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From: shell28
Date: 10-24-2006, 11:59 AM (1 of 9)
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Hi I'm Michelle and I'm new here, I don't know how I came across this site but I already know I'm going to love it. Well I'm just trying to get started in sewing, I've done the whole pillow thing and now I've set my goals much higher. I'm trying to sew a Simplicity dress from one of their patterns and the marking  is really confusing me. I see the whole quick marking or transfering options, but what exactly do I do with those dots and notches? Any help would be sooooo greatly appreciated!!! 
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User: shell28
Member since: 10-23-2006 Total posts: 1 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 10-24-2006, 12:11 PM (2 of 9)
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Usually you cut the notches -- most people cut to the outside because there is less chance of slipping and cutting into your garment and you have more seam allowance if you need it for fitting reasons. The dots and other symbols can be marked with any one of a variety of methods, depending on the fabric and circumstances. Sometimes all you need is a pin. Some chalks and air erasable markers are good for things that you will sew right away but other chalks and water erasable inks last longer in case you need the mark a little later. Some people use tracing paper and a wheel on more complicated marks like darts. Sometimes you will want to make a tack in the fabric -- just a few hand stitches -- with contrasting thread. I'm sure others have other methods. It depends on what works for you in each circumstance. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: lendube
Date: 10-24-2006, 12:18 PM (3 of 9)
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Hi Michelle and welcome. You will love it here. Dots and notches are really very helpful. They keep things aligned and help you know where things go. It can be confusing. There are different ways to mark them on your fabric and you really, really should till you get more experienced. Here's a couple of ways. You can take take the tiniest snip into the seam allowance of both pieces and I do mean just barely enough to see, mind you, or you'll be into the seam. (A simple snip for a dot and a tiny notch for a notch.) You can also take tracing paper and a tracing wheel to mark them. That way you'll not risk cutting too deep. Good luck, Lennie Just saw that Dorothy beat me to it but I'll still submit this just to say hi and welcome! |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: lendube
Date: 10-24-2006, 12:19 PM (4 of 9)
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Hi Michelle and welcome. You will love it here. Dots and notches are really very helpful. They keep things aligned and help you know where things go. It can be confusing. There are different ways to mark them on your fabric and you really, really should till you get more experienced. Here's a couple of ways. You can take take the tiniest snip into the seam allowance of both pieces and I do mean just barely enough to see, mind you, or you'll be into the seam. (A simple snip for a dot and a tiny notch for a notch.) You can also take tracing paper and a tracing wheel to mark them. That way you'll not risk cutting too deep. Good luck, Lennie Just saw that Dorothy beat me to it but I'll still submit this just to say hi and welcome!
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User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: mamagoose
Date: 10-25-2006, 12:18 PM (5 of 9)
Hi Michelle! Hope you have fun sewing up all kinds of things! Hopefully you'll start out with a stable woven cotton, easy to mark on fabric. When you venture out future into all kinds of fabric, it can be more challenging to mark because of the shade or texture of the fabric or, uh, (not me  ), just waiting so long that a chalk mark "somehow" disappears or the edge frays so badly you can't tell where your notches are. When the chalk or washable marker won't work, you can use tailor's/thread tacks or not-so-sticky masking tape. I have a dispenser with a large roll of masking tape in my sewing room and use it all the time when cutting fabric. I often remove the paper pattern from the fabric after marking and fold up my fabric pieces and they go into a 2-gal. zippy bag with the pattern envelope, instructions and my notes for later. I'll tear off a snipit of tape and write on it with a pen - "front" or "back" or draw an arrow to the edge of it and stick to the wrong side of my fabric. At the point of the arrow, just off the tape is where my dot will be. Then, later you can just stick a pin through that point to line things up. Fabric can stretch, your cutting can be a little off, etc. so it's good to mark your notches especially when you're just getting started. Wishing you a fun day! Melanie O |
User: mamagoose
Member since: 01-26-2002 Total posts: 168 |
From: paroper
Date: 10-25-2006, 02:09 PM (6 of 9)
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When the pattern is designed and before it is "taken apart" the designer or drafter of the pattern will draw a hash mark from one pattern piece to the other so that they are perfectly matched while they are together...then when taken apart, if you put the NOTCHES back together, it should fit perfectly. Some notches are universally always the same. On sleeves and arm holes, one notch means the "front" two notches are back. Most notches in the main front pattern are 1 while the back is (usually) two. Sides can sometimes be 3 notches or they can be more than one group of notches. Dots are a little different. They are points on the pattern where things happen...the bottom of a zipper, a place where you are to stop sewing, a place where something is to join or start/end gathering. I use tracing paper a lot. I often mark dots with an "x" unless they are on the side of a pattern then I often just make a small snip if the circle is on the outside edge of a pattern piece. I always cut out notches unless I don't have room and then I snip. pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: mamagoose
Date: 10-25-2006, 07:15 PM (7 of 9)
| Had another thought about marking reading pararoper's post. I always mark the bottom of the zipper with a safety pin. Makes it much more difficult to forget to stop stitching up the seam. |
User: mamagoose
Member since: 01-26-2002 Total posts: 168 |
From: AndreaSews
Date: 10-25-2006, 07:19 PM (8 of 9)
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smart tip. mamagoose! I gather I'm not the only one who slips into autopilot every so often and then has to go un-doing that back seam to accommodate a zipper!
Andrea
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User: AndreaSews
Member since: 02-18-2005 Total posts: 1007 
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From: CindyBee
Date: 10-31-2006, 03:37 AM (9 of 9)
| You may also want to mark the center front and/or center back of your pieces. When making a garment that buttons in the front, hand baste a line of stitches on both the left and right sides. Also baste in the button hole placement. Mark the center back of your garment and also the center back of your neck facing. Have fun sewing your dress. |
User: CindyBee
Member since: 10-21-2006 Total posts: 8 |
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