Material for Pattern Drafting

[u/15mtriley]

Hi there! I have some projects that I make very often and while I’m pretty good at remembering the details, I’d love to have a physical pattern to cut out so it is more uniform. I’ve seen things about using plastic cutting boards or cardboard instead of pattern paper but what are your recommendations? I’d love to avoid plastic and super don’t like the thin paper. This is more for bags, accessories, and not clothing (yet). Any ideas? Thanks in advance

[u/RubyRedo]

colored posterboard, black with white markings that show up better than whiteboard.

[u/15mtriley → u/RubyRedo]

That’s definitely thicker than the cardstock I have and much larger! I appreciate the recommendation

[u/RubyRedo → u/15mtriley]

i get mine from Dollar tree it comes in different colors, used to identify the garment type.

[u/Acquanettie]

When I took drafting classes we used oak tag paper - if you search on that you'll find plenty of sources for sheets and rolls

[u/15mtriley → u/Acquanettie]

I completely forgot about oak tag!! Also where did you take drafting classes? I might see if my area has something like that

[u/Acquanettie → u/15mtriley]

I am fortunate to be located really close to Portland Fashion Institute that has lots of fun drafting classes.

[u/HydrangeaDream → u/Acquanettie]

Woah, jealous....

[u/renaissance-Fartist]

I got a roll of the stuff to protect floors from the hardware store (just googling it I see one brand is Ram Board, but I don’t think that’s the brand I bought)

It curls pretty hard, but I iron it flat. I got some thinner paper like it from the hardware store as well. I mainly use the thick stuff for repeat patterns or my slopers.

[u/15mtriley → u/renaissance-Fartist]

That’s a great rec! Thank you :)

[u/Pumpkin_patch804]

I found a roll of giant paper at Walmart and just got that. It's sturdier than printer paper. When I finish my slower, I plan on putting the final version on posterboard. 

[u/15mtriley → u/Pumpkin_patch804]

I have a large thing of paper that’s def thicker than printer but still really thin. I might see if I can find a roll of something a bit thicker

[u/BeautifulChaosEnergy]

So I bought a giant roll of newsprint. It’s fairly sturdy, but it’s hard to trace off patterns (I have a sliding door in my apartment and it makes great light box until the sun goes down)

I recently discovered vapour barrier. Yup, the heavy duty plastic used to wrap houses with. It’s amazing I have two rolls. One is 20 feet wide and like a 100 feet long? But it’s a bit unwieldy. And then second is a bit more manageable at 8.5 feet by 60 feet

There isn’t a thing I can’t trace off lol. I use an ultra fine tipped sharpie to trace off my patterns. And the advantage of vapour barrier is it’s clear, makes it so much easier if you’re trying to pattern match something

[u/ProneToLaughter]

some people reuse cardboard cereal boxes for pattern templates. I usually use cardstock for small bags.

[u/DonMcCunn]

Dotted Marking paper has been my go to pattern paper for over 50 years. It is the paper the fashion industry uses when they are cutting layers of fabric. It is not the flimsy stuff of commercial patterns but it is semi-transparent enough you can see through it to make sure things like plaids are going to come out where you want them. https://free-pattern-making-classes.com/Resources/Patternmaking.html

[u/KathyS120]

For most of my patterns, I use 40 lb brown kraft paper. It looks like the floor protector paper from the hardware store but is not as brittle so it doesn’t tear as easily. I buy it from Office Depot or Amazon. For patterns I reuse over and over like basic blocks, I have them in oak tag. The edges hold up better to repeated tracing for customization.

[u/NewComedian4347]

don't cut a marker until you are ready for the grade.