Comments on: Tracing and Marking

By: Fashion Incubator » Sending patterns for digitizing

Fashion Incubator » Sending patterns for digitizing — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:42:08 +0000

[...] their edges, the pattern maker will have to retrace the patterns before they can be digitized. Sharpies should be banned from your pattern [...]

By: Fashion Incubator » Marking & Cutting

Fashion Incubator » Marking & Cutting — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:58:55 +0000

[...] Tracing and Marking -Important! Should have been included in this entry The 7 minute cutting test The 7 minute cutting [...]

By: Sarvi

Sarvi — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:34:36 +0000

I just tried Kathleen’s grease pencil technique with a home pattern, and it worked pretty well. I traced off my pieces from the original pattern tissue onto thicker tracing paper (I don’t necessarily recommend this, it’s just what I happened to have in the house). It’s Canson 25 lb. tracing paper. I cut away the tracing lines, laid it on my fabric, weighted it, and used a grease pencil as above. Because the edges of the paper want to curl but the paper is thin, I used short, brushing strokes, working down the edge but away from the center of the pattern piece. Have you ever done a stencil with spray paint, or used fabric paint and freezer paper? Same thing. Got a surprisingly crisp line, and this was on linen, which is coarse and wiggles a lot.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Wed, 26 May 2010 22:03:03 +0000

"Sew", I don't know the answer to this. It did come up on another post (maybe hard vs soft patterns?). I was speaking of oaktag or hard patterns which are traceable. I can't say how it should be done with home patterns.

By: sewiknittoo

sewiknittoo — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:18:10 +0000

Question…so when you’re tracing your pattern can you trace it directly onto the fabric providing that your pattern is interfaced on the back?

By: Monique

Monique — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:14:24 +0000

Thank you SO MUCH I have learned more from reading your blog than I have in fashion school! this will get me to change the bad habits I had gotten from an old sewing teacher, also I am going to change my cutting way’s now that later.

By: Megan H

Megan H — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:25:18 +0000

I don’t know of anyone that does store them flat. I suppose one could with a paper sorter type thing, but yeah, I guess I was just wondering if it is ever done. I guess it wouldn’t be, because hanging them is just so much more convenient.

At work, we just punch holes in the patterns and thread cord through the holes to hang them. What other methods for hanging them are common, or is this “the way” to do it?

By: kathleen

kathleen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:04:05 +0000

Hmm. You mean oaktag patterns? I didn’t realize people stored them flat. How do they manage them, sort them, organize and find the pieces? I suppose if people do store them flat there has to be some reason for it but I can’t imagine what it might be. Explain it if you can find the time, thanks!

By: Megan H.

Megan H. — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:25:08 +0000

This is great advice, thank you!

I personally know the pain of handling patterns that have been traced with a sharpie. A woman I used to work with did so, and often if I had to change the pattern, I’d end up with black marks all over my hands, and sometimes on my clothes from the pattern edges.

I didn’t know about the angled wax pencil thing. I’ll have to give that a shot.

What are your views on hanging cardstock patterns rather than storing them flat?

By: Sewer

Sewer — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:11:35 +0000

This was really helpful. I’m still a beginner, but this spring I started analyzing every aspect of my prep technique because I thought I was not cutting with sufficient precision. I’ve tired every marking tool known to man. The points about marking at an angle both on the paper and the fabric and holding the ruler a bit beneath the line are things I haven’t read before.