kaelynangelfoot

Centering Your Pattern

I thought I'd throw this up here, a quick tutorial on how I get my pattern pieces centered and properly placed.

1. Fold your background square in half horizontally and press the fold lightly with an iron to crease (red line). Open and fold the other way and repeat. You should now have a "plus sign" of creases.
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2. Now do the same along both diagonals.

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3. You should now have a"star" of creases. I highlighted them in red to make them easier to see.

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4. Working with one quadrant at a time, layer a pieces of dressmaker's tracing paper under your pattern. The red lines show the center creases. Your pattern should be square with these lines.

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5. Firmly trace over your pattern with a blunt instrument (you do not want to poke holes in the pattern and get ink onto your block). I'm using a blunted colored pencil. The chalk on the tracing paper will be transferred to you fabric. Repeat in other three quadrants to get a complete tracing. It is hard to see on camera, but the red trace is quite obvious in person.

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6. Place your applique pieces according to the pattern instructions, using the creases and traced pattern to align and center your applique.

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