May Martin’s Sewing Bible: 40 years of tips and tricks. May Martin
a T-shirt. Fabric is always stronger and more stable along the lengthways grain, or ‘warp’ thread in woven fabric. For this reason, pattern pieces need to be laid out in relation to the grain of the fabric, whether it’s woven or knitted, the main sections being laid parallel with the grain line.
Woven Fabric
Knitted Fabric
Laying out a paper pattern on fabric without a nap or pattern
On plain fabric without a nap or pattern, the pattern pieces do not all have to lie in the same direction. To ensure that the pattern piece is placed on the straight grain, measure from the selvedge to the straight grain line on the pattern in at least two places.
Laying out a paper pattern on fabric with a nap or pattern
If you’re using fabric with a nap, the pieces all need to run in one direction, with the main sections (i.e. not necessarily the facings) all positioned the same way up. If you're using patterned fabric, it’s important to ensure that the pattern flows all the way around the garment and hence pattern pieces are matched at the front and on the side seams.
Straightening the Edge of the Fabric
Before laying out the pattern pieces, it’s important to check that your fabric is lying flat and straight. When you fold fabric in half, always ensure that the selvedges are aligned. Straightening the edge of the fabric is good practice, too, as it’s all too easy to cut out two pieces of a garment from a double layer of fabric only to find that the piece underneath is shorter because the edges weren’t level. When I trained, my tutors were very keen for us to pull out a weft thread across our fabric which we then used as a guide for cutting the end of the fabric in a straight line. I still do this occasionally but have developed other ways for straightening the edge of the fabric.
Table edge
1. Lay your fabric in a single layer along a table – or a similar surface with a right-angle at the end – with the selvedge parallel with the edge of the table and the end of the fabric overlapping the end of the table.
2. Anchor the cloth in position. I use big clothes pegs, but tins or jam jars weighted with sand would be equally effective.
3. Run a triangular piece of dressmaker’s chalk along the end of the fabric where it overlaps the edge of the table. You will have a dead-straight line!
Gridded ruler
1. Lay out your fabric, then position the ruler so that one of the grid lines aligns with the selvedge.
2. Draw a line at right-angles to the selvedge.
3. If your ruler is not long enough to extend across the whole width of the fabric, you can move it further along the line you’ve drawn and continue the line across the fabric.
Transferring Pattern Markings onto Fabric
Having cut out your pattern pieces and laid them out on the fabric, you’ll need to transfer the relevant markings onto your fabric to ensure that you match up the pattern pieces accurately and insert details such as darts or pockets in exactly the right place. There are various techniques for doing this.
Tracing wheel and dressmaker’s carbon (tracing) paper
A traditional method for transferring pattern markings to fabric, this is ideal for marking stitching, grain and placement lines (such as for pockets and buttonholes) both quickly and accurately. I also use it to transfer the outline of a multi-size pattern, particularly when making children’s clothes as it means you don’t have to cut up the pattern and can keep it intact to use again for the next size up as they grow.
The tracing wheel has a serrated edge that punctures the carbon paper and leaves a row of dots on your fabric. The carbon comes in different colours – beware using bright pink on white fabric as it may not come off! Likewise, be gentle when marking darts or details on the middle of the garment piece, where they will be more visible. in case the markings are too firmly printed and difficult to rub off.
How to use
1. Before using dressmaker’s carbon paper on your garment fabric, test the different-coloured papers on a scrap of cloth.
2. Check that the tracing wheel does not damage the fabric.
3. Place the dressmaker’s carbon paper carbon side up on your work surface. Position your double layer of fabric with the paper pattern attached on top of the tracing paper.
4. Using the wheel, gently trace the detail lines – using a ruler along any straight lines – checking that all are marked.
5. Flip the fabric over, having first removed the paper pattern, and place the dressmaker’s carbon paper under the garment, carbon side up. Use the lines you have just made to transfer markings to the other side of the fabric.
Tailor’s Tacks
This is a method of marking and transferring key points, particularly darts, tucks, and seam lines, from a paper pattern onto fabric – usually a double layer. It’s best to use a double thickness of thread and in a colour that will show up on the fabric, although I wouldn’t advise using a dark thread on light fabric as it will leave fibres on your cloth that may not come out! When marking a crowded area, use different colours of thread – for tucks that are close together or overlap, for example. It will be easier to see individual tucks if a different colour is used for each one.
Marking darts and single dots on the pattern
1. Pick up the first spot and leave a tail 2.5cm (1in) long (diagram a).
2. Pick up the spot again and create a 2.5cm (1in) loop, then cut the thread, leaving another tail 2.5cm (1in) long. Repeat for the other two spots (diagrams b and c).
3. Remove the pattern carefully without cutting the loops (see tip). Gently pull the two layers of fabric apart slightly and snip the threads in between the two layers.
Transferring lines
1.