Using transfer paper to transfer a sashiko design to fabric

 The pre-printed on fabric, ready to stitch, sashiko designs are wonderful, but limit you in designs and fabrics.  For those of you who want to go further, this is the second blog entry for five methods you can use get a sashiko design onto a fabric of your choice!

Sewing transfer paper (also called dressmaker carbon) is coated with a waxy substance. To use it, you lay it face down over the right side of your fabric, cover it with your design, then trace firmly over the design lines. It leaves a reasonably clear line of the transfer material on your fabric which can be rubbed off to make corrections, and washed away completely after your project is finished.

The downside of this method is that the transferred lines tend to fade or rub away before the stitching is completed so it is better used on smaller projects like this Sashiko Christmas Angel.  Also I find it hard to get good dark lines on light color fabrics. The solution for this seems to be to use an iron-away fabric pen like chacopy to draw over the transferred design again, in effect drawing the whole design twice.

I do use this method from time to time if I am stitching small designs and I prefer the Olympus transfer paper which come in 8 1/2 X 11" sheets in white or blue. I think it is less messy and stays clear on the fabric longest.

Happy Sashiko Stitching :-)

Susan