Advanced cutting layouts (part 1?)

(If you're new to cutting out patterns, see this post before you tackle what I write below!)

I'm working on making a favorite shirt of mine (Butterick 5390, hopefully more of a post to come...) and thanks to the shirt size and the fabric size, this was the cutting layout I was expected to use for the body of the shirt:

Whaaaaa?

As you can see, this is a partial fold layout (there is a single fold line but the selvages are not even), but with a lot of weird stuff going on.

The * next to pieces 5, 6, and 8 have the following footnote: "Cut piece only once. Cut other pieces first, allowing enough fabric to cut this piece. Open fabric, cut piece on a single layer."

So that's sort of minimally helpful. Here's how I got these pieces cut out.

The basics of cutting out a pattern

Cutting out your pattern is the first step towards having a nice finished piece, and like any first step, it's important that you get it right, otherwise you've wasted your money on that fabric! In your pattern's envelope will be the pattern pieces (generally these are printed on very lightweight paper, like an onionskin), and there will also be a couple of instruction pages (usually printed on newsprint).

Cutting out a pattern requires patience and a large, flat workspace. You will be working with huge pieces, and there will be lots of "adjusting" that will have to happen before you cut. Here's how you do it!

Instructions

Pattern Pieces

Take the instructions out and find page 1. This will have pictures of the various finished pieces that can be made from the the pattern, a listing of all of the pattern pieces that are in the envelope, general directions (for things like seam allowances), and the Cutting Layouts.

Fabric and You

So now that you've found the pattern you want to make, you're going to need to find the fabric to make it out of. Fabric shopping is one of my favorite parts of making a pattern because it's all about possibility and customization. For a first effort, I highly recommend sticking with light- to medium-weight cottons, as other fabrics will have peculiarities to them that will make them difficult for a novice to lay out, cut, and sew.

Note before continuing: On this blog, I will try to avoid using the term "Pattern" to describe the design or print on a bolt of fabric, and reserve the word "Pattern" to only mean the instructions and template for an item of clothing. So when I say "check the pattern," I mean the paper envelope with the clothing recipe you want to make, not the particular print of the fabric.

Purchasing a pattern

You can shop for a patterns online, or by going to a fabric store and finding the tables with the pattern catalogs and browsing for what you want. Patterns will have a number in the upper-right corner so that you can look them up, however, may patterns will have some indication if they are a Misses or Plus Size pattern (for example, Misses might have an "A" at the end, whereas Plus Sizes will have a "B" at the end) The pattern should clearly label its sizes on the front under the pattern number.

Getting your measurements
You're going to need to know your measurements going in. There's this handy guide to taking your body measurements, you'll want to have these written down somewhere before you go shopping, specifically your chest/bust, waist, and hip measurements, and then use the sizing chart on the back of the pattern to determine what version you need to look up.

If you're like me, you probably don't look like the model on the right, and you might find that your measurements don't quite line up right--your chest/bust line might be in one size, your waist in another, and then your hips in a third. For a simple sleeveless tunic, you basically want to size to either your chest or your waist, and then go with the larger size (If your chest is a L and your waist is a M, go with the L sizing). This isn't really a hard and fast rule, different patterns might require different allowances, and later on I hope to get into adjusting a pattern to fit your particular physique.

Basic sewing room setup

If you are setting up for a sewing project, you will want to have three discrete "stations" set up if possible:

1. Your sewing machine station. If you are sewing at long table (like a dining room table), make sure your sewing machine is set off to the right of the table, so that you can have the excess fabric laying on the table instead of dangling off the side, which will pull at your seams.
2. Your ironing station. Ironing board and iron. You will use this even more than the sewing machine, so put it in pleasant spot. I put mine in the sunroom.
3. Your cutting and assembling station. This is the "big, flat area" mentioned in the previous post. You  definitely need this for cutting-out, but if space is at a premium, you might be able to use some of your sewing machine station and/or ironing station for laying out and assembling after you've cut out your fabric.

Sewing: Basic Equipment

Sewing does require an investment of both time and money. Before you start on your first sewing project, you will want to make sure you have the following items: