Use freezer paper to help cut out difficult pattern pieces.
And by “difficult” I mean anything with stripes, plaids, slippery fabric, fiddly shaped pieces, knits, sheers, and pretty much anything else you’d want to try it on! This is one of my personal favorites, because it’s such a pain to work with pins and small children in the same room. And if I don’t get the entire pattern laid out during one sitting, (like that ever happens) I don’t have to worry about pieces shifting or blowing away. They are stuck right where I put them until I get around to cutting them out. (No matter how many weeks that may take!)
Peel the freezer paper from your fabric and continue with your sewing. How cool is that?You can even re-iron the same pattern piece multiple times without it loosing it’s “stickiness”.
*Special note – If you are working with knit or a more delicate fabric, be extra careful to peel the paper off very, Very slowly to avoid stretching the piece out of shape.
Don’t forget to check out the previous Tip of the Week posts to learn more awesome sewing tricksor follow the Tip of the Week pinterest board to keep up with all the new information!Happy Friday!
oh man, that's so so smart to draw the stripes right on the freezer paper. I avoid stripes when sewing because I never end up getting them straight. And I have a few yards of stripes in my stash…I'll have to try this trick sometime!
Thanks Lynette! Just make sure your lines match up from one pattern piece to the next, or the stripes will never match up. (like on the side seams) You don't even wanna know how many times I've forgotten that and totally screwed it all up! 😛
I've been sewing 40+ years and this is "the" tip I needed — thank you!
I know exactly what you mean. I feel like I've been sewing forever and still learn goofy little "Why didn't I think of that?" tricks almost weekly! Glad I could help!
One day I will buy freezer paper…I just wish they sold it in the supermarket then I could put it on my grocery bill and Dus would never know 😉
Check in the section where plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and wax paper are located. That's where it is in the US.
Thanks for your reply Cathy, but it's not. It seems that UK supermarkets don't stock it. I guess it's because we're not such fans for freezing. It's the same for canning supplies, it's just not popular here.
I can't believe you guys don't have freezer paper! Is it called something else in the UK?
These are great tips! I love my freezer paper to do stencils, but didn't think about it for patterns! Thanks for sharing with us this week at Monday Funday!
Take care,
Trish
Thanks Trish!
Excellent tip thanks! I've always avoided working with stripes for fear of it not lining up.. this would help me for sure!
Thanks Madeleine! I used to be the same way about stripes before I figured this out. It always took a gazillion pins for me to get everything lined up, and then it would still be off somewhere. This is sooo much faster and easier. Hope it works for you!
Great tip! Thank you!
Heidi
handmadefrenzy.blogspot.com
Brilliant! I use freezer paper all the time for applique, but never thought of it for regular patterns. Just in time for a couple of knit projects I have planned too.
Good Luck Kim! I hope those projects turn out well for you!
What a great tip! I never thought to do such an easy thing before! Thank you for sharing! I’d love to have you visit me at Get Your Crap Together! We have a Pattern Party from the 1st of the month to the 10th and would love you to check it out. See you soon!
What a great idea! Seriously thank you!
Holly at Not Done Growing
You're very welcome Holly! Glad to help!
Thank you for your tip,this will make life easier.
Your welcome Soha! I really hope this trick helps!
Visiting from Monday Funday. I'd like to invite you to my Friday Flash Blog, where you can share your best blog entry of the week! The party goes on ALL weekend at thejennyevolution.com. And who knows, you may just get featured next week.
Jennifer
thejennyevolution.com
great tips! I love the lines for lining up stripes!!! I think this may be my first time here. I love your blog.. super cute… hope you can come check mine out sometime. Emily@Nap-timecreations.com
Thanks for the tip! Pinning.
New follower!
Rebekah
Such a smart idea for directional prints & stripes I know you already know you've been featured, but be sure to stop by to grab a Featured On button. Thanks for sharing and linking to the Craftastic Monday party at Sew Can Do!
This is genius! Thank you so much for sharing.
I never heard of this! What a great idea! I still have yet to use freezer paper, so this would be a great way to start!
Thanks for linking up!
Thanks for the tip. I hate matching stripes most of the time. I'm gonna give this a try.