SkyPattern Tutorial: From Template to Printed Pattern

Welcome to SkyPattern! This tutorial will guide you through using a template, customizing it for your measurements, and printing a full-size pattern. You'll learn the complete workflow from start to finish.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you'll know how to:

Let's get started!

Step 1: Getting Started with a Template

Templates are pre-made patterns created by other users. They're a great way to get started quickly.

Finding and Copying a Template

  1. Log in to SkyPattern (or create a free account if you don't have one)
  2. Scroll down to the Templates section on the homepage
  3. Browse available templates and click on a thumbnail to open the template details screen
  4. The details screen shows a larger preview and information about the template
  5. Click the Copy button to add a copy to your documents
  6. Your copy appears in "Your Patterns" at the top of the page
  7. Click on your new document to open it in the editor

The template is now yours to customize! Any changes you make won't affect the original template.

Step 2: Understanding the Interface

When you open a pattern in the editor, you'll see three main areas:

Main Areas

Two Important Modes

SkyPattern has two viewing modes that you'll switch between:

You can switch between modes using the tabs at the top of the screen.

Step 3: Customizing Your Pattern

Templates use parametric design, which means they're built with formulas that reference measurements. When you change a measurement, the entire pattern updates automatically!

Finding and Editing Measurements

  1. Look through the Element List on the right side
  2. Find elements labeled "Constant" - these are measurements
  3. Common constants in clothing patterns:
    • bust or bustCircumference - chest measurement
    • waist or waistCircumference - waist measurement
    • hipCircumference - hip measurement
    • shoulderWidth - shoulder width
    • bodyLength - garment length
  4. Click on a constant to select it
  5. In the editor panel that appears, change the Value field to your measurement (in centimeters)
  6. Watch the pattern update automatically on the canvas!

Tips for Customizing

Viewing Your Finished Pattern

  1. Switch to Piece Mode using the tab at the top
  2. You'll now see only the finished pattern pieces
  3. Each piece is labeled with its name
  4. This is what will be exported when you print

Step 4: Arranging Pattern Pieces for Printing

Before printing, you should arrange your pattern pieces to use paper efficiently.

Arranging Pieces in Piece Mode

  1. Make sure you're in Piece Mode
  2. Click and drag pattern pieces to move them around
  3. Try to arrange pieces close together to minimize wasted paper
  4. Consider how pieces will be cut from fabric - pieces can overlap on the printout as long as outlines are clear
  5. Leave some margin around the edges

Layout Tips

Step 5: Understanding Tiled PDF Printing

Because sewing patterns are larger than a single sheet of paper, SkyPattern uses tiled printing to split your pattern across multiple pages that you'll tape together.

What is Tiled Printing?

Tiled printing works like floor tiles - your large pattern is divided into a grid of pages:

Click the Print Preview button (PDF icon in the toolbar to open the print dialog. You'll see these options:

Paper Size: Choose the paper your printer uses

Orientation:

Tile Count X: How many sheets wide

Tile Count Y: How many sheets tall

Overlap: Margin for taping pages together

Preview Grid

When the print dialog is open, you'll see a grid overlay on your canvas showing how pages will be divided. Adjust the tile count until your pattern fits comfortably within the grid.

Step 6: Exporting and Printing Your Pattern

Now you're ready to create your PDF and print it!

Creating the PDF

  1. Click the Print/Export PDF button (PDF icon in the toolbar
  2. Verify your print settings:
    • Paper size matches your printer
    • Tile count covers your entire pattern
    • Overlap is set (1 cm recommended)
  3. Click the Print button
  4. Save the PDF file to your computer

Printing the PDF

This is the most important step - you MUST print at 100% scale or your pattern will be the wrong size!

Printing Instructions:

  1. Open the PDF in a PDF viewer (Adobe Reader, Preview, etc.)
  2. Go to Print settings
  3. CRITICAL: Set scale to 100% or select "Actual Size"
    • ✓ Use: "Actual Size" or "100%"
    • ✗ Do NOT use: "Fit to Page", "Shrink to Fit", "Scale to Fit"
  4. Print all pages

Why 100% Scale Matters

If you print at "Fit to Page", your printer will shrink the pattern to fit the paper, making all measurements incorrect. Your finished garment will be too small! Always print at 100%/Actual Size.

Step 7: Assembling Your Printed Pages

Now you have a stack of printed pages. Time to assemble them into one large pattern!

Understanding the Page Layout

Each printed page has:

Assembly Steps

  1. Lay out all pages on a large table or floor

    • Arrange them in a grid according to the page labels
    • Page(1,1) goes in top-left, Page(2,1) to its right, etc.

  2. Trim interior pages

    • For pages that have neighbors on all sides, trim along the solid overlap lines
    • Leave the overlap margin on edge pages

  3. Align and tape

    • Start with the top row
    • Overlap pages by aligning the pattern lines and marks
    • The overlap zone helps you align accurately
    • Tape from the back for a clean front surface
    • Work row by row, then join rows together

  4. Verify alignment

    • Pattern lines should connect smoothly across page boundaries
    • If lines don't match, check that you printed at 100% scale

Testing Your Print Scale

Before cutting fabric, verify your print is accurate:

Step 8: Next Steps

Congratulations! You now have a full-size printed pattern ready for use.

What's Next?

Ready to create your own patterns?

Want to dive deeper?

Share your work!

Need Help?

Happy pattern making!