OK, so call this an unsolicited tip.
For those that use paper patterns, consider going to your local hardware store and get a roll of Tyvek. Yes, the stuff they wrap houses with. Transfer your pattern to the Tyvek and you now have a pattern that will not rip and withstands many, many pinholes!
The only downside I've found is that Tyvek abhores heat and will melt to a carelessly placed iron in a heartbeat.
Hope that this helps,
Sir Henry
I've taken the tissues patterns that I wish to use more than once and ironed then onto fusible interfacing. I bought a bolt of it with a JoAnn's 40% off coupon.
Muslin works very well (and it can be ironed! ;) ) Cut your pattern out on a muslin first and now you can use the muslin over and over again as the pattern. Just remember to take a sharpie to it and name the pattern pieces something you will remember later on (like 1550's Italian Gown Front).
;) All wonderful tips. thanks
Quote from: isabelladangelo on June 03, 2008, 02:17:05 PM
Muslin works very well (and it can be ironed! ;) ) Cut your pattern out on a muslin first and now you can use the muslin over and over again as the pattern. Just remember to take a sharpie to it and name the pattern pieces something you will remember later on (like 1550's Italian Gown Front).
I go you one farther: I jot down the *date* I made the thing, too, plus things like whether I need to add seam allowances, etc. My one caveat about muslin is that it might stretch/distort a bit, so staystitching curves isn't a bad idea....
My old sewing teacher had a son who worked in the radiology department at a hospital- she traced her onto used x-ray films!
We have one of those great big tablets 24x36 and the pages are real thick. I use those for patterns I plan on using over and over.
Medium-weight stabilizer works well, too. You can buy a 100-yard roll of 40" stabilizer for $49.99. These folks often send out coupons too. When I used bine, I bough it for $39 for 100 yards:
http://www.threadart.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=3537 (http://www.threadart.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=3537)
(This same company also sells really nice, affordable, dupioni in just about every color under the sun. )
Thanks for the tips! I've got a couple of patterns that have seen better days and this will really help!
Quote from: gem on June 03, 2008, 04:09:55 PM
Quote from: isabelladangelo on June 03, 2008, 02:17:05 PM
Muslin works very well (and it can be ironed! ;) ) Cut your pattern out on a muslin first and now you can use the muslin over and over again as the pattern. Just remember to take a sharpie to it and name the pattern pieces something you will remember later on (like 1550's Italian Gown Front).
I go you one farther: I jot down the *date* I made the thing, too, plus things like whether I need to add seam allowances, etc. My one caveat about muslin is that it might stretch/distort a bit, so staystitching curves isn't a bad idea....
This is what I do - use muslin, and write the date on the pattern. This helps a great deal when fitting fitted things like self-supportive bodices or gowns - your body shape can change drastically with even a 5 lb weight fluctuation, so knowing where you were when the pattern was fit is very helpful. :)
I use a roll of 24" artists tracing paper, and write the pattern name, number, size, date, and who it was made for. If I go through multiple version trying to get something to fit, I can cut things apart if needed, and just trace over the final version so I can toss the rough drafts. Very inexpensive at about $5 a roll... and it irons well, too!
Quote from: Lady Rosalind on June 04, 2008, 09:29:13 AM
I use a roll of 24" artists tracing paper, and write the pattern name, number, size, date, and who it was made for. If I go through multiple version trying to get something to fit, I can cut things apart if needed, and just trace over the final version so I can toss the rough drafts. Very inexpensive at about $5 a roll... and it irons well, too!
Oooh - where do you get the 24" tracing paper on a roll?
I usually just trace patterns onto dot & cross paper, and iron it after use... It lasts well, is dirt cheap bought on the roll, and any scruffy corners can be mended by either gluing a bit more paper over them or by the application of a bit of Mefix tape. Patterns like this usually do 10 or more uses. treated carefully a tissue pattern will last 8 times, though you may have to mend the well-pinned corners... :)
I've never seen the point of making a pattern more permanent. After 10+ makings I'll be fed up with it and want something different, have changed size and need a different one anyway, or need three or more different sizes for a 15 garment project to start with... ;D
Quote from: silverstah on June 04, 2008, 09:50:30 AM
Quote from: Lady Rosalind on June 04, 2008, 09:29:13 AM
I use a roll of 24" artists tracing paper, and write the pattern name, number, size, date, and who it was made for. If I go through multiple version trying to get something to fit, I can cut things apart if needed, and just trace over the final version so I can toss the rough drafts. Very inexpensive at about $5 a roll... and it irons well, too!
Oooh - where do you get the 24" tracing paper on a roll?
One of the benefits of working in a design college is that we have our own supply store... I would imagine that you coule find it in an Artist Supply store... I have not looked in Hobby Lobby or anything, so maybe they have it, too... I may have been mistaken on the price though... It might have been more like $6-7/roll...
Quote from: silverstah on June 04, 2008, 09:50:30 AM
Oooh - where do you get the 24" tracing paper on a roll?
I've ordered it from Dick Blick (art supplies) before. Just Google 'em.