How to transfer Embroidery Pattern

Embroidery is the most common way to show your inner creativity. But embroidery is not just stitching we talk about. You have to deal with the designs and need to learn how to transfer embroidery patterns into the fabrics. 

The most frightening part of learning embroidery is just figuring out how to transfer patterns to fabric. This especially happens when you download a pattern from the internet and want to imply it on your fabric. But the good news is you have the freedom to choose from a lot of different processes on how to transfer embroidery patterns into fabrics. And all the methods are easy to use and simple to handle.

The methods we will discuss, some need special tools or materials, and others need the basic supply that already had in your house. All of these methods have advantages and disadvantages. Among them, you have to find out which methods work best for you. Have a try at each of the methods with different fabrics you like and get ready to start working.

Let’s discuss the methods of how to transfer embroidery patterns into a fabric

Lightbox

This is the most simple and easy way to get an embroidery pattern onto the fabric. Tracing the embroidery pattern using light is one of the easy ways to put the pattern onto the fabric. For this method, you need a reliable light source like a lightbox or a brightly lit window. When you put the fabric and pattern on the light you will see the pattern accurately. You will find some fabrics will show your pattern without light because of low thickness and some will not show the embroidery pattern with light because of thickness and dark fabrics.

What you have to do is print the selected pattern. If you choose it from any book then you have to make a copy of the pattern so that lines or other elements don’t show through from the reverse side. Then tape the pattern with a lightbox or window perfectly because while tracing the pattern it doesn’t shift. Next, tape or hold the fabrics using any methods over the embroidery pattern which you want to trace. Then enjoy your stitching.

Now we come to the tracing part. You can use different tools to trace adorable embroidery designs. You can use a standard well-sharped pencil to trace fabrics perfectly. I recommend you to have a pencil in your hand while you are doing tracing. If you work with large projects then you have to spend a lot of time. In this case, we will recommend you to use an extra-fine permanent marking pen. When you trace with both of them, you have to understand that they will create permanent lines onto fabrics. So you have to be careful and accurate while tracing and covering the line while stitching with embroidery.

Disappearing ink pen

This is the common and one of the most useable methods. A pen or marker with vanishing ink is very easy to use and reliable. The marking you created with this pen will be vanished with time, water and heat. The marking that will disappear with time can be unpredictable because you might find the lines vanished before you start working on it. You can also find the line perfectly after the time. It all depends on how much ink you are soaking n the fabrics.

On the other hand, the heat-sensitive disappearing ink pen is like the previous one, unpredictable due to cold temperatures. When the temperatures are getting cold you will find your marking reappear.  The water-soluble marker is one of the best solutions for tracing. It will be stable in your fabric unless you soak it into the water. 

Tracing paper

Tracing paper is one of the most used methods by the home-based embroidery business or those who want to embroider for themself. This is easy and reliable. It might be tricky but once you know every process you will enjoy it. There are two types of tracing paper methods to transfer embroidery patterns to black fabric. You will find both of the technics is helpful to transfer patterns onto the fabrics.

Art tracing paper

You will find these types of tracing paper in the supplies of children drawing tools. This paper is lightweight and easy to use on fabrics. Because of its lightweight, it is very much handy for stitching.

You need to use a regular sharped pencil to draw the pattern on the paper. If you want to transfer the pattern from the books then you can trace it directly from the page. Now put the paper on the fabrics where you want to put your design then sew it on a larger scale for stabling the design strongly.

Now embroider the pattern by following the lines over tracing paper. After finishing stitching tear up the tracing paper. Because of the lightweight and softness, it will be easy to tear the paper. You can easily remove the pieces of paper that are inside the stitched areas using a needle or pins. It is easy and best for you to trace designs. 

Embroidery tracing paper

This type of paper is specially made for transferring patterns to fabrics. People also know them several names like carbon paper, pattern transfer paper, and embroidery tracing paper. Basically, this paper comes with a transferable powdery coating on one side. When you mark a design or pattern on the other side it generates a color into the fabrics. Just print your design or pattern on regular paper or draw it or trace it on paper. 

What you have to do is just place the embroidery tracing paper on the fabric face down. Then place your design paper on the other side of the tracing paper. But be careful about movement or high pressure. If you do one of those your design will get hampered.

Then set yourself tight and use a pencil or ballpen, and trace over the design firmly and carefully. After finishing the tracing and removing the paper you will see your design or pattern are on the fabric. When you finish your embroidery, you will see the marks are vanished or brushed away.

Water-soluble Stabiliser

When you want to transfer embroidery pattern to black fabric or you want to start your stitching quickly, then the Water-soluble Stabiliser is the best choice for you. People call this product Magic Paper and the name perfectly fits with it because when you work with it feels like magic. You will find this paper both printed version and plain version.

You can make print your pattern or designs on paper using the home printing device. When you use this paper for tracing you will find your adorable embroidery designs are perfectly placed for stitching. When you use the personal printer to get the designs to make sure you print it in draft mode because it will take less ink from your printer. You can also trace your design manually using a pencil.

Iron transfer

In the market, you will find some patterned comes as a pre-printed iron transfer design. This means you have to put the design on the fabrics and press with a heated iron to place the pattern or design. You can also find an iron transfer pen and pencil in the market.

Which will help you to create an iron transfer design to transfer it on fabrics. This will give you the freedom to create your design. To make a pattern or design, first, you have to reverse the design, so you should always start with a printed pattern that has the image flipped.

You can use heavy or thin tracing paper to trace the designs. While choosing the paper just use the transfer pen to create the design over the paper. You have to trace the design accurately because the markings are permanent. 

Then put your design face down on the fabric. Then press the back of the design paper with a heated iron and wait for a few seconds. At this time you don’t have permission to move the iron. If you do your design will get spoiled. Repeated the process of the designs or patterns is large. Make sure don’t make it quick or don’t press it hard.

How To Transfer Embroidery Patterns to Dark Fabrics

This is very much challenging to transfer the embroidery patterns onto dark fabrics. This will be hard to see the tracing line in dark materials. We will discuss two methods that might be useful and helpful while you are working on dark fabrics.

White Water Soluble Pencils/Chalk Pencils

Chalk pencils or water-soluble pencils are naturally white and they provide white color on your dark fabrics. If you want to make your design with your hand and want to see through the fabrics then this works well. The marks can be revoked easily with water after finishing the stitching.

Saral White Transfer Paper

This method is the best choice to use on dark fabrics. Saral White Transfer Paper is easy to use and perfect for if you have the fabric you can’t see through well enough to trace the design. Let’s see how to use this Saral White Transfer Paper.

This transfer paper comes with a chalky side. Just place the chalky side of the paper on the top of the fabric ( Face Down) and a regular paper. Then place a regular paper with your design or patterns on the top of the transfer paper. After that use a pencil or a ball pen and draw over the design steadily. You have to make sure that your design is placed perfectly on the fabrics. If you want you can draw a few times to make sure about your design. After finishing the trace you will find a white stencil transferred onto the fabric.

Conclusion

You will always find new tools to transfer your design onto fabrics. Sometimes this will make you happy and sometimes you find yourself in a rudy mode while doing this. This work is fun. The methods I discuss are very much easy to learn and use. This will help you to know how to transfer embroidery patterns perfectly on fabrics.

I hope you enjoyed reading this full article. If you have any easy and simple methods feel free to share them with us. We would love to hear from you.