A Guide to Decorating Difficult Textiles!

Struggling to locate the right tool for marking quilting or embroidery designs on dark and patterned fabrics? Blue pens, chalk markers, pencils... they all fail us in such a situation! Fear not; I'm here with several reliable alternatives that will save you from making permanent mistakes. Read on to find out more about mastering fabric marking without having marks of your left behind!

Freezer Paper

Quilters, rejoice – freezer paper is your new best friend! Not only does it provide a transparent surface for tracing and designing patterns on fabric, but you can also press it onto fabrics to keep them in place while quilting. Plus, the best part? This handy tool is reusable!

To create the unique design of "Doggone Happy," I drew individual bone shapes onto freezer paper, cut them out, and pressed each one to desired locations on the fabric with a hot iron. Quilting around these templates can be done easily; afterward, they are simply peeled off and repositioned elsewhere in the quilt for even more intricate designs!

If you need to embroider a complex design, such as the one pictured below, try this approach. Cut just one line at a time and follow it while stitching. Then move on to the next line, embroidering each section before peeling back that part of the fabric which has been completed. By breaking down the task into manageable portions like this you can make quick progress toward completing your project!

Press Seal

An alternative to marking dark fabrics is Press's Seal. Just trace your design on a sheet of the product, press it lightly onto your fabric with your fingers (no iron required), and stitch through the seal using small stitches. Be sure to carefully remove excess pieces from tight curves with tweezers if needed - you'll be pleased with how well this option stays in place! To make things even easier, take advantage of different colored markers for various sections of the pattern depending on what fits best with each area of fabric.

Tissue Paper

As one of the last ways to avoid markings on dark fabrics, you can use white tissue paper for present wrapping. Refrain from using colored tissue paper as any moisture will cause it to bleed onto your fabric or anything else touching it. Trace the design onto the tissue paper and secure it either with pins or basting all around its edges; then stitch right through! Removing this after stitching won't be as easy as removing Press's Seal, but it's also not as fragile. Therefore, it is much safer to use around small children and pets. Have fun stitching!