Pattern Tracing Paper ~ What works best?

Unless you are a rebel when it comes to sewing, most likely you have used some sort of material to trace your sewing patterns.  If you are like me, you want to find one that works well and is economical to boot.  So which pattern tracing paper works best? Continue reading for a list of pros and cons of the top 3 tracing paper types most sewers use.

From Left to Right: Freezer Paper, Swedish Tracing Paper, Medical Exam Table Paper

Let's weigh out the pros and cons. Here is a lineup of all three in a completed traced and cut pattern.

From Left to Right: Freezer Paper, Medical Exam Table Paper, Swedish Tracing Paper

First up: Freezer Paper

Pros:

• Not very expensive $5.76 for the box which is 33 yards x 18 inches wide or about $0.17 a yard
• Can write on it easily
• Pencil erases on it
• Thicker paper - not likely to tear easy
• Can iron it on to slippery fabric to cut it out easier as it sticks right on; once cut you can just peel it off the fabric or even sew with it still attached and remove after. 

Cons:

• Can not iron out the fold lines from storage - ironing will melt it to whatever it touches
• It's thicker fabric so it may dull scissors
• It is harder to see through to trace patterns as shown below.

Next up: Swedish Tracing Paper
Birch Street Clothing Swedish Tracing Paper - 29"x 30' White

Pros:

• Can write on it fairly easy with a dull # 2 pencil.  A sharp one tears at the paper
• Can iron out the creases from storage
• Doesn't wrinkle easy
• Very quiet as it is more like fabric than paper
• Thin like interfacing - not likely to tear easy
• Holds nicely to fabrics when you are trying to cut them out
• Easy to see through to trace patterns (see below)

Cons:

• Expensive $16.94 including shipping for the roll which is 30 yards x 29 inches wide or about $0.56 a yard
• Pencil does NOT erase on it

Lastly: Medical Exam Paper
Medline Exam Table Paper - Standard - Smooth, 21" x 225 ft - Qty of 12 - Model NON23326

Pros:

• Very Inexpensive - Box of 12 rolls totals 900 yards of 21" wide for $35.98 or less than $0.04 yard!
• Can write on easily
• Pencil erases easy
• Can iron out the creases from storage (low setting)
• Easy to pin to fabric when cutting out
• Easy to see through to trace patterns (see below)

Cons:

• Wrinkles very easy
• Very noisy (it is just like the stuff you sit on at the doctor's office)
• Very thin - possible to tear easier however I have not had issue with this yet

And there you have it!  For me the winner is The
Medline Exam Table Paper - Standard - Smooth, 21" x 225 ft - Qty of 12 - Model NON23326

Why? Because you CANNOT beat that price!  Plus it is see through and works well for my needs.  I have a box of 12 rolls/900 yards that will probably last me a lifetime!  I can deal with the noise - it is just the same with the pattern tissue paper noise.  I can deal with the wrinkles because I can iron them out on low setting.
I just cannot justify the cost of Swedish Tracing Paper anymore.  Plus, I won't run out now in the middle of a project! The medical paper is slightly more thick than the pattern tissue paper to give you an idea of what it is like.

*note: it is easy to trace Ottobre patterns onto the medical paper too.  It is nice and easy to see the colored pattern lines through the paper.

So what are your thoughts?  What do you use to trace your patterns?


 ~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~