How to Sew Tailor’s Tacks and Thread Tracing
If you’re sewing with a textured fabric, and need to transfer pattern markings, you may find that regular marking tools such as chalk pencils and erasable pens don’t show up. Or, perhaps you’re working with a delicate fabric, and are anxious that tools like this could leave a permanent mark. There is another option: temporary thread markings.
Tailor’s tacks and thread tracing are simple hand-sewing techniques that let you transfer pattern markings onto fabric using thread. Both techniques are temporary, so you can remove the threads once you’ve used the markings.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to sew tailor’s tacks for small markings such as button positions, and how to use thread tracing for longer lines such as pocket or zip stitching lines.
What are tailor’s tacks?
Tailor’s tacks are loose thread markings used to transfer small, specific points from your paper pattern to your fabric. They’re handy for markings such as button positions and welt pocket placements.
What is thread tracing?
Thread tracing are similar to tailor’s tacks, but instead of marking small points, you sew along a longer line to transfer it to the fabric.
When should you use tailor’s tacks or thread tracing?
Tailor’s tacks and thread tracing are good options for transferring pattern markings on fabrics where your usual marking tools don’t show up well, or when you’d rather not risk leaving a permanent mark. These include:
- Textured materials such as wool coating, velvet or bouclé, where chalk pencils and erasable pens don’t show up
- Delicate fabrics such as silk, satin, and chiffon, where other marking tools may stain the fabric or bleed across it
- Open weave fabrics such as lace and netting, that could get snagged by pressing down with regular marking tools
As a general guide:
- Use tailor’s tacks for small, specific markings such as button positions
- Use thread tracing for longer lines, such as pleats or welt pocket stitching lines
What you’ll need
- Your fabric and paper pattern
- A hand sewing needle
- Contrast colour thread that shows clearly against your fabric – cotton thread is more likely to stay in place, but regular polyester sewing thread will work fine too.
How to sew a tailor’s tack
Step 1: Stitch through the marking
Thread your needle with contrast thread, and pull the thread through until both ends are the same length, so you’re working with two strands of thread. Don’t knot the ends.
With the pattern piece pinned securely to your fabric, insert your needle through the pattern marking, through all layers of the pattern and fabric.
Take two stitches through the marking, leaving a loose loop of thread between them. The loop can be around 5–7cm (2–3in) long. It doesn’t need to be exact – the important thing is that it’s loose enough to remain in place when you separate the pattern from the fabric.
Step 2: Snip the threads
Snip the threads, including the top of each loop, so that you have loose thread ends on both sides of the fabric.
You now have a temporary thread marking.
Step 3: Remove the pattern
When you’re ready to remove the paper pattern, carefully peel it away from the fabric so that the threads stay in position, making sure you don’t pull the tailor’s tacks out with the pattern.
Once you’ve used the marking and no longer need it, you can simply remove the threads from the fabric.
How to sew thread tracing
The process is similar, but instead of making a single small marking, you sew along the whole line.
One thing to bear in mind is that thread tracing will look neater – and thus more useable as a marking – on the side of the fabric that’s facing the pattern piece. So make sure the side your pattern instructions tell you to mark is pinned to the pattern piece.
Step 1: Sew along the line
Thread your needle in contrast thread, and pull the thread through until both ends are the same length, so you’re working with two strands of thread. Don’t knot the ends.
With your pattern piece pinned in place, sew along the pattern marking. Make your stitches around 1–2cm (3/8-3/4in) apart. Leave large loops between each stitch on the upper side, pulling the thread close to the fabric on the underside.
Step 2: Clip the loops
Once you’ve sewn along the entire line, carefully clip the top of each large loop on the upper side.
This separates the thread so that you can remove the paper pattern while leaving the thread marking in place on your fabric.
Step 3: Peel Away the Pattern
Peel the paper pattern away from the fabric, being careful not to pull out the threads.
You should now have a clear thread marking on the underside of the fabric, showing you exactly where the line needs to be.
As with tailor’s tacks, you can remove the thread once you’ve used the marking.
Watch the video tutorial on sewing tailor’s tacks and thread tracing:
And that’s how to sew tailor’s tacks and thread tracing! These simple techniques take a little longer than drawing a line with a fabric marker, but they’re a really useful skill to have in your sewing toolkit – especially when you’re working with tricky fabrics.
Want to learn more about working with wool coating? Check out my online workshop Learn to Sew a Lined Jacket.
