The Spring Sampler SAL starts soon…
If you need a refresh on the SAL or would like to access the FREE pattern – you can find all the information here… Spring Sampler Stitch a Long
So we are all ready to start stitching this Thursday 5th March – here’s a quick tutorial for transferring the pattern to your fabric.
The pattern is made up of 12 blocks with straight borders.
I have found the best way to transfer designs that are made up of straight lines is to put the fabric in the frame before you trace.
Tracing straight lines on to fabric and then stretching the fabric in the frame, for the most part, ends up with distorted lines that are wonky – frustrating and a big spoiler!
The easy way to trace a design with straight lines…
Tracing the Spring Sampler Pattern
The same applies whether you are doing the round version or the rectangular. Also, it doesn’t make a difference if you are using a hoop or a frame as long as the fabric is tight.
Using a lightbox or window – tape your pattern down so it is secure.
Place the fabric frame so it is flush on the light box and hold it securely in place – using a ruler and frixion pen – trace all the straight border lines…
Surprisingly, I am using a stabilizer fabric (calico) behind my main fabric and it is still easy to see through for tracing as you can see…
Once you have the border lines all traced the rest is easy peasy.
I traced the strawberry block first. Usually tracing can be really hard as you dare not move the fabric until the whole pattern is done. That’s the great thing with this pattern – you have the border lines all in place – as long as you line these up each time you want to trace a block and keep it in place for that block – you can move it in between and it won’t matter.
Handy Tip when tracing…
Print a second copy of the pattern and have this next to you when you are tracing for reference. No matter how good your lightbox – there are always occasions where it looks fuzzy and you are unsure what you should be tracing.
Having the pattern next to you gives you a quick reference so you can distinguish what you are tracing without having to lift your fabric up and peek underneath! This has been a game-changer for me!
Keep tracing until you have all the blocks drawn in place. They are all small and relatively simple so don’t take long. The hardest one for me was the geometric block with the straight lines but they don’t need to be perfect so don’t stress over that.
Here’s how it looks when the tracing is complete…
If you have any questions – leave a comment here or hop over to the Facebook group where I will be able to come back to you quicker.
Spring Sampler Facebook Group
Happy Tracing!
I would love to begin stitching the spring sampler.
Hi Carol. The pattern is available from the shop as either a template – then you can just follow along on the blog tutorials or you can purchase the complete pattern where it is all in one PDF. Its a great pattern and so many people have enjoyed stitching it. x