Hand embroidery guide
You have a pattern you love on paper, but the fabric is dark, or stretchy, or a shirt you can’t put on a window, and you’re worried the lines won’t wash out.
Here is every common transfer method side by side: what each one is best for, what you need and where it goes wrong, so you can pick the right one for your fabric before you mark anything.
There is no single best way to get a design onto fabric. The right method depends on how light or dark the fabric is, whether you can see through it, and whether the marks need to disappear afterward. Start with the table, then read the notes on each method below.
| Method | Best for | You need | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracing (light box or window) | Light, thin fabrics: cotton, linen, quilting cotton | A light source, tape, a fabric marking pen | Doesn’t work on dark or thick fabric; tape both layers so nothing shifts |
| Water-soluble pen | Light fabrics you can rinse | A water-soluble marking pen | Marks can fade with humidity before you finish; ironing can set them |
| Heat-erasable pen | Light fabrics you’d rather not wet | A heat-erasable pen, an iron | Marks can reappear in the cold; test on scrap first |
| Iron-on transfer pen or pencil | Repeating a design; fabrics you can’t see through | A transfer pen or pencil, a mirrored copy of the design, an iron | Lines are usually permanent, so stitching must cover them |
| Carbon / dressmaker’s paper | Medium and dark fabrics (with light-colored paper) | Transfer paper, a stylus or dry ballpoint | Lines can smudge as you stitch; press firmly but evenly |
| Water-soluble stabilizer (stick-and-stitch) | Dark, stretchy or textured fabric, and clothing | Printable or traceable stabilizer sheets | Rinse thoroughly afterward; some fabrics and threads shouldn’t be soaked |
| Printable fabric | Light designs where printed lines will be covered | Printer fabric sheets, an inkjet printer | Printed lines may not wash out; size of the sheet limits the design |
Whatever you choose, test the marker and the method on a scrap of the same fabric first.
Tape the pattern to a light box or a sunny window, tape the fabric over it with the grain straight, and trace with a water-soluble or heat-erasable pen. It is the cheapest method and the easiest to control.
Trace a mirrored copy of the design onto plain paper with the transfer pen, then iron it face-down onto the fabric. Because the ink flips as it transfers, the design comes out the right way round. See how to use an iron-on transfer.
Lay the transfer paper ink-side down on the fabric, the pattern on top, and trace over the lines with a stylus or an empty ballpoint. Use white or yellow paper on dark fabric.
Print or trace the pattern onto water-soluble stabilizer, peel and stick it to the fabric, stitch straight through it, then soak it away. Nothing ever touches the fabric directly.
Print the design onto fabric sheets made for printers and stitch over the printed lines. Handy for quick projects, but plan for the lines to stay.
Light won’t shine through dark or heavy fabric, so tracing is out. Water-soluble stabilizer is usually the easiest answer: the lines sit on top in black ink and rinse away when you’re done. Light-colored carbon paper or a white fabric marker also works on dark cotton.
For T-shirts, sweatshirts and other knits, stabilizer does two jobs: it carries the design and it stops the fabric stretching while you stitch. Hoop the garment loosely enough not to distort the knit, and keep stitches compact so they don’t pull when the shirt is worn.
For a jacket, a tote or a denim pocket you can’t hoop easily, a stick-and-stitch sheet lets you place the design exactly where you want it before you commit a single stitch.
Most transfer trouble starts before the fabric: you need a clean line drawing in the first place. StitchThis turns a photo or drawing into a hand embroidery pattern and prints a full-size transfer sheet with it, plus a mirrored sheet for iron-on transfer pens, so you can trace, iron or print onto stabilizer straight away.
Make a hand embroidery pattern from your photo, then follow how to use the iron-on transfer sheet. If you’d rather design every line yourself, see how to make your own embroidery pattern.
For light, thin fabric, tracing over a window or light box with a water-soluble pen is the easiest and cheapest. For dark fabric or clothing, water-soluble stick-and-stitch stabilizer is usually simpler.
Use water-soluble stabilizer, light-colored carbon paper, or a white fabric marker. Tracing won’t work because light can’t shine through dark fabric.
Usually, with cold water once the stitching is done. Heat from an iron can set some of them, so rinse before you press and test the pen on a scrap first.
They vanish with heat, but they can reappear in the cold, for example after a winter shipment. Test on scrap and consider rinsing if the brand allows.
The design flips as you iron it face-down onto the fabric. Starting from a mirror image makes it come out the right way round, which matters for lettering. StitchThis patterns include a mirrored transfer sheet.
Yes. Use a stabilizer behind or on top of the knit so it doesn’t stretch while you stitch; a water-soluble stick-and-stitch sheet carries the design at the same time.
Making and editing a pattern is free with a StitchThis account. Saving it or downloading the PDF uses a pattern credit ($5.99 per pattern, or 5 for $20). Embroidery is included in Maker ($5.99/month) and in Craft Unlimited, with unlimited patterns.
