3 Simple And Less Known Ways How To Transfer Pattern

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Inside: Find out 3 easy ways how to trace pattern on felt or fabric that will make your life and craft projects easier. These pattern transfer techniques will work great for quiet book patterns, DIY and craft, sewing or quilting projects.

Have you ever thought that there must be an easier way to trace pattern on a felt?

In the middle of your project, stressed by all tiny pieces, tracing slowly with a fabric pen to be more precise but by the time you cut it realize it is not quite as it is supposed to be? If you ever sewn something with lots of tiny pieces you probably know what am I talking about. Precisely cut of a tiny pieces are tedious part that you will face sooner or later when making quiet book.

Well, there are easier ways to trace and cut felt!

Continue reading and you will find out 3 ways to transfer designs onto or fabric easily.

Related: 5 Tips for sewing felt for beginners you need to know

But before we tackle with new techniques…

This post may contain affiliate links.

What is wrong with common tracing pattern using fabric pen?

Erasable fabric pen is one of the most common ways, probably we all know. And it is nothing wrong with this technique – for some projects.

It is cheap, but very time consuming if you have a lot small pieces to transfer and cut. This technique works the best on big pieces with less precise details (like when you wanna cut a tree, hill, cloud and so on.)

I use pen, pencil, tailor’s chalk or quilting water soluble blue pencil, depending on a project, size or felt colour I’m working on. My colleagues also use water soluble blue erasable pen but I find it is not right fit for quiet books because I never wash them once they are finished (I wash cotton fabric pages before sewing).

Here is how and when I mark felt with pen/pencil:

on a light felt I will usually use plain pencil (nothing fancy)
for more precise shapes I use pen
for bigger pieces I will trace it quickly with erasable fabric pencil (I use blue as it visible on most of the colours)
I use white chalk for dark felt so trace is visible

TIP: If you use non erasable pen or pencil, after cutting you will most likely see lines on your fabric piece. If possible turn it (like in a mirror) so ruined side goes down as a backing. This will work for simple shapes, but if you think ahead, and have nothing but non-erasable pen, before you start transfer make sure to trace it on a correctly side.

3 Simple Less Known Techniques To Trace Pattern On Felt

Before I found out about easier techniques of transferring designs to fabric I used to place my pattern piece on a felt, holding firmly and cutting around it at the same time. Sadly, paper pattern piece would often slip and I ended up with a wrong cut. Sometimes I would pin it but either way I would get uneven piece and for so many times I had to redo it.

Can you imagine how time consuming and frustrating it was?

After I found out about new ways to convert pattern to fabric I experimented and tried them in various projects. Now I combine these 3 techniques and get the most of them, depending on a craft project I’m working on.

It gave me piece of mind, I know I can finish my sewing projects for kids faster than before, stress free and tools I need for it are really cheap.

I will reveal to you what are 3 less known ways to trace pattern on felt to make your life easier. As they work great for to trace pattern on a felt all three can used on any fabric too.

1. Hack with freezer Paper

This is my favourite way, simple, quick and precise. Works great for any piece but if you are looking precise cut this is the winner. Bonus is that you can reuse freezer paper for several times.

How to convert pattern on fabric with freezer paper:

Print pattern on a freezer paper (print goes on paper side of a paper)
Place printed pattern on a felt or fabric in a way that shiny side goes down (shiny side is glue coated side)
Gently press hot iron on a paper, glue will stick to a felt
When cool down a bit you can start cutting

I wrote about this Simple Secret Of How To Perfectly Cut Felt and so many of my readers said that this simple technique was a game changer for them.

TIP: If you are working on a felt don’t forget to cover felt piece with light fabric before you place hot iron on it. Iron will melt the felt.

2. Simple and cheap pattern transfer with transparent self adhesive tape

This technique is so simple but yet I didn’t know about it until I accidentally saw it on internet.

Great about this technique it is cheap, clear sticky tape (like packaging tape) you already have at home.
Pattern piece cut this way you can use over and over again, only cutting through the new tape.

This technique is for very accurate cut and precise cut, same as freezer paper and works well for quiet book cover letters Use wide tape for bigger pieces.

How to trace pattern on felt with a clear tape:

Print and cut pattern piece
Place it on a felt and tape it with transparent self adhesive tape
Cut around template (through tape) – tape stops the pattern from slipping
Gently pull the tape of the remaining felt

TIP: Test the tape on a felt before you start and don’t press tape to hard. Tape can stick easily to felt and it can pull and stretch felt when you try to pull it of. Remember, this trick is great for thicker, better quality felt, rather than thin acrylic felt that can be easily stretched.

3. Quick and easy pattern transfer with a fusible web

I’m a huge fan of fusible web ( I use Steam-A-Seam from The Warm Company ) for many reasons but the most it saves me lots of time. Basically it is double sided temporary stick but holds permanently when ironed. It is a bit more expensive than tape or freezer paper, but if it saves me time than I vote for it.

How to transfer and cut paper with double stick fusible web:

Print out your pattern on paper side of fusible web (side that looks like a net with squares for easier drawing).
Cut out roughly around the object and save the rest of unused fusible web for another project
Peel paper side and stick pattern on to felt or fabric
Cut along the line – fusible web and fabric together
Peel and stick pattern on desired fabric
Fix it with iron. (Use instructions on fusible web packaging. Before ironing place cotton fabric on top of pattern.) Hold and press for 20 seconds. When it cools down check and repeat if needed.

Also one of the reasons I like Steam-A-Seam fusible web is you can sew through it without gumming your needle.

TIP: You can also use fusible web to temporary sticks and holds your pice for easy sewing. I highly recommend this way for cutting alphabet letters for cover quiet book.

If you find these pattern transfer techniques useful, please take a moment and share it on social media. Because I’m sure, there is so many crafty people thinking: “There must be must be an easier way to trace pattern on a felt”.