Transfer-Eze

Transfer-Eze

I am a sometimes embroiderer, I love Crabapple Hill patterns and have done a couple of the small ones. We have new embroidery patterns in the shop from a local designer, Erica Plank of Unseen Hands and I need to make the snowmen!  She convinced me to try Transfer-eze, which I knew about in theory, we carry it in the shop, but I had never actually tried it. So, here is how it works - I accomplished in about 1 minute and 30 seconds what it would take me about 1/2 hour to do with the light box and a pigma pen. Ready, set, go... here is my paper pattern for Snowman #1. I put it in the copier, put a sheet of Transfer-eze in the paper tray, change the setting to lighten the print (don't worry this is all part of the directions), and copy the snowman. The Transfer-eze is a film with a freezer paper backing that allows it to run through the printer or copier. You want to print on the film side - not the freezer paper side, as you will peel off the freezer paper, it is just there for stability.

Peel off the freezer paper, and you are left with a film that is sticky on one side and has the image you copied on the other side. Put the sticky side on your fabric and smooth....and you are ready to embroider!

The film makes the fabric somewhat stiff, so I think it would be be like using a stabilizer when using a hoop...., I did put the piece in my spring tension hoop that I occasionally use and had no trouble, but I am not a hoop person usually so will leave it off for this project as the Transfer-eze film supplies plenty of stability. The other step that I skipped was adding a muslin backing, which I frequently do with embroidery - so I will need to be careful about my thread ends and not leave them dangling as I am using dark blue embroidery thread on a white Michael Miller snowflake fabric.

I tend to manhandle my embroidery - probably because I don't usually use a hoop, and am happy to see that no matter how I squish the fabric and gather it up in my hand, the film sticks really well and there a not any fold or "squish" marks left when I move to another area of the embroidery.

When you are done embroidering, the film dissolves in water - so you want to be sure that your embroidery thread is colorfast. Lift up and cut away all of the excess film around the outside of your embroidery (be careful not to cut your background fabric) and soak in water to dissolve the film. There are a couple of things I learned with my sample, one is that when soaking your fabric to disolve the Transfer-eze film, that warm water dissolves the film a little faster - but if you did not preshrink your background fabric or are working with wool, the recommended cold water works fine, it just takes a little longer (4 or 5 minutes). The second thing is that because the film provides a small layer between the thread and the fabric, my stitches seemed a little loose after I dissolved the film. I will be sure to tighten my stitches a little as I sew on my snowman.

I am thinking of lots of uses......quilt labels I want to embroider, machine quilting patterns for blocks and intricate designs - no need to premark, especially on dark fabrics - and wool!  It is always a job to mark on wool for embroidery - now just stick and go!