Why I Stopped Marking Fabric with a Tracing Wheel

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much for watching! How do you personally mark your fabric? Do you use tailor’s tacks?

[@chantelmcskimming6633]

I've used chalk mostly but I think I will graduate to tailor tacks now that I have seen them in action!!

[@ReinaElizondo]

I tend to do a mix of techniques. I mostly start with pencil or chalk then thread trace through both pieces and connect the dots on the other side. Lately I've just thread traced the corners, flipped and lined up the pattern to the corners again to trace. I like the precision of tailors tacks, but I don't like having so many thread pieces all over and to throw away. I remove thread and reuse it for basting when I can since I have a lot of polyester thread and don't really want it in a landfill. (Though it'd be cool if there was an alternative disposal/recycle method.) I might consider using my older cotton thread on tailor's tacks when I start sewing wool, since it's thicker and maybe more squiggly.

[@VBirchwood]

@@chantelmcskimming6633 they’re far simpler than I thought they were maybe a year ago in the very early days of sewing!

[@VBirchwood]

@@ReinaElizondo thanks for sharing!! Thread recycling would be a really cool idea

[@emilyparker4316]

I have used chalk to draw my lines but am going to do this method it looks like it’s far better

[@P0nyl0ve]

My grandma taught me this technique when we were making one of my first ever sewing projects! I've barely used it since though, when my fabric is a light enough colour I mostly just use pencil lines. Lately I did use it again for a dark green cloak and it was far quicker and easier than I remember it being so I might be using it more in the future!

[@VBirchwood]

That’s such a nice memory to have attached to these! I find that any time one has to add seam allowance to a project, these work well as often the stitch line needs to be marked on both sides to match pieces.

[@eiszapfenkobold]

If you havent already, sometimes you can retrieve those needles with strong or magnet on a stick :) Like the thread marks too.

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks Coco! I’ll definitely get around to fishing them out at some point. I wonder if I’ll find any other treasures 😄

[@oldasyouromens]

I was taught to thread-mark with long tails. so like this, but without the clipping. I am going to keep doing it this way because I need a lot of durability and I still might lose important markings. But this is so simple, it's important to learn as I begin sewing again.

[@connie6690]

I use tailor's tacks but I learned to do them individually. I've never seen it done like a running stitch. What a time saver! Tx for this. My mother in law showed me years ago to use left over bits of dried bar soap instead of chalk.

[@VBirchwood]

That’s the way I’ve mostly seen them demonstrated as well, which just takes way too long for stitch lines on big garments like skirts, so when I discovered this method, I knew I needed to share it with everyone here. I’m glad it’s helpful!

[@charliner2954]

Im a professional sewer, and i learned this technique years ago, i use it on white fabrics, very fine cotton, linen or silk, i love what you're doing and i want to share my experience, so for the carbon paper you should use a board and fix the carbon paper on it with tape and you can find larger carbon paper ! at work we use the transfer paper for long sides like trousers, sleeves and skirts. It's time consuming to always use the tailor tacks technique, if i need to be very precise I choose this technique at first and after cutting the thread, i sew another thread to mark the line. And of course I'm using chalk and hard colored soap. I'm not using colored chalk anymore because after washing, like transfer paper, it can stay and you don't want it. Voila, that's what I wanted to say, and maybe you see it, I am not English, so sorry if you misunderstood my sentences

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much for your professional tips! 😊 and your English is great!

[@somewherenicefarmstay6146]

Thankyou, I was going to buy a tracing wheel today! Funny timing. I will use this method instead.

[@VBirchwood]

Very funny timing indeed! I feel bad for taking business away from any small tracing wheel companies. That would be an incredibly niche business 😂

[@raraavis7782]

Tailors tacks are definitely a life saver on wool fabrics and such. On thin fabrics, I prefer a marker (often a pencil) or chalk - not the least, because I had tailors tacks come out of the fabric while handling it as well. Happens easily with thin, smooth fabrics. Collars and darts and such aside, I only tend to mark the corners of seams anyway. German Burda patterns, which is what I used most of my life, come without seam allowance. It makes marking the seam line very easy, but you have to deal with the problem of creating a precise seam allowance in some other way, of course. But over the years, I've learned to cut a very accurate seam allowance by eye. Never had an issue with doing things like this - even on garments that need some precision, like blouses.

[@VBirchwood]

Very good point about the silkier/smoother fabrics not holding tailor’s tacks as well. I don’t work with sheer fabrics often, so it’s outside of my experience. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@saint-miscreant]

for adding an even seam allowance all round, try using a seam gauge!

[@castoputa]

I beg everyone I know who sews to do this! So useful and it pays back the time a million fold

[@VBirchwood]

Far more secure from what I’ve found! Makes it feel like marks won’t just disappear throughout the sewing process 😊

[@stevezytveld6585]

I mostly rely on chalk for marking. But I've been starting to use tailors tacks - little fiddly, yes. But I find it easier than trying to slide the chalked paper around without loosing my place. Lovely work. Thanks! - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much Cathy for sharing your preferred marking methods!

[@julieheath6335]

So much easier than the other methods I've seen! Thank you for sharing.

[@VBirchwood]

So glad it was helpful! 😊

[@evelyneca7454]

Very useful indeed! I loved seeing your floors as I too work on my old wooden floors (it's the only place I can properly spread out my fabric) and have lost many things in the gaps between the boards. As someone some years older than you I would give the advice to look after your back and be mindful of how long and in what positions you work. I'm always sore the day after I work and am in need of a worktable of some sort set to a safe height.

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you for that tip! I wear historical corsets under my historical clothing basically everyday and I find they help so, so much with keeping good posture whilst hand sewing and also reduce back pain tremendously. A work table set to a good height is so important! Something I too should use more 😅

[@samanthaschurter747]

Ooh! This is so helpful. I often have frustrations with chalk, and haven’t had an alternative way.

[@VBirchwood]

You’ll probably love this method then! Chalk marks disappearing can be so frustrating.

[@amberg6115]

Wow this is a really interesting way to mark fabrics! I usually just use a hecking ton of pins to mark out the vague shape of things and pencil in the rest 😅. Very informative video Lady V!

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you Amber! 😊

[@gildedgitta]

Oh V, this would have been so helpful a few weeks ago! I have been struggling endlessly with my wool wrapper's disappearing lines and I just kept... redrawing them? Definitely giving this a try on my next project, as I have no markings left to do on my wrapper. Btw, completely understand the burnout - take your time to get excited for your new project before starting anything big again, its so much nicer to stitch when you are excited. Your technical videos are also incredibly helpful - you taught me the English stitch, and that has made my work so much faster (I really despise felling because it hurts my hands, and being able to mainly skip it thanks to English stitch has been magical!) :) Thank you for your lovely and soothing videos as always, they have kept me good company while sewing my very first 1840s project!

[@VBirchwood]

Oh no!! I should’ve picked up on the need for this video intuitively a few weeks ago! 😂 I guess the Berry Dress was consuming my instinct hahaha. So wonderful to hear that these videos have been helpful for you and thanks for understanding about the slight burn out! I think it’s inevitable with a platform like KZbin, but it’s about I think having a plan in place to rebound and recover once it does get to that point.

[@gildedgitta]

@@VBirchwood Haha, its plenty in time for my next project so no worries! Honestly I worry about all youtubers burning out because I know the pressure to create is great, so please take care of yourself ♡

[@VBirchwood]

@@gildedgitta thanks so much 😊 KZbin can be a strange ride sometimes haha

[@FlavorsandTextures]

Excellent demostration

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you!

[@piccalillipit9211]

*COINCIDENCE* I first used tailors tacks for a waistcoat with a lapel and collar last week... I noticed my accuracy with chalk lines was not good enough for garments with a lapel - its in the sightline and you can easily see a 3mm difference between the left and right sides.

[@VBirchwood]

That’s awesome! They’re definitely super precise which comes in handy.

[@Ellaodi]

For specialty fabrics or strange darts i use the ladder stitch to trace and create darts perfectly, but on cottons i honestly use crayola washable supertips in as close a color as i can. When using white one white or sheer fabrics i threadtrace darts with contrast color just outside the actual dart, so theyre easy to remove and reduces dart puckering

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for sharing your methods Laura!

[@Miniver765]

This is a fantastic tip! I'm thrilled I never need bother with carbon paper again! Thank you so much! A magnet tied to a string should get those pins out from between the cracks in your floorboards for you. A cheap toy magnet. They probably even sell them in the £ Shop.

[@VBirchwood]

That’s wonderful to hear! These tailor’s tacks are so satisfying to create as well, especially snipping all the little threads😊 Thanks for that tip! I’ll fish them out soon and hope to find some other metal treasures haha

[@chantelmcskimming6633]

Thank you!! Great demo 😊

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you 😊

[@camille.c]

I often use tailor's tacks to mark match-up points (notches), and when I cut 2 layers and want to transfer my marks (which is rare... I like to tetris and live dangerously when it comes to yardage). For darts, however, I like to simply draw them then run stitches across the width of the dart from side to side, and when pulled taut it effectively bastes the dart closed! With most things I use a waxy white tailor's chalk, especially on long seams. Occasionally I just use pen/pencil on the wrong side because hey, it's the inside, I might need a precise line, and if I'm not sewing silk or something sheer... Granted, this fits my process because I have hand tremors and prefer to mark my patterns net so I have stitching lines to follow. But I know many people use commercial patterns which already have seam allowances marked and tailor's tacks will not be so widely applicable there... Funnily enough I have never tried carbon paper and a tracing wheel, it just seemed like an unnecessary expense to me.

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for sharing your process! The ladder stitches type trick with darts is such a wonderfully useful one. It makes creating them so much more straightforward. I think I bought the tracing wheel initially because I wanted to be able to see my stitch line on the wrong side of the fabric when working with a no seam allowance added pattern piece, since adding your own is generally never going to be super accurate unless everything is measured carefully. So the tracing wheel was great for that but these tailor’s tacks take care of both pieces in one go which is just brilliant. It’s lovely to see how many different ways there are to go about marking fabric.

[@pmclaughlin4111]

N.b. tailors tacks can also be felt as well as seen... I tend to thread multiple needles for hand projects all at once and as I finish with each one, I leave the excess thread in the needle and use them up for tailors tacks...It may take 4-6 needles for a seam but then less snipping Embroidery floss works well for tacks in some fabrics

[@VBirchwood]

That’s a very good point! Thanks 😊

[@chelseaf.3352]

I never understood the purpose of a tracing wheel... whenever I used mine it just didn't leave a mark! But watching your video I realize you actually have to have paper underneath it? What a revelation! Even if you no longer use a tracing wheel I'm about to pull mine out of the stash!

[@VBirchwood]

Yeah! The carbon copy paper goes underneath and that leaves the marks from the pressure of the spikes of the wheel when it rolls ☺️

[@Kayla_P99]

Chalk and I, we don't get along. I am fairly new at sewing and also came to it by way of embroidery so that explains a lot of my marking techniques . I like pencil (wooden is better than mechanical) but I have also used fabric markers and sharpie in the past (they have a purpose for couching stitches) I will also fold the seam allowance and pin it or mark patern points with pins. This looks like an elevated technique to my baste-the-general-shape in really old thread that I use sometimes too so will definitely try sometime

[@VBirchwood]

I hope this technique comes in handy! I’ll often do chalk first and then this and it seems to work like a charm in tandem 🥰

[@davidblum7125]

The tracing wheel was one of my favorite tools in my mom’s sewing table. It’s great if you stretch your hand as tight as you can and run the wheel across your palm.

[@VBirchwood]

It definitely works super well for some people! I was just getting very frustrated with personally and needed something a little more definitive, especially with wool 😊

[@davidblum7125]

@@VBirchwood it’s been more years than I’d care to remember, but I don’t think I ever saw her use it.

[@VBirchwood]

Ah very interesting!

[@TheRozylass]

My grandfather, a Norwegian trained tailor, taught my mother to use tailor's tacks and she taught me. I've never used anything else, although I've never waxed the thread. I use up old polyester thread in a contrasting color.

[@katwitanruna]

Well done! I also hate tracing wheels. I tend to use fabric markers for darts but rarely mark anything else. For instance, seam allowance is in my head, primarily as most of the garments I made when I began sewing were made by using an extant garment and then cutting the seam allowance out from the edge of the garment.

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much Kat! It makes perfect sense you’d have a clearly defined stitch line when working with extants. It’s fascinating to see all the different processes everyone here has 😊

[@katwitanruna]

@@VBirchwood Thanks! And you did an excellent job of showing how to do this method of marking. I do like it since it’s one that will stay if you have to put a project away to come back to later.

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks!! I love as well that it takes care of marking both pieces in one go, and honestly snipping all the threads is quite satisfying 😄

[@Eo-bo6sf]

Thank you! This was very helpful

[@VBirchwood]

Glad it was useful! 😊

[@lindalopez928]

Great tip! I've been doing something like this with straight pins, but I think your method may be less prickly lol!

[@gloamishvonsatyrburg4635]

Good content...presented clearly

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you!

[@karenboyd6293]

I use a tracing wheel to make a stitch look on cards. I aslo use a very pointy one to copy an article of clothing, I want to make. I like your tailor tack idea. I think a curved needle would be helpful.

[@carolinemaluca]

Wow thank you for this V!!! It’s brilliant! 🤩

[@VBirchwood]

Glad you like it! 😊

[@heroandflor]

Tracing wheels are more useful for transferring lines unto paper (the lines from a mockup draped on a dress form) to a paper pattern, rather than fabric, unless the wheel is very sharp. Tailor's tacks are amazing and accurate.

[@VBirchwood]

Yes! I can definitely see them being very useful for that. I don’t do a lot of draping myself yet (soon though) so it’ll be nice to use the wheel for that purpose instead. Thanks 😊

[@SimpleDesertRose]

Now see this is proof that even a novice sewer like yourself can teach someone with years of experience something new. I struggled marking the boning channels on my stays from Red Threaded. The paper I got with my tracing wheel was pretty small. About the size of a greeting card. I practically tore apart my pattern trying to get all those boning channels marked. Even then they were all over the place from the paper shifting so much. I have 3 quick skirts to sew up this week then I plan to start my mock up for my corded corset. I'm going to try this method to help mark where all the boning channels are supposed to be. 😉

[@VBirchwood]

Yay that’s so awesome! I never know if my more “how to” content is going to appeal to all skill levels, as it’s mainly targeting for beginners, but it’s great to learn it taught you something new even though you’re very experienced 😊

[@SimpleDesertRose]

@@VBirchwood that's exactly what someone told me back when it was a novice myself. There is always something someone can teach somebody. Always keep an open mind when it comes to sewing. You never know what you will learn. Might I suggest something a little less complicated for your next project to help keep your from burn out? Maybe a simple blouse or a very basic skirt? Anyways great video see you next week.

[@VBirchwood]

@@SimpleDesertRose Thank you 😊 the next two projects are super simple, and then I'll just be sewing some things for myself until a bigger filmed project in Spring

[@watsonmelon6575]

I tend to use tailor tacks, but I only began using them when they were called for by a pattern. I also use chalk when needed

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you for sharing Watson Melon 😊

[@LisasEnchantedLife]

I once ruined my mother’s dining room table with a tracing wheel 😳 Never use it on a good dining room table. Lesson learned. 😅

[@VBirchwood]

Hahaha oh no!! 😂 what a funny memory to have attached to the tracing wheel though

[@chtitmog]

This such a good tip!! Thank you so much for sharing. I learned a lot watching your videos - you do an amazing work and it is showing through your channel. Random question: are you an ambidextrous? Or was the image mirrored? You don’t have to answer but I am always amazed when I see people using both their hands equally - such a great talent to have. 😀

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much NoRa! I am indeed ambidextrous, at least for sewing. For writing, I can only use left, and for scissors and chopping I can only use right. For sports I can generally use both hands (like tennis) but being able to use both hands for sewing has been a saving grace for long hours.

[@pamwatterson3845]

Don’t get rid of your tracing wheel. I’ve used it for over 25 years to add the look of stitching to handmade cards.

[@VBirchwood]

I have them tucked away in a box 😊This is a great use for them, thanks!

[@skirtedgalleons]

Excellent, yes, I like tailors tacks, too.

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you!! They’re wonderful little things 😊

[@naekcm]

So your still useing chalf to transfer the lines from pattern to start with?

[@Annacoolman]

This was my thought too. Was she marking them twice? Once from the pattern and then again with a tracking wheel (now tailors tack). I don’t see how this is necessary to do it twice. (I get the tailors tack for chalk rubbing off purposes. But that doesn’t explain the originally use of the tracing wheel). Is this method for transferring from one marked pattern piece to its mirror image? Maybe someone can explain.

[@vitorg.delduque367]

Awesome! Thanks

[@mmarionette_]

I sew with rayon fabric, the carbon paper won’t transfer at all, thank you for sharing this method ❤️

[@VBirchwood]

My pleasure! So glad this'll work better for you!

[@jadegreen1554]

No way I’ll ever stop using a tracing wheel. It’s the most wonderful thing.

[@emilyparker4316]

i will try this for sure

[@VBirchwood]

Happy sewing!!

[@jadegreen1554]

How do you get markings off a pattern?

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

I mark my fabric with pins,or whatever is handy, like pattern weights. But, mostly, I lay out an extant garment & cut around it (I don't do fancy stuff these days)

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for sharing Catherine!

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@VBirchwood you are welcome 🙂

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

If you ever do use the reading wheel again, would it help any to go in line with the grain? I have heard that a very strong magnet on a stick is excellent for picking up stray pins

[@VBirchwood]

It may help but not all patterns are on grain unfortunately (like sleeves). I also wasn’t too cognisant of the grain in the videos I shot because i was just showing it off for demonstration and didn’t think too much about the grain, whoops 😂 I was too concentrated on camera focus haha

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@VBirchwood Hahaha Ah Yes, of course Your process videos have shown how thoughtfully methodical you are in your actual process I had wondered how exactly the wheels worked. What a labor-intensive process

[@VBirchwood]

@@catherinejustcatherine1778 thank you!! it is 😅

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@VBirchwood I appreciate the confirmation. I am so lazy that I sew most if my garments together with large running stitches

[@VBirchwood]

It works and that’s really all that matters haha 😊

[@sherrillsturm7240]

I learend the technique with a double stich, not a single one. You sew through both fabrics twice in the same spot instead of once. It was assumed a double threading would result in fewer pull outs. This does, however, nearly double the time requied.

[@Namiyasi]

Oh I didn't know that existed, I will try it to make my stay. Psdt: I already had finished my first shift 🎉🎉🎉. Psdt: happy new year 🎊

[@VBirchwood]

Oooo that's so amazing! Great job and happy continued sewing 😊 Happy New Year 💕

[@jeansmith1934]

I have never marked fashion fabric with a wheel, but you would never use a spiky wheel such as the one you were using. You would use a smooth wheel with dressmaker's tracing paper. A smooth wheel with tracing paper is for muslin, a spiky wheel is for transfer markings from muslin to paper when one is revising a pattern.

[@cziegle3794]

Yay top 376 and top 87 likes and comments. Love this channel

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you 😊

[@bowenarrows7819]

I usually use chalk or a pencil or pen, but once I start sewing bigger or more refined projects, I'll probably go the thread marking route

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for sharing your preferred methods 😊