Transfer-eze

I've done a bunch of towels now using Transfer-eze (I got mine from Wooly Thread). I have a few done I can show now.

Mostly I used printed out coloring pages from the Internet, but for the Muppet's Swedish Chef, I couldn't find one. I printed a color photo in B&W and then used that. I filled in the detail lines that had faded out using a plain pencil on the Transfer-eze. I used the original printout to guide me when I just couldn't tell what was what (his spoon turned into a blob that looked like a fold in his shirt until I redrew the outline). I was quite happy when, as I'd hoped, the pencil lines vanished with the Transfer-eze.Using the photo made the picture I was working with very different from the final embroidery. (The pink at the bottom is not bleeding, it's a reflection of the pink bath towel I have the embroidery sitting on...it was still wet when I took this.)
This is a more traditional coloring page, below. I ignored the black spaces (except for eyeballs, those I filled in) and just outlined the design. Here it is before rinsing off the Transfer-eze.The product dissolved pretty quickly. I used warm running water with a drop of dish detergent and I did rub with my fingers. I have no patience. I found it worked better if I trimmed the sheet around the design before putting it onto the fabric or if I pulled off the outside edges after stitching (not so easy, this stuff really stuck to the cotton towel fabric). Here it is after rinsing.I ironed them dry and they came out very nice. I still have one I'm working on (Kermit). I really like that I don't have to worry about covering each design line completely. They just vanish!

Mary Corbet at Needle 'n Thread did a detailed article on using Transfer-eze with many good tips.

Transfer-Eze

I found a pretty cool new product, just in time to do exactly what I want for a couple of Christmas gifts. My niece is into the Muppets big time, but it's really hard to find her something she doesn't already have. Lately I've been stitching all of these towels and thought--perfect!

I printed out some coloring pages and then was stuck. The designs are a bit complex and the towels not exactly see through. They have enough texture to make any transfer procedure, other than iron-on, tough.

Just when I was at this point, The Wooly Thread sent out a post with a new product, Transfer-Eze. I ordered two packages and they arrived very quickly.

So far, it's been a delight to work with. I copied my coloring pages onto the Transfer-Eze pages, pulled off the backing paper and then stuck the design exactly where I wanted it on my towel. (You can see it on the towel above.)

It's easy to stitch through--in fact it adds a bit of body to the toweling, making it easier to stitch. It really sticks on there, too.

Once I've stitched the design, the Transfer-Eze will dissolve in water. That means it needs to be used for an end product that can be washed. And, because it really sticks on there, I would trim it carefully, close to the design, before using it on a delicate fabric.

I left a lot of unprinted transfer around the design--probably not the best idea, but I didn't think of trimming it. I pulled some of it off, beyond an already stitched area. It didn't affect the toweling and when I got near the stitches, it stopped pulling away and tore off without damaging them. It also didn't want to pull off, so I think a closely trimmed design with the product removed with water will work best.

I haven't yet tried wetting it and dissolving it from a stitched design (I don't have one done yet), but I tried wetting a cut-off edge and it dissolved quickly.

I would not use a design under copyright (like the one I'm using) for anything I was going to sell. And I'm only making the one. (I'm just coloring my design with thread and not crayons.) The Transfer-Eze is perfect for what I want to do, but it's not inexpensive (a little over $1.50 per sheet with shipping). But I could take my own drawn designs or words and photocopy it onto the paper for original designs--I have a crewel piece I want to work on wool felt and I think this will work perfectly to transfer the complex design. Over on Needle 'n Thread, Mary is also having an interesting discussion about transferring a design to fabric and the things you need to think about beforehand.