Ways to Transfer a Design Onto Fabric to Embroider

There are quite a few methods to transfer a design onto fabric to embroider. There are various products and methods to achieve this.

Embroidery is a perfect way to embellish plain household linens the problem is how to transfer a design onto the fabric. There are various methods and over the years products have been developed to achieve this. The aim is to achieve a detailed outline so when the fabric is embroiderd the lines are covered.

IRON ON TRANSFERS

One of the most popular ways to transpose a motif onto fabric would be to use an iron on transfer. The downside of these is finding the appropriate design for the use. Some of the transfers can only be used once so if a repeat design is required then more than one copy would be needed.

TRACEDOWN PAPER

This is similar to a carbon paper it is an all purpose paper and can be used on paper,wood,acetate,metal and cloth. It is safe for marking on all fabrics including synthetics. The paper is available in different colours, graphite,white,yellow,blue and red they are normally sold in packs of five.

To use

• 1 Place the paper on top of the fabric.
• 2 Put the motif on top of the paper in the position where it needs to appear on the fabric.
• 3 Trace the lines of the design with a pencil putting some pressure on and the motif will be transferred.

TRANSFER PENS

There are a variety of pens on the market in various colours which enable transferring onto any colour of fabric. These pens allow you to make your own iron on transfers. There are two types one that allows the transfer to be used two or three times if not more. The other transfers just once onto the fabric. These pens are used with tracing paper. It is important to remember when using any type of iron on transfer that the iron needs to be hot and the surface needs to be hard.

To use

• 1 Decide on the motif and with the pen trace the design onto tracing paper.>/li>
• 2 Place the traced design onto the fabric and iron.

USING A LIGHT BOX

A light box is another way of transferring designs onto fabric. It is amazing how it is possible to see the design through the fabric. This is mainly for light coloured fabrics such as linen,cotton or calico. These are good for tracing the main outline of a design.

To use

• 1 Place the design on top of the light.
• 2 Position the fabric where the design needs to be for the project.
• 3 With a fine micron pen trace the design onto the fabric.

Also available are pens and pencils which disappear without sponging with water. These are used more by quilters.

Jean Leeming is a keen cross stitch enthusiast. She writes articles on all aspects of Cross Stitch and also runs a website: Needlework Magic where she sells a wide range of Cross Stitch Kits which are very competitively priced.

Article Source: Ways to Transfer a Design Onto Fabric to Embroider