Click to print

I sometimes wonder whether advances in technology are making me a less patient person. I have become focused on the here-and-now of all things online. I like the freedom of shopping at any time of the day. And I am particularly fond of anything labelled download now.

So when I saw that sewingpatterns.com have a downloadable pattern service - Click 2 Print - I was immediately interested.

Have you tried it?

If not, here's how it works. After selecting your pattern from the online store, you pay using either credit card or PayPal. The store then sends you a receipt and you are ready to access your pattern. You log into a special part of their website where you can see your purchased item/s. From there you access your sewing instructions, fabric requirements and the pattern itself. You then print each part off and assemble the pattern.

So how good is this service?

Pros

• Once you have paid you can access your pattern straight away. Choose your pattern and have it printed minutes later. Got to love that!
  



• The patterns are discounted.
  
  For example ordering Simplicity 3634 (Misses or Plus Size Pants, Skirt, Knit Cardigan and Top) as a paper pattern costs USD$10.17, plus USD$5.95 for their basic postage option from the USA to Australia. The expedited mailing option is USD$16.95. The same pattern downloaded will cost USD$5.99.
  
  Not all discounts on the pattern price are as big; some are a matter of thirty or forty cents. If nothing else, you will save on postage - especially if you live outside of the US.
  



• There are patterns available from 17 companies: Simplicity; Its so easy; New Look; McCalls; Easy Stitch and Save; Vogue; Butterick; Kwik Sew; Brown Paper Patterns; Lekala; Loretti Fashion; See and Sew; Isabelle Pour La Femme Aimee; Hot Patterns; PrintSew.Com; Fashion Express; and Neue Mode.
  



• Each page of the pattern is clearly labelled with rows and columns, so that it is very easy to work out how to lay it all out and stick it together. If you happen to drop a stack of pages before assembly like I, ahem, may have, you can reorder them quickly.
  



• You don't have acres of brown tissue pattern to try and shove back in an envelope

Cons

• While sewingpatterns.com offers a huge range of patterns, only a subset of these are offered as downloads. Your choice of pattern will be limited to the delivery method.
  



• The assembly was way more work than I was expecting. There is a margin on a printed page where the printer doesn't print. Some trimming or folding is needed on every page to line the pieces up. As my (very simple pattern) had 25 pages - this was a bit of work. You need loads of sticky tape!
  



• Once you have assembled the pattern, you may decide that you need to trace off the pattern - as I did - rather than attempt to cut and use the printer paper. Though I know as good practice I should probably do this anyway, rather than hack into the original pattern.
  



• I purchased a Kwik Sew pattern, which outlines each size with a different colour. The outlines for some of the sizes didn't convert so well to grey-scale on my home printer and were a little feint (but to be fair, still readable).
  



• You don't have a nice paper pattern envelope to add to your collection! And with all that printer paper your new pattern is actually bigger for storing than the traditional brown tissue sort.

Would I use this again?
Most likely, yes. Its an especially cheap way of purchasing patterns if you live in Australia. I would only do it if I had time/motivation enough to afford to assembling the pattern: choosing and downloading the pattern is super quick; assembly and cutting, a little less so.