Cutting Fabric for Sewing Projects

Dear users, dear authors,
Do you have any tips and tricks for cutting fabric?

It’s important that the fabric lies straight and on the grainline, i.e., the fabric is usually doubled, right side facing in, so you won’t see any tailor’s chalk marks later from marking the pleats and darts if needed, or the notches that a beginner should always mark. Laying the fabric on the grainline means the selvage runs along one side and the fabric fold along the other side. You should pin the pattern pieces as fabric-savingly as possible, and you can achieve that by marking the SA = seam allowance once the pattern piece is pinned to the fabric. I did that for the first few years too, until you develop a feel for fabric and seam allowance. There are some tutorials on Google and YouTube that show how it’s done.
When cutting, it’s important to use good dressmaker’s shears; it saves a lot of trouble and frustration.
When cutting jersey or very fine fabrics, you often can’t use pins to fasten the pattern, because the fabric is simply too delicate. Then you can use weights to hold the pattern in place. In that case it’s a good idea to use a rotary cutter for cutting, because then the fabric doesn’t have to be lifted to get the scissors underneath; instead you can cut your fabric nicely from above. As fabric weights, you can use those metal doorstops, or make the pieces yourself like I do and fill them with bird sand. I also have pulleys from block and tackle sets; they also work very well as weights.
 
My daughter very often doesn’t need a pattern at all; the measurements are enough for her and she transfers them straight onto the fabric. I still don’t dare do that even today. She learned it from one of her master craftswomen and always laughs when we sew something together.

Best, Inge

Thanks for the info :-)