I just spotted some in my local Target. I spied some at the grocery store. (the grocery store?!?) What do I look forward to each year? It’s pattern paper season!
Oh, I know what you’re thinking. That looks a lot like holiday wrapping paper. And, well, it is. But it’s also the most affordable and, during the right season, most abundantly available. pattern making paper.
Commercially made pattern paper is thick and has an inch square grid formed with either dots or lines. It’s QUITE expensive, and often too narrow for my projects. Check out this version of gridded pattern paper over on Amazon that is $13 for only 5 yards of paper! That’s only enough to make a pattern for a single full-length dress or one full skirt. In fashion school, this is the paper we used, and frankly, I really loved the grid – but not the expense.
Holiday Wrapping Paper
Many years ago, I discovered that some holiday wrap manufacturers started printed an 1″ grid on the back of their papers. I stood in the Target, (yes, I clearly remember the spot,) and had one of those light-bulb igniting, eureka moments. The clouds parted, a beam of light struck my face, right through the roof and ceiling of that Target. I knew my life was forever changed. I picked up my first roll of pattern paper. It was 25 yard, 48″ wide and two dollars! Time has passed and prices have increased but every year I replenish my stock with much more affordable holiday wrapping pattern paper.
Features to look for in Holiday Wrapping Paper
Of course, not all holiday papers are created equal. Not every style has the grid on the back. Not all finishes and designs are universally easy to work with. So here is my list of features that I look for when shopping for the perfect pattern paper.
Grid Marks are Essential – The first feature to look for is the most essential – the grid. These cost the paper company a bit more to make, so these exist on the more expensive styles of paper. The presence of the magical grid is always listed on the front of the package because it’s a selling feature. Here’s an example of how this kind of paper is described.
Matte Paper – I’ve tried all sorts of gridded paper, but the easiest to work with has a matte surface. If it’s foiled, metalized, or has a thick surface texture, it’s going to be more difficult to cut. So while it has a gridline, I tend to skip the foiled versions like this.
Solid Color – In my ideal world, the paper would be a solid color or have a simple geometric pattern that won’t show through to the important grid side. Paper comes in all thicknesses and weights and some patterns show through dramatically. Picking a solid color eliminates that problem. This is almost my ideal style of paper.
Wider Width – Holiday wrap comes in a wide variety of widths from 18″ up to 60.” I like to invest in a paper that’s between 30″ and 48″ wide to accommodate most pattern pieces. If it’s narrower, you can tape pieces together, but it takes time and ya gotta have a lot of tape on hand.
Buying your Holiday Wrapping/Pattern Paper
Of course, for me, this is a two-step process. I like to stalk my paper at my favorite big-box stores like Target, discount stores like TJ-Max and even at my local pharmacy. I figure out which brands and colors are available in which stores and I might even take a photo with my phone and make a note with the exact details.
Then I make a mad dash back to the store the day the holiday sales start to potentially snatch it up at 50% or even 70% off depending on the store. Because I have pre-shopped, I know exactly which store to go to for my best chances at landing a deal.
The candy-printed roll above was my purchase from two years ago, and I have about half a roll left. In my studio, I like to have one open and on the go, and a second waiting in the wings. This year, I have to pick up roll for my personal backstock. So I’ll be starting the hunt soon. Because the discounted end-of season-sales are so unpredictable, I like to have 3-4 locations lined up in advance and plan my shopping accordingly.
Sometimes it’s fun to rummage through old commissions and look at the patterns in my file. At a glance, I can tell the time-frame of the project based on the holiday paper I used to craft the patterns.
Time to let the pattern paper/holiday wrap shopping process begin!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
November 7, 2017
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