Shadow Cutting

I know you're thinking "What the heck is she talking about?" What is Shadow Cutting? That's my term for cutting out a multi-sized pattern on fabric and preserving the tissue pattern. I do like the multi-sized patterns because it gives me the flexibility I need when I spend the money for a pattern (especially for children's patterns). And they can get expensive nowadays unless you can pick them up on sale.

So exactly what do I mean? If the pattern has several sizes in it, and they are layered over each other, then I usually want to maintain the integrity of the pattern pieces (the Master Pattern). And I really don't want to trace each piece onto tissue paper, either, because that takes time that is usually in short supply. Here's how I do it:

First, after measuring and determining which size (or sizes) I need to use I pin my pattern pieces onto the fabric and place the pins inside the seam lines of the size I'm cutting out (in this case a boy's size Small).

I fold back any places like the hemlines,




or blended lines, in this case the side of the shirt front.

Then the real fun begins following along a curved line...the Shadow Cutting. I use the fingers of my left hand to follow along on the pattern piece, pressing it down slightly as I cut with the shears in my right hand. I can see through the tissue paper when it's pressed down by my left hand. It takes a little practice, and occasionally I have to trim a little after the initial cutting.

This technique, born of necessity, saves my patterns in tact so I can use the other included sizes later on. Here's the result from one of the curves on a shirt for my grandson. I nailed this one! Shadow Cutting is a great way to save your patterns, save time and make your sewing and stitching life a little easier!