Using Washi tape when sewing

Help keep track of the front and back, left sleeve and right sleeve etc by writing the name of the piece onto washi tape and sticking it onto your fabric. Because washi tape doesn’t leave behind any residue and isn’t as sticky as Sellotape it’s easy to apply and to remove.
If you have issues with you pattern pieces shifting whilst you are cutting out, or don’t have pins or pattern weights to hand simple use washi tape to hold them into place whilst you cut out.
You can stick a strip of washi tape to your needle plate along the seam allowance line you need for your project. It’s much more visible, and means you don’t have to keep checking you are lining your fabric up with the correct line.
As you’ll see in this blog post I use Washi tape to hold my pattern pieces together when I’m drafting patterns with Patterntrace. Patterntrace can be sewn together too but washi tape allows me to attach pieces quickly, and to play around with the placement. You can also stick together the patterns you’ve traced with Patterntrace.
If you for example have a 6.5 inch quilting ruler but regularly find yourself cutting 5 inch squares use washi tape along the 5 inch lines to make it quicker and easier to line up your fabric for cutting.
Although our new pattern storage envelopes come with a peel and seal closure we prefer to use washi tape on those we’ll be opening frequently.
Instead of pinning up a hem, use washi tape to mark the line you need. This is particularly useful when measuring the hem on children’s clothing as this eliminates the risk of pin pricks.
You can’t use pins when sewing with vinyl because it leaves permanent holes in the vinyl. So washi tape is ideal for holding vinyl into place whilst you sew it. Again the lack of residue left behind is a real advantage as it won’t leave your vinyl sticky. For a vinyl project check out our Spoolpod case tutorial(shown above).
If you are planning to do straight line quilting rather than marking your fabric with pens or chalk why not stick washi tape on it instead and sew along the edge? Simply peel off when you are finished.
View our new washi tape section here.