1930s-1940s Hot Iron Transfers from Vogart, Aunt Martha, and Work Basket

What's a hot iron transfer and who is Aunt Martha, Vogart, and Work Basket? A hot iron transfer was a simple pretty design that had raised ink and was transferred to fabric by a hot iron. The names above were the big three that manufactured these transfers. Transfers were part on children’s cloths, kitchen towels, and linens.

Vogart transfers are highly sought after and were produced from the 1940s and 1950s. There were so many Vogart designs produced that a database was created for them. They were carried in five and dime stores and are a source for the pretty days of the week series and children’s designs.  

Aunt Martha was another hot iron transfer design company. Aunt Martha tranfers have been produced since the 1930s. Many of the designs were florals and days of the week for tea towels. They are still being produced by the Colonial Patterns Co.

Workbasket transfers came out of Kansas City in 1935. They were supplements the magazine published by Modern Handcrafts of Kansas City. Subscribers could receive free sheets and others could be ordered by mail. Many times Aunt Martha's transfers look like Workbasket transfers and they two are often confused. Keep in mind that an Aunt Martha's transfer will be about 4-1/2" by 6 inches when folded and the number will be in the 100, 3000 or 9000 series. If the number is 2-9xx, it's a Workbasket transfer.

You can find a great deal of information about Workbasket transfers as there is a Yahoo group devoted to them. A company history can be found here, and a searchable database of needlework instructions .

A great deal of information can be found about the big 3 and other hot iron transfers at the Sewing Palette site.