Aging myself here, but do you remember back in highschool taking home economics class and one of the things we just had to have in our supply list was coloured waxed paper and a tracing wheel? I hated that stuff with a passion. It rubbed off so easily and just made a heck of a mess. It wasn’t too long ago that I found that original pack from highschool in a file folder. I unearthed it and blue and yellow crap everywhere. What a messy discovery that was. No, I have no idea why I had kept it all these years.
Let’s fast forward to, ya know, the current century, and take a look at Saral’s Wax-Free Transfer Paper. The folks at Saral were kind enough to send me a sampler package to play with.
In the sampler package comes 5 sheets of transfer paper, one of each colour: white, red, yellow, blue and black (graphite):
If life hadn’t gone a little crazy earlier this year, I’d actually have my bed quilt ready for quilting and could show you how the transfer paper works on an actual project. Instead, I grabbed a couple of scrap blocks to test with.
The transfer paper is pretty thin, not quite as thin as tracing paper, but thinner than regular printer paper and slightly delicate. I used the edge of a regular mechanical pencil to draw my lines. A ball point pen or an unpointed tool like a stylus would have been better. I had to press lightly with my pencil so as not to tear the paper.
I drew four lines on my dark fabric: white, red and two yellow lines. I wanted to test the smudge-ability and if the line erased too quickly just with handling. You’ll see the top of the red line and the first yellow line where I tried to rub it off, quite vigorously with my hands. While they are a lighter, they can still be seen quite easily. Very handy when machine quilting, as I hate when chalk products or disappearing ink vanishes before I can finish the project.
I did the same rub off test with the blue transfer paper on a scrap of white fabric, sorry the picture is a bit blurry:
The next test was to see how easy does it come off the fabric when I’m all done with it. Before I did this test, I heat-set with a hot iron and steam, as if my test fabrics were the background of appliqué blocks. I then used a moistened cloth and lightly pressed it to the lines. The blue fabric came out very quickly and the white just needed an extra rub to get the line to disappear.
I was impressed, especially that I could heat-set it and it washed out just perfectly. I’m really big into appliqué these days and this will be fantastic for drawing my placement lines on my background fabric. I also want to try back-basting appliqué and this will be really useful for that too. For me, it’s all about being able to wash away my lines when I’m done with them. Of course, I’ll be sure to test my actual project fabric, just in case.
I could also use it to draw my quilting lines and have the confidence that the lines are not going to vanish before I finish the quilt. Saral has a really useful web site, so you can read more usage ideas over there. You can buy economy rolls of the product too.
This is one product that has definitely improved since my high school years.
Now for the give-away! Saral has generously donated 10 sampler packages for my blog readers. Each package contains one 8 1/2″x11″ sheet of each colour as shown above. To enter the give-away, leave a comment below telling me creatively how you would use this product. Winners will be chosen next Wednesday.
QuiltAlbum Blog Hop
Don’t forget to visit today’s bloggers in the QuiltAlbum Blog Hop. Come back tomorrow for my special day!
- Linda lum deBono – Dzyning Things
- Vanessa Christenson – V and Co.
P.S. Facebook friends, you must enter on the blog post itself to be entered in the give-away. Click here to enter.
What another god send this is. First there was TRANSFER EZE then SULKY-self adhesive sticky back & now SARAL. I use the fisrt two items & now will enjoy this item & I can’t wait. I will mostly use it for hand embroidery/stitchery work as I have too many irons in the fire. What I do when I see a future project is adapt what ever sticky film I have on hand & put that together with the fabrics & threads in a plastic bag & wait till I need it, I will welcome this new product with opened arms. My grandson will have something new to stitch on, never too young to teach a child.
I work mostly from my own applique designs, so I don’t have patterns to follow. I often have to revise my ideas over and over, and I need something that will stay when I need it to stay, and come out when I need to start over.
As a fumbling appliquer, the Saral is great for helping with placement of the pieces and also for marking the edges of my needleturn. Thanks for the give away.
This looks like an excellent product. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Michelle i would love to use this waxed paper for sewing my embroidery designs and also for some applique projects that i would like to sew and this paper would give me the inspiration to do so,thankyou for a chance to win.
I don’t think I have ever tried this brand name. Thanks for the giveaway.
Hola Michelle, me sería muy útil este papel para dibujar mis apliqué en telas oscuras o gruesas. Por lo general uso mi caja de luz pero esta caja no me sirve en telas oscuras o gruesas. Estaría feliz de tener ese paquete de regalo.
Hi Michelle, I would be very useful this paper to draw my applied in dark or thick fabrics. Usually I use my light box but this box does not help in dark or thick fabrics. I would be happy to have this gift pack.
I would use it to trace a design onto fabric and then do free motion quilting to create a small whole-cloth quilt. I’ve been wanting to try that for an AAQI quilt.
This would be wonderful aor all kinds of quilting…thanks for the chance
I am always looking for a method that is better than what I am doing now. Since I have been quilting a long time, often friends and new quilters ask for advice. It would be good to keep up with the latest techniques.
Sounds wonderful I would love to take a sample to my quilting club for the girls @and 1 guy to try out I live in South Australia cheers Barb
It seems to me this would be excellent for tracing designs for embroidering as well and for using to guide placement of appliqued pieces. I love the selection of colors! Blessings!
I am interested in this for applique. I think it would be ideal for tracing. I think maybe quilting would be easier also. I would love to ‘give it a go.’
This sounds like just the ticket for tracing on a quilting pattern for machine quilting – I just can’t get the hang of meandering so maybe if I traced on a design I’d have better luck – sometimes straight lines get so boring but it’s all I know!!!
I would definitely use this for applique and embroidery.
Thanks for a chance to win! bimbi9 at verizon dot net
This would be great to use with my quilting. Looks like a great product. Thanks for the giveaway.
It would be fun to try this out! I like to make fabric postcards; how fun would it be to use it for that!
I would be great for applique and quilting. I do like to try new products. I like the idea that this SARAL stays on your work until you wash it out.
I would really like to try this for machine quilting. Iam a newbie at that and I think a few lines would be very helpful in getting the quilting spaced exactly right.
I keep hearing about this product and would love to give it a try. It looks perfect for a couple of embroidery and applique projects I have planned!
I would LOVE to try this product….I will definitely use it for quilting designs!
Thank goodness for new inventions, I still have my tracing wheel LOl. This product sounds fantastic, I would love to give it a try for tracing stitching designs, applique, machine and hand quilting. Nice selection of colours too. Thanks for the giveaway!
Hallo Michele, thank you for sending me an e-mail so I can enter this give-away! I used a kind of this material years ago when I was making the clothes for my daughters, but it is not longer available in all the colours there once were! Only in yellow and white, the darker colours are now out and those are the ones that we like to use the most! I cross my fingers and hope! Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend, greetings
Lida
I would like to try this product. Thanks for the giveaway.
Just met at Appliqué Society and learned about the backside marking technique. Fairly new to needle turning and eager to improve!
Oh this would be just great for machine quilting as that is what I’m learning these days.
This would be great for copying my own quilting designs instead of using a template.
I haven’t tried this product before, thanks for the chance to win!
I am fascinated with machine quilting and would love to try this.
Would love to have this transfer paper to use to transfer my doodles into wall art as seen on my facebook photos.
Hoping … thank you
I’ve never done any free motion quilting yet, and would love to try it after sketching my own designs onto a quilt…this looks like it would be the perfect tool to help me succeed!
I love applique both by hand and machineapplique! So a nice tool to mark the seamlines would be very very welcome!
Hope of luck!
Kerstin in Hoor, Skane
Sounds fantastic ! Thank you for a chance to win some, because it’ll be quite a while before it will be available in the Netherlands :-( .
What a great idea. Sure beats having to drag out the light box.
I sew many pants for my daughter who uses a wheelchair. Manufacturers just don’t get it “right” when it comes to someone sitting all the time in their pants. I like to add pockets that have some beading or other special touch to make her pants less “homemade”. The Saral transfer papers would be a great help with these projects… and my quilting projects when I make time for those!
I would love to try this product for applique also. The back basting technique is a neat one to try. You will probably like it when you try it.
I am almost ready to start a new applique quilt ON BLACK!! I know I’m not crazy but after seeing one at our guild meeting, I HAVE to do this. This product would be the best for my new project as the author asks to use dressmaker transfer paper, which can be very messy. Thank you for the chance to win and try this very new and exciting product for us
I am learning Brazilian Embroidery and would use this to transfer patterns for that! Plus, my neice had twins and their first birthday is coming up. In Korea, the “Dol”, one year birthday, is a big celebration and the child wears bright colored traditional dress. I am making one for each of them and will embroider some of the traditional Korean embroidery onto the outfits.
I would like to try this product. Thanks for the giveaway.
@ the Moment I do applique too and for the dark blocks I need some awsome stuff to trace the lines
Thank you for the chance to get one
Have a great weekend
Hugs Gunda
This would be great for marking my quilts on the long arm as I like to mark as I go and pounce is good but the dust gets in my nose! )
It’s nice to know that a product I used to use years ago in my dressmaking days has been improved on and is still available. I know I could find a use for it in my quilting – transfering quilting lines to my tops and I’d also use if for applique of which I’m about to embark on a journey. Thanks for the review. Your articles are always helpful and informative.
Cheers
D
Australia.
I’d use this to transfer embroidery designs to fabric, to transfer designs I hand paint for crafts on wood or fabric totes, etc.. I could even see using the transfer papers to transfer a design like a Monogram over a child’s door or window on their wall, where you could paint it in. It would be nice to transfer a monogram on a child’s overall’s that you could either hand embroider in or even you fabric paints to fill in. It would be nice to use on pillowcases where you might want to hand embroider a monogram design. I made a two quilts once using an Old Testament coloring book and a New Testament coloring book and this would have really come in handy transferring the designs onto the blocks that where both hand embroidered and liquid embroidered in, as well as some ribbon embellishments added. These were twin size bed quilts made for my niece and nephew. So I know there are many, many uses this nice Saral wax free transfer paper could be used for, which would have been easier than the methods I used in the past that were hard to wash out.
i loved this as i make quilted diaper bags and have to draw the quilting lines on the back with this is could put them on the front with just a little work
I am about to start a redwork project and I think this would be just the ticket to transfer the design.
Hello I think in Holland we dont have this wax free paper.
So i like to try out .
Greetings Elly Schellekens koenders
Holland.
I would use this to transfer onto black fabric. For embroidery. I have a wonderful pattern for a black witches hat that I have had for a few years but have been unable to trace the design onto the black fabric. THis product looks great for that. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love to do redwork as well as applique so this product sounds very useful for both . Thanks for the chance to win .
Reading about the home economics transfer paper and wheel brought back many memories. I actually have both in one of my cutting table drawers! Wouldn’t it be nice to try something new and updated – and that doesn’t leave a mess. I am stepping outside my comfort zone and taking a class in using vintage linens/pieces (hankies, tablecloths, photos, embellishments, etc.) This would be a good tool to have to learn where to place things and then quilt them creatively!
It would be wonderful to use something that doesn’t smudge or fade away or worse yet doesn’t come out when you are finished that project.