Want to skip the hassle of assembling printed PDF sewing patterns?
If you have a projector—or just want to avoid all that cutting and taping—this tutorial is for you! You’ll learn how to use PDF Stitcher, a free and easy-to-use tool that lets you convert standard PDF patterns into large-format A0 files or projector-friendly versions.
Download the software here, and follow along to streamline your sewing process!
Note: if you’re planning to send the pattern file to a printer, make sure to ask them if they work with poster-sized sheets or if they’re using a continuous roll of paper.
Step 1: Find the tiling layout
Open up your PDF sewing pattern and scroll down to check out the tiling layout. I’ve updated all our patterns to include one, so if your version doesn’t have it, just head back and grab the latest one!
I usually try to keep the test square and tiling layout right at the start of the document, but you know how it goes, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. So, take your time scrolling through the document so you don’t skip past it!
Depending on the designer, the tiling layout might also be in a different file, like the instruction booklet, or it could be in its own separate file.
Once you figure out the tiling layout, keep that file open! Take a second to note how many columns and rows it has. Sometimes, the layout isn’t a perfect rectangle, so be sure to count the biggest and longest parts of it.
For projectors, you’re good to move on to step 3. But if you’re looking to print on poster-sized sheets and your layout has more than 4 rows, you’ll need to do a little extra work. That’s because only 4 rows can fit on that paper, so you’ll have to break it down into smaller pieces.
Step 2: Splitting the file (Print only)
To split up the file, jot down the page ranges for each section. So, take another look at the layout and count the page numbers for each part. For example, let’s use the layout for the summer jumpsuit #UP1020. It has 8 rows, so we’ll split it in half. The first sheet will cover 1-16, and the second one will be 17-30.
Step 3: Open PDF Stitcher
Open PDF Stitcher. The first tab you’ll see is the OPTIONS tab.
1- Select input PDF: click on this button to go get the pattern file. Be sure to remember where you saved the file!
2- Save output as: click on this button to choose where you wish the new pattern to be saved, and how it’s going to be named.
3- Page range: this number automatically goes from 1 to the last page, and you want to keep it that way if your layout is rectangular. But if it’s not, just check out the info below to see how to adjust the page range. If you’ve gotta split the layout, just enter one of those ranges you wrote down earlier.
4- Margin: if you wish to create an A0 file, you can keep this at 0. For projectors, you may add a wider margin here.
5- Units: choose if the measurement entered for the margins is in centimetres or inches.
If your layout isn’t a perfect rectangle, you’ve got to add in some blank pages to cover the empty spots, which are shown as 0. Check out the examples below. It’s a good idea to keep your pattern file open while you’re working with PDF Stitcher so you can quickly hop back to the layout if you need to add in some blank pages.
Step 4: Customize your file
Now click on the TILE PAGES tab.
6- Number of columns OR rows: add the number of columns or rows, as noted earlier.
Now click on the LAYERS tab.
7- Layers: if your pattern has layers, feel free to uncheck the sizes and layers you don’t need. I’d suggest turning off the grid and markers layers for our patterns since they’re just for home printers to help piece the sheets together.
8- Line properties: you can customize even further your pattern by changing the line color, thickness, and style. You can also deselect these options if you want to keep the original lines.
9- Generate PDF: when you’re ready, click on this button to generate the customized pattern file.
Step 5: Generate and open your file
Click the Generate PDF button and open up that pattern file you saved. Keep PDF Stitcher open for now! After that, take a look and make sure it looks good to you. If it needs a little adjusting, hop back into PDF Stitcher and adjust your settings to give it another try.
As long as you keep the software open, your settings are good to go! You can adjust them and replace the old versions as you want.
If you’ve got to split the file, head back to step 3 and do the whole thing again with the leftover page ranges. Just a heads up, once you print the sheets, you’ll need to do a little assembling, so grab some scissors and tape before you get started!
I really hope this tutorial helped you out and that you’re ready to make your own custom pattern files, saving you lots of time and effort. This easy method will allow you to dive right into sewing without all the hassle of taping and piecing together those PDF patterns!