Dress making

Firehorse

Hi everyone,

Hope this is the right place for this sort of question, if not please redirect me. Many thanks.



I have recently made my DD a tudor outfit for school. Not being something I do very often I was actually dreading the exercise. To my surprise, I absolutely loved doing it and wouldn't mind making some more. This raised the question of.......

........how to preserve the pattern? These are made of paper tissue and could be ruined quite quickly. As patterns can be expensive (£5.25 in this case) I wondered if anybody had any ideas.

......Also, how does everybody organise their accumulated supplies? Mine are currently are jumbled in a couple of boxes which isn't ideal.

Many thanks to everybody in advance.

FH

Uniscots97

My grandmother used to use brown parcel paper and trace the pattern onto that. Its much sturdier and will last longer. My Mum keeps all her patterns and sewing stuff in plastic storage boxes from the pound shop.

ShirleyPark_2

I used to just carefully fold mine back up and put back in the packet with the instructions, and then back into the cardboard box that stored all my patterns.

LizD_2

Mine live in a plastic crate. And a cardboard box.

Try https://www.habithat.co.uk for reasonable patterns. New Look ones are only £2.95, compared to about £5.50 on the high street.

Dammit! They've gone back up to full-price (£5.75)

angelavdavis

I fold them into an envelope with a description on the front and then put in an A4 pocket into a lever arch folder.

LJM

tool boxes for all the little fiddly bits and boxes for the rest

Dazi

Hi
Like an earlier poster said - Brown Parcel Paper. My friend and I used to make dance costumes and we always used that. Also used it when copying something ie we had to make loads of bloomers! so took a pair that we had apart and just drew round them on the brown paper.

alips_2

i subscribe to https://www.ottobredesign.com

there are loads of childrens patterns in each issue, they do require tracing but it works out a darn site cheaper than buying individual patterns. they also do a womans issue (due any day)

i keep patterns in zippy freezer bags, i trace on greeseproof paper
Ali

Firehorse

Thanks to everyone whose posted.

I love the idea of tool boxes, I could always stick a sample on the drawer for easy identification and put them into colours/sections.

The parcel paper would certainly last longer than the tissue paper. Just a question though.....sorry if being dim. Is the idea to trace a pattern for each size upon initial purchase of pattern, quite soon rendering it useless, but having the brown one for a longer period. And how do you transfer onto the brown, without damaging the original?

The only way I can think of is to put a pin through the paper to mark the pattern, then draw round. This is something similar to what I currently use to transfer patterns onto cakes.

Many thanks to all

FH

Firehorse

Firehorse wrote:

The only way I can think of is to put a pin through the paper to mark the pattern, then draw round. This is something similar to what I currently use to transfer patterns onto cakes.

Note to self.....when it's late at night, and I'm tired, go to bed and do not make posts!!!! Obviously, you cut out the larger size in brown paper, then work down throughout the sizes until you have a pattern in brown for each size! Amazing what a night's sleep can do for you!

sandieb

What about a dressmaker's tracing wheel? I've never used one but they can be obtained here - approx £1.50 although not sure of postage costs

http://www.sewandso.co.uk/ran405-0.html

For a really durable pattern copy what about tracing it onto calico?