Flosstyle

Practical PDF Sewing Patterns

in Beginners· Free Downloads· How To· New to PDF Patterns· One Yard Tote Leave a Comment

How to use PDF sewing patterns – everything you need to know to get downloading and sewing!

If you’ve always been interested in PDF sewing patterns and wanted to know how to use them, then this is the post for you.

Here at Flosstyle we understand that downloading and using PDF sewing patterns can be daunting for some. We are here to help alleviate your anxieties and to open up a brand new world of PDF sewing patterns to you. Our blogpost “Why you should start using PDF sewing patterns now” is a must read if you’re still not quite convinced or want to learn more about the world of PDF Patterns.

We promise that you don’t have to be tech savvy to find and download amazing and creative PDF sewing patterns. Our step-by-step guide below is super easy to follow and will have you downloading PDF patterns in no time.

Step 1 

The first step to using a PDF pattern is finding the perfect pattern. If you’ve never used a PDF pattern before, we suggest trialing one of our free patterns. This post will demonstrate downloading the One Yard Tote pattern (and it will demonstrate how easy it is!). To fully get your head around PDF patterns, why not follow along with this post and download our One Yard Tote PDF pattern too. 

The One Yard Tote is a brilliant first PDF sewing pattern for you to download, assemble and sew. It’s free, it’s cute, and it’s even reversible! The One Yard Tote is perfect for carrying your groceries, books, laptop, craft items and even your swimmers for the beach. This is the perfect bag to accompany you to school, university or work as it’s perfectly sized for A4 folders and documents. All you need to create this versatile and useful bag is one yard of fabric and 2.25m of binding bias (yes that’s seriously it!).

Step 2

The second step is to download the pattern. Click on the image above and you will be linked directly to the one yard tote bag.

All you need to do is click on “add to cart”. Now click on the “view cart” button and you will see your one yard tote bag pattern in your cart. 

Next you will need to fill in some of your details and you will be able to download the pattern. 

Ta-da! The One Yard Tote PDF sewing pattern is now yours!

Step 3

The third step is something that a lot of people forget. Make sure you save your newly downloaded PDF pattern to your computer in a place that will be easy for you to find again in the future. We suggest you make a dedicated folder to save your PDF patterns in. Once you get a collection of patterns, you can create sub-folders for different types of patterns such as “dresses”, “accessories”, “toys”, and more. 

Your downloaded item will be one PDF document. This document will include clear instructions as well as the pattern itself.

Step 4 

Now that you have the PDF pattern downloaded and saved, the fourth step is to print the pattern. Our patterns provide very direct and specific advice on printing. To ensure your pattern is printed correctly please follow the instructions clearly. The most important rule to follow when printing PDF patterns is NOT to scale the print. Have a look at the image below, to see the settings we used. We kept the scaling option as “actual size”. (Depending on your printer this might also be “default” “no scaling” “100%”)

If you’re running low on ink or paper, you also have the option to print only the necessary pages (e.g. in the One Yard Tote pattern, you only need to print pages 4-6). You can keep the instructions pages open on your computer or ipad while you’re assembling the pattern and sewing.

If you don’t have access to a printer, that’s totally ok! You can ask your local print and copy shop to print off your pattern for a small fee. Officeworks charge around 10 cents for each page of printing. The One Yard Tote is a 6 page PDF, so it could cost you less than a dollar to print.

All Flosstyle patterns come with a test page to ensure the pattern has been printed correctly. Please ensure you take the time to measure the test square before you get started on the next step.

Step 5

The fifth step is to assemble the pattern. This is one of my favourite parts of the process. I love to have music playing in the background while I get completely stuck into my project (and yes before you ask, dance breaks are totally encouraged!).  

Cut the pieces out and sticky tape or glue them together. Flosstyle patterns provide clear instruction and direction so you will have no issues with knowing where to cut and where to stick the pages together. 

Step 6 

That’s it! Now it’s time to get sewing. We hope this guide has been useful and helped you feel more confident in your ability to download and assemble a PDF pattern. Don’t forget that one of the best things about PDF patterns is that you can print out as many copies of the pattern you need if you make any mistakes. 

Before you start sewing you might want to check out our One Yard Tote Timelapse Video showing how the tote is sewn together. For inspiration you can find all our blog posts about the One Yard Tote here.

We would love to see your Flosstyle creation! Join our facebook group, Flosstyle Fair and share your creations with us there. Our facebook group has over 8000 members who have a wealth of knowledge on using PDF sewing patterns and would be more than happy to help you out and answer any questions you might have. You can also share your creations on instagram with the hashtag #flosstyleoneyardtote for a chance to be featured on our page.

Happy Downloading and Sewing

Jess

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Applique· Flosstyle Patterns· Ventura Lite Leave a Comment

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 7

This weeks challenge: No Black
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted and then rejected

So I started this week with good intentions of sticking to this weeks challenge of no black, I went back and had a look at my past sewing and I son’t sew with a lot of black usually so this should have bee a super easy week for me.

Mr 4 has had a bit of a growth spurt lately and his shirts have all started getting a little short, the Ventura is a raglan tee that is perfect for everyday wear for kids and it sews up so quickly too.

I had intended to use vinyl to make it a bit more interesting but after talking to Mr 4 about what he wanted on his shirt ( “a ceratops with sunglasses”) I though an applique would work much better.

All was going well with the applique until I forgot about the no black challenge and gave my triceratops black sunglasses. I still think he looks pretty cool and Mr. 4 is in love with it so I’m okay with that.

Happy Sewing
xx Gail

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Costumes· Flosstyle Patterns· Sew For kids· Sprouts· Twigs· Ventura Lite Leave a Comment

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 6

This weeks challenge: Heart
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted

So initially I thought this weeks challenge was great for me because my son’s daycare are having are having a dress up day for Valentines Day. But after talking to him about what he would like dress up as he decided he would like to be a Valentines Super Hero, with a cape. Do you know what that looks like?? Because I was over here scratching my head for a quite awhile.

After some more chatting we decided on some Sprouts Twigs like the ones I made for Book Week last year but in red and a red cape to match.

I was already planning on making a Valentine’s Shirt after I saw something similar and the little monster approved it to be a part of his costume. The Ventura is perfect for iron on decals.

Here he is all dressed up and ready to go to daycare for the day.

Happy Sewing
xx Gail

in 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Flosstyle Patterns· Ultimate Bucket Hat Leave a Comment

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 5

This weeks challenge: Sew Your Favourite Pattern
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted

If you’ve been following along with my weekly sews so far this year it will come as no surprise that my favourite pattern at the moment is the Ultimate Bucket Hat.

Although I did mix it up just a little this week and made this one out of two linen tea towels at the request of my mother in law.

I wasn’t super convinced that the tea towel with the wine glasses was going to work when she first brought them to me but she was convinced it would. As I was sewing the hat up it grew on me and by the end I had decided I liked it.

I promise I won’t be making another hat next week! I think I’m all hatted out for awhile.

Happy Sewing
xx Gail

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Flosstyle Patterns· Ultimate Bucket Hat Leave a Comment

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 4

This weeks challenge: Swim
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted

This weeks challenge is Swim, we usually end up swimming outdoors which means the kids need extra hats for swimming, because once they get out of the water they want a dry hat to wear.

I saw this amazing fabric at Spotlight a little while back and knew it would make amazing hats, they are part of the Jijaka range. The colours are so vibrant and the patterns are so detailed.

How are you going so far with the challenge? I would love for you to pop over to Flosstyle Fair and let me know.

Happy Sewing
xx Gail

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Behind the scenes Leave a Comment

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 1

Oh my gosh I can’t believe it’s 2020 already! This year I thought I’d have another go at the 52 Week Sewing Challenge, its a great motivator to try and sew something each week.

If you want to join ion too you can find the Facebook Groups for the Aussie Group here, and the US Group here. Both follow the same concept but the tasks for each week are slightly different, I will be following the Australian group since I’m in Australia, because the tasks align better with the seasons here.

This weeks challenge: Clean your sewing space
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted

I decided to do something a little different this week and make a video you can find it on the Flosstyle Patterns Facebook page here. Want to see what I made and how far I got last year? You can find all the my past 52 Week Challenge Post here.

Will you be joining in the challenge this year? I’d love to see what you make over in the Flosstyle Fair.

Happy Sewing

xx Gail