Frequently Asked Questions

📄️ Can I use FreeSewing patterns for commercial purposes?

Yes you can. Open Source is a development model, not a business model.

📄️ How can I sign up? I never received the E-mail to activate my account!

If you did not receive the email, check your spam/junk folder.

📄️ I'm having trouble with measurements. What should I check?

Each of our measurements is

🗃️ Newsletter

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📄️ Why don't you use double notches to mark the back of the pattern?

A double-notch is a common way to mark the back of the pattern. Common, but not universal.

📄️ Printed PDFs are incorrectly sized/scaled?

It is important that PDF patterns be printed at the correct

📄️ Why are seam allowances not included by default?

We don't include seam allowance by default because it's computationally expensive to add seam allowance since there is no closed form integral solution for offsetting a cubic Bezier curve.

📄️ Where did the "standard" measurements go?

In past versions of FreeSewing, we published a sizing table so that users could try out the platform without entering their measurements. Because there are no real standards for sizes, ours were -- like all sizing charts -- made up.

📄️ Why are seam allowances tapered?

Freesewing generates the seam allowances by offsetting from the seam paths. This means that when there is a corner in your pattern and the two offset seam allowances converge, it would require a lot more code to make the offset seam allowance come to a point. Instead, the offset seam allowances come to the end of the seam paths and then are connected in a straight line, making a trimmed or tapered corner.

📄️ Why do you even publish womenswear blocks? They are [insert strong opinion here].

This question comes up every now and then.