Use PDF sewing patterns without printing

A PDF sewing pattern is meant to be printed, trimmed and taped into one big sheet before you can even trace it. With Sttchr you skip all of that. The pages join on your screen, and the pattern appears on your fabric at true size.

Why printing a PDF pattern is the worst part

A print at home pattern for a dress can run to 40 pages or more. Every page needs ink and paper, every margin needs trimming, and every join needs lining up and taping. One page off by a few millimetres and the whole piece is off. Then there is the scale. If the printer quietly shrinks the page to fit, the test square comes out wrong and you start again.

When you are done, you have a large paper sheet you still have to trace or pin to the fabric, and store afterwards.

The usual ways around it

• The copy shop file. Send the A0 file to a print shop. No taping, but you pay per sheet, wait for it, and still trace from paper.
• A projector. Project the file onto the cutting table. No paper at all, but you need the projector, a mount, a dark room and a calibration routine. See projector sewing without a projector.
• Sttchr. No paper, no hardware. Your phone does the joining and the projecting.

How to use a PDF pattern without printing it

1. Upload the PDF. In the app, open Uploads and choose the file from Files or iCloud Drive.
2. Choose your size. If the pattern has a layer per size, pick yours and the others disappear.
3. Tile it on screen. Crop the page margins once, then line the pages up in Arrange. No scissors, no tape.
4. Scan your fabric. Point the camera at the fabric and move it side to side once.
5. Trace. The pieces appear on the fabric at their real printed size. Chalk the lines and cut.

If the designer included an A0 or projector file, use that instead. It is a single page, so there is nothing to tile. Step by step detail is in how to upload your own pattern, and the full list of formats is in what types of patterns are supported.

Getting the scale right

Printing is where scale usually goes wrong, so skipping it removes the most common mistake. Sttchr reads the page size from the PDF itself and there is no pinch to zoom. Each pattern also carries a scale reference you can match to a ruler, once, to be sure. See how to scale.

Frequently asked questions

Which PDF patterns work?

Any sheet size. Print at home files in A4 or US letter, copy shop files in A0, and projector files. Layered PDFs let you show only your size. DXF files work too.

How do I join the pages without tape?

On screen. Crop the margins once, then line the pages up in Arrange, the way the designer's layout chart shows. When the lines meet, continue to tracing.

Will it be the right size?

Yes. Sttchr reads the page size from the file, so pieces project at their real printed size. Check once against a ruler with the scale reference, and the app tells you any time you leave 100%.

What if my PDF has a password?

Remove the password in another app first, then import the file again.

Is it free?

The app is free to download. Your first 2 uploads of your own PDFs are free, and patterns you buy in the Sttchr shop are always free to trace. Sttchr Pro gives you unlimited uploads.