Onion patterns

A little pattern shopping.  I really like Onion patterns because they are simple to make and are well drafted.  Like Burda Style, they are printed without seam allowances which means I can see the actual shape and size of the pattern piece and can make alterations if I want without having to fiddle with seam allowances.

The asymmetric buttoning caught my eye.  It wouldn't be difficult to change the front closure of any jacket to have this style but these days I don't have the drive these days to do extra things in my sewing.  Just let me cut it out and sew!  This is drafted for a B or C cup so I will alter that for my A and hopefully that will be good enough.  I'm thinking fleece or wool.  Summer is short here in the high mountains which is why I am already thinking warm things.

An anorak with an easy way to sew a zipper and attach the hood.  Once upon a time I had a thick wool anorak very much like this one.  It was a gift from my roommate at a school in Norway and it suited the climate there very well.  I'm not sure if I would sew this in wool though.  There are so many new warm synthetics available now.  Maybe just a windbreaker material as the wind does blow here in the spring and fall.

This one I ordered mostly to see how Onion did the collar and neckline.  It has the princess seam to the asmscye which I tend to like better than the princess seam to the shoulder so having this pattern will give me the option of using either type princess with other neck and collar treatments.

My new sewing room is almost set up just as I want it.  A huge dresser was in there that came with the house and it took up way too much room.  I sold it through a consignment shop and now the big space taker is out!  Maybe I'll take some photos soon.  If I'm not outside enjoying the sunshine and mountains.

Cut it out - "fold of fabric" nonsense

First of all, thank you so much for the comments on my previous post! It's wonderful to have company here in blogworld!

And then to the title topic. Pattern layout suggestions usually show folded fabric and that's just silly in my opinion. I get that many or most people have limited space at home for laying out their fabric for cutting and that folding the fabric in one way or another helps but I find cutting a double layer is often wasteful and inaccurate.

Ages ago I started cutting one pattern piece at time in order to use less fabric than the pattern suggested. I would still cut things on the fold but individually folded for each pattern piece. I usually saved quite a bit of fabric with that method and with small child size items I could sometimes squeeze out two garments instead of the one.

The fold was always problematic. If the fabric had any thickness to it at all it was difficult to place the pattern edge on the fold. One can easily make a + or - 1/4 inch error with a fold and that can make a big difference at times. Pattern pieces that are relatively small and have a short folded edge, a facing piece for example, are difficult to place correctly.

Yesterday as I cut out yet another KwikSew 3338 tee I thought about how pattern companies supply us with half patterns. What's this half pattern business anyway? Is it that hard to print the full piece? Cost saving for them, I know, and more work for us. KwikSew had printed half a front, half a back, and half a neck binding for this tee. The neck binding pattern is really silly, it's a strip of fabric 24" long and 1.5" wide and KwikSew's pattern piece is 12" by 1.5" cut on the fold. I have traced the pattern and made full front and back pattern pieces on Easy Pattern material. The full pattern pieces make it much easier to place on the fabric on grain and to see how to lay out the pieces to make the best use of fabric.

BTW, JoAnn sells that Easy Pattern material. They hide it in the interfacing section and coupons can be used.

Happy sewing!