Pattern weights
Definition
Pattern weights are small, heavy objects placed on a paper pattern to hold it flat on the fabric while you trace or cut, instead of pinning.
Pins lift and shift fabric slightly every time they go in, and they slow you down. Weights hold the pattern without piercing the fabric, which makes them faster for long garment pieces and kinder to delicate, slippery or easily marked fabrics such as silk, satin, leather and vinyl, where pin holes would show.
Place weights along the edges of each piece, close to the line you are about to cut, and move them as you go. They pair naturally with a rotary cutter and cutting mat, but work with scissors too if you cut without lifting the fabric much.
Commercial weights are often flat discs or small bean-bag shapes. Homemade ones work equally well:
- Large metal washers, alone or wrapped in fabric.
- Small tins, smooth stones or full jars.
- Fabric pouches filled with rice, lentils or plastic pellets.
What matters is that they are heavy enough to keep the pattern flat, have flat bottoms and have no sharp edges that could snag fabric.
Weights are also handy for holding a tiled PDF pattern while you tape its pages, and for keeping pattern paper still while you trace a size with a tracing wheel. On very slippery fabric, add a few pins at key points, such as along the grainline, in addition to the weights.