On many printed cottons, the selvage edges are left white and unprinted.

This is especially important if you are working with stretchy, woven cotton.

This is best for woven fabrics, like cottons and linens. It will not work on densely-woven, knitted, or stretchy fabrics, including faux furs and velvet. If the fabric was cut unevenly, your thread may not hit the opposite selvage edge. If that happens, pull another thread out further away from the last one. Don’t worry if the thread breaks. Just find the broken end and continue pulling.

This is useful for knit and stretchy fabrics, such as jersey. It’s also a good technique to use on fake furs and other densely-woven fabrics, such as velvet. A square is a type of measuring device. It is shaped like a half-triangle, with a horizontal, vertical, and diagonal ruler.

Use fabric weights to hold the fabric in place while you cut it, especially if you’re using a thin fabric like silk. [5] X Expert Source Kpoene Kofi-BruceCouture Bridal Designer Expert Interview. 28 January 2021.

If the pattern is badly creased, iron it flat using a dry iron. This way, you won’t distort the pattern when cutting it.

If there is no pinning layout, use your best judgment to arrange the pieces. If your pattern has a straight edge and the word “FOLD” printed alongside it, align it with the folded edge of your fabric.

Be sure to trace all of the darts and notches as well. Tracing the pattern means that you’ll be cutting right along the fabric and won’t have to worry about accidentally cutting the paper and ruining your scissors.

If you are using fabric scissors, make sure that you glide the bottom blade through the fibers. You want to cut through the backing of the fur, not the fur itself.

You can find rotary cutters alongside the fabric scissors in a fabric store and a craft store. If the pattern keeps slipping, use paper clips or clothespins to secure it to the edges.

Don’t use a dress maker’s pen on the wet fabric, or it will bleed. You can try using a dressmaker’s chalk on the wet fabric, especially if it can be used wet, like a watercolor pencil.

You will need to be more fabric than the pattern calls for when working with prints, especially stripes. Keep the direction of the prints in mind. If your fabric has palm trees on it, make sure that they are right-side-up!

If you forgot to record the washing, drying, and ironing instructions, look the fabric type (i.
e.
cotton, chiffon, wool, etc. ) online.

You can disregard this step if you are cutting fabric for an item without seams, such as curtains.

You don’t need to pre-wash muslin if you are using it for fitting or drafting. You don’t need to pre-wash fabric that’s already been preshrunk. The bolt should say whether or not the fabric has been preshrunk. Take the fabric out of the washer/dryer right after it’s done washing/drying. This will reduce wrinkles.