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8 Best Tracing Paper For Sewing Patterns (2025 update)
Hunting for the **best tracing paper** for sewing patterns? Let’s dive right in. Pattern sewing needs your patterns drawn before the needles and thread come out. If you like to trace instead of directly chopping into the patterns, that’s a smart move. You can use any kind of see-through paper for this, even tissue paper works if you’re in a pinch. But if you’re planning on doing lots of patternmaking, you’ll need something more durable. Basic craft tracing paper or thin tissues might do the trick temporarily, but they don’t last. They’re not great for preserving designs and tear pretty easily. **Sewing enthusiasts** benefit most from finding the right tracing paper, so let’s figure out what suits your needs best!
Factors to Consider before Selecting Tracing Paper
Your ideal best tracing paper for sewing patterns should have the following qualities:
- Opacity: Sewing requires lots of attention to detail. It is in general stressful to the eye. You might want to ease it out a bit by using a product that does not strain your eyes more than it already is.
- Flexibility: This just makes tracing a lot easier.
- Durability: If you want to preserve your designs or keep them for later, you should make sure that your tracing paper can withstand some entry-level manhandling, if not more.
With that being said, tracing paper for pattern tracing is not the same as crafts tracing paper or simple tissue sheets. Sewer’s tracing paper comes in different weights and textures, all serving different purposes. If we go from heavyweight to lightweight, here are your options for professional tracing paper meant for sewing.
Quick Overview of Best Tracing Paper for Sewing Patterns
- Best Overall: Bee Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best for Beginners: Mr. Pen Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Heavy-Weight: Borden & Riley Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best for Maximum Durability: Manila Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Light-Weight: Alvin Light-Weight Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Light-Weight Runner-up: Waybas Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Budget: Beinfang Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Alternative to Tracing Paper: Swedish Tracing Paper (jump to review)
Heavy-Weight Tracing Paper vs Light-Weight Tracing Paper for Pattern Making
Heavy-weight tracing paper generally translates to durable tracing paper that will last through a lot of rough handling or multiple instances of usage. However, the product still has to be suitable for easy tracing and should be helpfully and adequately translucent for the user’s ease.
Heavy-weight tracing papers do not come in a bounty of options since most people prefer light-weight options over heavier ones. Heavy-weight tracing papers for patternmaking, however, are much more reliable and last way longer. There are substitutes that you could use for the given options, but chances are they won’t be as transparent as you need them to be.
Light-weight tracing papers for patternmaking are the more popular ones of the party. Although they don’t stand large chances against rough usage, they are easier to work with if you are careful and gentle. There are a plethora of options for lightweight tracing papers. We’ve assembled the best choices and deals for you below.
Detailed Reviews Of Our Best Picks
Best Overall: Bee Tracing Paper
Bee Paper White Sketch and Trace Roll, though underrated for patternmaking, is a favorite among artists. Offering excellent transparency and a smooth texture, it accommodates various dry media. Ideal for rough sketches and detailed work, this tracing paper supports multiple overlays, making it a versatile choice for intricate patternmaking and artistic projects.
- Sheer but also sturdy
- Holds up to multiple uses
- Slightly expensive
- High Transparency
- Smooth texture
- Light-weight, Sturdy
- 12in x 50 yard roll
Best for Beginners: Mr. Pen Tracing Paper
Mr. Pen's Tracing Paper for Sewing Patterns is an excellent choice for beginners in pattern tracing. Made from high-quality vellum paper, it offers adequate transparency for easy tracing. The sturdy texture enhances durability, resisting wear and tear to a certain extent. Compatible with pens, pencils, and markers, it's an ideal option for entry-level drawings and patterns.
- Thick
- Durable
- Not transparent enough for multi-layer drawings
- Cheaper than most competitors
- Vellum Paper
- 12in x 20 yards
- Smooth finish
- Translucent
Best Heavy-Weight: Borden & Riley Tracing Paper
Explore the excellence of Borden & Riley Heavy-weight Tracing Paper—resistant to curling and wrinkling, it's an ideal choice for transfer tracing, fine line drafting, and even engineering drawings. Surprisingly transparent despite its heavy-weight, it facilitates easy tracing with graphite, colored pencils, pens, as well as accommodating mediums like acrylic, watercolor, and markers.
- Ideally Transparent
- Durable
- Smudges Easily
- Sheet Size: 18”x20 Yards
- 57 GSM
- Weight: 38 lbs
- Made in the USA
Best for Maximum Durability: Manila Tracing Paper
Manila Tracing Paper provides an excellent canvas for crayons, charcoal, pencils, and tempera paint. With strength to withstand scoring, folding, and curling without cracking, it offers transparency and fair longevity. Sourced from 50lb paper stock, this heavyweight tracing paper is highly durable, resistant to wear and tear, and environmentally friendly, being recyclable.
- Durable
- Eco Friendly
- Recyclable
- Comes in pre-cut sheets
- Sheet Dimensions: 9x12in
- Made from 50lb paper stock
- 500 sheets
- Recyclable
Best Light-Weight: Alvin Light-Weight Tracing Paper
ALVIN Light-weight Tracing Paper is perfect for patternmaking, featuring high transparency and a no-bleed through design, facilitating multi-layer drawings and detail tracing. Its light-weight construction makes it easy to carry, and it works seamlessly with various tools, such as pencils, pens, felt-tip markers, and charcoal, offering versatility for users.
- Durable, Versatile and affordable
- No bleed-through
- Rips easily
- Might smudge in case of certain mediums
- 1-inch core
- No bleed through
- Available in different size variants
- Available in white, yellow, and canary shades
Light-Weight Runner-up: Waybas Tracing Paper
Waybas Tracing Paper offers a budget-friendly option at just 10 cents per sheet. While providing ample versatility and transparency for overlays and multi-layer drawings, intricate details may require closer scrutiny. These sheets are moderately durable, not wearproof, and work well with various mediums, with a preference for dry ones. The recyclable vellum parchment is transparent, making it ideal for patternmaking up to a certain level of detail.
- Cost effective
- Recyclable
- Beginner-friendly
- Tears easily
- Does not work for very intricate details
- Light-weight and versatile
- 8.5x11inch dimensions
- Includes a 100 sheets
Best Budget: Beinfang Tracing Paper
Bienfang Sketching & Tracing Paper Roll offers a fine and smooth surface with excellent transparency for overlays, sketching, and multi-layer drawings. Ideal for markers, pens, pencils, and various inks, this light-weight tracing paper comes in a convenient 12in x 50 yards roll. With a thin and smooth surface, it's perfect for patternmaking, overlays, and multi-layer tracing projects.
- Extra Thin
- Inexpensive
- Crumbles easily
- Not the most durable
- Available in white and canary colors
- Smooth texture
- 8lbs
- Sturdy
Best Alternative to Tracing Paper: Swedish Tracing Paper
Swedish Tracing Paper is a durable and tear-resistant option with optimal transparency, catering to various patternmaking needs. Designed for multiple uses and able to withstand rough handling, it is compatible with a wide range of mediums, making it a versatile choice for creative projects.
- Swedish Tracing Paper is known for its durability, ensuring longevity and resistance to tearing during use
- The right amount of transparency in Swedish Tracing Paper aids in accurate patternmaking, allowing for precise tracing and design work
- Swedish Tracing Paper may pose a challenge for extremely intricate designs, where finer details may be more challenging to reproduce accurately
Summary: The Best Tracing Paper For Sewing Patterns Is
- Best Overall: Bee Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best for Beginners: Mr. Pen Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Heavy-Weight: Borden & Riley Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best for Maximum Durability: Manila Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Light-Weight: Alvin Light-Weight Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Light-Weight Runner-up: Waybas Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Budget: Beinfang Tracing Paper (jump to review)
- Best Alternative to Tracing Paper: Swedish Tracing Paper (jump to review)
If you are an advanced sewist, have a look at our best sewing machines, best sewing books and best sewing magazines posts and if you are looking to get a mechanical, heavy duty, quilting or industrial sewing machine, have a look at some of our great articles. If you are a beginner sewist, review our best sewing books for beginners, best sewing machines for beginners and best sewing machines under $200 to get started.
For brand related articles, check Best Bernette | Best Bernina | Best Brother | Best Husqvarna Viking | Best Janome | Best Juki | Best Singer |
For best accessories, check Best Chairs | Best tables | Best tracing paper | Best machine oils | Best scissors and shears | Best presser feet | Best needles | Best sewing kits |
Happy Stitching.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you are an advanced sewist, have a look at our best sewing machines, best sewing books and best sewing magazines posts and if you are looking to get a mechanical, heavy duty, quilting or industrial sewing machine, have a look at some of our great articles. If you are a beginner sewist, review our best sewing books for beginners, best sewing machines for beginners and best sewing machines under $200 to get started.
For brand related articles, check Best Bernette | Best Bernina | Best Brother | Best Husqvarna Viking | Best Janome | Best Juki | Best Singer |
For best accessories, check Best Chairs | Best tables | Best tracing paper | Best machine oils | Best scissors and shears | Best presser feet | Best needles | Best sewing kits |
Happy Stitching.
