Tailor’s Tacking – for when you can’t use tailor’s chalk in pattern cutting. And when you have a lot of time and patience.
I was taught this technique whilst working on my shirt, because attempting to draw with chalk on organza is just completely pointless.
Note: This only works on layers i.e. 2 layers of fabric
You will need:
- Needle
- Thread – dont use anything too pretty, the bog standard will do.
- Fabric
- A surface to pin your fabric to. (I used a large sqaure of foam.)
- Pins
- Pattern draft
- Scissors
Step 1: Lay out your fabric and pin at the edges on your working surface.
Step 2: Pin your pattern on top of the fabric through your layers as you would usually. Make sure not to pin the fabric pattern to your working surface though.
Step 3: Double thread your needle. Cut yourself a long piece of thread then pull it through the eye hole so then both ends are the same length.
Step 4: As close as possible, around the edge of your pattern draft, do a ‘running stitch’ (the basic tacking stitch) BUT on the side facing you, leave a big loop on each stitch. You also don’t need to secure the start of the thread – just leave a good fingers’ length. Again, take care not to stitch your fabric to the working surface!
Step 5: For darts – on each point of the dart, do the same thing but leave a loop on both sides. Do the darts after you’ve tacked around the pattern, and then just un-pin the fabric from your work surface, so it’s easier to loop the other side.
Step 6: Leaving a 1.5cm seam allowance, cut around your pattern.
Step 7: Take off your pattern draft.
Step 8: Starting on one edge of the pattern piece, gently pull apart – as far as the loops allows you to. And with your scissors, cut through the MIDDLE of the gap all the way round.
Now you should be left with threadlings on both seperate layers, in the exact same place! That is your sewing guideline. Machine stitch on top, or a millimeter out when you put your pattern pieces together.
Moju 