Best Pattern Making Paper For Your Own Custom Clothing

The best pattern making paper to create your own custom clothing
is as simple as up-cycling old pattern tissue,
or all the way up the scale to bespoke by using muslin fabric.

 

I learned to sew from the best mother ever.

She taught me all I needed to know about saving money and sewing garments from scratch.

Mom grew up in the Dirty Thirties. (For those of you too young to know that term, Google it!

Everyone should know about the Great Depression of the 1930s.)

I didn’t experience the actual depression,

but I experienced the aftermath.

People who grew up in that era didn’t give up or complain, as Covid 19 seems to affect many in 2020.

They had just come through the First World War, so they thought the Depression was just another way to exercise their talents for surviving.

My mother was a survivor. Most awesomely.

So, we learned to make something from practically nothing, and, well, the habit has stayed with me.

Into this day of being ecologically correct.

 

 

So let’s talk about the Best Pattern Making Paper

beginning with free, and working our way up to the ultimate luxury, brand new unbleached muslin.

 

1. If you’ve bought patterns before, you know that many have yards and yards of extra tissue left over. Because you didn’t use that particular version of the pattern or you only used the blouse and didn’t cut out the skirt or sleeves or slacks. This uncut tissue can be ironed flat and used for new patterns. Use a colored marker so you know all the new lines, and can ignore the original black lines when you cut your new pattern out. Ask me how I learned to use colored markers.
2. Another type of paper that seems to pile up in our closets is gift-wrap. You know, that cheap roll of ugly someone left behind after hastily wrapping a huge box. You saved it because, well, your mom grew up in the depression. The backs of gift-wrap is usually plain white or cream, but sometimes you get lucky and it has inch squares marked off. This is when you get excited, because those lines help with pattern making.
3. A step up from free pattern tissue or leftover gift-wrap is exam table paper. It’s see through, doesn’t cost a lot, and it’s a little less likely to tear than the first 2 options. The more valuable asset is being able to trace through it, because it does tear.
4. Which gets us to the next best option. Sew-in interfacing by the yard. Or, pattern making material with inch squares or dots, which is made of the same material as interfacing. You will find it among the interfacing bolts in the fabric store.
5. And that gets us to…

 

 

 

The Bespoke Dress Pattern Luxury…

Unbleached muslin by the yard.

Unbleached muslin comes in 45″ widths, or you can look in the quilting section of the fabric store and buy it in 90″ or wider widths.

I find that the 45″ width is my favorite to work with.

If you try this fabric for pattern making you’ll never go back.

Unless your eco-conscience kicks in.

You can drape it on yourself or your dress form and mark it as you’re draping.

It marks easily with washable marker or a number 2 lead pencil.

You can pin the darts and tucks while it’s on you (or the dress form), then take it to your cutting table and mark.

It really doesn’t get any more bespoke than that, right?

Note: when my eco-conscience is at war with my luxury leanings, I make just the blouse with muslin. Then I use free paper for the skirt and sleeves, since they aren’t as fit-fussy.

 

Are you ready to try making your custom fit pattern?
Which paper – or muslin – will you use?

Until next time,

Love, Kim & Dorothy