affordable oak tag

Oak tag, also known as tagboard or manila paper, is commonly

used in commercial settings as the pattern paper of choice --

none of this flimsy mimsy stuff you get in pattern envelopes

for home sewing. As it is thick (think cardstock), it's durable and

is therefore easily used for cutting a pattern multiple times.

 

As I mentioned earlier, oak tag patterns are traced onto fabric

(and removed) before cutting happens, whereas patterns on

tissue paper are usually pinned on and cut around directly. This

tracing method keeps the pattern accurate by protecting it from

scissor nicks, wiggly lines caused by pin creases, and the like.

Oak tag is expensive paper, though, and hard to find.

It is often sold on the roll (for $300!) or by the yard (still

expensive at $4.75 a yard). However, I recently discovered

150 lb. manila board at art supply retailers for much less.

It comes in sheets from 9"x12" to 22"x30". This may not

be particularly useful for large items of clothing, like pants or

dresses, but I suspect it will work just fine for bagmaking.

All that said, I just received my first box of oak tag from

Dick Blick. At $21.50 for 100 sheets, it's a steal!

 

 

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further pattern development

 

I spent a good bit of time last year developing a diaper clutch pattern

that would work well for cloth diapers. In the current stage of

development, I finalized my paper patterns and did another run

as a gift for a friend who recently had a baby. As you can see, I also

figured out how to rivet leather for the handle. How fun is that?

The interior of this bag has a zip pocket for keys and the like,

not a built-in wet bag. Turns out if the wet bag is internal,

the whole clutch has to be washed on a regular basis.

Instead, I included a couple of separate wet bags which can

be easily laundered and also clip onto the bag handle if desired.

I guess now it's time to sew one up for the ol' etsy shop!

 

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