When I was learning how to sew, I would buy the easiest patterns from McCalls or Simplicity. You know, the 12 outfits in one patterns. I was young, on a budget, and couldn’t see myself spending a bunch of money on a bunch of different patterns when I could get one or two to make three or four. I would unfold the neatly packaged beige colored tissue paper and carefully pin to my fabric with the hopes of not accidentally ripping important instructions or seam indicators. Once done with, I would struggle to reinsert my fragile blueprints back into their respective envelopes, now seemingly three sizes too small, for use another day. Twenty years and many tattered patterns later, I discovered a much easier and more preserving way to store them that has them looking as good as new, use after use. My trick, transferring the flimsy tissue weight patterns along with necessary blueprints onto heavyweight craft paper, grabbing a few plastic pant hangers, and hanging them up in my storage closet for reuse. Now wrinkle and rip free, I pin without caution to my beautiful dress fabrics as if the patterns were as new as the material they were laying on.
Tricks of the trade or simply a trick for frugal seamstresses like me? Curiosity would lead our J&O team to wonder and our Facebook Fans to respond with a few helpful tips for how they preserve their patterns. Whether expert or novice, what it comes down to is what works for you?
Top 5 Tips for Pattern Reuse
1. ” Spray a little adhesive glue on the back of your patterns and secure to a poster board. Then with a hole punch, make little holes at the tips of each of the pieces and hang. When you are ready to cut the pattern out of the fabric, simply place weights on top to keep from moving.” – J&O Fabric Team
2. ” I actually use fusible interfacing on my patterns, then they still fold, and store in large ziplock bags.” – Diana Tiebout Albrecht
3. ” I copy mine to freezer paper so I don’t have to cut the original apart.” – Carla Heller Finley
4. ” I copy onto cardstock, save the master copy…cut the cardstock.” – April Hinton
5. ” I copy mine to poster board and then cut them out. I save the original. I also reduce or enlarge and copy them on a different color poster board.” –Michelle Hays Vanden Berg
6. ” I perfect my pattern then cut the perfectly fitting one from felt. I just lay the felt on the fabric and cut. I roll the pattern pieces up and store in ziplock bags. The felt holds up well and I buy my felt at the thrift” – Linda Selke
7. ” I’ve made all my patterns out of heavy butcher paper. I fold them and keep them in large manilla envelopes with info on the outside as to sizes and measurements, etc. When I lay out my patterns to cut – I use old glass insulators as weights to hold my patterns down. They are pretty and work fabulously!” – Sandie Russo
For the patterns I cut the most, I got my husband to cut templates out of acrylic sheets (kind of like the quilting templates you can buy). This works best for patterns without “inside” corners.
Thanks for sharing Lisa!