Cutting your Fabric

Cutting your Fabric

Helpful Hint: The right side of the fabric is whichever side you think is prettier. Its the side that will show when the garment is made. Sometimes you can use the “wrong” side of a fabric for a more muted effect. Remember most sewing is done “right” sides together.

Finally ready to cut the fabric. You have your pattern cut out to the largest size and clipped you should examine your pattern carefully. Each piece should be numbered, have the name of the piece -for example front yoke, the name of the pattern company and the number, the letters of the designs that use it, and cutting instructions.

Sometimes you have pattern pieces that they can't fit all the info on like this one

Write wherever there is empty space, how many and of what. This piece needs 1 of fabric and 1 of interfacing cut on the fold. Then cut off the excess. You finished piece should look like this:

Helpful Hint: Make sure you do any writing and highlighting with a pen and BEFORE you put it on the fabric, ink WILL bleed through your pattern onto the surface under it. Since people often press patterns, ink won't damage your iron, some other forms of marking will. Don't use the pilot frixion pens though, they come off with heat. 

Another good reason to check your pattern is to check for important details or errors. This pattern the belt has a 3/8" seam. I find highlighting that information helpful (again even highlighter will bleed through so do this before its on the fabric)

Be sure to catch and correct any errors early. This one was simple enough to trace back out.

We'll assume your fabric is 45”. You'll fold your fabric right (pretty) sides together with the selvages (not the cut edges) together. In case you don't know what a selvage is or how it looks, its the self finished edge of the fabric, perpendicular to the cut line from the store. In a woven it is usually the same color but has a slightly different (usually tighter) weave, in a print its usually white/offwhite and often has the makers information. Here are examples of each:

Helpful Hint: Remember right sides together (wrong sides out) when cutting things on the fold (double layers) and right side up when cutting single side.

Next you'll follow the layout on the instruction sheet. With your fabric folded first choose the items that need to be put on the fold line. In this case that's pieces 1, 3, and 5. The mark to place on a fold usually looks like this

Helpful Hint: If you don't have enough room for all your fabric on one cutting surface use a chair back to support the excess so it doesn't drag off. 

Place the pointed arrows towards the fold line in your fabric, smooth fabric, and pin in place. Repeat for the other items.

Once you are done pinning the items on the fold its time to pin the rest of the items. The placement doesn't matter as much on these items (ie squeeze them in where you can) as long as they are even along the grain. To make sure you're even along the grain take a ruler or measuring tape and measure from one end of the grain line to the selvage, then measure from the other end of the grain line to the selvage. If your numbers are even you are on grain, if they are not, adjust one side til they are. 

On this pattern the layout you may notice that some of the pattern pieces are shaded. Shaded pieces go with the print pattern side down. You can see this in the above picture of the two pieces on the fold line. The upper piece (piece 5) is placed with the print side down. 

 Here's a recap: 

Also note that pattern piece 6 needs 1 cut on the fold but there isn't enough room. There are 3 ways to handle this.

1. Follow the pattern layout and pin it one way, cut that side flip it over and pin it and cut that side so that you have one long piece.

2. See if there is enough room on your fabric to squeeze it in on the fold. 

3. Trace the pattern piece onto a folded up sheet of tracing paper and use that. It works like option 1 but without having to flip the piece over.