I was never a huge fan of using patterns. I found them hard to read and decipher and I could never get them pinned to the fabric the right way. I would especially get frustrated because if I cut the pattern I couldn’t use it to make a different size. With 3 girls, I sometimes want to make them all the same dress.
Shortly after I started sewing someone mentioned to me using freezer paper for patterns. I had never heard of freezer paper and had no clue what it was. This is what it looks like and it’s found in the same aisle at the grocery store as the aluminum foil and plastic wrap. In my experience, it’s always been on the bottom shelf. Not sure why?
One side of the freezer paper feels like regular paper and the other side is slippery and feels like wax paper.
In order to use freezer paper for patterns, you need to rip a piece of freezer paper off of the roll. Make sure it’ll have enough length for the piece of the pattern you are going to trace first. Find the lines on the pattern that matches up with the size you want to trace. Place the freezer paper on top of the pattern and trace it. Although the freezer paper feels thick, it’s very easy to see through it. Make sure you replicate each marking on the pattern.
Once you’ve traced each piece of the pattern onto the freezer paper, cut it out. Now, this is where the easiest part comes. You don’t have to pin the new freezer paper pattern to your fabric like you would with a traditional pattern. Instead, turn on your iron. Yep, you read that right! Turn on your iron. Place the fabric on the ironing board and lay the freezer paper pattern piece on top of it – waxy side down, paper side up. Gently place the iron on the paper side and pass it over the top. Holding the iron on top of the freezer pattern piece will warm the waxy side and adhere the fabric to the pattern piece so you can easily cut it out. The paper won’t burn (unless you forget the iron there!) and the longer you hold it, the more it will hold. You don’t want to hold it there longer than you need to, though. I’ve found that each piece can get about 5-6 times of use out of it depending on how hot you let it get. Once the waxy side is worn off, it won’t work very well any more. I should note that the wax does not come off on your fabric.
While the pattern piece is attached to your fabric, use fabric scissors to cut out the piece. I like to cut out one piece at a time and when I am done, work on ironing on the next piece.
I’ve recently started labeling my pattern pieces. I know this isn’t the best picture, clarity wise, but it shows how I label them. In the upper left hand corner, I write the manufacturer of the pattern, the pattern number, the size, and if I remember, a brief description of what the pattern is.
Hope that helps you as you start out sewing!
xoxo
–k
