Sewing room tools, Part 2: Marking
You can’t sew accurately if you don’t mark important points on patterns. But how do you safely make marks on fabric? There are lots of products you can try depending on what you’re marking, the type of fabric you’re using and the color of fabric.
These are just the ones I have on hand in my sewing room. There are other types of marking products available, and if you use something I don’t show here, I’d love for you to share it in the comments below. Part 1 of the sewing room tools series is about measuring and drafting, and can be found here. |
Pencils, Pens and Chalk
Above left is a chalk wheel with yellow chalk. You can find this in the quilters section. Above right is a piece of tailor’s chalk in white (also comes in other colors). |
Here are samples of what each of the above looks like on the fabric. I find that the white pen doesn’t mark as well on dark fabric as the pencils or chalk.
On the other hand, I prefer the blue pen to the blue pencil for the lighter fabrics. The yellow chalk works well on both light and dark fabrics. |
Tracing wheels
There are a few types of tracing wheels. The ones at above left are used with tracing paper (I inherited this from my husband’s grandmother, who died at almost 100 years old a few years ago) and can be found in the notions section of most sewing stores. One of these is smooth and one is serrated, which create solid and dotted lines.
The one at top right is more of a specialty wheel and can be purchased online from pattern supply retailers. It’s used with foam board to punch holes in paper as you trace. It’s great for tracing an existing garment onto paper. It punctures through the fabric and makes a dotted, serrated line on the paper underneath. Most fabrics don’t show any damage from the wheel when tracing. Just lay the foam board down, then the pattern paper, then your garment. I have purchased pattern making supplies from South Star Supply. |