I am not a fan of pinning except when absolutely necessary, like pinning the four quadrants around a round, like a neckline or brim to crown of a hat. And a few other curvy situations where ease is involved. This goes double for pinning pattern pieces to fabric. Forget trying to get a pin through leather without ruining the project. And there's thick fabrics like fleece or berber fleece or flocked pleather. That's where pattern weights come in and shine.
When I made my jacket out of a luxurious suede with a super soft fluffy side I grabbed what was at hand to use as pattern weights. For some standard shirt/jacket/vest I have a pattern copied onto poster board because it gets used and reused and used again. I punch a hole at the top of each pattern piece and hang it from a nail behind a book case in the craft room. Can't pin through poster board on top of extra thick fleece.
When I lost my favorite pattern weight (a rubber stamp of an owl mounted on a wood block) I decided to go ahead and make some pattern weights. My fellow innovative craft enthusiasts know that improvising is rule number 1 in crafting. It does get distracting and frustrating having to stop and find something with some weight but a low profile to use as a pattern weight though.
Voila! The easiest pattern weights to make! I made two and was startled at how fast they went so I made two more and timed how long it took to complete from start to finish. From the time I picked up a scissors to cut the fabric to sewing the last seam to close them up, it took 10 minutes to make 2.
The smallest one started with dimensions of 2.5"x4". I don't remember the dimensions of the other ones. Probably about 3.5 or 4" x6". I like the 2.5"x4" ones. The little tabs are 2"x4". The size can be anything you want as long as there's a ratio between long and short sides.
Just fold tab pieces in half lengthwise and sew up both sides of long sides. Fold in half with raw edged seam inside.
Fold piece of fabric in half, right sides facing. Insert tab inside one short end. You can position it in center or closer to edge if you want. I placed all of mine in center of short end. Sew across short end with tab and down one long side. Leave other short end open. Turn right side out. Fill with dry, raw rice or beans or poly beads or crushed walnut shells, etc. Anything with some weight to it.
Tuck seam allowance inside and fold open short end offset from other end. Sew shut with a topstitch close to edge. Easy Peasy.
When I made my jacket out of a luxurious suede with a super soft fluffy side I grabbed what was at hand to use as pattern weights. For some standard shirt/jacket/vest I have a pattern copied onto poster board because it gets used and reused and used again. I punch a hole at the top of each pattern piece and hang it from a nail behind a book case in the craft room. Can't pin through poster board on top of extra thick fleece.
When I lost my favorite pattern weight (a rubber stamp of an owl mounted on a wood block) I decided to go ahead and make some pattern weights. My fellow innovative craft enthusiasts know that improvising is rule number 1 in crafting. It does get distracting and frustrating having to stop and find something with some weight but a low profile to use as a pattern weight though.
Voila! The easiest pattern weights to make! I made two and was startled at how fast they went so I made two more and timed how long it took to complete from start to finish. From the time I picked up a scissors to cut the fabric to sewing the last seam to close them up, it took 10 minutes to make 2.
The smallest one started with dimensions of 2.5"x4". I don't remember the dimensions of the other ones. Probably about 3.5 or 4" x6". I like the 2.5"x4" ones. The little tabs are 2"x4". The size can be anything you want as long as there's a ratio between long and short sides.
Just fold tab pieces in half lengthwise and sew up both sides of long sides. Fold in half with raw edged seam inside.
Fold piece of fabric in half, right sides facing. Insert tab inside one short end. You can position it in center or closer to edge if you want. I placed all of mine in center of short end. Sew across short end with tab and down one long side. Leave other short end open. Turn right side out. Fill with dry, raw rice or beans or poly beads or crushed walnut shells, etc. Anything with some weight to it.
Tuck seam allowance inside and fold open short end offset from other end. Sew shut with a topstitch close to edge. Easy Peasy.
