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Core Settings Menu

The editor’s Core Settings menu allows you to tweak various aspects of the FreeSewing Core library, which – under the hood – generates your pattern for you.

In contrast to Design options which are specific for a given design, these Core Settings are the same for every design.

So you will find this menu always provides the same settings, regardless of what design you are generating a pattern for.

tip

The core settings menu is accessible in the ribbon area in the draft view and other views that show the pattern.

The following core settings are available:

Pattern Details​

This setting – which is enabled by default – will give you a pattern with all details included.

If you disable it, you will instead get a pattern that does not include any details such as text or annotations, and only include the seamlines.

Pattern Expansion​

This option suppresses all efforts to make the pattern consume less space/paper.

Designers will often take steps to reduce the amount of paper consumed by a pattern. For example, a strip of fabric used for binding, or a simple rectangular part may not be included, or only partially.

This option – which is disabled by default – allows you to suppress the space saving and indicate you rather want to get full-sized views on all pattern parts.

Included parts​

This setting allows you to specify which patterns parts you want to generate.

This can be useful if you want to only use a specific part. For example perhaps you have a shirt pattern and you only want to generate a different collar style.

It can also be used to include pattern parts that – for whatever reason – are hidden by default.

Margin​

The margin setting controls how much space will be added around each pattern part when calculating the pattern layout.

Each pattern part is laid out as a rectangle on the page. The spacing around (and between) these rectangles is controlled by this setting.

Paperless Patterns​

The paperless setting lets you generate a sewing pattern that includes extra dimensions as well as a grid (in either metric or imperial, based on your choice of units).

This allows you to skip printing the pattern altogether. Instead you can transfer it directly onto the fabric, or an intermediate medium such as pattern paper.

Include Seam Allowance​

This controls whether or not to include seam allowance on your pattern.

By default, seam allowance is not included. To generate a pattern with seam allowance, you should enable it by changing this option to Yes.

note

FreeSewing’s core library only takes a single setting to handle seam allowance: sa. However, for convenience, we’ve split this up into two different settings on the website:

The latter will only be shown if you’ve enabled the former.

Seam Allowance Size​

This Core Setting controls the base size of your seam allowance. In other words, the default seam allowance will be this size. Other allowance that is intended to be wider, like hem allowance, will be a multiple of this size.

note

FreeSewing’s core library only takes a single setting to handle seam allowance: sa. However, for convenience, we’ve split this up into two different settings on the website:

The latter will only be shown if you’ve enabled the former.

Scale​

The scale settings allow you to scale those parts of a pattern that do not scale with measurements. Things like logos, line widths, font sizes, and so on.

This setting was added at the requests of people who like to use our patterns to make doll clothes. When generating such a small pattern, the arrowheads, titles, and so on tend to obscure much of the pattern. This setting allows you to scale them down or – if you so wish – scale them up.

Units​

This controls the units used on your pattern. FreeSewing supports both metric and imperial units.

Note that as a FreeSewing user, you can configure your units in your account, and those are the units that will be used by default. However, if you want to override those settings on an individual basis – perhaps you are generating a pattern on behalf of someone else – this setting allows you to do that.