1. Make your templates from sturdy material. I use old x-ray sheets that have been cleaned with bleach and hot water. You can also buy template plastic at a quilting shop. Sturdy templates give a much more accurate result when tracing on to fabric, and you can use them many times over without wearing them out.
2. When tracing pattern templates on to dark coloured fabric, a metallic gel pen works really well.
3. Darts and small parts. My panda has many darts. With small bears I often don't cut out the darts, I just pinch and sew them. Cutting out darts can weaken the structure of the fabric. On the other hand, this bear is not so small and has dense fur. Not cutting out the darts might make the seams chunky. Sewing in those eye patches is going to be a challenge. Another option would be not to cut the white part, and to ladder stitch the black patches on to the right side of the fabric.
5. Pandas are chubby creatures. When selecting a pattern for a panda, choose one that has many darts, this gives roundness in all the right places. Now that the darts on the side head and gusset are sewn, one can already see that the cheeks will be nice and fat, and the top of the head domed.
This was a good spurt of activity. Maybe tomorrow I have a finished head to show you.
Thank you - you are never too old to learn something new. I remember my first bear I made. It was from light fabric and I used a purple koki pen to draw the outline. Made it in the heat of December and the fur had purple marks it., due to my hands perspiring and causing the ink to run.
ReplyDeleteHa ha Carol. My first tracing pen was the blue office ballpoint variety. The ink is oily and slowly insinuates itself into your skin and the fabric. After a while everything looks grubby. I don't think gel pens had been invented back then...
Deletefantastic work Megan. Cant wait to see more x
ReplyDeleteFirst gusset sailed into the dustbin. Head now has the shape I had in mind. Stuffing already.
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