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Getting Started

Open your first pattern

Learn how to save a sewing pattern from your email or browser and open it in Sewsy.

Overview

Sewsy opens sewing patterns from the Files app or another storage location on your device.

This guide explains how to save a pattern from an email or website and then open it in Sewsy.

For projection, Sewsy supports PDF and SVG pattern files. Printing is available for PDF files.

Steps

1. Download the pattern

Open the email or website containing your pattern download.

Tap the download link and choose the file you want to use.

Pattern purchases often include several versions, such as:

  • Print-at-home PDF
  • Copy-shop PDF
  • Projector PDF
  • Instructions
  • Different paper sizes

Choose the file that matches what you want to do.

2. Save the file

On iPhone or iPad:

  1. 1Open the downloaded file.
  2. 2Tap the Share button.
  3. 3Choose Save to Files.
  4. 4Select iCloud Drive, On My iPhone or iPad, or another folder.
  5. 5Tap Save.

On Android:

  1. 1Tap the download link.
  2. 2The file will usually be saved in your Downloads folder.
  3. 3Open the Files app to confirm that the file is there.

Sewsy does not require your patterns to be stored in a specific folder.

3. Open the file in Sewsy

  1. 1Open Sewsy.
  2. 2Choose whether you want to print or project a pattern.
  3. 3Browse to the folder where the file was saved.
  4. 4Tap the pattern to open it.

Sewsy remembers patterns you have opened so you can return to them later.

Tips

Keeping all your patterns in one main folder can make them easier to find.

Cloud storage such as iCloud Drive or Google Drive can also make patterns available across more than one device.

Troubleshooting

The file does not open when I tap it

Files stored in iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or another cloud service may need to download to your device before Sewsy can open them.

The first tap may begin the download without opening the file immediately.

Try the following:

  1. 1Wait a few moments for the file to download.
  2. 2Tap the file again.
  3. 3Look for a cloud or download icon beside the filename.
  4. 4Open the Files app and try opening the file there.
  5. 5Return to Sewsy and select it again.

Large pattern files or slower internet connections may take longer to download.

If you regularly use the file, you can download it to your device in advance so it is available offline.

The downloaded file is a ZIP file

Some pattern shops package their files inside a ZIP folder.

Sewsy cannot open the ZIP file itself. You will need to extract it first.

On iPhone or iPad:

  1. 1Open the Files app.
  2. 2Find the ZIP file.
  3. 3Tap it once to extract its contents.
  4. 4Open the new folder that appears.
  5. 5Select the PDF or SVG file inside it.

On Android, open the ZIP file in the Files app and choose the option to extract its contents.

The file type is not supported

SVG files can be used for projection. Printing in Sewsy requires a PDF file.

Some of my recent patterns have disappeared

Sewsy shows the 10 pattern files you opened most recently.

When you open an eleventh file, the oldest item is removed from the recent-files list. The original pattern is not deleted.

To reopen it:

  1. 1Press Print pattern or Projector pattern.
  2. 2Browse to the folder where the file is stored.
  3. 3Tap the pattern to open it again.

It will return to your recent-files list.

The file opens in the Files app but not in Sewsy

Confirm that the file has finished downloading and is a supported PDF or SVG.

If it still does not open:

  1. 1Close Sewsy.
  2. 2Reopen the app.
  3. 3Browse to the file again.
  4. 4Try opening a different pattern to determine whether the issue affects one file or every file.

Some PDFs may be damaged or exported in an unusual format. Re-downloading the file from the pattern designer may help.

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