Page:Embroidery and Fancy Work.djvu/154



There are several ways in which designs may be transferred to the material on which they are to be worked. The first and easiest method (short of drawing it free hand) is by means of tracing and transfer paper, both of which can be obtained from an artist's materials store. Tracing paper can be made as follows:

Lay the sheets to be prepared flat on each other, and spread varnish made by dissolving Damara resin in spirits of wine over the uppermost sheet by means of a brush, until the paper appears perfectly colorless without, however, the liquid therein being discernible. The first sheet should then be hung up to dry, and the remainder treated the same way. Rather tough, smooth paper should be used for this purpose. A good supply of this is very useful for any one who does much decoration work whether with needle or brush, as hints and ideas can be hastily traced and thus preserved for future use by those who have not the time to copy a design, nor the skill to sketch it quickly.

Having traced the design, place it on the object to which it is to be transferred, fastening it securely in place with pins or thumb tacks. Now take a piece of transfer paper, it need not be large, and place it 150