I just recently purchased a Christmas dress pattern for my daughter. It has sizes 3-8 and at the present time she is in a 5. Does anyone have any suggestions/tips on how to copy this pattern and be able to use it for all the other sizes?? Thanks in advance.
You can usually fold the cutting lines in at the size you want, clipping curves where necessary. Later when you want to use the pattern for size 6 or 7 or 8, just press the pattern out with a dry iron, and refold to the new cutting line. You may have to patch any areas you clipped, I prefer to use scraps of lightweight fusible interfacing for patching/repairing patterns.
A second way is to purchase paper specially made for tracing off patterns, I like Swedish tracing paper:
Beverly
That's also what I do. Sometimes I just cut under the tissue and then trim off any mistakes afterwards. I know people talk about tracing off the right size but I can't be bothered. Good luck. Sewing for girls is so much fun.
Kirsten Sollie
I use my sliding glass door for a light box. Tape the pattern to that and then trace the size I want. I've done this at night as well and just put a lamp outside the window, works very well. Swedish tracing paper Beverly mentioned is what I use if I know I'm going to be using that pattern more often than only one or a few times. The other great source of freebee tracing paper is your doctor/s, if you are on good terms with them or the staff. The exam table paper works great.
Val
As do roll ends from "The Paper". $2.10, and I've been using off it for years. But it's been months since I found a shopper in my driveway, so I fear that I may not find the "The Paper" office open when I finally use it up.
Over the last forty years I've used almost everything: tissue paper (feeble), wrapping paper, shelf paper, disposable towels, pinfold paper, paper bags, newspaper, plotter paper, ledger paper, wall paper (brittle), packing paper . . .
The best was a tissue-thin non-woven interfacing that my favorite fabric store was getting rid of very cheap. I now suspect that it was left-over stabilizer from a factory -- home embroidery machines hadn't been invented yet, so nobody knew what it was for.
The worst was a special-purpose pattern-drafting non-woven fabric. It was so coarse that I couldn't write on it, so open that I *could* write on what was under it -- if the threads didn't deflect my pencil
-- and so thin that I couldn't see where the edge was. I don't recall whether it took kindly to being folded and ironed flat again: I suspect that I discarded the last scrap before I'd had a chance to find out!
Joy Beeson
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