Embroidery on Dark Fabric

I love doing embroidery.  I have many of my grandmother’s embroidery iron on transfers.  I don’t iron them on the fabric since they are so old and the paper is quite brittle.  Instead I place the design under the fabric I am using, and trace it on to the fabric with a fabric pen.

But sometimes the fabric I am using is too dark, too thick or maybe a fabric with a design on it to see the embroidery design through the fabric.  Even use of a brightly lit window or light box doesn’t help.

embroidery on black fabric 

Embroidery on printed fabric

In those cases I have learned to trace the design on to very thin tissue paper (the type you would use in a gift box not the type you would use for a runny nose) and then place the tissue paper over the fabric and into the hoop.

tissue in hoop

Here’s what I do.  I first trace the design onto the tissue paper (trust me the design is there.  It is my blog logo).  Make sure the tissue paper is big enough to fit in the embroidery hoop or frame.  This will help keep the tissue from moving around while you stitch.

pinned corner of tissue

Now center the design where you want it on the fabric.  I usually pin the corners of the tissue paper to the fabric so the tissue doesn’t move when I am putting it in the embroidery hoop. Carefully close up the hoop.  If you have to adjust the fabric so it is smooth, pull only on the fabric.  If you pull on the tissue paper, it will tear.  

Once everything is tightly secure, you can start stitching.  It will feel a little weird at first to be stitching on paper but know that what you see on the tissue paper is what will be seen on the fabric when the paper is removed.  Make sure your stitches are tight.

tear above the pink stitch line

Just a little warning: you might tear the tissue in the way you are holding the hoop or in some other action you might take.  I tore the tissue above the design just by picking up the hoop (one finger pressed into the tissue- oops).  Know that that is OK.  You don’t have to start over just make sure the tear doesn’t get too big so that it moves your design around.

embroidery done

When you are done stitching then comes one of the fun parts; tearing off the tissue paper.

removing tissue

What I do is gently take my needle or a straight pin and perforate the paper near the stitching.  This makes it easier to remove the paper.  Be careful pulling the paper around the stitching.  If you pull too hard you can pull at the embroidery and distort it.  If paper gets stuck under the stitches, very carefully with the point of a needle or pin pull it out.

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©2017 Cheryl Fillion