DIY Pattern Weights

I do a lot of fabric cutting using a mat and rotary cutter. I have never owned proper pattern weights, and generally use anything handy - mostly food tins. 

I've been looking at some tutorials on Pinterest for DIY pattern weights and decided I need to make some. My favourite ones are made with metal washers. I considered wrapping them in ribbon or washi tape, or even painting them.  There was lots of inspiration on the web.

In the end, I decided I preferred them left plain. I think they look neat.  I popped into a hardware store near my house and picked up 20 x 2" washers. 

The washers had a smooth edge on one side and a rough edge in the other. It felt like the rough edge would catch on delicate fabrics. A simple solution was to glue two washers together, with the rough edges on the inside. 

I found some araldite glue in my cupboard, a plastic lid for mixing the glue, and some cardboard for working on.

The first step was to mix up some glue. Araldite glue comes in two tubes, and you have to mix equal quantities of each to make it work.

I dabbed some glue on one washer, then placed the second washer on top. I gently twisted the washers a little, to spread the glue around evenly.  It's important not to use too much glue, or it will ooze out the sides and the washers will slide around while drying.

I glued all 20 together then left them to dry overnight. I checked them a few times in the first couple of hours, to make sure the washers hadn't slid out of position.

It took longer than I thought it would for the glue to dry completely - which might be because of the heat and humidity in Singapore. After a couple of days the were completely dry and ready to use.

They work perfectly and are a great size and weight. I think I might make a second batch, as 10 don't seem to be enough.