Hit the Mark

Julie Bonnar from The Pattern Pages discusses pattern markings and how to transfer them to your fabric

Pattern markings

A sewing pattern has lots of information, some of which you’ll need to transfer onto your fabric. The more difficult the design, the more markings there are likely to be!

HERE’S HOW TO WORK WITH THE MAIN ONES:

The Grain Line

This straight line on the pattern helps you place the paper pattern on the fabric the right way. A grain line usually runs vertically through a pattern and indicates the fabric’s edge that is aligned with the fold. If the grain isn’t straight, you can end up with a garment that doesn’t fit properly. TIP: These lines can be quite short so it’s useful to extend them so that they run right across, especially on larger pattern pieces.

Notches

These are probably the most common. They look like small triangles or a line on the edge of the pattern piece, and are used for matching one pattern piece to another accurately. Use the tip of your scissors to cut the notch as a small triangle ‘in or out’ of the seam allowance on the fabric. I find it simpler to make one cut through the middle of the notch – this saves time and also there’s less chance of weakening the seam allowance.

TIP: A double notch is something slightly different and indicates the direction that a fabric piece should be sewn in.

Darts

A dart is represented with two lines (dart legs) that come together at a specific point, for example at the bust. You can use either the pin-marking technique by making a hole through the dart points or a more traditional method is to use tailor’s tacks. A little more time consuming but this will leave threads on both pieces of fabric in the correct position. TIP: A quick method that I use – is to cut the dart out on the pattern according to your size – this makes it easier to transfer to the fabric.

FABRIC FOLDS:

Pintucks

These are marked with straight lines on the pattern and are a way of manipulating the fabric so it can be brought together to form a tuck. Usually these pattern pieces can look a larger size or a weird shape, as they will be folded. Mark pintuck lines on your fabric with a removable pen or tailor’s chalk on the right side of the fabric using a ruler to create evenly spaced lines.

TIP: Make sewing these easier with a pintuck presser foot, and sew your pintucks flat before construction. This foot has evenly spaced grooves on the bottom, and when used with a twin needle, it creates evenly spaced raised tucks of fabric. It will have 3, 5, 7, or 9 grooves on the bottom, and which one you choose depends on the fabric weight being sewn. The finer the fabric – the smaller the pintuck will be, and the more grooves there are to accommodate this.

Pleats

The symbol for pleats tells you to fold the fabric in the direction of the arrow matching the vertical lines. When circles are present, they are an additional marking to match.

Buttonholes

There are two markings. The buttonhole placement is marked with a straight line with closed ends. Transfer onto your fabric pieces with chalk or tailor’s tacks. These always sit horizontally so the buttonhole doesn’t pull and open easily! A buttonhole presser foot is the quickest way of sewing a neat buttonhole.

The closed ends show how long the button should be. A cross will indicate where the button needs to be sewn. Always mark these when your fabric is flat.

NB: A bust point is also marked with a circle with a cross or X in the middle to show the centre bust point or apex. You don’t need to transfer this point to your fabric and is treated as reference point to help you make any fit adjustments to your pattern before cutting.

TOOLS, TOOLS, TOOLS!

There are lots of tools on the market to choose from, so let’s look at the more common ones:

Tailor’s Chalk & Pencils

Tailor’s chalk slabs or triangles are available in several colours – red, white, yellow and blue. These are inexpensive, last longer than pencils, and are easy to use and easy to brush off the fabric. Choose the colour that stands out the most on your fabric.

Chalk pencils are easy to sharpen and draw in hemlines, dart legs, pockets and anything where you need to see a finer stitching line.

Marking Pens

There are lots of pens available on the market including air or water-soluble, which disappear from the fabric. These are really popular but more expensive than its chalk counterpart. TIP: Test on your fabric first, and also remember air-soluble pens only last for around 24 hours, so only use if you intend to sew straight away!

Tracing Wheel & Dressmaker’s Carbon Paper

This is a more traditional way to mark. The carbon paper sits between the pattern and the wrong side of the fabric with the coloured side of the carbon paper facing the wrong side. Using the tracing wheel roll over the pattern marks and when the pattern is peeled back, there’ll be a row of dots on your fabric. This is a good method if you’re working with a difficult or thicker fabric. TIP: You can also get a double wheel tracer, which is handy for marking a seam allowance as the wheels sit approx. 1.5cm apart!