The best pattern paper depends on what you do with it. Swedish tracing paper and lightweight non-fusible interfacing can be pinned, sewn and reused, so they suit patterns you fit and alter; medical exam paper and kraft paper are cheap and wide for tracing and drafting; freezer paper irons onto fabric for small pieces; and plain 80 gsm printer paper is what tiled PDFs come out on and is fine to cut directly. For a home sewist tracing patterns to keep, medical exam paper is the best value and Swedish tracing paper the most pleasant to work with.
| Paper | Width | Translucent | Pins and sews | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish tracing paper | 74 cm (29 in) rolls | Yes | Pins and sews; can be worn as a test | High | Fitting and altering patterns |
| Medical exam paper | 53 cm (21 in) rolls | Yes | Pins; tears easily | Low | Tracing patterns to keep |
| Freezer paper | 45 cm (18 in) rolls | Semi | Irons onto fabric temporarily | Low | Small pieces, children's patterns, appliqué |
| Dot-and-cross paper | 90 to 150 cm (36 to 60 in) | Yes | Pins | Medium | Drafting; keeping the grainline square |
| Kraft (brown) paper | 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in) | No | Pins | Low | Master patterns and blocks |
| Manila card | 100 cm (40 in) | No | Trace around it | Medium | Blocks traced many times |
| Baking parchment | 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) | Yes | Pins | Low | Small pieces in a pinch |
| Non-fusible interfacing | 90 cm (36 in) | Yes | Pins and sews; washable | Medium | Patterns reused often |
| Printer paper, 80 gsm | A4 or Letter | No | Pins | Low | Tiled PDF patterns, cut directly |
| Painter's plastic sheeting | Wide | Yes | Pins; never tears | Low | Patterns rolled and reused outdoors or by children |
What makes a good pattern paper?
Five things: it is translucent enough to trace through, wide enough for a trouser leg or a skirt panel without joins (most pattern pieces fit within 60 cm, 24 in), it takes pencil and a tracing wheel, it holds a pin without tearing, and it stays flat in storage without shrinking or curling with humidity. No paper scores on all five, which is why most sewists keep two: a cheap roll for tracing and a tougher one for the patterns that earn a permanent place.
Which paper is best for tracing a pattern to keep?
Medical exam paper, sold in long rolls for doctors' couches, is the usual answer. It is thin, translucent, cheap and 53 cm (21 in) wide, which covers almost every piece. Its drawbacks are that it tears at pin holes, creases permanently and takes pencil better than pen. Trace with a soft pencil, store rolled or folded once, and retrace when a piece wears out.
Swedish tracing paper is a nonwoven, more like a very light interfacing than paper. It drapes, pins without tearing, takes pen and pencil, and can be sewn into a quick fitting shell: trace the bodice, sew the darts and seams through the paper with a long stitch, and try it on. It costs several times more than medical paper, so keep it for toiles and alterations rather than every trace. Whether to trace at all or cut the printed pattern directly is weighed in trace or cut a sewing pattern?.
Which paper is best for drafting and blocks?
Dot-and-cross paper carries a regular grid of dots and crosses that keep the grainline and right angles honest while you draft; it is the paper of pattern-cutting classrooms. Kraft paper is opaque, tough and cheap, and suits the master copy of a pattern block you will trace from for years. Manila card is stiffer again: you draw around it with a pencil or chalk rather than pinning, which is exactly what you want for a block traced twenty times, and it stores hanging from a hole punched in the corner.
Which paper is best for small pieces and children's patterns?
Freezer paper has a plastic coating on one side. Lay the shiny side on the fabric and press with a dry iron: it sticks temporarily, holds the piece flat while you cut around it, and peels off without residue. It is ideal for small pattern pieces, collars, pockets, appliqué and children's clothes, and it can be reused several times. The roll is only 45 cm (18 in) wide, so large pieces need a taped join, and it is semi-opaque, so trace from a printed pattern by placing it on a window or a light box.
Baking parchment is cheap, translucent and in every kitchen, which makes it useful in a pinch: it takes pencil, pins and tape. But rolls are narrow, it curls, and it does not store flat, so treat it as a one-off.
Which paper lasts for patterns you reuse constantly?
Lightweight non-fusible interfacing (sew-in, about 30 gsm) is the toughest option after plastic: pinned a hundred times, it still has no holes, it folds without creasing, and you can even wash it. It is translucent enough to trace through and 90 cm (36 in) wide. The cost sits between medical and Swedish paper. Painter's plastic sheeting never tears, is wide and cheap, and can be wiped clean, but it is slippery to cut around and marker ink smudges; it is the choice of some sewists who cut on the floor, and of parents whose children help.
Do you need special paper for PDF patterns?
No. A tiled PDF prints on ordinary 80 gsm (20 lb) printer paper, A4 or Letter, and once the pages are taped you can cut the pieces out directly, since reprinting another copy costs a few pages. How to assemble a tiled PDF pattern shows the trimming and taping order. Trace only when the pattern has nested sizes you want to keep, or when you will alter it heavily.
Made-to-measure patterns change the calculation again: a Sewly pattern is redrawn from your measurements whenever they change, and the plain rectangles are given as cutting dimensions instead of printed pages, so the paper is a consumable and the master lives in your account. Tape the pages, cut, sew, recycle, reprint.
How should you store traced patterns?
Fold medical paper and printer paper patterns into A4 or Letter envelopes, roll Swedish paper and interfacing loosely, and hang card blocks. Label every piece with the pattern, the size, the date and the alterations before it goes away; how to store PDF sewing patterns covers the labelling and the digital side.
Which should you choose?
- You trace most patterns and sew often: a roll of medical exam paper for tracing, and a small roll of Swedish tracing paper for fitting.
- You alter patterns a lot or sew toiles: Swedish tracing paper, or non-fusible interfacing for the patterns you keep.
- You draft your own blocks: dot-and-cross paper for the drafting, kraft or manila card for the finished block.
- You sew mostly from PDFs: printer paper; cut the taped sheets directly and reprint when needed.
- You sew children's clothes or small accessories: freezer paper, pressed onto the fabric.
- You cut on the floor or with children: plastic sheeting.