Transferring Santa on Off the Wall Friday

Sit & Stitch at Whiskey & Wool!

 I got it done.  Well actually, to be clearer, we got it done.  We got Puzzle Santa transferred to the linen backing.  Let me tell you, I now know why patterns are so expensive.  

Let me back up.  In most needlecraft arts, patterns come on paper and you are expected to use the pattern to make your project.  Not in the rug hooking world.  Rug hookers buy their patterns already transferred onto their backing ready to hook. Now I know the reason why.  It's a LOT of work to
transfer anything but the most basic pattern.  

There are a few traditional ways to transfer a pattern, but they all start basically the same.  You cut your backing (for me it's linen) 4" or so bigger than your pattern.   Then you zig zag stitch or serge around the edges to stop fraying.  Then you trace the edges of the pattern on the "Right of Grain".  This is just a fancy way of saying that you pick a corner point and follow the line of the linen straight for the length of your pattern.  You do it for each side of your pattern.  If at the end your box looks a bit wonky, you just stretch it back and forth so that the corners are now 90 degrees.  

Once that's done you can trace the pattern by ....

• Transfer using a light box ...This is what I did because I have a huge light box.  It worked fine but its a bit clunky for a big pattern and its rough on your back. A pro is that you only have to trace it once.  Although you still are starting with a full size pattern. 
• Use a lightweight pellon material.  You trace it on the pellon in a felt marker.  Then pin it to your background and trace it again with the sharpie.  This is nice because you can sit down and just trace and trace until its done.  The downside is now you're tracing it twice. You sit still and just move the fabric around to where you're tracing.
• You use an overhead projector.  Yeah, I know ...who has an overhead projector?  Well, lots of art quilters from the last 25 years!  Honestly, I think this would be the easiest for me.  You design your pattern.  Transfer it to acetate sheet (or have a copy store do that for you ...do they still do that?)  Put your background up on the wall (maybe with something behind it to catch any bleed through).  Arrange the acetate's border to match the on-grain border on your background ... then trace.  You're only tracing once and you don't have to draw a full size pattern to begin with.  Next pattern, I'm trying it this way and let you know how it goes!

Really the first two ways are the most common for rug hookers but both have you tracing the pattern two or three times at least!  Also, with these methods, your pattern either has to be blown up at the local copy shop or drawn full size.

Anyways, it took us about 4 hrs to get the pattern transferred.  It probably wouldn't have taken that long, but my husband is a perfectionist when it comes to drafting. But looking at the finish product, I'm so glad he is!  Honestly, with all the work he did on this pattern, he's soooo in the running for husband of the year award.  

Amazing this is where they begin right?

The end product is 22" by 36" which is considered a medium pattern. Patterns this size go for about $100-$125 on linen.  (Linen is about $40/yd ...36" by 60")  So needless to say, not only do we have an original pattern, but we saved ourselves a hunk of change!  Plus, I know it's on the straight of grain and its traced right.  Both issues, I've seen complained about in reviews of patterns.

With the pattern all done, I was ready to go back to Whiskey and Wool for their first free Sit & Stitch.  OMGosh so much fun! Fiber Artists from the area all gathered for 5 hrs of social stitching time.  There were embroiders, cross stitchers, needle punchers, and of course rug hookers. There was even someone working on a quilt!  If you work with fiber by hand, you were invited.   I really had a good time and got to meet some nice ladies.  Plus, I was the only rug hooker doing a project in "fine cut" #4's.  Lots of people had never seen rug hooking before and we could show the difference of how a size 9 looks like and a size 4.  

So Far

I love working in 4's.  The wool strips just blend together nicely, and you can really get a good shade with it!  I started with the red because I had that here, but sooner rather than later I'm going to start dyeing! 

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