a couple ideas

Dear Caya,

It's not a good idea to use tape on your patterns to hold them in place instead of pins. Once you cut through the tape, you release the pattern from the fabric. It needs to stay on the fabric until you have all the markings copied to the fabric. The pins should go perpendicular to the seamlines, and all in the same direction so that you don't prick yourself when you smooth your hands across the pattern.

The more complicated the pattern is, the more important it is to transfer all the markings to the fabric, so that you can sew accurately.

Teri

I agree. If you want to avoid pins, that's fine. You can use weights. You have some options for those. You can buy weights designed specifically for this purpose. They look like the caps you see on the feet of chair legs, with felt on the flat side. Or you can go in your pantry and pull out some soup or tuna cans. Or you can go to the hardware store and get some large washers. These work really well.

I have a few concerns about using plastic tape. First and foremost to me is that you will need to clean the tape off your scissor blades. I'm very finicky about my fabric scissors. They stay very sharp and nick free because I only cut fabric with them. I usually cut out my tissue paper patterns with an older pair of scissors. Cleaning the tape off can be done simply by wiping the blades down with rubbing alcohol then a clean cloth. (this also works to clean any adhesive residue on the thread spindle of your sewing machine BTW.) But it's one more thing to mess with, y'know? Also, that's a pretty expensive way to hold patterns in place. Even if you buy the tape at the $1 store, you will have to replace it fairly quickly. Weights or pins, weights especially, will last a much longer time.

Copying your patterns off is a marvelous idea. I did that a lot when my DD was younger and liked to wear dresses. I made several of the same dress just in different sizes as she grew. :)

Sharon

Ah, so smart. I have not been bold enough to make any clothes that aren't so dead-simple that I can pretty much dispense with the markings altogether- but these are good habits for when I learn to make *nice* clothes. My goal is to someday take out that "patternless sewing" book I have, and draft myself a dress pattern that actually fits me. My torso is like 2 inches shorter than usual, and what a royal pain it is to find dresses that look halfway decent without being muumuus. I'm usually stuck with separates. I could do it, I just haven't gathered up enough courage!!! :-D

So smart, too!!! So I see that the real seamstresses use weights. Good- I shall try it. That is very true about the tape goo, and about using your blades only for fabric. I use a rotary blade though to cut everything out- it's not so precise I guess, but like I said, so far my patterns are simple and forgiving, and it hasn't been a problem. I think maybe I shall have to get a nice pair of scissors for when I start to do better patterns.

O.k. everybody- what are some good brands of scissors? Where's the best place to get it, cheap? (I'm in America) Thanks!!!

Caya,

I treasure my Gingher dressmaker shears, but to tell the truth, more often use the Fiskars SoftGrip scissors I bought at WalMart...the handles feel better.

That said, I cut *everything* out with rotary cutters, using the large flat washers Sharon mentioned as weights. I hotglued the washers in pairs, and they're perfect.

Doreen in Alabama

My goal is to someday take out that "patternless

Or, you might like to join those of us who have gone over to pattern drafting software. It does have a learning curve, but once you get it set up it drafts patterns to fit each individual figure (and some of us have VERY individual figures!)

If you go to

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

I have very old Ginghers that were made in Germany. The last time I bulk ordered scissors/shears for my students, they were being made in Mexico, and the blades were so thick they couldn't do the tasks I do with my old ones. I haven't had to purchase scissors/shears, as my stash contains several that will last my lifetime. I don't know what brand I would go to if I had to replace them.

Teri

I use cans of cat food, tuna, soup, the occasional basket of fruit or cutlery, books, or whatever comes to hand that is weighty enough and clean!

I've done the same for James, and for rows of bridesmaids in different sizes when the patterns were not available as they were out of print. Usually, the pattern is worth less than my time for copying, so I don't bother unless there are serious fitting issues.

snipped-for-privacy@cox.net wrote in news:jdaMh.151327$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe07.phx:

i use rocks. i have a set of beach stones/river stones that i keep for fabric cutting. the kid has been told that he must never play with mommy's rocks! ;) i have round ones mostly, but also some thin curvy ones that are perfect for sleeve caps. and, they're free! lee

I'd strongly suggest Kai, a not terribly expensive Japanese brand -- very sharp and precise. I have four pair now -- embroidery, the 10" bent dressmaker, the largest "pro" and the 8" utility shears (which will cut aramid). They far outperform Gingher in my estimation; light and good balance.

And they've finally brought out a genuine 8" lefty bent trimmer -- I've only been nagging at them at the Puyallup expo for 4 years now.

The US distributors tell me they'll recondition any Kais for $5, too. I'm just down the road a bit from Kershaw Knives, (owned by Kai)... so I may be able to get any work done locally.

Kay, who cuts fabric on paper for more precision.

I have pattern weights that are disks of different sizes with points sticking out the bottom to keep them "anchored" in the pattern and fabric. But, before I got those, I used table knives....heavy and easy to maneuver around!