I had been thinking for a while about using sewing weights to work under better conditions.

Indeed, sewing weights apply pressure on fabric or a pattern to keep it flat and/or firmly in place, whether for tracing or cutting. Who hasn't had the problem of pattern cardboard moving or rolling if you don't bother to pin it...?

There are different types of weights.
On the one hand, you can buy them commercially. Most of the time, these are metal washers of various sizes and weights depending on the intended use. This option is very convenient because they are available immediately, but I find it lacks a bit of charm; although some sewers customize them by covering them with fabric or colorful ribbon or even decorating them with nail polish.

Another possibility is to recover old irons, the kind that were heated on a stove and that our great-grandmothers used for a long time. These irons are often found at flea markets for next to nothing. I was tempted to get one because I find this option charming and it allows recycling an outdated but historically rich object. However, during this lockdown period, no flea markets, and shipping this type of product by mail, given their weight, is quite expensive... So, another solution had to be found. 

So I turned to other more economical and easily accessible options. 

There is the option of flat pebbles, which is perfect if you live near a river or pebble beaches... For Brussels, that was out of the question...
I looked for a tutorial to sew them myself by recycling my fabric scraps. And sometimes, life just works out perfectly—Elsa from Urban Fairy patterns had just released her YouTube tutorial. The timing was perfect!

So I got to work making my little sewing weights with almost nothing and at an unbeatable price!
I gathered fabric scraps about 20cm in size. I cut triangles with 20cm sides and followed Elsa's tutorial for sewing without changing anything. It's very well explained.

To weigh down my little weights, I chose to fill them with aquarium gravel that I had in stock.
They weigh between 130 and 140g each, which is really perfect for keeping the patterns firmly in place.
Besides, their pretty colors brighten up my workshop and allow me to use my fabric scraps in a useful way. 
I am delighted!