Check out this tutorial if you wish to skip the assembling part of a PDF sewing pattern, or if you have a projector, skip completely the printing part. You’ll learn how to use PDF Stitcher, a free software you can download here, so you can transform a regular PDF pattern into an A0 format file or a projector file.
Material needed: pattern file saved on your laptop or computer with PDF Stitcher installed. It works with both Mac and Windows.
Step 1: Find the tiling layout
Open your PDF sewing pattern, and scroll to find the tiling layout. I recently updated all our patterns so they all have one. So if yours doesn’t, go back to download the latest version!
I try to keep the test square and tiling layout at the beginning of the document, but sometimes it’s not possible. So be sure to scroll the document slowly so you don’t miss it.
Depending on the designer, the tilling layout could be in another file, like the tutorial, or a separate file.
Once you found the tiling layout, don’t close the file. Note how many columns and rows the layout has. Sometimes, the layout is not a perfect rectangle, so count the largest and longest parts of the layout.
Step 2: 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 is automatically ranging from 1 to the last page. You should keep it this way if your layout is rectangular. Otherwise, if it’s not, check below for how to change the page range accordingly.
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.
As mentioned above, if your layout is not rectangular, you’ll need to add blank pages to fill the gaps. Blank pages are indicated by 0. See examples below. Keeping your pattern file open while you work on PDF Stitcher is recommended, so you can easily go back to the layout if you need to add blank pages.
Step 3: 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, you can deselect the sizes and layers you don’t need. I recommend you deselect the grid and markers layers for our patterns. They are only used for home printers to help assemble the sheets together.
8- Line properties: you can customize even further your pattern by changing the line color, thickness, and style. However, you can deselect these options if you wish to use the original lines.
9- Generate PDF: when you’re ready, click on this button to generate the customized pattern file.
Step 4: Generate and open your file
Click on the Generate PDF button and open the pattern file where you saved it. Don’t close PDF Sticher yet! Then, check that the file is to your liking. If you need to modify it again, go back to PDF stitcher, and revise the settings to generate again.
As long as you don’t close the software, your settings will be saved, so you can revise them and overwrite the previous versions as needed.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful and that you’ll start creating your own customized pattern files, thereby saving you considerable time and effort. This streamlined approach will encourage you to start a new project, as you can quickly start sewing, without the usual taping and assembling that PDF patterns come with!