How to draw designs on tufting cloth
Hello, we are Tufting studio & shop RUGMATAG, a tufting workshop and equipment/materials specialty store in Osaka .
Even though you're ready to start making your own, are you wondering, "How should I transfer the design onto the fabric?" or "What should I be careful of?" This time, we've put together a guide on how to transfer designs onto tufting cloth. We hope it will be helpful for you when you start making your own.
Freehand
Simple patterns and illustrations can be drawn directly onto the tufting cloth.
When drawing freehand on tufting cloth, it is important to note that an easy mistake to make is to forget to mirror the design .
Draw a reversed version of the design on the striking surface.
Simple designs can be drawn freehand.
For transferring text or complex designs, we recommend using a projector, as described below.
projector
Transferring with a projector allows for accurate drawing, and even complex designs can be easily achieved by simply tracing the design, so it is recommended.
When transferring with a projector, it is best to keep the lights in the room as dark as possible so that the design is easier to see.
There are many different types of projectors.
When transferring tufting, we recommend a printer that is small, allows for fine adjustment of height and position, and has Bluetooth or mirroring functions that allow it to be connected to a smartphone.
The projector we use in our store is a small NEBULA projector .
Preparing the design
If you are designing by hand on paper, etc., take a photo of the design with your smartphone, etc., being careful not to distort it.
If you are designing digitally (using tools such as Illustrator), save it on your smartphone, iPad, etc.
If you draw outlines and color boundaries in clear colors, they will be clearly visible when projected onto the tufting cloth, allowing for a smooth transfer.
How to project from the casting surface

When projecting from the mounting surface, be sure to flip the design beforehand. Then project the flipped design onto the mounting surface.
Measure the size using a ruler and transfer it to the desired size.

When transferring from the printing surface, if you draw from directly in front, the design will overlap with the projector and become invisible, so you can draw more smoothly by extending your hand slightly to the side.
How to project from a surface

If you have enough space on the front side, we recommend using this method for projection.
If you project the design from the surface, do not invert it. If you project the original design as is, the inverted design will be projected onto the printing surface.
Measure the size with a ruler and transfer it to the desired size.
When projected from the surface, there is no need to flip the image, and since it does not overlap with the projector, the transfer is very smooth.
summary
This time we introduced how to draw designs on tufting cloth.
Writing a clear and neat draft as a guide will affect the balance of the finished product and ease of working.
Our tufting cloths have guide lines every 5cm , making them easy to balance when transferring with a projector or drawing freehand, making them highly recommended.
Notification of new information
Thank you for reading to the end. RUGMATAG plans to continue posting various articles about tufting. We plan to regularly announce the latest information on Instagram , Twitter , our official LINE account , and our email newsletter (see below). If you are interested, please follow us on social media, add us as a friend on our official LINE account, and subscribe to our email newsletter.