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.
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 👍
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!
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.
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 !
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.
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! 🙂🙂
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!!!
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 :)
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 :)
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.
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 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! 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 :)
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 :)
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.
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!
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?
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!
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!
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 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
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 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
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?
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.
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 :)
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!
I can not thank you enough! even buying "easy" patterns, you open them up and immediately want to quit :)
What happens if your fabric is 45” and the pattern is for 60”. I could not get my fabric at 60” but the pattern layout is for 60?
That's how i felt too🤣
a tip : you can watch movies on flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching lots of of movies recently.
@Jasper Cash yup, been watching on Flixzone for since november myself =)
Y
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.
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 👍
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!
This is by far the best video I have seen for beginner sewers. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
You are so welcome!
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.
so glad you found our video helpful :)
Glad you're enjoying our tutorials. Send me a pic when you finish a project :)
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 !
Thank you! Clear speaking, great info, no music, perfect camera focus.
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.
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! 🙂🙂
I absolutely love your videos. I'm a new sewer, as of December 2012 and your videos have gotten me through some sewing mazes. Thanks a million.
wow thanks i was looking forever trying to find a good video on how to understand the layout pattern instructions !!!
Phew! Thanks so much! I've been staring at my pattern layout all morning trying to figure it out!
glad to help :)
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!!!
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 :)
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 :)
You are an excellent instructor - thank you so much for your thorough explanations!
Very, very detailed. You are the perfect instructor, just what I’ve been looking for. Thank you!
You are an excellent teacher. I am a new (and not a natural) sew enthusiast . Thanks for your easy to understand instructions.
Your pattern tutorials have been so helpful. Thank you for such clear, concise, and thorough videos!
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.
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
so glad you found our tutorial helpful :)
I like your explanation, and you point out everything, Thanks for the video
You're welcome. Thanks for watching
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!
yay! I'm glad our tutorial was helpful. Now there's nothing stopping you from making your project :)
I know you always deliver, thanks for clear explanations🤝💪✋✋✋
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 :)
+Professor Pincushion Yup! It took me three solid days, but here it is:
knitting-up-a-storm.blogspot.com/2015/10/knitting-project-bags.html?spref=fb
Thank you! I just started sewing and needed to know how to read a pattern!
Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial, it has cleared up some things that I was cloudy about in reference to the layout of patterns. 👍🙂🙏
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 :)
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.
Thanks for the kind words. Glad we were able to help :)
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!
you can do it!!! :)
Great tutorial! Thank you for taking your time to explain the different pattern layout instructions. Very helpful and informative.
It's been since home-ec class in jr. high that I've used a pattern to sew with. Thx for the refresher course.
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! 😊
I’m trying to learn sewing on my own. This video was very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you for this video. Many questions were answered especially the one about crossfold. Your a wonderful teacher.
You explain the directions wonderfully!
BEST explanation I've seen!!!!!
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!!
This is very thorough. Thank you. Patterns are so confusing for beginners
That was super helpful in making my dress! Thank you so much
Thanks for this sewing video! It was the best explanation of pattern instructions EVER! New subscriber!🤗
Thanks for subscribing
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
good luck! I hope you finish in time :)
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
Best tutorial!
Fantastic! Many thanks Professor Pincushion
Thanks! there will be more videos to come :)
This was so helpful! Thank you very much...you're an excellent teacher:)
Robin Glover thanks for the kind words :)
Thanks! There will be more to come :)
Grateful for @16:00!
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
I love all your videos thanks for teaching!!!!
Thank you you saved my project 😍😂
Wow .... I needed exactly this !
Thanks so much for the great tutorial! !
Thank You
I'm trying to do simplicity r11761/ s9771 and I am really confused . Can you do a video explaining this one ? On how to cut it and sew it ?
Thank you so much! You were a huge help!
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?
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!
Thanks so much for your videos. I'm learning so much :)
You are awesome, thank you so much!
I only use a pin in bottom and one on top and one in center when pattern is on the fold since the fold isn’t being cut
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!
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!
Glad to help :)
This was very helpful
this is awesome loved it so helpfulllllllll.... thank you
P Howel I'm so glad you found it helpful :)
Exelent tutorial. Came from heaven . I
yay! Glad to help :)
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!
This is very good instruction. Thank you. Do you recommend pressing the pattern pieces with a mildly warm iron so that they're perfectly flat?
Iggy Reilly yes, you can definitely do that. It's a little time consuming but will make things easier in pinning.
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
Thank you so much for helping me out.
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 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
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?
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.
Thank you so much! That helped me a lot!
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 :)
What does this mean :
1) Contrast cut 2
2) cut 2
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.
Where can I buy Fabric Transfer paper? I am jut getting ready to make a tote bag and didn't know I needed this as I am new to sewing!
***** I got mine at JoAnn's in the notions department.
Does it matter if I cut out a t shirt on the right side of fabric
it doesn't matter, as long is you stay consistent. :)
Do you have a video on fabric grain?
Why can't you put the #2 piece on the fold
You can if there's enough fabric. They basically give you the layout for using the least amount of fabric
Put it on the fold after you fold it in half the #2 pattern piece
what if my fabric is neither of those widths? Can I just make my own layout that works?
as long as you follow the grainline rule, you can make up your own layout
I just don't have the room have to do it on the floor with my cats . Lol
hello . I wrote to you on Instagram. I need help
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!
Great video but PLEASE learn how pronounce the word “selvage”.
It’s pronounced “sell-vidge”, NOT “Salvage”.