looking for tips re: gold on gold organza

[_Eshal_]

Back story: I have been trying to finish embellishing a bra/ belt that i am making from stretchy burgundy velvet.....i want to do something scroll-ee on the bra cups....and have had no luck drawing a design directly on fab with chalk(won't make a mark at all actually)
After much gnashing of teeth, and beating of brow ( i'm thinking it's a libra thing...'oooh this would look pretty'---'oooooooh- so would this!'---etc etc)

i was digging thru some fabrics in my stash and came across this gold on gold organza from Hancock Fabrics ( now closed- drops head from moment of silence )
and i got to thinking
Can i cut this out and use it as an applique? do i need to spray some sort of fixitive ( fray check ?) on the back before or after i cut away the organza?

[DeborahDances]

I would probably buy some iron-on stabilizer or interfacing and attach that to the fabric before cutting the scrollwork out. I think if you just cut away the fabric the embroidery would unravel and you'd be left with a pile of thread.

[tigerb]

What DeborahDances said. I would iron a lightweight fusible web (like Lite Steam A Seam or Wonder Under or something similar) to the back of the organza. Then I would very carefully cut around the motifs I wanted to keep leaving a little margin. Then I'd peel off the paper and lightly fuse them to the bra and belt to keep them in place, and then probably bead around them to cover the fabric edges.

It's a great design idea -- hope it works for you!

[_Eshal_]

I did break out my loupe, and it looks like it is glued on....and i tried cutting it out- and so far it is not comming undone- but i think the fusible web will help it hold it's shape better.....and make it easier to apply to the bra cups...thanks! I'll let you know how it goes!

[mekyria]

In case you'd like to mark your design on the base fabric, you can also use a fabric marker or use a colored thread and a running stitch to transfer your design to your bra/belt

I think I recognize the organza fabric from something similar in my fabric stash. It will probably not unravel , the design could change shape once cut loose from the fabric.

[Souzan]

To save a lot of work you can use dressmaker's transfer paper. Place it on the area you want to embellish and put the organza on top. Then trace the design using a tracing wheel or sharp pencil. That should transfer pigment to the fabric.

Souzan

[elenya]

What I usually do is a combination of Souzan's and Mekyria's methods.

I trace my design from normal drawing paper to pattern paper with a small marker or pen and pin it onto the belt/bra. I use a running stitch and slightly lighter color tread to transfer the design, and then remove all the pattern paper. Because the thread of design is somewhat lighter it is still easy to see, but will not be very noticeable if it somehow peak through the beading.

[tigerb]

Originally Posted by elenya

What I usually do is a combination of Souzan's and Mekyria's methods.

I trace my design from normal drawing paper to pattern paper with a small marker or pen and pin it onto the belt/bra. I use a running stitch and slightly lighter color tread to transfer the design, and then remove all the pattern paper. Because the thread of design is somewhat lighter it is still easy to see, but will not be very noticeable if it somehow peak through the beading.

When you say pattern paper, do you mean something like a tearaway stabilizer? If not, how do you remove the paper from the stitches?

[tigerb]

Hey, a friend of mine here at work (who used to embellish and design wedding gowns) recommends Sulky's "Tear Easy" stabilizer. She suggests that you NOT use a fusible product as it will mash down the velour nap. She echos elenya's suggestion of transferring beading designs by stitching through the Tear Easy and ripping it away, leaving your base stitching as a guide.

And she says: good luck!

[elenya]

I don't know what it's called in English, but I mean the thin transparent paper you use to transfer sewing patterns to, it is very easy to gently rip away around and under the stitches. It's not a stabilizer.

[mekyria]

Transfer paper doesn't work on dark fabrics, so that's why bead without a pattern or mark it with stitches. A lot of (high end) belly dance costumes have the patterns marked on the fabric with a black felt tipped pen or ballpoint. It's not visible for the audience because the beading hides the lines, but it's still there. On dark fabrics they use some kind of white marker.

I'm not sure about this, but I heard that patterns in the US are often drafted on sturdy brown paper. I think Elenya is refering to tissue pattern paper. Sorry if the last sentence doesn't make sense at all, translating sewing related terms is really hard.

[elenya]

Yes! tissue transfer paper is exactly what I mean! It is hard to translate such specific terms isn't it . I've tried to use those special textile markers but I cannot for the live of me draw freehand and the lines starts to fade quickly if you handle the fabric alot. So halfway down beading the design al of my other lines where gone. A big plus with tissue transfer paper is that you can almost use any picture, clipart or whatever you like.