Cosplay Creation: Image Transfer Methods for Embroidery

Looking to embroider that pattern or section on that cosplay you’re working on for Anime Boston 2018? Or maybe you’re just looking to dress up a flat-looking prom gown or suit. Well, no problem! Today, I will be giving you four ways to transfer your design onto your fabric!

1: Water Soluble Stabilizer

What you’ll need:

1. Water Soluble Stabilizer
2. Graphite/transfer paper
3. Pencil
4. Your image

To start, you're going to want to make sure your image is printed up and ready to go so you can transfer it to the stabilizer. From there, lay out your stabilizer with the graphite paper over it, placing your image on top of that. Now trace over your image, applying even pressure with your pencil.

From there, pin your template made from the stabilizer to the garment you are embroidering and go to town! In order to make sure this works correctly, it is best to ensure that you are using fabric that can be washed regularly as well as colorfast embroidery thread so no dye bleeds into the design and muddies it. When washing the material in lukewarm water, the stabilizer will dissolve.

I recommend this for anything you are working on. Not only does it make embroidering your cosplay easy but you can use this for any size of design and you don't risk getting any pencil marks or ink in odd places on your material.

2: Tracing

What you’ll need:

1. Your image
2. Pencil
3. Window/Light table

This method is very simple and useful if you’re using a lighter fabric to embroider on. Take your printed image to the surface you’ll be tracing on. This surface must have some sort of light shining through it, otherwise you won’t be able to see the image through your fabric. Tack or lay your fabric over your image and carefully trace. From there, you are ready to embroider your design!

I recommend this for anyone using a lighter material because it's one of the best methods you can use when on a tight budget. It also makes a repeating pattern easy to line up and duplicate.

3: Hot Iron Transfers

Hot Iron Transfers are pre-made and can be found in black, blue, or grey ink. While this enables you to easily transfer a pattern, they only come in certain patterns and will limit your design choices. These work by simply laying them over the fabric you are embroidering and then running a hot iron over it until the pattern holds.

While this is an easy method and works really well, it can't be used for everything. so keep that in mind when you start working on your cosplay.

4: Wax Paper

What you’ll need:

1. Wax paper
2. Printer with ink
3. Your image

To start, prep your image on your computer for printing, then take your wax paper and cut it to letter size (8'x11") and feed it into your printer. Depending on the color of your fabric, you’ll want to print it out in colors that will brightly show up on your material. Once printed, take your wax paper and lay the printed side down carefully. This will transfer the image to your fabric.

I do not personally recommend this method simply because it’s easy to mess up, making it one of the worst choices for your project. You can print onto wax paper and sew through it like you would stabilizer or even paper simply because the ink would wipe away. Ink, when printed on wax paper, stays wet or turns to a powder that blows away.

These four ways of transferring your images do work. Some just happen to work far better than others. Stay tuned for more Cosplay and Crafting projects and tips folks!