Wednesday Sewing - Pattern Paper

Pattern paper is one of those things I wish I'd found out about when I first started sewing!  It's really a very simple concept, but it never dawned on me until I'd bought years of patterns multiples so I could cut out several sizes.

Pellon carries a nice pattern paper on a bolt - it's thick enough that it doesn't rip easily, but thin enough to see your pattern through.  Makes tracing very easy!  I buy mine at Joann's, where they keep it with the bolts of interfacing.

These days, I buy yards of it!  Patterns now have lots of sizes in one envelope and I'm cheap - I'd rather buy it once.  I also have a vintage pattern collection.  I like to sew with them but never want to cut them up!  I'm currently sewing a cowgirl outfit for little c's Halloween costume and anticipate wanting to use the pattern again in one of the larger sizes, so I traced all the pieces I would need, folded the printed patterns back up, and put them back in the envelope.

It's extremely simple to use this paper to make your own patterns - the hardest part is folding the printed pattern sheets back up and getting them to fit in the envelope! Just lay the pattern paper on top of your printed pattern and trace the entire pattern onto the paper.  Be sure to copy all the dots, notches, and any special stitching lines.  I also like to include the pattern number, the size, the pattern piece letter and name, any special seam allowance measurements, and the fabric grain arrow.

An added benefit is the new pattern pieces are much sturdier than the old.  This comes in handy when you'll be using the pattern several times.

Next week I'll show you how the costume turned out.  So far there have been a few instructions that are a bit hard to decipher - I'll give you my take on these!

Happy Creating!  Deborah