Gingerbread Lane: Frosting Swirls aka How to: Glad Press & Seal

My favorite way to transfer detailed stitch patterns to wool (light or dark) is using Glad Press and Seal. (I get it at the grocery store.)

So here is how I do it. Use the swirls pattern page in your kit. You can either lay one large piece of press and seal over the whole page, or do them one section at a time. I think one section at a time is easier than trying to cut the pieces off in chunks.

I always use a sharpie to trace the designs. I don’t want any ink rubbing off onto my design OR my threads, so sharpie it is and I always leave it to dry overnight. For this project you want to do this stitching first thing for all 3 houses. The Press & Seal is slightly sticky, and you don’t want it pulling at your other stitches, so do all 3 houses first, before beginning the rest of the embellishment.

Peel off one of the pieces, and using the full color photos, center it in the correct place. You can pick up and move the press and seal until it is in the right spot, then press it down well.

I always use what I call “stabbity stitching” when I am stitching through press and seal. Typically I would keep my thread on top of the project, and each stitch would go down and up and then pull through. But when you do it that way, the project will bend enough to distort your image.
So come up and pull the thread all the way through, then go down and pull it all the way through. And repeat. Sort of like stabbing the fabric from both the top and bottom.
I ONLY do the backstitches! (or stem stitch if the pattern suggests it–this one doesn’t) You can easily add the french knots and detached chain stitches when the press and seal is removed.
Try to keep the press and seal area as flat as possible while you are stitching.

Time to remove the press and seal! The goal is not to pull the stitches out of place. The best way is to pull to the sides and not up. I kind of fold the press and seal back and pull it flat along the fabric.