You can't imagine how much your videos are helping me learn, you explain so well its easy to understand for a beginner like me,thank you for taking the time and effort in making these videos.
I am just learning how to sew now and came across your videos. Here we are 9 years later, your explanations are still serving the community with such purpose. Thank you so much for your time and doing these great videos and for explaining everything in such detailed.
Your videos are excellent! Finally someone who explains things that us newbies can understand. Thank you Professor Pincushion! I have subscribed to your UTube channel!
The very best explanation of understanding and reading a pattern !!! This brought so much clarity after searching and searching thru so many sites . Thanks so much 👍
This is by far one of the best videos explaining patterns and how to lay them. Thanks so much for the detailed video. You answered every question I had concerning patterns.
I have spent days searching for a video to explain patterns and layout and getting so frustrated as to why nobody is able to explain clearly!, Then suddenly up pops yours.....You are brilliant at explaining, I truly thank you, i am good with my sewing machine but have found patterns so daunting but now instead of just using my machine for repairs or simple items i make myself i now feel confident to to tackle full dressmaking patterns THANK YOU!!!
Best video on reading & understanding the patterns because it can be intimidating for a beginner. I've watched numerous of videos & everyone explains it on an advanced level instead of beginner. You are very precise & break everything down into terms a beginner can understand. This is so helpful & now I'm feeling more confident in using my patterns. Thank you so much. You rock! 🙂🙂
Thank you so very much for all of your teachings on sewing. I haven't sewn since middle school/junior high school, which was well over thirty years ago. Blessings to you and yours !
I am new to sewing but I find your tutorials are so good and well explained. I have altered a pattern to make the waist bigger with your help and I have now pinned and cut it out. My next step is to transfer the pattern markings and this video has shown me how to do that. Like the other comments I cannot thank you enough for all your help. You should be called the 'Sewing Angel'. I know I will be watching many more of your videos. Thank you again.
+Sonia Boulden I'm so glad to hear that you found our tutorials helpful! When you finish your project, please post a pic to our fb wall. I'd love to see how it turns out :)
Thank you so much for this video. I’m trying to learn how to sew from a pattern and some of the layout was confusing for me. This video is very helpful.
I have really enjoyed watching your video on you tube. Your instruction are clear and easy to follow. The last time I sewed anything using a pattern was 7-8 years ago I've missed my hobby.
This video is so helpful! I haven't sewn a pattern since I was a little girl and was completely lost looking at the instructions! This video gave me the courage to actually go out and buy the fabric! Thanks a million!
The next step is reading your pattern directions. Check out our tutorial pattern directions overview on our channel. If you still feel stuck and overwhelmed you should do one of our full pattern tutorials where we walk you through every step of the way. And easy one is McCall's 6697 :)
Thank you so much! I bought a sewing pattern to make a project bag from Simplicity, and thought it would be rather simple. I was stumped right off the bat for laying out fabric and the first instructions. Thank you for your invaluable info!
+Anna Maliszewski (KUAS) I hope you're doing well on your simplicity pattern now! :) I know it can feel intimidating and overwhelming but just take it one step at a time :)
Wow great job, it's always a challenge to understand and follow a pattern but you explained it so well that everything appears to be much easier for a begginer like me. Thank you
I really love your tutorials. They are so helpful. Can you make a tutorial on how to sew with unprinted patterns. For beginners these patterns seem overwhelming and we could really use a tutorial on how to sew with unprinted patterns from reading the instructions, to pinning & cutting to sewing it together.
I learned so much from this! I cut out a pattern today and noticed some things I'd never seem when I went to lay it on the fabric. Now I know what to do :) thanks!
Thank you so much for de mystifying the patterns. I am a beginner and have a basic bag pattern which I now feel I can make. Have watched many tutorials but yours is the first to have made sense to me.
I'm so glad you found our tutorial helpful. You can do it! sometimes you just need to jump in! Please post a pic on our fb wall when you finish your bag :)
Thank you for this demonstration. I had been starring at my “Easy Level One” pattern layout for sometime and could not figure out about flipping the pattern piece! 😊
You did a really nice job explaining everything, it was easy to understand. But the color choice of the fabric is poor. Otherwise great job articulating. This was more easy to understand than similar videos. You were straight to the point and not talking about frivolous details. Thank you!!
I have a cosplay due in a week that i'm sewing entirely on my own and I am a girl with 0 sewing machine experience so your videos are really helping me cram
love all your tutorials and really hope you can help with some tips of fabric layout as i make my own patterns but i find fabric layout really tricky .. thanks so much
yeah, seems pretty sneaky of the fabric manufacturers. So far, I have yet to come across the issue of not having enough fabric due to it being too narrow but I mostly use apparel fabric that's mostly 58/60". In my case, I usually have extra fabric. It's hard to have a rule of thumb, like always get 1/4 yard extra, because pattern pieces aren't uniform. One thing u can do, is bring ur cut out pattern pieces to the fabric store & lay them out on the fabric. that way u get exactly what u need
Your videos are super awesome!!! I'm a bit confused, If cutting pattern pieces on a single layer of fabric, and the bodice front & back says cut 2 on fold. The layout is showing to cut on single layer of fabric. This means I would have four pieces for the front/back bodice? Which in turn means I would have to sew these pieces together creating seam lines in the front/back where no seam lines would be originally?
The one where you fold the fabric crosswise instead of selvage to selvage, cut in fold, and turn 180 degrees always makes me nervous. :-) Btw, this is an info packed series. Thanks!
Brilliant tutorial. I am inspired to watch your other tutorials now. I do have one question though - at 19.06 you flip over pattern piece 2. What indications did the instructions give to make you do this?
I wasn't following a particular layout at this point, I was just using these pieces as an example to demonstrate the grainline and I flipped one over so it would be a little easier to see were going in the same grainline direction. Sorry for the confusion :)
Hi thank you for sharing such a wonderful turtorial! I buy a lot of older patterns some come without instructions...how can I find out how to lay the pieces on to the fabric?
if your pattern at least has a grainline arrows printed on them, just make sure that these arrows run parallel to the salvages. As long as these lines are all going in the same direction, you should be fine.
Fabric manufacturer's (in order to sell more fabric I guess) often sell fabric in a 43 or 44" width. Some patterns utilize the fabric well in their layouts. How do you deal with fabric that is too narrow?
i so much enjoyed your video, i have now laid out a patter for some trousers. i have a question, all my pieces are laid out exactly as instructed, all print side up. but if a turned one of the pieces over to be printed side down i would be able to use less fabric. would turning a patern piece over still work?
+Janet Sykes If it's a pattern that you need to cut 2 from, then it should be fine. As long as you understand the rules and the reasoning behind them, you can start doing your own layout to make things work better for you. :)
thank you for your reply. I just couldn't get my head round it. i'm making a pair of trousers and if i turn the back pattern piece over to printed side down i can save fabric instead of following the suggested layout. I was worried that if i did this when i came to making up it might to match up to the trouser front pieces. I'll give it go. Thank you
Sorry, another question! You briefly mention preparing fabric before cutting and you said to refer back to the bolt instructions, but what if there are no instructions? Many times there are bits on sale that have been removed from the bolt and they have absolutely no information on them. I don't even know what kind of fabric it really is. I can guess, but.... I often don't know what to do about that.
Google "fabric burn test". By burning a swatch of the fabric, you may be able to figure out the fabric type. We don't have a tutorial on this yet but it's a good idea. Good luck!
I have a very simple question but just need confirming before I go ahead. My pattern shows SL but no Fold does this mean I use a single piece of fabric. Also where the pattern shows cutting 2 pieces 1 right side and 1 wrong side would it be easier to trace each piece so they can be all pinned at the same time.
Yes, I would assume it means single layer of fabric and not folded. You can draw your own pattern if you want so you can it all out together. Just make sure it's pinned so you end up with two pieces that are mirrored instead of identical. :) Good luck!
Right about at 17:58, you mentioned something about cutting on the bias. So, if I'm cutting on the bias, then the grainline arrow indicator on the pattern piece would go diagonal?
+Chris J If the pattern is meant to be cut on the bias, the grainline arrow will still be parallel with the selvage but you'll notice the pattern piece itself will look slanted. If you're just doing it on your own, then yes, the arrow will probably be diagonal. thanks for the question :)
I have a question, I am new to sewing and still trying to understand the pattern instructions, so my question is, in the instruction part of the pattern if you have the selvages meeting right sides and your placing your patterns pieces on the fabric to cut how is it that some show the pattern right side up and some are showing the pattern piece facing down in the same diagram? Does that mean you actually place the writing side of the pattern facing downing the fabric? I hope that makes sense? Thank you.
Priscilla Del Valle yes, if the pattern is right side up then the writing is facing you and wrong side means print side is down towards the fabric. the reason behind it is just to get all the patterns on the fabric in the most economical way possible to use less fabric. If you cut all your patterns with the writing side up (with the fabric folded in half) it won't ruin or hurt anything but it may take more fabric. You just want to make sure you're following the grainline right. hope this answers your question
My daughter and i follow all your videos. i am doing an apron it looks very easy. one piece calls for Cut on centerfold . i thought i laid my pieces right. my cut was two pieces just want to know the centerfold is to keep the cut piece whole.
If the actual pattern has an edge that says "place on fold" than it should be placed on the fold and that edge should not be cut so you end up with one whole piece instead of two.
I enjoy your videos and find them informative. Tutorial is pronounced Tutor-ial not tutor-al. I find it so distracting that you say it wrong. Other than that of do a great job!
