Quick Tip - Masking Tape to Mark Notches

I've tried all manner of marking notches and dots and other pattern markings. When working with knits and many wovens, I'll either use tailor tacks or little snips in the seam allowances to mark things. But those aren't always useful when working with sweater knits, certain coating fabrics or fleece. I've tried using WhiteOut in the seam allowances. But the WhiteOut gets gunked up easily with fibres, and it dries out quickly once the fibres get in the bottle. Plus, you can't use it on the body of the fabric. So instead, I found a great solution. Cut small notches out of masking tape and use those to mark the fabric. You can use the masking tape in the seamlines, and you can also use it in the body of the garment. It's precise, it stays, and it comes off easily. You can also use painter's tape, which is even easier to remove. I have also tried PostIt notes, but I found that they come off too easily. So I stick with (ha ha - get it?) masking tape.

Seamline Notches

 

One other thing - when marking the point of a dart I cut a little arrow shaped piece of tape and have the tip of the arrow point at the end of the dart, as you can see here:

Dart Legs and Point

I sew the dart with the point of the dart coming right up to the point of the arrow, so I know exactly where to stop.

Sewn Dart

Remove the tape (it tears easily away from your thread if you sew through it) and you're done.

Happy sewing!