Free Tutorial - Easy Pattern Weights

These pattern weights are sooooooooo easy to make. Seriously. Each one takes less than five minutes. Dig into your fabric scraps and make a big batch of them for a sewing friend. This fabric (of course - to match the rest of my sewing room - is designed by Ed Emberley for Cloud 9 Fabrics.

I've tried a lot of different styles of pattern weights and these are, hands-down, my favorite. The pyramid shape makes them really easy to grab, and they're super heavy. My secret ingredient is aquarium gravel. I actually weighed all kinds of possible fillers to see which one weighed the most by volume. Gravel weighed more than twice as much as the next closest option!

This is so easy it doesn't merit a printable PDF. We're going to just jump right in. Ready?

Cut a piece of fabric 6 1/2 inches wide x 3 1/2 inches tall.

Fold it so the right sides are together. Sew across the short ends using 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Turn the little tube right side out. Flatten it so the seam is running up one side. Sew across one end using 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Using contrasting thread is fun. :-)

Fill it with 3 tablespoons of aquarium gravel. Flatten it this time so the seam is running up the center. Sew across the end using 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Careful not to spill the gravel while you're getting it under the presser foot. :-)

Trim up the edges using pinking shears. Not too close to the seam

Done!

If you're making these for a friend, 6-10 is a nice quantity. That's enough to hold down just about any pattern.

These are really handy for more than just cutting patterns. I especially love using them for holding down the corners of freezer paper when I'm tracing applique designs.

These are the easy peasy pattern weights. Come back Friday for a much fancier (and totally different but still functional) design.

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi