How to Cut Printed Fabric for a Figure Skating Warm Up Jacket

I received this e-mail from a reader last week:

I wonder if you have a trick that may help me in my sewing dilemma. My daughter has just about out grown her fleece jacket I made from Jalie 2456 – I did just a bit of playing with it to make it work as they suggest a stretch fabric. The jacket worked so well I want to use it again and I have this sooooo cute fabric I picked up on clearance a few years ago. The fabric has a boarder of little girls’ heads. Here is my problem this pattern has several panels and I do not think it will look good without lining up the fabric to match each piece so the little girls line up at the bottom. I am not worried about the rest (sleeves and collar) as then the fabric becomes solid with just a few words and I plan to use that part of the fabric there.

My suggestion was to layout the fabric much like you’d layout a plaid or a stripe. Here’s my response:

The method would be the same for matching plaids or stripes. You have to resign yourself to the idea that the pattern might not match up at the side seams. Your goal is to have the fronts match. When I’m choosing a plaid or a stripe, I look for what’s called a regular plaid or a regular stripe. These are fabrics with patterns that match when the fabric is folded on the bias. In other words, they’re easy to match at the side seams. A good example of this is gingham check fabric.

A reminder before I give you the instructions: the seam line is the place (usually along the raw edge) where you will sew. In other words, when you’re sewing, you’ll guide your needle along this line.

When you lay out the fabric, plan to cut from a single layer of fabric instead of a double layer. Pin the jacket front to the fabric so that the little kid is where you want her. If it were me, I’d want the zipper running right down between her eyes. So, make sure your seam line bisects her face. The seam line is different from the cut edge. If you don’t have a seam line marked on your pattern already, unpin the pattern piece and draw one.

Using a felt-tipped marker, lightly sketch the kid where she meets the seamline. It’s a good idea to sketch out the kid at the side seam, too.

When you layout the piece again, flip it over (of course) and match up the felt-tip drawing.

When you lay out the back, lay the front piece upside down on top of the back piece. Move it around until you can line up at least one side seam. Pin.

As I mentioned, this method works for stripes or plaids. Just remember to cut only one layer, draw at the side seams, and don’t buy an irregular plaid or stripe. I’ve done it and they’re a nightmare if you want everything to line up.

I will warn you: once you start matching up plaids, stripes, and prints, it starts to become an obsession. You start to look for matched plaids on other people’s clothing and feel smug because you could have done a better job matching it. I warn you not to stray down that dark path of superiority!

Well, readers, it’s late and I’m not sure I’m making a lot of sense. Did I make a mistake? Help me correct it, please. Do you have a better way than marking up the pattern? Please share it. Got a matching plaids and stripes obsession? It’s O.K. You’re among friends. You can ‘fess up to it.

Do you have a sewing question for Ice Mom? I’ll give it a shot. Do you have a problem or dilemma and could use some advice? Send me an e-mail and I’ll forward it on to the Advisory Board. Want to guest post? Great! E-mail me and we’ll work it out. Are you an expert? Terrific! E-mail me about the weekly Ask the Expert Feature. You can send me e-mail at icemom.diane@gmail.com. If you’re a spammer, I’m on a diet. Thanks.

Photo credits:

Hot Pink & Cupcakes Border Print: Decorative Tea Towels by Cath. on Flickr.com Creative Commons

Plaid!: bunchofpants on Flickr.com Creative Commons

Stripes: goose3five on Flickr.com Creative Commons

Lynne

I like the idea of sketching the fabric pattern onto the pattern piece. I’ve never done that before but it sounds like a very good idea. I’ll have to try that next time.

The most important thing to remember is to line up seam lines, not cut edge lines like I did the first time I was matching a fabric pattern. Also, if you’re a perfectionist, I’d baste the seams together first so they’re easy to rip out if the pattern doesn’t match up exactly. I’ve been know to rip out a seam a few times to make it perfect. And before you cut, make sure you have enough material. Depending on the size of the pattern on the material, there can be quite a bit of waste. If you don’t have enough material, then prioritize which seams you want to match (for me it would be the front and back). If you don’t have enough material to match at the side seams, you could always put a solid stripe down the side seams and make sure you didn’t cut off a face at that seam.

Yes I notice non-matching seams on other people’s clothing. I also notice seam lines in wallpaper. I think if you’re a perfectionist when it comes to seams in anything, once you’ve done it yourself it’s hard not to notice other’s not so perfect work.
Lynne

I like the idea of sketching the fabric pattern onto the pattern piece. I've never done that before but it sounds like a very good idea. I'll have to try that next time.

The most important thing to remember is to line up seam lines, not cut edge lines like I did the first time I was matching a fabric pattern. Also, if you're a perfectionist, I'd baste the seams together first so they're easy to rip out if the pattern doesn't match up exactly. I've been know to rip out a seam a few times to make it perfect. And before you cut, make sure you have enough material. Depending on the size of the pattern on the material, there can be quite a bit of waste. If you don't have enough material, then prioritize which seams you want to match (for me it would be the front and back). If you don't have enough material to match at the side seams, you could always put a solid stripe down the side seams and make sure you didn't cut off a face at that seam.

Yes I notice non-matching seams on other people's clothing. I also notice seam lines in wallpaper. I think if you're a perfectionist when it comes to seams in anything, once you've done it yourself it's hard not to notice other's not so perfect work.
Guest

I am the reader who asked this question and I will use this method every time! It worked like a charm. He practice jacket is ready to wear for tonight’s ice.
laketom5186

I am the reader who asked this question and I will use this method every time! It worked like a charm. He practice jacket is ready to wear for tonight's ice.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

Really good point, Lynne! Extra fabric and basting the seams!

Also, if you’re a perfectionist, I’d baste the seams together first so they’re easy to rip out if the pattern doesn’t match up exactly. I’ve been know to rip out a seam a few times to make it perfect. And before you cut, make sure you have enough material. Depending on the size of the pattern on the material, there can be quite a bit of waste. If you don’t have enough material, then prioritize which seams you want to match (for me it would be the front and back). If you don’t have enough material to match at the side seams, you could always put a solid stripe down the side seams and make sure you didn’t cut off a face at that seam.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

Really good point, Lynne! Extra fabric and basting the seams!

Also, if you're a perfectionist, I'd baste the seams together first so they're easy to rip out if the pattern doesn't match up exactly. I've been know to rip out a seam a few times to make it perfect. And before you cut, make sure you have enough material. Depending on the size of the pattern on the material, there can be quite a bit of waste. If you don't have enough material, then prioritize which seams you want to match (for me it would be the front and back). If you don't have enough material to match at the side seams, you could always put a solid stripe down the side seams and make sure you didn't cut off a face at that seam.
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

So glad it worked for you. Even happier that I had this sitting in my e-mail so I could just post it. V. tired last night – helping with a social studies project. On Karachi. At least I can find it on a map now!
http://icemom.net Ice Mom

So glad it worked for you. Even happier that I had this sitting in my e-mail so I could just post it. V. tired last night – helping with a social studies project. On Karachi. At least I can find it on a map now!