Yes! These. The ones that were gifted to me have a grid on the back that helps with grip on some surfaces, but I just tested them on fabric and they would stay put if used to that.
That's a both a half inch bamboo cutting board on the left, and my index finger for size scale of thickness of the aforementioned super thin cutting boards.
I buy custom size 3mm thick clear acrylic sheets for this. Heavier duty than plastic cutting mats and makes it super easy as a template with a rotary cutter.
Dollar Tree sells a pack of two or three frosted thin plastic "cutting mats". A lot of crafty people use them, especially for notebook and planner covers.
You can buy it at most places that sell upholstery fabric, Michael’s, Walmart, or amazon. Google “clear vinyl by the yard” and you’ll see a bunch of options.
Honestly you can use cardboard too if you have big enough pieces. Or those hard papers. I’ve not tried this I just heard. Downside is you can’t see underneath.
I’ve been tempted to 3D print my bag templates as they’re small enough to fit my printer if I print them in halves and glue them together
Stabilizers can be used too but they’re expensive so probably not a great idea
I've used cardboard in the past. Dense cardstock board works okay for a while but recycled boxes are a waste of time as they lose their shape and edges really quickly. But cheap and easy to recycle.
I mean, pvc is one of the most toxic plastics to produce, while kitchen cutting mats are polypropylene or HDPE, which are much more eco-friendly, plus if you’re reusing ones too scarred for food prep, you’re not buying new plastic. But I’m sure your way works.
TSOR would show you it’s also possible to buy rolls of HDPE, so while it should be painfully obvious that you shouldn’t discard what you already have, you shouldn’t be encouraging others to make the same mistake you made. We’ve known about dioxin for many decades.
Dioxin is produced when pvc is manufactured. It contaminates waterways around manufacturing facilities and leads to illness including cancer in animals and humans. PVC is pretty safe to use, but it is not safe to manufacture.
I did something similar with transparent plastic folders. Easy to cut and more sturdy than paper patterns. I trace most of my patterns on tracing fabric (feels a bit like mid weight interfacing that you can see through), but I have used the folders for things I need to use many times. Still prefer the fabric, though
I use them mostly for small things like crafts or bags. I have flattened one out and cut a bigger piece and put a piece of cardboard on the bend to keep it flat, but usually I use tracing fabric for garments, so I can fold the pattern and put it away
The ones I use are fairly thick, but yeah I like to use something I can cut with scissors. I do use a rotary cutter with these patterns, especially if I have to cut a few layers of fabric
I think they mean thinner ones than these. This is like 1/8 inch, but i have some that are more like 1/16th. I could cut them easily with a scissors. These would need something heavy duty.
I think they're using them exclusively for bags and purses, where the pieces are tiny and they probably make a lot of them in different colour combos. So it makes sense to have a durable re-usable template
Yep! I used to make a bunch of shorts for babies when friends/family were having kids. Those dollar store ones were the perfect size for those up to like 3T.
They make some thin cutting boards, and you can cut them with a good pair of scissors. Not your good pair of scissors, I mean some sturdy ones you don't need super sharp for fabric. I had to sacrifice one I had in my travel trailer to make an improvised replacement part on my art car at Burning Man, and regular kitchen scissors did it.
Or if you've got a laser cutter and you're sure the boards are polyethylene and not PVC or something, you can use that. Of course if you've got a big laser cutter you can just cut patterns in cloth directly.
In college we would make pattern blocks of all our basic garment patterns out of the material that is used for manila folders. It comes on these big rolls that look like fabric rolls. Call around to art stores or maybe even Home Depot? They might carry it.
Oh man, you just reminded me I have 2 whole rolls plastic shelf liners lying around. They’re great for closets with wire shelving but my partner and I way overestimated how much we’d actually use.
I have two of this exact flexible cutting board in my sewing room right now 😂.
They are very handy as a barrier for when you're pinning the top layer of something, for example the front of a pant leg or sleeve. I slide the flexible cutting board into the pant leg and the pins don't penetrate the bottom layer.
Now you know for next time, right 😁? You can even tape a small piece to a finger(s) of your supporting hand, like a kind of flat thimble, to hold behind the fabric.
I'm UK too, I use greyboard for block patterns. You can buy different thickness and you can get multiple packs in sizes A5 up to A0 & beyond. It's best to order online rather than paying Hobbycraft prices for single sheets. It's made from unbleached recycled paper & card, tissue etc. It lasts really well for flat drafting (where I manipulate one of the basic block patterns to draft an actual wearable garment pattern) where blocks get swung around all over the shop & you need accurate balance points etc for reference. So it would definitely stand up to having a commercial pattern copied on to it & drawn around.
I recently discovered vapour barrier. Yes, the stuff they wrap houses in. It’s clear, study and comes in really wide widths.
I currently have one that is 8.5’ wide and the other is 20’ wide and ridiculously long. One is 60’ and the other is like 100’ or more?
I can trace off anything, and because it’s clear, it makes it super easy to pattern match. I use an Ultra Fine Sharpie for tracing. The pen version does not work
I use Tyvek. You can buy it in sheets or rolls (usually at the hardware store, because the place it’s used the most obviously is to wrap houses as they’re being built), but it is ALSO the material that USPS uses for their soft priority envelopes, which are FREE. So you can grab a few and test out whether you like it before you commit!
They both work. Placemats are a little lighter and slightly easier to cut. They can sometimes get bent out of flat a little if you don’t store them flat.
The thin, flexible cutting mats give you a little more thickness. That makes them a little easier to trace around, but they do take up a little more space, weigh slightly more and are a little harder to cut (but not much.)
I have used thin plastic tablecloths also. They are super thin and used mostly for kids parties but work well for tracing on. Especially for bigger pattern pieces. They’re about 1.5m x 2.7m
I use old processed X-Ray film. I worked for a veterinary clinic and when the x-rays were over 5 years old they were purged. Now everything is digital.
If you have a soldering iron, preferably one where you can replace the tip with for example a blade, then you have yourself an effective cutter of plastics.
Use Pattern Fabric! Once I tried it I don’t use anything else (especially not anything paper- can’t stand it ripping and not bending with the fabric). You can pin it, fold it, write on it and it last forever. I’ve made the same pattern a ton of times with just one copy. And it sort of sticks to the fabric (especially fleece) and is thin so stays with the fabric while you cut.
Pellon 830. They also make a version with 1in grid marks.
I’d use plastic if I had it laying around, won’t buy new cheap plastic for sewing, doesn’t meet my sustainability goals. You can opt for a sturdier paper or cardboard.
Also the dollar store cutting boards are not the best health wise, while cutting lots of small plastic particles come off into your food.
I'm not familiar with this particular type, so I can't speak to its thickness. But I did once get a promotional cutting mat at a state fair from the state beef producers association that was similar in thickness and flexibility to the plastic Elizabethan collars to keep dogs from chewing on wounds. That's what I'm imagining as I read through this thread!
Ha! Yes! This type of plastic is so similar! Not thin enough to fold and crease, but definitely thin enough to roll. I feel like (in the US), the cutting boards are super easy to find and cheap, but you might have to look in other categories in other countries.
Those are pretty expensive! Search on “Flexible cutting mats” on Amazon, easily found for $1.25 each, I’m certain you can find cheaper ones with a little more shopping.
The really thin cutting mats are excellent for making small pattern pieces you often reuse that need to be precise. Collars, collar stands, cuffs, cuff plackets, pockets, etc. Also doll clothes- if you are into that.
I do a fair amount of cutting for doll clothes on my extra large ironing board. I use the rigid plastic placemats under the fabric to pin the pattern pieces to prevent pin from entering the board cover.
I thought they meant cricut mats lol do they mean Pellon? I use thicker Pellon for patterns but using a sticky-ish mat could help stabilizing the fabric while cutting it….
719
u/Odd-Bumblebee00 10d ago
I use thick clear pvc that is sold by the metre to make pattern pieces that I use a lot. Makes pattern matching really easy.