earlier< if your design needs a washed out look than it might work for you>
Yeah I know. I currently use Vapor exclusively but as I want to introduce a toddler range parents are concerned about the flammability of poly. A bit of cotton puts them at ease. As the alternative apparel eco-toddler t's have 12% rayon as well as 50% poly, does this, being synthethic, increase the colour definition or have minimal effect?
Andi, I just did a quick search on the net and it seems that cotton/poly blends are much more flammable, than either fabric by itself. Seems like there is a bit of mis-conception hereabout what it actually safer for the child to wear.
I have typed "flammability of cotton vs polyester" into Google and got a lot of research papers and articles stating that polyester is less flammable than cotton.
- Polyester tends to melt, drip off and self-extinguish if the source of heat is removed and it's more difficult to ignite than cotton, because it curls away from the source of fire.
- Cotton ignites easier and will be burning until there is no more fabric left to burn.
- Rayon and ramie are more flammable than poly or cotton (not sure why).
Here is one quote:
"A chemist at the University of California at Davis reports that some polyester-cotton-blend clothing can burn "up to 25 percent faster than clothing made either from pure synthetics such as polyester or from pure "cellulosic' fibers such as cotton or rayon. "Lightweight polyester-cotton blends, in certain apparel uses, are very dangerous,' says researcher Howard L. Needles. Moreover, he notes that while a pure synthetic will melt and fall away from the body as it burns--tending to self-extinguish --the blends hold together, giving flames and heat a greater chance of causing body burns. As a result, he feels that lightweight blends--those weighing less than 4 ounces per square yard--are inappropriate for some clothing, particularly for children or the elderly. As a substitute, he recommends pure polyester."
Also, from what I have read before, modern polyester fabrics - especially wicking kind - have increased fire retardant properties (I guess as a part of treatment/finishing process).
I found a company that does toddler 100% poly sublimation shirts last night. I thought I saved a shortcut to my desktop but it's not there this morning. That's what happens when you work until wee hours of the morning. I need to find it again. They looked pretty promising, Cost was fair as well.
parents are concerned about the flammability of poly. A bit of cotton puts them at ease.
Wow. Seriously? Wow. Cotton is one of the most flammable fabrics around. I thought that was common knowledge (the fact is most of what we put children in would go up like a candle if you were to douse them in flames... the secret to good parenting is not to light your children on fire). If you're worried about fire, buy a fire extinguisher: burnt is burnt, whether you're surrounded with flaming cotton you can't remove, or polyester that's melting into your melting skin.
Sounds like some kind of national fire safety campaign might be worthwhile.
Wow. Seriously? Wow. Cotton is one of the most flammable fabrics around. I thought that was common knowledge (the fact is most of what we put children in would go up like a candle if you were to douse them in flames... the secret to good parenting is not to light your children on fire). If you're worried about fire, buy a fire extinguisher: burnt is burnt, whether you're surrounded with flaming cotton you can't remove, or polyester that's melting into your melting skin.
Sounds like some kind of national fire safety campaign might be worthwhile.
Perhaps I should have been clearer. Of course cotton is flammable. All fabric is flammable. The difference is that poly melts into the skin because it is plastic, whereas cotton being natural does not melt. Have you ever seen a poly t melted into skin? It's not a pretty sight. As adults we can make that decision for ourselves to take that risk. I do every day. But parents are less inclined to want plastic surgically removed from the skin of their children
....
Also, from what I have read before, modern polyester fabrics - especially wicking kind - have increased fire retardant properties (I guess as a part of treatment/finishing process).
I had no idea. Do you have any research material on this? Or is it in the links given?
O.K I have the SolarShield catalog coming. They have some really cool stuff. But what about toddler and baby shirts in 100% cotton. Is there anything out there. It seems to me that this would be an awsome seller. I know with my kids, we got all the cool stuff with the bells and whistles (spared no expence) when they were toddlers and now that they are older they just get whatever is on sale. I also get asked all the time for baby clothing and the best I can do is bibs and a couple other items.
Anyone sublimated onto Alternative Apparel? 
