Geez, how many of my tips are about marking tools? Obsessed much?
Last week I was finally feeling the frustration of marking knits. It seems like every marking tool is demonstrated (either online or in a magazine) marking on heavy weight muslin or something. Knits are slippery! They stretch! Find me something that works!
I posed the question in the Facebook group for Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. This is a fabulous group of other mommy sewers and since so many PAB patterns work with knits, I knew I'd get a variety of answers.
A lot of ladies mentioned that they just weigh down the pattern piece and use their rotary cutters. Welllll...whenever I've tried even a straight line I've screwed up. And I don't have a cutting mat. Although, I'm well on my way to winning one from my husband after I beat him in fantasy football. ANYWAY.
Suggestions ranged from this chalk rolling pen to Crayola markers and Sharpies. I decided to try a Crayola marker and fell in love!
OF COURSE test first for bleed, always mark the wrong side, and only use on a washable fabric. This was a muslin of a New Look pattern I hadn't tried before (and it's now a UFO) so I didn't mind testing on this fabric (since I have FIFTEEN YARDS of it...). The Crayola marker glided over the fabric without pulling like the fabric markers I've tried. It also had a tip with different angles, so I could make a thin, precise line or a thicker one where needed.
What do you use for marking knits? Or are you a rotary cutting master?
I've struggled too but I'm pretty new with knits so I figured it was just me. This is a great idea. I wonder about using those markers and "eraser" they've been showing on TV that the kid uses with a mat but an take the mark off her shirt. Are they different than what you used?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about the ones you're referring to, but my markers were the regular ole Crayola washable markers. Nothing special. A lot of the time I use my serger on my seams for knits and the marker part will probably be cut off anyway!
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