social

Making Sewing Pattern Weights

March 14, 2010

With just a few sewing scraps or some recycled clothing, you can make your own pattern weights instead of buying expensive ones from the store. They also make great gifts for anyone you know who sews. Using weights saves your sewing patterns from pin damage, and speeds up pattern cutting. Sewing Pattern Weights

 
Sewing Pattern Weights
 

Approximate Time: Under 10 minutes each.

Advertisement

Supplies:

Instructions:

  1. Draw a 2 inch circle onto heavy paper, for your pattern and cut it out. It might help to draw a 1 inch opening mark on your pattern to remind you to leave an area open.
  2. Sewing Pattern Weights
     

  3. Sandwich your 4 inch squares so that the stretchy fabrics are on the outside, the woven shirt fabric square on the inside. Pin your circle pattern near the middle and zig-zag around outside it, remembering to leave about an inch unstitched for filling.
  4. Sewing Pattern Weights
     

    Advertisement

  5. Tuck the tip of a funnel (or paper shaped into a funnel ) into the opening (picking either side of the fabric square sandwiched inside) and empty the whole packet of BB's into it. Be careful to just let a few at a time roll in so that the funnel tip won't get clogged.
  6. Zig-zag the opening closed, and continue stitching all the way around the circle again for stability. Make sure you have the BB's on the top side here as you stitch, they'll stretch the fabric upwards and the bottom layers will lay flat so you get a smoother rounded circle. (If you'd not put the stabilizing woven fabric inside, you'd have a floppy mess at this point.)
  7. Sewing Pattern Weights
     

    Advertisement

  8. Using your pinking shears, cut outside the stitching, through all layers at once, all the way around the circle.
  9. There. You're all done. Since I'm a sewer and made my own set of about a dozen just for myself, I used any old bits of leftover fabrics and thread, never minding the colors really.

    If you're making these for a friend, use whatever pretty colors they might like. If you sew with fleece, you can get creative and make these shaped like a flower. Simply cut petal shapes freehand as you're cutting around the circle at the end. They're not quite as good as the stretchy swimsuit type fabric, but they will work.

*Note: The reason for using swimsuit type stretch fabric, is that it holds its shape better while holding the weight of the BB's, letting them roll and distribute evenly. The "shirt fabric" inside provides just enough stability to keep it from stretching too much. If you're using fleece scraps, you may not need the extra fabric square inside.

Advertisement

Do start with a square at least 2 inches larger than your pattern either way though, as it's much easier to guide under the sewing machine foot, and also makes it easier to put in the BB's and hold them there before stitching the opening shut. Trust me on this, I'm still picking up BB's from before figuring that out.

By Mary from Mountain Pine, AR

Read More Comments

More Solutions

This page contains the following solutions.


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 899 Posts
May 6, 2015

If you prefer to use pattern weights, instead of pinning, these yoyo pattern weights are an easy and fun option. They are also a great way to use up scrap fabric.

Yo Yo Pattern Weights

Read More...
Categories
Crafts SewingMarch 28, 2013
Pages
More
😎
Summer Ideas!
🌻
Gardening
🐛
Pest Control
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube
Instagram
Categories
Better LivingBudget & FinanceBusiness and LegalComputersConsumer AdviceCoronavirusCraftsEducationEntertainmentFood and RecipesHealth & BeautyHolidays and PartiesHome and GardenMake Your OwnOrganizingParentingPetsPhotosTravel and RecreationWeddings
Published by ThriftyFun.
Desktop Page | View Mobile
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Generated 2024-07-10 13:36:20 in 6 secs. ⛅️️
© 1997-2024 by Cumuli, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.thriftyfun.com/Making-Sewing-Pattern-Weights.html