We’ve all heard horror stories about ways of transferring patterns onto fabric, where the lines never washed away, or worse still, ate into the fabric. So following on from yesterday’s tutorial on techniques for transferring patterns onto fabric, today we’re having a tutorial on options for what to transfer your patterns with.
No marker pens. I do not recommend any type of water-soluble marker pen, or fade-away marker pen. I just don’t have faith in them. While I have personally never had any problems with water-soluble markers, I have heard too many horror stories for me to want to use them anymore. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever used the fade-away pens, but I’m not about to start!
Sharp HB pencil. My tool of choice is generally a sharp HB pencil with a light touch. If I have a propelling-lead pencil at hand (you know, the clicky ones!) I’ll use that. If not, I’ll use any old HB pencil, as long as it is sharp.
A sharp pencil leaves a fine line. A blunt pencil leaves a thick line. I use a light touch because it is much easier to cover over or wash out a pale pencil line, than it is with a thick heavy line. Thick heavy lines also tend to leave too much graphite on the fabric, causing the thread to get really grubby.
If in a real bind, you MAY be able to even rub out pale pencil lines with an eraser, but there will be no hope of that if you have heavy, thick lines.
Pigma pen. I have also, in the past traced patterns onto fabric using a very fine pigma pen. This is an acid free pen that does not bleed. It gives a good fine line, but MUST be covered over. It will NOT wash out! I have used black, but Mary Corbet recently suggested sepia can often be a better choice as it is not so harsh looking. I’d be willing to give this a go.
Tailor’s chalk. Another tool I have used is tailor’s or dressmaker’s chalk. I have a love/hate relationship with tailor’s chalk. My mum used to have one of those thin bandaid-shaped bits of tailor’s chalk in her sewing kit, when I was little. It was hard and solid, and as long as the edge had not been blunted, it gave a good, fine line. When I started sewing at school I had tailor’s chalk pencils. Seems like a good idea, but… if you EVER drop one of those pencils, the chalk inside it breaks (it doesn’t seem to be hard like the old piece that Mum had) and you’ll never be able to sharpen it again without the “lead” breaking off. Maybe they’ve improved in recent years though, as I’ll admit I’m still using the ones I had at school – when I can find them on my desk!
If you can get it to work, tailor’s chalk can provide a pale line on dark fabric. As it is chalky, it can brush away a bit, but sometimes it can be the perfect solution.
Dressmakers carbon. You can also use dressmakers carbon as I detailed yesterday in my post about techniques for transferring patterns. This comes in a range of colours, so that you can choose the most appropriate one for your fabric. For example, for a white fabric, I’d choose either yellow or light blue carbon. You’d see these colours without them being overwhelming – though, granted, the yellow might be quite hard to see. For a dark colour, I’d choose white to see it well, if I knew I would be able to completely cover it, or if I was going to be stitching in white. If you’re not sure, try out the colours on your fabric, with your thread, and see what works best.
As with yesterday, you may have used different tools that you’d be willing to tell us about. I’m sure there are some fancy pens and pencils that I have never used that someone’s willing to tell us about!
Hi there Yvette,
Many thanks for Part Two.
Whilst back in the U.K. I bought a pen that had been mentioned on the stitchaholics forum………….FRIXION by pilot pens. They only stocked the black ones in Sainsburys, I bought a pack of two to play with.
I think it was a lady in Australia that originally mentioned them, so available in Oz too.
What can I report. Well, really easy to use, using a light touch so that the line isn’t thick.
Imagine my horror when someone mentioned that over a certain temperature it warns on the pack that the line will come back. I didn’t notice that on my package. As you know, living in Turkey I easily exceed the temperature.
Well, the marks go with friction, this is a little rubber on the end of the pen. I used that and sampled the pen on batiste, linen and silk. It virtually disappeared on the batiste ( I think only I would have known that it had been marked and of course any embroidery would have covered it, so absolutely perfect on the white bastiste. The pink 100% linen, wasn’t keen to rub out on that, but was faded. Silk, not happy as it did rub out but I felt that it damaged the surface of the silk dupion, from the slight friction I think.
So, the other good news……………..I left the samples out on my work table all day and night…………..the marks did NOT reappear?!
All in all then, a very successful marker. However, like you in the main I have been sticking to a trusted hard HB pencil………I tend to use a 4H which is recommended for pattern drafting by Helen Joseph Armstrong. The lead is hard and you can get a nice thin line.
Someone recently suggested watercolour pencils. I tried them, but again, depending on the colours, didn’t come off as well as I had hoped.
Hi Marysia, thanks for sharing all your findings on those pens. I appreciate the time you took to explain all that to us!
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I too have heard horror stories of the washout pens but have never had any trouble with mine. I use the fine tipped one and make sure that it is going to be covered anyways. Mine is clover brand. Never used those fade ones. I have notice back from dressmaking days that the dressmakers carbon will heat set and is very difficult to remove. A propelling or mechanical pencil is also excellent because you can get a ery fine line with them.