Should I keep using tissue paper patterns or should I get a PDF pattern printed on hard material?
Hello, I have a mccalls m6973 mens tank top pattern at home
https://simplicity.com/mccalls/m6973
This is a tissue paper pattern, and it's fine it's just hard to work with, I have to painstakingly pin the tissue paper to the fabric one pin at a time, then cut with either siccors or a rotary cutter.
That's not even mentioning the paper loves to tear, I have to constantly tape it back up with scotch tape, it never folds right, it constantly crinkles into a big mess, it never wants to go back into the envelope that it came out of, it's just all around frustrating to work with.
However, I took a class from quality sewing a vacuum in Tacoma Washington, and I used their rotary cutter and fabric cutting table.
I some how got the idea that I could print out a new mens tank top, PDF pattern, using some kind of thick cardboard or chip board like material, and use that to cut out this mens tank top pattern at home.
I have been working on making a cutting space at home, and I was able to duct tape two folding tables together to make a 48x48 cutting space, and I ordered a 48x36 self healing cutting mat which is in the mail.
I figured that if I was able to get a PDF pattern of a mens tank top, and find a commercial printer company, I might be able to print out the exact pattern pieces using some kind of hard card board, wood, or chip board material, meaning that my patterns won't tears, bend, fold or fray.
On a different thread,
https://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/sewingclasses/board.pl?t=133103
A person named DTsewingstories
introduced me to this free pattern from thread theory
https://threadtheory.ca/collections/pdf-sewing-patterns/products/arrowsmith
And this is A PDF pattern that I can download for free (after I give them all my information)
Now I am in Tacoma Washington, and I took a class from ryliss bod, and I asked her about my idea for printing patterns out in the way that I would like.
She informed me that the best place to print out sewing patterns near me, is a place called ARC document solutions, in downtown Tacoma.
I called them up and they said they do have experience printing sewing patterns, and that they can print anything I want, 40 inches wide by 300 inches long.
I asked them if they could print the pattern on some kind of hard material to make it easier for me to cut out my patterns and they said that they could and that I would cost more.
So I wanted to ask does anyone have experience doing this?
If so I have a couple of questions.
1_in your experience, is it better to get a PDF pattern printed out on a hard material rather then using the tissue paper patterns?
2_what hard, stiff material did you use to print out the pattern? How does it hold up? Is it ling lasting and doesn't fray or bend or fold?
3_how much did you pay?
4_how long does it take to print? were you able to give the printing company the PDF file the same day and come back and pick it up? Or did you need to come back tomorrow? Or was it so fast you literally just waited right there in the store and took it home?
5_can you just print out the PDF file straight onto the hard material? or do you need to print it out on some kind of paper, cut it out with siccors, then go back and have scanned then copied to the hard material? What exactly is the process?
6_Or should I just not bother with all of this and just stick with my tissue paper pattern?
Thank you