[mrskanuckles]

I recently sent my sister my Kenmore after recently getting a new machine. She hasn’t sewn in a while and asked me how I transfer markings to fabric from a pattern, she has used a little rotary tracer with tracing paper. I told her I go hippy style and stick a pin through the top and bottom of lines, mark them, and then redraw the lines with a ruler. I also mark dots like this. She laughed at me.

A couple patterns where my style was a bit difficult was the hopscotch skirt pocket and now the jump rope dress placket that I am working on. Anyone have any other hippy or cool tips for transferring markings, I am afraid my sister is going to send me some transfer paper and a rotary thing-er-ma-bob.

[Nicole]

I do what you do,why is that hippy?

I do have a tracing wheel and carbon paper but it is a bugger to get out.

I was taught to use Tailors knots but I am too lazy to do that now.

~Nicole~

[mrskanuckles]

Nicole – I guess because I dont use fancy tools and I feel like im cheating somehow.

Also, I have a really hard time seeing my lines on darker prints.

Do any of you have a good pen that draws white that draws straight line a washable fabric marker. Chalk doesnt hold a nice straight thin line.

[Nicole]

Oh yes!

I have a re-fill pencil that takes white or aqua ‘chalk leads’.

It is by Sewline?,my friend Colette recommended it and it is awesome!

I use it all the time on my blog tutorials.

[mcholley1]

I have a clover chalk thing with a roller at the end that is great. But, my favorite on dark heavy fabrics is totally low rent. I use an almost used up dry bar of white soap (l snitch it from the shower when it is just a sliver left). It makes a nice straight line, doesn’t brush off like my chalk, and is FREE.

[Nicole]

That is a good one!

[sarahb]

I feel the transfer paper and wheel is a pain too, so I usually just mark by poking a pin through the pattern when it is attached (I used freezer paper for my pattern pieces), then drawing a dot there with my fabric pencil. If it is a line to be transferred I fold the pattern on the line and draw on the fabric, using the pattern fold as my placement guide and straightedge.

[mrskanuckles]

I’m so glad I asked, I just bought one of Nicole’s Chalk pens online, love the soap idea and cant believe I havent been folding the pattern on the line for the placement (DUH).

Thanks!

[KarenK]

I use all types- my favorite is the disappearing ink or water soluble ink markers. I also have the marking pencil Nicole described. But sometimes my markings (and sanity!) require the old skool tracing paper and wheel. Use whatever you have however you need it. 🙂

[Jess M.]

I use clover’s water soluble pencils.

[with love Heidi]

I tend to use what pen/pencil/texta (marker) I can find in the house! I also use the poke through the pin and mark method. I tend to use a white, silver or gold gel pen on my dark material. I have recently borrowed my husbands washable crayola markers to mark the badminton skirt scallops, but while on holiday we just used a regular lead pencil as you can’t see the lines.

If I’ve got ironing lines to mark (like a turn up for a hem/cuff), I use my sewing machine. I set my stitch to the longest length line up the material at the correct width (if it’s wider than my markings I temporarily mark it with a sticky note). Then I just turn up the fabric to the sewing line and iron. I can then pull out the stitches like basting stitches and iron once more for a quick and easy finish. You might have noticed but I hate marking hems etc with a tape measure and pen!

[Tamara]

I never learned much formally about transferring markings – just through experience and through what others have said. I don’t do a tailors knot although I have books that show me how. I just cut small notches where there are notches and use a good fabric marker (at the moment it is a refillable chalk one) to mark any placements. I lift the pattern to the part where the dot is and if there is a line to draw and I draw it. Depending on the fabric I may be lucky enough to have it mark on the other piece that requires the same marking. Absolutely, any designer or dressmaker in the professional sense would probably be horrified at my method but it works for me and that is all that matters!

[Jennifer1568]

I have tried marking pencils (they are sort of waxy and have a course, wide tip), and tracing wheels and paper, but my favorite marking tool is a pen that is like a writing pen- with a fine tip and consistent flow of colored ink. It is not a marker with a felt tip (which is wide and the disappearing ink disappears too soon) but has a metal tip. The ink is heat sensitive and disappears when I iron it. You can draw all over the fabric with fine precise lines and dots that remain until the fabric gets hot.