Today I decided to share the fundamentals of sewing from a pattern. As you may know, I studied fashion at uni and even did work experience where I spent countless hours manually copying patterns. All that repetition definitely ingrained a very clear sense of what a good pattern should look like. By the end of this post you should feel confident understanding a pattern and know how to cut one out safely.
UNDERSTANDING A CUTTING PATTERN
Cutting patterns comes with the symbols that are there to help you with your sewing project. Here are the most common symbols and terms used.
GRAIN LINE: Usually it is displayed as an arrow to identify the direction the paper pattern pieces should sit over the grain of the weave. The grain line of the fabric is the same as the direction of the selvage edges. Selvage edges are the outside edges of the fabric (usually white with writing on it)
NOTCHES: These are the marks on the cutting lines. Notches often identify where the two pieces/panels are matching. They also identify the location of pleats/gathering, zip, dart openings and end of stitch line. You can get single, double, and triple notches.
DOTS: These show where darts, zips or pockets are to be added.
LINES: Buttons and buttonhole positions are shown by short lines.
CUTTING LINES: A solid line outside the pattern.
SEWING LINES: A dotty line to indicate where the sewing occurs.
SEAM ALLOWANCE: The distance between the cutting line and the sewing line. Usually it is 1cm-1.5cm. Be aware of seam allowance when sewing!
CUTTING OUT PATTERN IN FABRIC
Cutting out the pattern pieces in fabric the right way is quite important, it determines the smoothness of the project!
1. Make sure your fabric is freshly ironed before laying out the pieces. Choose a hard and even surface for accurate cutting (eg. large table or even floor (not the carpet). Fold the fabric in half if you need to cut out two of the same piece (eg: front and back pieces) or if you need to cut something out on the fold (eg. right and left side of the skirt as one piece). Make sure you lay the pattern paper pieces on the wrong side of the fabric and pin it down as shown on the left.
2. Make sure that you check the grain line! Just measure against the selvage edge as shown on the left.
3. Cut out the pieces and make sure that you snip the fabric to mark the notches and chalk mark to identify the dots.
And there you have it — the fundamentals of working with a sewing pattern. Once you understand the basics, everything else feels much less intimidating.
You can practise what you’ve learned using the pattern pieces below.
And of course THE CAT PILLOW
I hope you will find it all useful 😉
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