The Sewing Place

Tracing Wheel

Lolli

Tracing Wheel
« on: March 29, 2018, 10:36:18 AM »
Could one of these be my new best friend?

Adding pattern markings to fabric I can do with just pins and chalk/erasable pen when it's just dots or CF and pleats etc but I discovered that very long lines like pin tucks was a struggle. In fact the only reason I managed it was because I could see the pattern through the lycra so basically traced the long lines onto the fabric.
Would a tracing wheel be a good investment for that sort of thing? If so are some better than others?

Francesca

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2018, 10:50:56 AM »
Hmm, not sure if I'm not understanding or not. But I don't think a tracing wheel will help.

Tracing wheels are usually used with carbon paper to trace other patterns onto the paper by making indents into the carbon paper and leaving the line.

If don't see how a tracing wheel could work on fabric, it wouldn't leave anything behind. You're better off using chalk and tailors tacks.

Lolli

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2018, 10:59:34 AM »
Oh!! Woops, I thought they were for putting pattern markings on fabric lol. Never mind, scrap that!

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2018, 11:04:33 AM »
You use a tracing wheel with dressmakers carbon to transfer paper pattern markings onto fabric. The dressmakers carbon comes in different colours and lasts for ages.

Just type in dressmakers tracing wheel and dressmakers carbon paper into amazon uk, and/or google and you should come up with a range of options. I have had my tracing wheel for a very long time (decades)in fact.  Mine is just the small metal wheel and a straight handle and it suits me fine. I do tend to buy burda carbon paper though (can't remember the last time I bought some though as it lasts a long time).

lizzy

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2018, 11:05:56 AM »
Oh!! Woops, I thought they were for putting pattern markings on fabric lol. Never mind, scrap that!

Francesca

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2018, 11:07:54 AM »
There are some that are serrated and more like pin pricks, but I believe they are still intended for marking holes onto paper. While feasibly the pin pricks might show up on a stable cotton or silk, they're not going to show up on lycra.

Rather than putting the fabric over the pattern, put the pattern on top. Use pattern weights to keep it in place. For something like the end point of a pintuck, make a small incision on the pattern paper at the end of the pintuck to allow you to do a tailor's tack into the fabric. Then make a small snip on the raw edge at the top of the pintuck and when the paper is removed you can draw a chalk line between snip and tailor's tack.

Alternatively, what I usually do is just slide my hand gently under the paper and stick a pin in the end point of the pintuck or other design feature. Usually you can et it pretty accurate and you can always lay the pattern paper back over the fabric to check the pin position is correct.

For toiles, I stab through the fabric with an awl. It leaves a bit of a tear/hole in the fabric but that doesn't bother me for a toile.

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2018, 11:29:24 AM »
I'm sorry Fran but I am going to have to disagree with you on this . Dressmakers tracing wheel and dressmakers carbon paper was brought out precisely for it to be used in transferring pattern markings onto fabric. The small serrated wheel is not as harsh on the carbon paper and fabric as the large spikes type ones.

The tracing wheel and dressmaking carbon paper shows up on most fabrics.

You put the carbon paper in between the paper pattern and the fabric face down, then use the tracing wheel to follow the pattern markings and that then means the markings are shown on the fabric.
lizzy
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 11:33:54 AM by Lizzy777 »

Francesca

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2018, 11:33:04 AM »
Oh that's interesting, maybe I've been using poor carbon paper but I've never found it left enough of a mark on fabric to be useful or accurate. I tried the Burda paper. I always thought it was for tracing off new patterns onto other papers.

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2018, 11:34:58 AM »
Oh that's interesting, maybe I've been using poor carbon paper but I've never found it left enough of a mark on fabric to be useful or accurate. I tried the Burda paper. I always thought it was for tracing off new patterns onto other papers.

I wonder whether it is the way you lay your carbon paper that would  explain it perhaps? I tend to use yellow for lighter coloured fabrics and red or blue for darker fabrics. There is a better carbon paper than burda, I just can't remember the name of it and not sure if it is still available. I know I wrote a bit about this not he Sewing forums t the time as there was a thread running on this subject.

Let me see if I can find the one that is a better one.

lizzy
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 11:38:30 AM by Lizzy777 »

Francesca

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2018, 11:36:37 AM »
Possibly, it was a long time ago when I was still doing stuff on the carpet due to no table space. Nowadays I just trace all patterns onto new paper, punch holes and do tailor's tacks.

I also found the carbon paper incredibly expensive, you get something like three sheets in a packet and it's barely enough for two dresses.

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2018, 11:40:27 AM »
You reuse the carbon paper time and time again? You don't just use it for one project? I'll try and find my spare and send you a sheet to try. You do need to use your tracing wheel and carbon paper on a hard surface though. It wouldn't work on a carpet.

lizzy

Francesca

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2018, 11:43:04 AM »
Perhaps that's my problem then. I had no hard surface to work on so the lines weren't strong.

As for using it more than once, doesn't the carbon transfer onto the fabric and is then no longer on the sheet? Do you have to use the same piece for smaller and smaller pattern pieces to get them not to touch the lines else there will be no transference?

Lolli, I was given a nice Prym tracing wheel that I will never use, if you would like it. It's not one of the pin-prick ones it's just flat edged.

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2018, 11:47:59 AM »
Perhaps that's my problem then. I had no hard surface to work on so the lines weren't strong.

As for using it more than once, doesn't the carbon transfer onto the fabric and is then no longer on the sheet? Do you have to use the same piece for smaller and smaller pattern pieces to get them not to touch the lines else there will be no transference? No, not really because you are mostly doing lines and the carbon only comes off the line you are doing,They are very thin lines too. So you can use the carbon paper lots of times.I have some carbon paper from over 10 years ago and its still usable. I do use tailors tacks sometimes, depending on the project but find it quicker and faster to use carbon paper.

Lolli, I was given a nice Prym tracing wheel that I will never use, if you would like it. It's not one of the pin-prick ones it's just flat edged.That's a really nice offer for Lolli
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 11:49:38 AM by Lizzy777 »

Lolli

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2018, 12:05:53 PM »
Lolli, I was given a nice Prym tracing wheel that I will never use, if you would like it. It's not one of the pin-prick ones it's just flat edged.

Ah that would be great, thank you so much! Really lovely of you x

I was going to make the point that if I marked top and bottom of the pin tuck, on this particular pattern I wouldn't be able to just draw the line inbetween because it's on a curve.....a princess seam shape. Well an experienced person might but I'm not so.....

Lizzy777

Re: Tracing Wheel
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2018, 12:06:19 PM »
 " I always thought it was for tracing off new patterns onto other papers."

I don't trace off commercial sewing patterns, never found a need to do that. But if I wanted too , then I would use the plain tracing paper to do so as shown on the link below, as this would give me a more accurate copy.

https://www.morplan.com/shop/en/morplan/tracing-paper

If I am making a pattern from a block then I would use plain tracing paper to copy off the block (the block being on manilla card (off a roll).

https://www.morplan.com/shop/en/morplan/pattern-manilla-cards

I just saw something interesting, which backs you up too Fran. On the link I posted above (manila Card one) they are showing a small inset pic to the bottom right of the page. They are using a very spiked wheel to transfer from paper onto card without the need for any carbon paper. They do that as it will leave a deep indentation on the card. Mostly it is helpful when having a pattern on paper (not commercial paper patterns printed on tissue paper, as they would tear too quickly) that you want to transfer onto card. I forgot about that use. The tracing wheel for pattern to fabric should really be a small serrated one that doesn't rip the tissue paper.

lizzy