Hi all,
When
you buy a brand new commercial sewing pattern it will come factory
folded encased in a pattern envelope.
A
used pattern may come in a pattern envelope but the pieces will be
folded every which way. They could even be crumpled.
Both
scenarios create tissue paper with creases. It’s tempting to unfold
the pattern and smooth the pieces out by hand. Although that works up
to a point, there are times when you could be setting yourself up for
a fall. Or at the very least, some trouble with your stitching.
Even
if you’ve pinned the pattern down securely, those little crevices
can still bounce back into an annoying little crease. This could
alter the pattern as you cut it out. The creases will shrink the
pattern as they create tiny folds. Causing you to go to cut out the
wrong line or miss a notch or two.
If
you’re like me and trace your pattern pieces, those little ruts and
grooves can hide where the lines go. Maybe even hide those important
pattern markings like notches or dots. This can lead to a poor
tracing and make matching up pattern sections difficult.
It’s
good sewing practice to get into the habit of always ironing your
pattern pieces.
Before
Cutting or Tracing
Whether
you are using the original pattern or making a tracing, the
first thing to do before grabbing your scissors or pen, is to pick up
your iron.
As
soon as you take the pattern out of the envelope give the whole sheet
of tissue a good iron. A low to medium heat should do the job. Too
hot will cause static in the tissue. Not a problem, just mildly
irritating when the paper wraps round the iron, your hand and pretty
much everything else.
If
you are using folded tissue paper to trace the original pattern on
it, this will also need to be ironed.
After
Cutting or Tracing
Once
you’re happy that the pieces are cut out neatly, iron them again.
This step just double checks the pattern is as flat as it can get.
You’ll get a more accurate cut on your fabric with pancaked pattern
pieces. This step is particularly important if you have altered the
pattern. Working with tissue paper can cause wrinkles or accidental
fold lines just by leaning on it.
A
word of caution, if you’ve altered your pattern, either on the
original or a tracing, you’ll need to tape it back together. Iron
the pieces flat before adding the tape! Trying to iron tissue paper
with tape on never ends well. The tape is plastic so will melt.
You’ll be left with puckering. Which can be worse than dealing with
creases.
In
an ideal world tissue paper patterns would be stored rolled not
folded. Space has always been a bit of an issue though. Rolls of
patterns are harder to store as they take up more room.
While
we’re in the world we’re in, keep your trusty iron close by and
crinkles will be one less thing to worry about.
Bye
for now
Olly
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more sewing tips and adventures follow me:
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