I just found this great pattern, and I have a few questions.?

Question

Hi,

I've never used a pattern before, and I found a very simple one. I'm looking forward to trying it. Just a few questions:

-How does one shorten a pattern?

-How does one cut a pattern?

-What is bias tape?

-How do you baste?

Thanks

Answer 1

usually there are horizontal lines on the pattern that are where you shorten it.

you pin the paper pattern to the fabric. then cut around the outside markings on the paper pattern.  BE SURE  to put in those single and double and triple arrow thingies.  You will need them - to match up sides exactly - when you start sewing

BIAS TAPE - you buy  it at any fabric and most craft stores.. It is fabric tape, cut on the bias.

Basting is fast large stitching done by hand.

Like each stitch might be 3/4 or an inch apart.

you do this in areas that might be of different lengths, to semi-match it up. the big basting stitch lets you adjust things a bit, and holds the fabric in place while you sew it on the machine.

Answer 2

Usually there are lines where you can shorten the pattern, the instructions should tell you how.  To cut the pattern, pin it to your fabric;  then cut through the black outline.  Bias tape is a long strip of fabric which is cut diagonally across a larger piece of fabric;  you can find it in fabric stores.  Baste pieces of your fabric together either with a sewing machine which has the stitch length set on the longest stitch or by hand with a needle and thread, taking long stitches.

Answer 3

We are talking about a pattern for clothing, right?

Shortening:

Most patterns have a horizontal line drawn across any piece that you can shorten, and that line is the best place for shortening the pattern. Just make a fold on that line and then fold that part of the pattern over again and put a few pins in it. If you are positive you now have the right length, you can even use scotch tape to hold the little fold. The fold, by the way, will end up having an equal amount of the pattern in it on either side of the line. That is to say, the line will be in the center of the amount you have removed in order to do the shortening. 1/2" on either side of the line= 1" shorter overall.

Keep in mind that shortening the pattern like this will throw off the cutting lines, unless the piece is perfectly straight on the sides. If that happens, you just have to ignore part of the original cutting line and cut in such a way that the piece is not made more narrow at its widest point. It is better to err on the side of making the piece too big, because you can always take it in.

For example, if you have shortened a blouse, you might have to create a new cutting line running from where the original one was, at the underarm, to the hemline on your hips.

Cutting:

Most patterns have a solid line showing where to cut and a broken line showing where you will be stitching. Many pieces of the pattern may be printed on a huge piece of thin paper. First, cut the individual pieces you are going to use out of the huge piece. You don't have to be very careful about this, but don't cut inside the lines of any of the pieces (the direction sheet will tell you which pieces for which view of the garment).

There will be directions showing you how to place the pattern pieces on your fabric so as to get the most out of it. (If it has a plaid or stripe on it, or if it is velvet or some other fabric with a "direction" to its nap, it will require extra care in placing the pieces. For  instance, you might have to make sure that up and down are the same for all the pieces.) Now use straight pins to pin the paper pattern on the fabric. I place the pins parallel to the edges of the pattern.

But for most fabrics, you just place the pieces as shown. Sometimes you will put the pattern with its wrong side up, but most times, it will be placed right side up. You don't have to cut along the cutting lines of the pattern until you actually cut the fabric along with the pattern. That will remove any extra paper left after you separated the pieces on the huge pattern sheet. Each pattern pieces tells you what it is for and how many pieces of fabric to cut out using it.

In the future, if you use the same pattern again, you will simply cut through the fabric right along beside the cut edges of the paper.

There are little triangles sticking out from the edges of the pattern. They are to show you where to match up the different pieces for sewing. You can cut the same triangles from the fabric, or do as I do and ignore the triangles when cutting the outline and then go back and just make a small cut (about 1/8") right through the center of the triangle, heading into the seam. It is easy to match up the tiny cuts.

Bias tape

This is a strip of cotton that has been cut diagonally from a fabric. Most people buy it already cut and folded on a card at the fabric store, but you could cut your own. There are two reasons why it is useful. (1) Being cut on the diagonal, it hardly frays at all, and (2) It can easily be made to go around curves without making ugly wrinkles. It is also convenient for finishing off the edges of things.

Basting

I baste with pins, unless I am putting together two very tricky, curved pieces. However, a beginner should use a single strand of thread and make large stitches by hand--even stitches 1/2" long would be fine, and they don't have to be even or pretty!  I put a knot in the end of the thread before I begin, but I don't fasten it off at the end. After all, I want to be able to remove it easily just by pulling it from the knotted end!

One extra hint as a bonus: If there are curved seams in what you are making, the directions will probably tell you to "clip" the seams. This means to make cuts perpendicular to the sewing line, from the edge of the fabric toward the line of stitching, but be careful not to cut into the stitching itself. The tighter the curve, the closer you make the cuts. A high round neckline, for instance, might need to be clipped every 1/2" or so. Just do enough so that the seam or piece lies flat the way it ought to.

Have fun sewing, and if you have more questions, feel free to drop me a line through Yahoo Answers.

Answer 4

It's the kind of thing a professional can assist with.  Thank you and good day,