pattern making confusion -(newbie)

Hello, I do some of my patterns but I always end up messing a lot. I am now making patterns with seam allowances in, so I cut beyond the stitching line, but my question is: how do I mark the stitching line when the pattern is removed? Recalculating the seam allowance on the fabric pieces after the pattern is removed ? If I do tuck marks thorugh the pattern the paper rips and waste easily, when I remove the pattern, eh I use plotting similar paper and it's not very handy. Is it a basic question but I can't find answers on my reader's complete guide to sewing for instance. In this book when it comes to cutting pattern pieces there is also a cuttin line beyond the seam allowance line, and it says to cut both the paper and the fabric (this should dull the shears a lot...doesnt it?) Hope have explained good, i'm not english.

Reply to
nerortensia
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I may not be understanding your problem, but:

If you add a 5/8" (or any other width) seam allowance, you don't have to 'mark" the seam lines, just place the cut edge on the appropriate mark on you sewing machine plate (or if you don't have a line, place a piece of tape at the proper distance form the needle) and sew. Practice sewing straight seams, and later curves, and pretty soon you'll find you hardly have to look at the seam guide.

HTH,

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

And also remember that a standard dressmaker's tape measure is 5/8" wide... Makes a handy quick check gauge! :)

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Doesn't it drive you nuts, switching between inches and millimeters like that???

;-)

Reply to
BEI Design

Nope! :)

I can work equally well in either or both at once... We buy 60" and 45" wide fabric by the metre, after all! ;) And tape measures usually have both on them.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Dear Nerotensia,

First, professional patternmakers always design patterns without seam allowances, adding them as the last step. You can trace the pattern pieces with dash lines, then measure over and add seam allowances with a solid line.

It's too easy to distort the pieces if you make the patterns with seam allowances. When there are curves, darts, or tucks involved, you would be hard-pressed to come up with the appropriate angles for the seams. Think about a very large opening, such as a waist-to-bust dart. The dart needs to be folded into place, and the seam allowance drawn while the dart is folded, to get the proper shape.

Teri

Reply to
gjones2938

Thank you, now I finally know how does it work :D

Reply to
nerortensia

You don't. Mark the seam allowance width on the plate that the feeddogs are in -- most machines have either 1/2" and 5/8" or 10 and 15 mm already marked on these plates. Put the cut edge on the appropriate line, and stitch. You'll watch the edge of your fabric, not the needle, while you're sewing.

If you use a non-standard seam allowance (I use 1/4" for such things as the outside edges of collars, for instance), you can mark that on the plate with a bit of sticky tape or a magnet, or you may be able to use the edge of the presser foot as your seam allowance marker.

There are several ways to do this. Because I often cut out 4-5 shirts from the same pattern, I stack the fabric up and cut all the thicknesses at once. Then I choose a marking method for various things. Simple

1/8"/2 mm clips into the seam allowance mark notches on the pattern. I may also do the same for something like a pleat. For marks that need to be well to the interior of the piece, like the end of a dart or a pocket placement, I may poke a needle threaded with embroidery thread or serger chain or elastic thread through the pattern marking, straight down into the stack of fabric, and pull it through. When I remove the pattern later, I can slightly separate each piece of fabric and clip between each piece. The bit of thread sticking out is my mark.

For fabrics that are easily damaged, I might use tailor's chalk to mark the placement. Or tailor's tacks. Or a tiny bit of not-very-sticky tape.

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

I wonder if scraps cut from post-it-notes would work for that? I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

My generation was brought up with feet and inches, pounds and ounces, fl oz and gallons. The UK switched (allegedly) to the metric system when I was ten-ish. I'm bilingual. Actually, I mostly translate metric into imperial, but I'm _fast_. :-)

But my daughter's generation, brought up in the metric system, has to have inches translated into centimetres and they can't do it in their heads.

Sally Holmes Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

Reply to
Sally Holmes

Not enough stickum, in my experience. Try blue masking tape, or artist's tape, or drafting tape, or scotch tape you've stuck to your skin and pulled off and then put on the fabric.

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

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