How do I use a pattern?

[Mujician]

Hi,

   Having been a member of this forum for a while I'm sad to admit that I'm still somewhat of a noob at this. Having had a little girl I pretty much put everything apart from my job on hold. So now I'm back to it, I have bought a pattern to make wrist cuffs. I have no idea what to do with it however. When I was younger I remember my mum making clothes with a pattern but she would lay the sheet out over the top of the material and cut into both the pattern and the material. I don't wish to do this as I would like to keep the pattern for repeat use. So - how do I transfer the pattern design onto my leather so I can actually start to make something?!

[DpMaquilon]

I'm not sure what type of pattern you have or leather you are using but I usually use a scratch awl

[ByNelson]

Just lay it out on top of the back side, and trace around the edge with an awl or something that leaves a mark... 

put a picture of the pattern here if it’s difficult  so we can see what it’s all about...

Edited October 8, 2017 by ByNelson

[buzzardbait]

An overstitch wheel (stitching spacer) works well

[Mujician]

Sorry guys, I think you haven't understood what I asked. I am okay with the actual marking of the leather whether its with a scratch awl, or a feint pencil line etc etc. (I like the overstitch wheel idea!) But What I want to know is to to actually go about starting to mark it out. I have some film for tracing onto leather. Should I overlay this onto he pattern, copy it, and then impart it onto the leather like that? What concerns me is cutting out the pattern and simply drawing around it due to the flimsy nature of paper. and after a while of using it this way surely the paper will not retain a good edge meaning I have to buy the patter all over again which is what I want to avoid.

[Hasbeencowboy]

I am as green as a gourd when it comes to leather work but if you go to Tandy's site and look up their bag stiffener and watch that video, I think that will pretty much answer your question

[Mattsbagger]

Use card stock for your pattern paper or the flimsy place mats at the dollar store. Are you talking about clothes patterns? Or are you talking about tooling patterns? What are you making?

[alpha2]

If it's a tooling pattern, yes you would transfer it to the plastic tracing paper, then onto the leather with a small scriber. A pencil would work if it was sufficiently dull. If it's for cutting layout, I like the overstitch wheel. If you use a wide spaced wheel, it will mark the leather, but save the pattern.

[Stetson912]

If it's a wrist cuff I recommend copying it on a printer copier if you can. Then just use that as your pattern. You can spray tack the copy to poster board and cut it out and voila! A decent pattern with minimal effort. (3m 77 spray adhesive works well. Just a light spray) this also allows you to mark ant holes or stitching and hardware locations right on the pattern 

Alternatively, if you care to, take it in to a print shop where they can make copies of large documents and such. You now have the master copy that's untouched and a copy that doesn't have creases and folds in it. Probably wouldn't cost much either, then just tack to poster board and cut it out carefully. 

Otherwise, when I have a large pattern and I don't want to cut it out so I can preserve it, I very carefully trace it onto vellum or tracing paper that's been pieced together with tape. Then that can be glued to poster board and cut out. You have to be very careful and precise though, otherwise your pattern can lose accuracy. 

[jimmy eng]

Copy the pattern onto cardboard using a stitching wheel, retrace the markings with pencil then pen/markers and use that as the pattern. Check the measurements are correct though and check any parallel and right angled lines are true too. It's how dressmakers do it when using store bought patterns when they want a specific size, those patterns have a range of size laid on top of each other. Your mum would've known what size she wanted so cut through the pattern.

[retiredff]

On 10/8/2017 at 10:35 AM, alpha2 said:

If it's a tooling pattern, yes you would transfer it to the plastic tracing paper, then onto the leather with a small scriber. A pencil would work if it was sufficiently dull. If it's for cutting layout, I like the overstitch wheel. If you use a wide spaced wheel, it will mark the leather, but save the pattern.

Saw this on tube. To print out a tooling pattern and print it on tracing paper at the same time to reduce a step;

Use rubber cement or a light holding glue and attach the printer paper to the tracing paper for support, I suppose you could use heavy card stock as long as your printer will handle it but both pieces must be the same size or trimmed. Then print ON THE TRACING paper your pattern, separate the 2 papers and transfer your pattern to your cased leather the usual way with a stylus.