You don't need to get sentimental to wear a heart on your sleeve--a fashion trick you and your child can easily master. All you need is a prewashed cotton sweatshirt or T-shirt, a heat transfer crayon, a newspaper and an iron. You may also want to use this method to decorate shirts or hats for a sports team, Scout troop or family reunion.
Before your child draws a design on her clothing, it's a good idea for her to sketch out a few drafts on a piece of paper. Encourage her to use bold, basic shapes, such as hearts or stick figures, since intricate patterns tend to lose definition after the garment has been washed a couple of times. And keep in mind that deep shades of red, blue or green work particularly well on a white background, while yellow hues and pastels are less vivid.
When you've settled on a design, lay the garment on a hard, flat surface and secure the portion to be decorated by taping it down. Remind your child to press down firmly when drawing on the cloth, retracing and reshading once or twice. To make letters or numbers, she can form the shapes with cellophane tape and shade around the edges.
Once the design is complete and the tape has been peeled off, it's time to heat-set the color. Put your iron on the cotton setting. Place a thick layer of newspaper on top of the ironing board and lay the shirt, colored-side down, atop the paper. Press the back side of the design for a minute or so, being careful not to singe the cotton. Lift the shirt and place it down on a fresh spot of newspaper. Press again. Repeat until no color comes off on the paper. Wash the garment in cool water and tumble dry.
Once the design is complete and the tape has been peeled off, it's time to heat-set the color. Put your iron on the cotton setting. Place a thick layer of newspaper on top of the ironing board and lay the shirt, colored-side down, atop the paper. Press the back side of the design for a minute or so, being careful not to singe the cotton. Lift the shirt and place it down on a fresh spot of newspaper. Press again. Repeat until no color comes off on the paper. Wash the garment in cool water and tumble dry.