Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequent questions and answers
What size paper do I need?
The pattern grid is designed to print on EITHER USA letter or European A4 sized paper with no adjustment needed by yourself.
Any weight paper will do, packs of 75 gram are good as they can be bought very cheaply.
My print is missing and edge. What should I do ?
The most common printer error is that the alignment grid is cut off along one edge.
To solve this firstly you need to make sure the printer is set to auto rotate or centre, or centred.
Different printers may vary how they say it but the printer will have an option to centre the image to be printed.
My print still has a missing edge. What else can I try?
The second reason a print will be offset or cutting off along one edge is that there is a margin preset in your printer that needs to be reset.
Again printers vary but you need to check the margin settings and adjust to normal or narrow.
What do I need to open the files ?
You will need Adobe Reader or any other PDF reader.
Adobe Reader can be found here.
Are Seam allowances included on the pattern pieces?
Most modern patterns will have the seam allowances included, whether or not there is an obvious seam allowance line or not. Very often the seam allowance will be printed onto each pattern piece. If its not on the pattern piece it is definitely in the instructions.
Many Vintage pattern pieces may not have the seam allowance included. Most of the Original French designs do not have the seams included. again the pattern instructions and pattern pieces will say if the seam allowance needs adding or is already included.
The exception to this is for most hat pattern pieces.
For hats its essential to add the seam widths after cutting the buckram and / or fabric pieces (this is to keep the accuracy of the hat size). The stitch lines and seam allowances can be marked using a tracing wheel. Please see the blog post `How to mark seam allowances´
When I download the file I can only see the front page. How can I get the rest?
If you a file is downloaded and you only see the first page, it usually means you are viewing the file in a web browser.
There is usually the download symbol in top right of the viewing window, often next to the print icon. Download the file and save it. then reopen and all the pages will show.
You will need to save the file to pc or device and reopen using ADOBE PDF reader or any PDF reader.