[miss_sonja]

So, I have gotten around the marking issue by using pins on crucial spots and avoiding really mark-heavy patterns. But I want to make some more complex clothes and marks are inevitable.

I know there are tons of tools, and I have some — white pencil, yellow Chaco liner, purple disappearing ink pen–but how does one actually manage to do the transfer of markings? And what do you do when your fabric is doubled to cut out 2? How do you mark the other side?

I feel like this is a crucial bit of sewing lore that I never properly learnt. 🙁

[Nicole]

Google tailors knots Sonja
I used them on hugos recent coat and they are fab

[BeckyinFL]

I read recently a suggestion someone had for marking the shoulder line on the bubble dress. They sewed a basting stitch through the pattern and fabric together then clipped the threads to remove the pattern. There were thread bits left in the fabric that marked the line. I can’t remember if it was machine or hand basting, but I’d probably do it by hand. If you did a long-ish backstitch, that would probably leave longer pieces of thread behind.

[meleliza]

You know, I tried all kinds of clever gadgety stuff popular in the blogosphere, but when I took Susan Khalje’s couture class, I learned how to use dressmakers carbon and a tracing wheel. My life was changed! So efficient, so precise. Except for sheer fabrics, it’s what I use for everything. There’s a tutorial on the oliver and s blog and they sell the supplies.

[cybele727]

My problem with carbon and tracing is that sometimes the marks need to be on the right side, and that stuff doesn’t wash off!

I am learning to love tailor tacks.

[Jillls]

I usually do the carbon and tracing wheel thing and haven’t been left with noticeable marks. On my PDF patterns I use a hole punch to punch out dots on the pattern and then mark the dots thru the hole onto the fabric with chalk.

[Linda]

Jillls- that’s interesting, I want to try that. How do you get the punch to reach markings that are not on the edge of the pattern paper???

[Jillls]

I think with most of the patterns I’ve tried, the dots are close enough to the edge.

[miss_sonja]

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas. I think the basting stitch idea might work for some things. Like the punch ing a hole idea too.

I read about carbon and almost bought some, but the possibility that it might not come out is worrisome.

[BeckyinFL]

re: How do you get the punch to reach markings that are not on the edge of the pattern paper???

Linda, you can fold the paper to reach internal points. You’ll get two holes, but you can always tape over the one you don’t need. Also, I use a hole punch that I bought at a craft store that makes a very small hole. I tear off the part that catches the punches; then I can see to position it precisely over the dot on the pattern sheet where I want to make a hole. (Learned this when making templates for quilting. I used heavy paper or template plastic, and I was marking the corners of the stitching lines.)

[Robin]

I make holes in patterns with a machine needle. If the fabric isn’t too pressure I poke the needle all the way through the pattern and the fabric.

[Lightning McStitch]

I’ve gone right off cutting notches as sometimes the seam allowance is small and a vigorous notch could land me in trouble!
I make all markings with ceramic pencil (cloverline) about the only fabric it struggles with is fluffy wool or fleece.
To mark dots within the pattern I stick a pin through all layers, pattern tracing and fabrics and then peel the fabrics apart and mark the pin spot.
I’ve never had a problem with the pencil marks not washing out but I won’t use the fabric pens (texta style) ever again!

[Anonymous]

My favorite method for marking is to use a tracing wheel with a disappearing ink tracing sheet. Never any marks left, even if you iron over them. It marks on both sides so if you put the sheet between the two cut pieces you’ll be marking both sides at once. It is actually disappearing ink, just like the purple marker pen, but our climate is so dry that I always just spritz it with water to “erase”. Plus, I’m impatient!

This is what I use: http://shar.es/1ggFxI I buy it at JoAnn.

To mark a dot, I make two lines with the tracing wheel, like a plus sign or an “x”, with the intersection at the center of the dot. To transfer a straight line, I use my ruler to roll the tracing wheel along. For a curved line, I just take my time and follow it as carefully as I can.

As Nicole said, tailor tacks are great for fabrics that are difficult to mark. I sometimes use those for very dark fabric where the water soluble pen or tracing sheet won’t show. I occasionally use tailor’s chalk, but it’s not my fave.

[Anonymous]

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/01/tailors-tacks-for-pattern-marking/

[Justine J]

I use the same ‘pin’ method as Shelley. And @lightningmcstitch – re notches – my mother taught me to always cut my notches out rather than in – much safer 🙂