Do you like tracing your sewing patterns to preserve the original copy for future projects?
Do you regularly make adjustments to sewing patterns like bust adjustments, shoulder adjustments or neckline adjustments?
Do you like to make a practise toile of your garment project or tissue fit patterns before cutting into your precious fabric?
If this sounds familiar, you’ll be delighted to discover how our Patterntrace Swedish Tracing Paper can make your sewing journey smoother and more enjoyable.
See the benefits of this brilliant paper up close in the video below and read on for more inspiration and tips!
Let’s begin with what makes this paper truly special. Manufactured here in the UK, it’s made from sustainable abaca fibres (harvested from banana trees), giving it a brilliant balance of sturdiness and lightness.
It’s semi-transparent too, which means you can clearly see and trace your original pattern lines—whether you’re working with a shop-bought tissue, a printed PDF, or an old favourite you’ve lovingly used again and again. Because the fibres are so long, it’s less likely to tear while pinning or marking, so you can really get stuck in without worrying about damaging anything.
One of the biggest advantages of this tracing paper is how it helps you preserve your original pattern. If you love tweaking your dressmaking patterns—whether that’s narrowing the shoulders, lengthening the sleeves, or blending between sizes for a perfectly tailored fit.
By tracing each piece first, you can highlight your chosen lines with coloured pens or pencils, so you always know exactly which size or variation you’re dealing with. And if you decide to come back later to sew that same garment in a different size (or do even more tweaks!), you’ll have your untouched original neatly tucked away.
Another brilliant feature is that Patterntrace Swedish Tracing Paper is sturdy enough for sewing mock-ups or toiles on a sewing machine—an absolute game-changer if you’re testing a brand-new pattern or worried about fit before cutting into your precious, and often pricey, fabric.
With Patterntrace, you can simply stitch the traced pieces together to see how the garment drapes and fits. It’s more wallet-friendly than calico, and you can jot down any adjustments directly onto the paper—no fiddling about transferring markings back to your pattern pieces later. If you do need to unpick, just be a bit gentler than you might be with fabric, and you’ll be absolutely fine.
Now, not everyone sticks to strictly commercial patterns. If you like to draft your own designs—maybe by hacking an existing pattern or starting from scratch—this paper is a dream. You can layer it over blocks, slopers, or drafts, easily adjusting lines and measurements as you go. It’s translucent enough to see what you’re working on underneath, and it handles erasing and redrawing surprisingly well. It means you can be more adventurous with pattern-making without worrying you’ll tear the paper mid-design.
For those of you who love a good print or stripe, pattern matching can be so much simpler when you can see through the paper. I like to lay my traced piece directly over the fabric to check how stripes or motifs align—particularly important when you want a stripe to run evenly across a seam or a lovely floral motif placed just so.
And if you’re adding seam allowances or style lines, try using different coloured pens. It makes the process so much clearer and keeps everything nicely organised.
Once you’ve finished, don’t forget to label each traced piece with the garment name, pattern brand (if relevant), size, and date. Trust me, it’s well worth those few extra seconds! When you have a growing collection of patterns, those quick notes will save you loads of time later.
Storing your patterns in our storage envelopes is a great idea, especially if you've done multiple variations. That way, everything’s neat, tidy, and ready for the next time inspiration strikes.
If you’re worried about how to store your traced pieces long-term, a quick press with a medium, dry iron will flatten out any creases. Just avoid using steam if possible, as the moisture can weaken the fibres.
And because the paper is biodegradable, you’re choosing a more eco-friendly solution than continuously reprinting PDFs or buying new tissue every time you change sizes. It’s a small but meaningful step towards cutting down waste in our lovely hobby.
When you’re ready to trace, I recommend using pins or pattern weights to hold everything in place. If your base pattern is especially delicate, pattern weights can be gentler than pins, but either method works well.
And if you’re grading between sizes, you’ll love being able to see each size line clearly—no more confusion over which line belongs to which size. Then, once your Patterntrace is ready, simply pin it to your fabric and cut. Job done!
We offer two widths: a 1 metre (39 inches) wide roll—available in 10m or 50m lengths—and a 70cm (27.5 inches) wide roll, available in a 20m length. If you’re brand new to Patterntrace, why not try our taster pack? It contains 1.5 metres of the 1-metre-wide paper, which is just right for a first test project. So many of our customers love having a smaller piece on hand to experiment with before buying a bigger roll.
I hope this has sparked some fresh ideas for your next make. After all, sewing is meant to be fun, creative, and inspiring—never a source of stress.
Thanks so much for reading! If you’ve got any questions or simply want to share your own experiences, please get in touch by emailing us hello@patterntrace.com.
Until next time, happy sewing, and here’s to garments that fit like a dream!
