Using AR to Transfer Embroidery Patterns

There are many ways to transfer an image to fabric for embroidery. The most common way is to draw or print the image on paper and trace it using a lightbox (or even a window). But my pieces are often larger than a standard 8 1/2 x 11 piece of printer paper, so this method wouldn't work for me (unless I printed it out in sections and taped them together, which is just extra work). So I've come up with a better way.

I use Procreate to sketch out my designs. This allows me to export the design as a jpeg and transfer it to my iPhone. From there, I use an app called Da Vinci Eye that uses AR to replicate the centuries-old method of Camera Lucida for tracing an image. The app allows me to view my image and the fabric beneath it at the same time, so I can draw the image to the correct size and scale.

Tracing onto fabric from my phone? What a time to be alive!

The app allows me to adjust the size of the image to fit the dimensions of the finished piece, as well as adjust the opacity so I can see what my pen is doing underneath the image. It can also record the whole drawing process, so I can use it for social media later on.

It's not a perfect system, though. For one, I sometimes have to suspend my phone fairly high up to fit the proportions of my finished piece, which means tracing while standing, which can get tiring. Also, because of my near-sightedness, I sometimes have to switch between taking my glasses on and off to see the details on the screen and make sure the drawing is showing up correctly on the fabric. Fabric itself is difficult to draw on because it doesn't want to lay still like paper and it's can be tricky to tape it in place on a table. This means I have to pay extra attention to make sure that the fabric doesn't move while I draw. But it's still the best method I've found for prepping my work, especially for my 11x14" pieces.