Chapter 4: Working with Patterns
71
Rather than cutting around each individual notch, save time by cutting straight across the notches on the cutting line. After you completely cut out the pattern piece, go back and, with the tips of your sharp scissors, snip into the notch about 1⁄4 inch. A single notch gets one snip in the center of the notch; a double notch gets two snips, one in the center of each notch; a triple notch gets three snips. When you go to match up the pattern pieces at the notches, just match up the snips — a fast and accurate task.
Making Your Mark After you cut out the pattern pieces and cut out and fuse on any necessary interfacing (see Chapter 3 for more about using fusible interfacing), you’re ready for marking. Marking is important because you don’t want to get halfway through a project, notice that the pattern guide sheet tells you to sew from this mark to that mark, and realize that you forgot to mark something (or thought it wasn’t important). Save yourself time and frustration by marking the dots, circles, squares, or triangles, even if you think that you won’t need them later. (Trust me, you will.)
Marking what matters You need to mark the following things from your pattern pieces onto your fabric: ✓ Darts (see Chapter 8) ✓ Pleats (see Chapter 8) ✓ Tucks ✓ Dots, circles, triangles, and squares (see the section “Decoding the pattern pieces,” earlier in this chapter) When you begin constructing a project, you transfer the pattern marks indicating darts, tucks, pleats, and the other symbols to your fabric pattern pieces for a very good reason: To see and understand what the drawings and text in the pattern guide sheet mean for you to do. For example, when marking a pleat, tuck, or dart, instead of marking the entire stitching line, simply mark the dots on the stitching lines. When you put the right sides together for sewing, pin the project together by matching the dots; sew from dot to dot (pin to pin). For specific instructions on marking and sewing darts, tucks, and pleats, see your pattern guide sheet instructions.
08_623206-ch04.indd 7108_623206-ch04.indd 71
7/27/10 12:32 PM7/27/10 12:32 PM