Here's another of my favorite sewing tools, which I've had for 30+ years. Yeah, it's definitely old... just look at the price marked on it, a whopping $1.98! You sure couldn't buy one (or much of anything else, either) for that now! In fact, they don't even make these anymore. I did a little searching yesterday, and you can still find them. Etsy has had them, listed as vintage, of course, but I didn't see any available right now. However, eBay has quite a few of them, in case you might want to get one for yourself or as a unique gift for a sewer on your Christmas list.
(Click to enlarge.)
It is, as the title indicates, for transferring pattern markings onto fabric. There are various colored carbon papers that come with the Tack-It, and you choose one that will contrast with your fabric color, so the markings will show up well. Then you slip the carbon paper, colored side toward fabric, under your pattern onto wherever you need to mark.
In this next photo, I have my two fabric pieces right sides together, so I've put the paper so the marks will be on the wrong sides, and I'm marking both sides at once. I then slip the Tack-It tool on the outsides of the paper and pattern piece so the marking part is right over what I want to mark, then just give that little knob a whack! (I think my kids used to call it "the banger" or something like that.)
It beats the old-fashioned taylor's tacks (which I happened to find a recent demo for yesterday) or tracing wheels, and it works better than trying to hold your pattern piece in place while you lift it to mark under it with a pen or something. Here's a picture of the marks it left where those notches were:
It marked both sides at once - yay! So that's how it works.
I'll be posting at least one more favorite tool sometime next week, so do come back if you're interested in sewing tools!
Now you can tell what kind of fabric I'm currently working on. It's not Jess's this time. Well, it IS Jess's fabric, but she didn't design it. ;) I'll show you when I'm finished!
10 comments:
I have never heard of cutting matt cleaner and I have never figured out a good way to make marks on patterns on my fabrics. Usually I just use a pin to mark a spot, and hope I remember that spot when I get to it! May be my #1 reason to not like sewing with patterns.
Now I'll have to consider your handy dandy tool!
I recently found some old sewing gems. But I'm thinking of displaying them in a shadow box frame. Maybe I'd better rethink their usefulness!
Yeah, maybe you'd better! They don't make 'em like they used to!
This is so cool. I have never seen this before! It looks very handy. I'm thinking of marking things for curved piecing. What do you think?
I plead ignorance on that, Cindy, since I'm not a quilter! ;)
that's fantastic!
I had one of those inherited from my Mother in Law and I don't know what happened to it. I miss it every time I mark a pattern..Wonder why nobody makes them anymore?
I have one!!! It is wonderful because it does not damage the tissue paper pattern. Yes, it is vintage. I used one in high school Home Ec classes and purchased one for myself in 1973 for yes $1.98. If you sew, you need to get one while you still can for whatever price they are now. You won't be sorry.
Where can I get the tack it tool that you show
Rose... read my first paragraph. I haven’t done any checking since I wrote the post.
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