What To Expect When Buying A Pattern

Buying your first pattern from a new site is never easy. What should you expect? Are the instructions easy to follow? Are there clear pictures? Or illustrations? or just text? I will take you through the entire process from landing on the website, purchasing, downloading, assembly and how the instructions are. I will be using the Butterfly Purse as an example.

I have also gotten Sarah, who is completely new to my patterns to go through the entire process and share her thoughts with you.

How To Purchase

I want to take you through the purchase process step-by-step. This process is the same if you buy a PDF pattern or a printed pattern, except when buying a printed pattern you will get it sent in the mail.

On the front page there are multiple ways to get to the store. Try using one of these menus.

When you have found the pattern you want, click “ADD TO BASKET”

You can either keep shopping or press this button to view basket. You can also hover over shop in the menu and click on basket

This is what your basket looks like. When you are ready to purchase, click on “PROCEED TO CHECKOUT”

Fill in all your information, read and checked off the terms and conditions click on “PROCEED TO PAYPAL” to pay.

You will be redirected to a Paypal payment site where you will have to fill in your information. When that is complete you will be redirected to your complete order. If you want you can download the patterns and instructions straight from this site.

You can also find your downloads if you log into “MY ACCOUNT” and click “Downloads” in the sidebar.

Here you will see all the patterns you have bought. You can download it as many times as you like. The reason I have chosen to do it this way is because I rarely bring my patterns when fabric shopping, so its super easy to log in via my phone and check what I need for a project if I find a fabric that will inspire me.

 

“After landing on the Lavender Sewing Patterns website home page, I used the “Shop” drop down menu that appears under the company logo in the middle of the screen. This is where my eye is drawn. The menu allowed me to go directly to the patterns and browse available products!

I love that I could add the pattern right to the cart without having to go to the specific product’s page. The “add to cart” and “view cart” options were so user friendly and easy!

Checkout was a cinch! I use Paypal frequently and am quite happy to check out this way! The setup was very streamlined, I was checked out and ready to download in under a minute!

I really liked that I could download my purchase directly after payment. I’m all about saving steps and time, and this was all of that!

Download was a breeze! The files are small enough that they download quickly and easily!

It was so easy to open the pattern and print the pattern pages! The directions in the pattern instructions detailed the steps and settings to printing the pattern correctly, making this foolproof and quick!”
– Sarah 

 

The Sewing Pattern

The first page of the sewing pattern states all the info you need. At the top there is the logo and pattern name. Remember to measure the control boxes to make sure you have printed it correctly. There is also an overview of the pattern pieces. Lastly there is a list of materials needed for this project.

On the individual pattern pieces, you have the pattern name, brand name and pattern piece. There is also a line that shows the stretch – or salvage edge to salvage edge.

The page size is 210 x 275mm / 8 1⁄4 x10 4⁄5”, so it prints as both A4 and letter.

Make sure you are printing “Actual Size” or “Custom Scale: 100%” in your print dialog. Remember to always first print page 1 of the pattern and double-check that the measuring box is the correct size.

You can either trim the entire black border or just two sides. Make sure the notches in the middle of the sides match up before taping together.

 

“Assembly of the pattern was also super simple! It went together smoothly and quickly! The instructions on assembly are very clear, plus there are assembly diagrams on the first page of the pattern, as well as in the instructions (for those of us that are visual!!!). I love that there are triangle marks to match up on the pattern so that everything is straight and assembly is completed without a hitch!”
– Sarah

 

The Instructions

To save paper, it is best to view the instructions on screen, but you can also print if you want to. Again, you can print with both A4 and Letter and use “Actual Size” or “Custom Scale: 100%” in your print dialog.

Here is an example of the table of contents for the Butterfly Purse. This gives you a really good idea on everything included in the instructions.

The instructions are really easy to follow and each step consists of both writing and an illustration. Check out this sample page.

If you are having some issues with the different steps you can always contact me directly or post in the Facebook group.

“Next, I read through the rest of the instructions. I like to have the printed pattern next to me so I can reference the pattern pieces as I read through the instructions. Every step had a diagram showing how to perform that step. This was especially helpful to me as it was simple and plain to see. I think if pictures with fabric were shown it would have been much harder to see and understand some of the steps! So, the drawings made it much easier for me to be confident in sewing this pattern!”
– Sarah

Overall Experience

“Overall, it was obvious to me that Lavender Sewing Patterns is very focused on the customer experience. Everything, from the time I landed on the webpage, was set up for ease and simplicity. On top of that, the pattern and instructions are clear and professionally done! Now, I can’t wait to get sewing and dig into some super cute Butterfly Purse projects!!”
– Sarah

Finished Sewing, Now What?

• Post photos of your finished designs in the Facebook Group
• Post a picture on Instagram using the #lavendersewingpatterns
• As stated in the Shop Policies, you may sell products you make from this pattern on a small scale, but you may not mass produce. Please credit me with a link to my website or to the pattern in the listing

 

I hope you found this interesting and removed any doubts to purchase the pattern. If you have any other questions, please comment below or send an email to me directly.