Question on Embroidering

I had an idea that sounded great, but it isn't working out too well - maybe
someone here knows the answer. I got some dissolving paper, and ran it
through a copy machine to print the pattern on it I wanted to embroider.
Then I put a light coat of basting spray on it, and tacked the paper to the
fabric. This worked very well for embroidering a fairly detailed design, but
when I went to dissolve the paper in water, I found that even a light coat
of the basting spray created a sticky glue mess that didn't come off easily.

So the question is - is there an adhesive I can use that will not interfere
with the hand-embroidery process, and which dissolves quickly?

--
Regards - Don Wagner

(All you need is Love)

Don Wagner wrote:

I had an idea that sounded great, but it isn't working out too well - maybe
someone here knows the answer. I got some dissolving paper, and ran it
through a copy machine to print the pattern on it I wanted to embroider.
Then I put a light coat of basting spray on it, and tacked the paper to the
fabric. This worked very well for embroidering a fairly detailed design, but
when I went to dissolve the paper in water, I found that even a light coat
of the basting spray created a sticky glue mess that didn't come off easily.

So the question is - is there an adhesive I can use that will not interfere
with the hand-embroidery process, and which dissolves quickly?

--
Regards - Don Wagner

(All you need is Love)

For hand embroidery, I find that tissue paper and a soft (2B), sharp pencil work
best. Trace the design onto the tissue, then turn it over and rub the pencil
over all design lines at the back. (You're making a sort of 'carbon paper'
here...) Use a spent ballpoint pen to re-trace the design from the tissue to the
fabric (the pencil will come off faintly onto the fabric and will wash off at
the end if you're careful not to use too much 2B pencil. If your marks are too
black, they'll smudge and refuse to come off!

For dark-coloured fabric, you can use either a very sharp dressmaker's chalk
pencil or a white colouring pencil. To remove these, brush with something like a
toothbrush.

Some people swear by those dissolving pencils/pens whose lines eventually
dissolve over time or if you put them in water. I can't comment on those, since
the lead pencil method has always worked best for me. I don't think you need to
put yourself through the angst of trying to fuse on dissolving paper! It must've
been a nightmare to work with!

There are various kinds of tracing carbon available as well and I've heard
others comment on their effectiveness. I guess I'm just a lead pencil girl at
heart and wouldn't bother to try anything else! ;-D Anyway, perhaps my method
will work for you - hope so!

You could ask over at rec.crafts.textiles.needlework. There's people over there
who are very well-versed in all the methods of design transfer.

HTH,
--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 08:50:16 +1100, Trish Brown wrote:

For hand embroidery, I find that tissue paper and a soft (2B), sharp pencil work
best. snip


The lead pencil sounds like a good move.

I use the dissolving pen stuff - it's like a purple felt-tip pen. It works
very well and disappears in sunlight - if you're going to take several days
to do the design, you have to hide it away out of the light and air so it
doesn't disappear. TEST THE FABRIC FIRST!

I've tried the heat-transfer type of design and don't like them, as you get
a raised bit that is always exactly where you want to put the stitch. I
also don't like dressmaker's carbon, as it's greasy and the marks won't
come out easily.

But the other method that works well for me is the old one: pouncing. You
do this by drawing your design on paper, pricking it full of holes along
all the drawing lines, placing your fabric underneath and then dusting soot
or flour through the holes. You get a join-the-dots effect on the fabric,
which works pretty well, but you really do have to test first to see
whether the soot/flour washes out OK. I've also used 'hard pastels' to make
the marks through the holes, because you can use colours like pale yellow
on white fabric - better than either soot or flour.

HTH

Trish

"Trishty" wrote in message
...

gentley snipped

But the other method that works well for me is the old one: pouncing. You
do this by drawing your design on paper, pricking it full of holes along
all the drawing lines, placing your fabric underneath and then dusting
soot
or flour through the holes. You get a join-the-dots effect on the fabric,
which works pretty well, but you really do have to test first to see
whether the soot/flour washes out OK. I've also used 'hard pastels' to
make
the marks through the holes, because you can use colours like pale yellow
on white fabric - better than either soot or flour.

HTH

Trish

I like pouncing the holes in the paper as Trish suggested. A really easy way
to get those holes punched is to use an old needle and sew the lines on your
machine with no thread. I use a large sized needle, like a jeans or leather
needle, works quite well. I use colored chalks to transfer through for the
design. There is no oil on them so they will brush away. You just have to be
careful in the handling so they don't get rubbed off in the mean time.

Val

From: Trish Brown

For hand embroidery, I find that tissue paper and a soft (2B), sharp pencil
work
best. .......

De-Lurking to ask Trish if she actually *does* hand embroidery (LOLOL)??
How's St. Frantic?? CiaoMeow ^;;^
..


PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply wrote:

From: Trish Brown

For hand embroidery, I find that tissue paper and a soft (2B), sharp pencil
work
best. .......

De-Lurking to ask Trish if she actually *does* hand embroidery (LOLOL)??
How's St. Frantic?? CiaoMeow ^;;^
.

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

Snerkle! Don't be impertinent, Tia Mary! Of *course* I do hand embroidery and
you know it! LOL! I've been hand embroidering since I was eight and learned to
do it from the Nuns!

FYI, St Frantic is reclining somewhere in the bottom of a cupboard alongside DS'
stinky old riding boots and DH's unspeakable lawn-mowing shorts! I have almost
finished Celtic Christmas (haven't begun the beading yet) and have been putting
the odd stitch into a Noah's Needle birth sampler for DS. I've taken up beading
lately and have had fun making all sorts of beaded items for DD's and my hair.

I've been *far* more busy sewing of late and have been trying to make a few more
things for poor old DD to wear. The poor child's only half a step away from
going naked (ie. has outgrown most of her clothes). At least she finally has
some curtains on her window! (Small boring story in that!)

Here it is:

One day in October, it was quite hot and I'd been cleaning the bath. I was
*stinking* hot and out of breath from all that bending over. I went into DD's
room to open her window, noticed the nice breeze and thought 'I'll just have a
brief rest on DD's bed'. I turned on the radio to the Forties Station (I love me
Glenn Miller!) and began to doze. It was really very hot, so I took off my
rather sticky T-shirt and basked in the lovely breeze coming in the window.

Now, I should add that I live in a thing called a 'Miners' Cottage'. That's an
extremely small house with seven extremely small rooms and an *extremely* small
distance between itself and the neighboring Miners' Cottages! 'Bout six feet,
I'd say at a guess...!

Well, there I was ensconced in a Grand State of Undress (flesh-coloured bra!)
upon DD's bed when Bill, the bloke from next door, decided to open his own
dining room window. For a horrified instant, our eyes were transfixed each on
the other's and our eyebrows shot up into our respective hairlines (Bill doesn't
actually *have* a hairline, but I think you know what I mean...?) I lay
perfectly still and slo-oo-owly pulled my T-shirt up over myself. Bill backed
away from his window and the Incident was over.

In my defence, I have to say that the distance between the houses is so small
that a person would have to be standing in one very particular place in Bill's
dining room in order to see right into DD's bedroom. Bill stood exactly there on
that hot afternoon in October while I was resting on DD's bed in me undies! Fair
dinkum! It *had* to be me!!!!! That afternoon, I purchased fabric for DD's
curtains (features Harry Potter - she chose it herself) and made them that
evening! Isn't it amazing how quickly one can work when one has A Good
Reason????

Since then, we've had the annual Ballet Concert from Purgatory. As usual I had
the predictable trauma of gathering squillions of linear metres of netting onto
a smidgeon of flimsy white lycra. What fun that was! Then, I got to gather even
*more* linear metres of netting and *tack it to a heavy denim overskirt* and
*then* stitch it to some flimsy lycra! You have no idea! It's a wonder you
didn't hear me swearing over on your side of the Specific Ocean!

During DD's Dress Rehearsal, the cut edges of the netting sliced holes in her
brand new lycra tights (cost me $16!!!!) and also in the year-old (but hardly
ever worn) fishnets!!!!! I was beside meself! I darned up the holes with strands
of DD's hair (just to bring this back on topic - well - sort of!) and was lucky
enough to see that Jessie Wetzler had managed yet again to smear carmine
lipstick on the bodice of her white satin tutu! I offered up a small prayer of
thanksgiving (I'd much rather have the hairy darning than trying to get dark red
lippie out of satin!) and slunk back to my seat in the auditorium. DD's costume
did not fall off, DD did not fall over and it basically went pretty smoothly. I
felt sorry for the mothers of the under eleven tap group - they had royal blue
feather boas which fell off all over the stage and prevented the girls from
dancing properly (their taps kept stalling on chunks of blue feather boa that
littered the floor).

Anyway, sorry to have raved on, everyone. Current sewing projects are bolsters
for my kids' beds, summer clothes for the DD, shirt for DH's Christmas gift and
a mountain of mending! (remember those unspeakable lawn-mowing shorts?)
--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

PS. 'St Frantic' is a UFO of long standing - it's a cross stitch picture of St
Francis of Assisi for which I've developed a Great Loathing (got scads of
backstitching in it). I chucked it in the cupboard about two years ago and the
relief was immense!

Question on Embroidering

(Tia=A0Mary-remove=A0nekoluvr=A0to=A0reply)
From: Trish Brown
For hand embroidery, I find that tissue paper and a soft (2B), sharp
pencil work
best. .......
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0De-Lurking to ask Trish if she actually *does* hand
embroidery (LOLOL)?? How's St. Frantic?? CiaoMeow ^;;^
PAX, Tia Mary =A0 ^;;^ =A0 =A0 Queen of Kitties
---
Errr...is there something the hand-embroiderers amongst us should
know? Some hand needle virus making the rounds?
Cea owned by dogs

From:

Errr...is there something the hand-embroiderers amongst us should
know? Some hand needle virus making the rounds?

LOLOL -- not really -- I was just "needling" Trish a bit. When she posted
over at RCTN, she would sometimes mention her St. Francis project that was
languishing in needlework limbo because she couldn't bring herself to do all of
the backstitched wording that was included. It made her rather wonky and so
she started calling the piece St. Frantic because she got frantic whenever she
tried to work on it.
I haven't spoken with Trish for too long so thought it was a good time to
tease her a bit :-). The person who posted the original question also posted
it over at RCTN and I *think* I saw it over at the
alt.sewing.machine-embroidery group which is where it belongs, I think.
CiaoMeow ^;;^
..
PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

Question on Embroidering

(Tia=A0Mary-remove=A0nekoluvr=A0to=A0reply)
From:
Errr...is there something the hand-embroiderers amongst us should
know? Some hand needle virus making the rounds?
---=A0=A0=A0
=A0LOLOL -- not really -- I was just "needling" Trish a bit. When she
posted over at RCTN, she would sometimes mention her St. Francis project
that was languishing in needlework limbo because she couldn't bring
herself to do all of the backstitched wording that was included. It made
her rather wonky and so she started calling the piece St. Frantic
because she got frantic whenever she tried to work on it.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I haven't spoken with Trish for too long so thought it
was a good time to tease her a bit :-). The person who posted the
original question also posted it over at RCTN and I *think* I saw it
over at the alt.sewing.machine-embroidery group which is where it
belongs, I think.
---
Oh, I think most of us are ambidextrous when it comes to all types
of needlework, from sewing to quilting to embroidery, to, as the group
title says, 'crafts & textiles', so this is not OT here.
Some of the two sewing site (alt.sewing, as well as this site)
participants are proficient in wood working and other crafts which are
traditionally thought of as 'men's' work.
Your post, Tia Mary, does give more dimension to Trish's character,
though. LOL--(WITH you, Trish, not at you! BTDT.)
Cea

When you get St.Frantic's backstitching done, you're welcome to do the
backstitching on a pair of chick-a-dees that I cross-stitched nearly 13
years ago! Every time I accidentally find that particular project, I make
sure to lose it again really quick!
Cynthia
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply wrote:

From: Trish Brown

For hand embroidery, I find that tissue paper and a soft (2B), sharp
pencil
work
best. .......

De-Lurking to ask Trish if she actually *does* hand embroidery
(LOLOL)??
How's St. Frantic?? CiaoMeow ^;;^
.

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

Snerkle! Don't be impertinent, Tia Mary! Of *course* I do hand embroidery
and
you know it! LOL! I've been hand embroidering since I was eight and
learned to
do it from the Nuns!

FYI, St Frantic is reclining somewhere in the bottom of a cupboard
alongside DS'
stinky old riding boots and DH's unspeakable lawn-mowing shorts! I have
almost
finished Celtic Christmas (haven't begun the beading yet) and have been
putting
the odd stitch into a Noah's Needle birth sampler for DS. I've taken up
beading
lately and have had fun making all sorts of beaded items for DD's and my
hair.

I've been *far* more busy sewing of late and have been trying to make a
few more
things for poor old DD to wear. The poor child's only half a step away
from
going naked (ie. has outgrown most of her clothes). At least she finally
has
some curtains on her window! (Small boring story in that!)

Here it is:

One day in October, it was quite hot and I'd been cleaning the bath. I was
*stinking* hot and out of breath from all that bending over. I went into
DD's
room to open her window, noticed the nice breeze and thought 'I'll just
have a
brief rest on DD's bed'. I turned on the radio to the Forties Station (I
love me
Glenn Miller!) and began to doze. It was really very hot, so I took off my
rather sticky T-shirt and basked in the lovely breeze coming in the
window.

Now, I should add that I live in a thing called a 'Miners' Cottage'.
That's an
extremely small house with seven extremely small rooms and an *extremely*
small
distance between itself and the neighboring Miners' Cottages! 'Bout six
feet,
I'd say at a guess...!

Well, there I was ensconced in a Grand State of Undress (flesh-coloured
bra!)
upon DD's bed when Bill, the bloke from next door, decided to open his own
dining room window. For a horrified instant, our eyes were transfixed each
on
the other's and our eyebrows shot up into our respective hairlines (Bill
doesn't
actually *have* a hairline, but I think you know what I mean...?) I lay
perfectly still and slo-oo-owly pulled my T-shirt up over myself. Bill
backed
away from his window and the Incident was over.

In my defence, I have to say that the distance between the houses is so
small
that a person would have to be standing in one very particular place in
Bill's
dining room in order to see right into DD's bedroom. Bill stood exactly
there on
that hot afternoon in October while I was resting on DD's bed in me
undies! Fair
dinkum! It *had* to be me!!!!! That afternoon, I purchased fabric for DD's
curtains (features Harry Potter - she chose it herself) and made them that
evening! Isn't it amazing how quickly one can work when one has A Good
Reason????

Since then, we've had the annual Ballet Concert from Purgatory. As usual I
had
the predictable trauma of gathering squillions of linear metres of netting
onto
a smidgeon of flimsy white lycra. What fun that was! Then, I got to gather
even
*more* linear metres of netting and *tack it to a heavy denim overskirt*
and
*then* stitch it to some flimsy lycra! You have no idea! It's a wonder you
didn't hear me swearing over on your side of the Specific Ocean!

During DD's Dress Rehearsal, the cut edges of the netting sliced holes in
her
brand new lycra tights (cost me $16!!!!) and also in the year-old (but
hardly
ever worn) fishnets!!!!! I was beside meself! I darned up the holes with
strands
of DD's hair (just to bring this back on topic - well - sort of!) and was
lucky
enough to see that Jessie Wetzler had managed yet again to smear carmine
lipstick on the bodice of her white satin tutu! I offered up a small
prayer of
thanksgiving (I'd much rather have the hairy darning than trying to get
dark red
lippie out of satin!) and slunk back to my seat in the auditorium. DD's
costume
did not fall off, DD did not fall over and it basically went pretty
smoothly. I
felt sorry for the mothers of the under eleven tap group - they had royal
blue
feather boas which fell off all over the stage and prevented the girls
from
dancing properly (their taps kept stalling on chunks of blue feather boa
that
littered the floor).

Anyway, sorry to have raved on, everyone. Current sewing projects are
bolsters
for my kids' beds, summer clothes for the DD, shirt for DH's Christmas
gift and
a mountain of mending! (remember those unspeakable lawn-mowing shorts?)
--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

PS. 'St Frantic' is a UFO of long standing - it's a cross stitch picture
of St
Francis of Assisi for which I've developed a Great Loathing (got scads of
backstitching in it). I chucked it in the cupboard about two years ago and
the
relief was immense!