How to Transfer your Embroidery pattern

So, you have an embroidery pattern, but you need to get that pattern onto your fabric. What steps should you take? What transfer method should you use? Don’t stress! I’m here to help.

There are several ways to transfer the pattern onto the fabric. You can print your pattern directly on the fabric with a home printer, transfer the pattern using a lightbox, use water-soluble stabilizer or iron-on materials, and even transfer using carbon paper!

My favorite options are printing directly on the fabric and the lightbox method. Occassionally, I like to use water-soluble stabilizer (especially if I’m doing a stick-and-stitch or embroidering on clothing).

In this post, I’ll detail three transfer methods: printing on fabric, the lightbox method, and using water-soluble stabilizer.

printing on the fabric

This is my favorite transfer method. I like this method because it takes the guesswork out of tracing, can be easily used on dark or thick fabric, and is – in my opinion – the easiest of the transfer methods.

For this method, you will need to purchase 8.5x11 inch adhesive paper or full sheet labels. Peel off the label, place the sticky sheet on your fabric, and cut it out. You’ll want to do your best to cut close to the label, maintaining the 8.5x11 inch dimensions, which will create an 8.5x11 inch sheet of fabric with a paper backing.

Load this into your printer, and be sure it is the only sheet in the paper tray. Print the design. Once your design has printed, peel off the paper backing and place your fabric in the hoop. You’re ready to stitch! (Note: I usually do a couple of test prints to ensure the design is the correct size before printing on the fabric.)

Lightbox Method

This is probably the most cost-effective transfer method because all you really need is a window and a pen!

For this method, place your pattern on the light box.

Note: If you don’t have a light box, you can simply use a window with plenty of sunlight!

Next, place the fabric over the pattern. When the lightbox is turned on, you should be able to see the pattern through the fabric. Trace the pattern with a heat-soluble pen. (You can use a regular pen as well; if you do, just be sure to cover any marks because you won’t be able to erase them later.)

When you’re finished tracing, place the fabric in the hoop and stitch away!

If you use a heat-soluble pen (like the Pilot Frixion), you can use a hair dryer to erase any marks when you are finished.

Note: If you are NOT using watercolors, you could use a water-soluble pen. When you’re done, simply wash away leftover marks, let your embroidery air dry, and iron as needed.

I like this method because it is easy and doesn’t require too many extra materials, especially if you use the window tracing method! However, it doesn’t work well for dark fabrics, and it does take some patience and focus to trace accurately.

In the video below, I use the lightbox method to transfer one of the patterns I made under the “Flora Victoriana” label.

Water-Soluble Stabilizer

This method is a great option for dark or thick fabrics. For this method, you do need to purchase some printable water-soluble stabilizer. From there, you just load the stabilizer into your printer, print the pattern, peel the pattern off the stabilizer, stick the pattern on the fabric, and stitch away! When you’re done, the stabilizer just washes away, and you’re left with a beautiful piece of embroidery. (Let the embroidery air dry after washing and iron out (face down) any wrinkles.) The downside of this method is that it does require additional materials (the water-soluble stabilizer and a printer).