Before I do a follow up post to my "ditch the pins" blog post with tips on how to actually ditch the pins when sewing, I thought I'd backup for a second and spend a little time talking about the all important notch.
Notches can be a bit perplexing for some and seemingly unimportant for others. Back in the day when I was teaching pattern drafting and construction, notches weren't even registering for my budding fashion pattern drafters. If I had a dollar for every time I asked "Where are your notches?" I'd be a rich woman! 😉
So what exactly is a notch and why am I obsessed with them?
Think of notches as these two things:
✔️Notches are essential at helping you put your garment together. Think of your garment pieces as puzzle pieces. The notches are your guides in how to put/match that puzzle together. If you've ever had a garment that didn't hang quite right, pulled in places and felt off on your body the odds are there were some overlooked and unmatched notches in the sewing process.
✔️ When it comes to the process of sewing, your notches also act as your guide posts. They will tell you when you've reached your waist, hip, knee or center front/back points. These notches never move on a pattern. Knowing this is key to sewing pinless.
Marking Your Notches:
Notches come in many styles. The little diamond markings, sometimes 2 diamonds together, and my favorite one; the little inseam slash line. The first 2 notch types are exclusive to the home sewing industry. The little inseam slash comes from the factory pattern. I'm a fan of the slash notch because it's quick to mark as you're cutting out your pattern and you can serge/overlock right past them without loosing the marking in the process.
PRO TIP: Regardless of how a notch is marked on a pattern, I always use the slash notch method. It's the quickest. If it's a triangle, or 2, I simply cut right past them and use the inseam slash in their place.👍
Ok, now that you know what the notch is all about and why it's important in the sewing process we can now step into the next post: How to Sew Without Pins.📍
I'm setting up the camera as you read this!📹
Happy Sewing!
~Joanna