How To Transfer Quilt Designs

Are you ready for some new challenges or do you have a problem finding a design that you like, or do you need a little something more in your quilting? Why not transfer a design?

Transferring can be done with:

• Natural tracing paper or tissue paper
• Temporary tracing paper
• Refrigerator paper or waxed butcher paper
• Graph paper
• Stencils
• Light box or other light source
• Iron on

How to transfer quilt designs with natural tracing paper or tissue paper:

1. Select your design from any source.
2. Place tracing paper or tissue paper on top of design.
3. Mark with pencil, marking pen, fabric marking pen or chalk pen.
4. Place tracing paper on quilt fabric top and transfer design.
5. Retrace design with marking pen or tool and it will reprint onto fabric. Sometimes you may need to darken the markings.
6. Stitch your marked design.

Natural tracing paper has been available since 1909 or about two hundred years. It is made into a translucent cellulose fiber which comes from plants. It is used in quilting and embroidery because of its transparency and working ease. Natural tracing paper or tissue paper is uncoated.

Another method is to place your traced design onto your quilting fabric, secure both with your embroidery hoop and do free hand stitching, basting or machine stitching. Remove paper by gently tearing away from stitching.

If you prefer, some printers will allow you to copy the design directly to the tracing paper. As each copy machine may be a bit different be cautious with this method.

You are probably familiar with wax coated tracing paper. This paper is available in different colors and the imprinting of the design onto the fabric is done with a tracing wheel.

I recommend that you test a fabric sample to be sure the waxed coloring will not be permanent. Depending on the type of fabric I have had some bad experiences. There is a new product which is used in the same manner and its benefits are the markings will disappear as they are not permanent.

Quilting paper or vellum is also available. It is made with plasticized cotton. This product is good for continuous free motion machine stitching.

Freezer paper is very popular or some people use butcher paper. These papers have a waxy side which is placed on the fabric. The plain side of the paper takes the design. Press the waxy side of the paper with a dry iron onto the fabric. Quilters who do paper piecing quilting enjoy the adhesive benefit. Stitch with small stitches over your design as the tighter stitching allows ease in removing paper.

Graph paper is used for precision designs. Use a light box or other light source for clarity.

Stencils which are made from plastic are very easy to trace. Quilting stencils are marked with the sewing lines which are easily marked with your water soluble marking pen or chalk pen.

A new product contained in an aerosol container permits you to spray your stencil. After you spray it remove the stencil and the design remains until washday. That is easy and tremendous time saver for the more complex and ornate designs.

There are many methods as to how to transfer quilt designs. These methods are fast and easy.

Start today making quilts. Go to the hobbies section of Infotrish at http://www.Infotrish.com  Review Quilting Gems. Do download your free quilting pattern.