comments:
one of the tips I read in this sub one time was for fabrics that are super slippery and difficult to cut, but also need decent precision, get one of those big rolls of brown paper (sorta like this) and use that UNDER the fabric, with the pattern pieces over the fabric (i.e., all sandwiched), pin all layers together, then cut. it works really well. I like it because you can really pin the hell out of it all over and for BIG pieces it makes it easier to cut if you're limited by space and have to move the piece around or roll it up as you cut. it doesn't need to be that specific kind of paper or anything, but you do want something kind of stable and cheap in bulk. for my taste, things like wrapping paper and swedish tracing paper would be a bit too lightweight/easy to tear. there are lots of basting adhesives out there and they can be fine, but they can also introduce problems others have mentioned, like causing issues with the fabric or gumming up your needle when you sew. I personally wouldn't risk it with delicate or expensive fabrics, or if I didn't know how it behaved with a given fabric, but that's like any marking substance (chalk, pens, etc). so you can always test beforehand. I prefer the sandwiched pinning trick though.