Pattern Preservation: Contact Paper

When I find a sewing pattern that I can tell I'm going to love and that I'll want to use repeatedly, I like to preserve the pattern for future reuse.  When I have a pattern that's just printed out on paper, it works fine for a single use, but the paper is bendy, it doesn't give a good edge for tracing onto fabric, and it just doesn't hold up well over time.  There are several methods I use for making patterns more sturdy and helping them to last longer.  Today I'm going to talk about using clear Con-Tact paper.  With this method, you're basically laminating your pattern pieces, but it works great because you can cover larger pieces than you might be able to fit through a home laminator.

Some of the benefits of preserving with Con-Tact paper are that you are actually using your original patterns, all of the markings and things are clearly visible, it's sturdy and long-lasting, and it's pretty inexpensive. Also, if you have any sensory issues with paper, it's nice to have them covered in plastic.

You'll only need a few supplies:
*Your printed pattern
*Scotch tape (if your pattern has pieces that need to be taped together)
*A pen
*Scissors that are paper safe (not your good fabric scissors!)
*A roll of clear Con-Tact paper
*An old credit card or gift card

You'll want to start off by roughly cutting out your pattern pieces and taping any bits together that need to be taped.  You don't need to be very careful cutting out the pieces at this stage.  You'll be cutting them more precisely once you get them covered in the plastic.

At this point, I like to label all of my pieces with any pertinent information.  For example, I like to write on each piece the name of the designer or shop, the size of the particular piece, and label any markings like darts or points that need to match up.  I really appreciate it when designers include that information on the pieces, but that's often not the case.  It's important to me to add the information to each piece so that they don't get mixed up with other patterns or sizes.  I also like to use a colored pen for this, because the color coordinating helps me to keep the pieces organized in my mind.  (If I have 3 sizes of the same pattern, I'll use maybe all green ink for 0-6 month pieces, orange for 6-12 month, etc.)  Some patterns, like this one, actually come with colored markings, but my printer will only do black and white.  So colored pens are a good solution for me for organization.

Once the pieces are cut, taped, and labeled, I'll start peeling back the paper backing from the plastic on the Con-Tact paper, with the sticky side facing up.  Most of the time the roll of plastic likes to curl itself back up, so I'll have to put some kind of a weight on the roll to keep it from curling back up while I peel back the paper.  Once the paper has been peeled back, this isn't usually a problem any more with the bare plastic.  I try to only expose as much of the sticky surface as I need to fit all of the pattern pieces onto.
 

Then I'll put the rough-cut pieces face-up on the sticky side of the plastic, positioning them close together without overlapping them.  Con-Tact paper is one of those things I'm weird about not wanting to waste, so I do try to play Tetris with the pieces a little, and then I smooth the pieces with my hand a bit to prevent wrinkles.
 

Once I get the pattern pieces onto the sticky side of the plastic, I'll pull away a little more of the protective sheet on the roll, then fold it over so that now the sticky side is coming in contact with the right side of the pattern pieces. (So, sticky side down now.)  I'll then slowly and carefully peel back the sheeting as I press and smooth the plastic to the right side of the pattern pieces.  This covers both sides of the pieces with the Con-Tact paper.  It's important to go slowly here and just expose a little bit of that sticky side at a time, because once the sticky surface comes in contact with the markings on the pattern and the other sticky surface of the plastic, there's no turning back.
 

Once you've got the plastic covering both sides of pattern pieces, you can cut off the rest of the roll of Con-Tact paper to use for another project.  (I like to leave a little more paper than plastic on the roll so that it's easier to peel back next time.)  Now you'll notice that there are probably some bubbles and/or wrinkles in the plastic. Use the edge of your credit card to press and smooth out any bubbles and wrinkles. 

Do the same on both sides of the pattern pieces.  If you have any stubborn bubbles that don't want to smooth out, you can just prick the center of the bubble with a pin, and push the air out the little hole.  Smoothing the plastic out with the credit card will also help to really adhere the plastic to the patterns, so that the plastic doesn't start to peel back with future use.
 

Now you can carefully cut out the laminated pattern pieces along the lines.

And that's it! You now have a set of nicely marked and preserved pattern pieces that you can use again and again.  I love the feel of patterns that are covered in Con-Tact paper.  Because I'm weird.  More importantly, I love that the plastic gives the patterns a nice rigid edge that I can trace against, without compromising the integrity of the sizing. And I can wipe away any marks that I accidentally get on the pattern during tracing, with a damp cloth.  Also because I'm weird and like my patterns to stay pretty looking.