With 60" fabrics, I can frequently fit both front and back pieces of patterns across the width of a piece of fabric. But it's a pain to fold the fabric to whatever point in the width of the fabric that you need (unless it's the center, when you can fold to the center fold line). I used to do the usual, as I was taught: fold the fabric to approximately the width you want, measure, adjust, repeat endlessly. And it's a double pain when the fabric is slippery, like rayon challis or silk.
So today I had a brainstorm. Using the same technique as in the tip "Hemming Tips," I used a yardstick to measure twice the width of the widest part of my pattern, plus an inch or two to account for the selvage, and marked with chalk at several-inch increments all the way down the yardage until I reached the length of the pattern piece, plus an inch or two. Then I folded the fabric to the mark all down the yardage, adjusted it so the grain was straight along the fold, and did a quick re-measure at several points before putting down the pattern pieces.
This goes a lot quicker than it sounds just reading it, and it much less stressful for me than the old method. |
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Great idea! I will have to try this next time I need to fold my fabric like this.
1/13/06 2:26 PM
How did you know I needed this tip?! Many thanks.
1/13/06 5:25 PM
You'll have me organized and working smoothly if you keep this up, Debbie - Annie
1/13/06 8:36 PM
Gosh, now that you write this it seems so obvious! Thanks so much for putting an end to that annoying fiddling with the folding.
1/14/06 2:31 PM
I was about to type this same tip when I saw yours! It's so much easier this way!! :)
2/5/06 11:01 PM
Great idea! I've been wondering about a better way around this one, so thank you!
2/7/06 10:21 PM
Aha! Sounds so much more to the point than all than re-adjusting I've been doing. Thanks
4/26/06 9:08 AM