Following along with making a vintage skirt pattern part two

So if your phone along you've cut out your pattern pieces and you're ready now to place them on your fabric. That is hopefully you have washed and ironed it know when laying out your fabric you want to have your right sides fold it together so that you have a wrong side out so you can mark if you're using a marking pen on the wrong side. However I'm also going to be showing you the Tailor tack method which is what I prefer for doing markings. If you're not familiar with this method please refer to my previous blog and watch the video it's a very easy method to do and you'll fall in love with it I'm sure. Also when laying out your fabric you want to make sure that it's smooth and flat no buns and wrinkles and that your raw edges match your salvage to your salvage that way you will stay I'm sure great. If you're not someone that it is comfortable just eyeballing your grain then you want to use your tape measure or hem gauge as is also shown in the photo, to check your straight up green you do this by checking the center and the ends of the grain markets that is on your pattern peace. It's very important to check your street of grain as well as lay out all your pattern pieces before you start cutting. So you'll see that even with pieces that don't require two to be taught where my fabric is in double thickness it is I have laid it out so that I know I have enough fabric and that it's going to all be in the same direction that way if you were using a one directional fabric you don't end up with one piece going one way and another going an opposite. Also I like to do what I can to save fabric so that I can use the fabric for later craft projects or even to make something else. So pieces they have a curve or that required to be placed on a folder. As long as they're in the same direction you can turn your pattern pieces facedown so that you actually can work with it a little bit easier and it allows you to manipulate how you place the pattern pieces to save as much fabric as possible. 

I know a lot of people like to lay out one piece and cut it out they feel it goes faster, however placement is so important to the overall proper fit of your finished garment that you really want to take the time to measure. To make sure it's all laid out properly and that it has the look that you would want, if you're working with something that is a pattern you want to make sure that the pattern on the fabric is placed where you might want it on a finish the garment. After all if you don't like your finished garment you're not going to wear it so take your time when making your garments there's no point in making them if you're not going to wear them.

Measuring your greenline

Measure at multiple points Stanback take a look remeasure it's like with all things measure twice cut once a very important thing to keep in mind especially if you're working with Ace limited supply of fabric or inexpensive fabric

If you see here he's 19 is turned with the back of it up so that I could save as much fabric as possible, don't feel afraid to do this it's completely fine as long as your pieces are still going in the same direction as all your other pattern pieces

So you see here that I have pieces 17,20, and 21, just pinned in place with one pen to mark out how much space they'll take up they only required to cut one. So if I were to cut two I would be losing fabric that I could later use something else so what I'll do is cut out the pieces that require two and leave these ones to hold where their places then remove the second layer of fabric and only cut one of each piece

So once I cut out the other pieces and I was left with the pattern pieces that only required to cut one I readjusted them again to save more fabric still keeping them on grain and measuring always measure remember measure twice cut once

So once you've cut out all your pieces you then do your markings never take your pattern pieces off your cut fabric with out putting your markings on your fabric first!! You will never remember what pattern piece it is or what your markings needed to be so it's like measuring before you cut make sure all your markings are on. When this fabric it's one it's very difficult to see a marking pen on so this is where Tailor tacks come in handy. You match them the same way that you would using a marking pen when you match for your darts or for your pieces you're just matching the thread instead of a pen or pencil mark. Stay tuned next will start stitching!! As always happy sewing!!