Welcome to Greenstyle Creations! We're so happy you've found us, and look forward to getting to know you and sharing our love of sewing!

If you're new to Greenstyle, or PDF Patterns in general, you might have a few questions about how to purchase, download, print and assemble your pattern- so we've written this blog post to walk you through the process step by step. 

Ready? Let's get started!

Where to Find our Patterns

First off, you'll want to visit our website. This is where you can purchase patterns, watch instructional videos, download cut files, read our blog posts, and login to your account (once you've created one!). 

Creating an Account

Once you're on our main website, click on "Login" in the upper left hand corner. Follow the prompts to create an account at the bottom- this is necessary for purchases and will speed up the checkout process later.

Buying a Pattern (or three!)

Once you've got your account set up, navigate back to the homepage and click the "Patterns" tab at the top. Select the type of pattern you're looking for: women's, athletic, kids, men's/boys or FREE!

All our patterns are PDF downloads, for instant gratification and access.

For example, I've clicked on "Women's Patterns" so I can see all the options for women.

I'm using the ever-popular Brassie Joggers in this example:

Once you've found a pattern you like (or several! Don't forget about our tiered pricing discounts- its always better to buy in threes!), add it to your "cart". 

When you're ready to complete your purchase, click on your cart. You can check out several ways.

All require you to create an account, so if you haven't already, go ahead and follow the prompts to create and verify your account and complete your purchase.

Sometimes, when you add a pattern to your cart, you won't realize it's been added. Check your cart before purchasing to make sure you've only got one of each item in there. 

Downloading and Printing Your Patterns

 Once you've completed the checkout process, you can download the item from your account. To find your patterns, click on "My Account", and then "My Files and Downloads".

This is where it can get confusing for the new PDF user. Patterns come in different formats.

If you're in the United States, and want to print at home, you'll want the .pdf file, shown with the green arrow here.

If you're an international user, you will probably be using A4 paper, so download the .a4 file, shown with the orange arrow here.

If you would prefer to print your pattern at a copyshop, many of our patterns also come with a large format file, shown with the purple arrow here.

You can also send it to the shop and have them print it for you. I've done this at FedEx/Kinkos, Staples, or through an online printer, such as pdfplotting.com. We have no affiliation or recommendation for any of those vendors, but they are some that we have used with success.

Once you've got your pattern downloaded, you'll need to print it, assuming you are doing so at home. Open the file on your computer. DO NOT PRINT IT FROM THIS WINDOW!

I am using a Mac, but it should look similar regardless of the platform you're working on. Click to open the file, save it to your computer with the download arrow, and then open it in Adobe Reader. This is important, so you can print it correctly. If you don't have Adobe Reader, you can download it for free here. It should look like this in Adobe:

Check to make sure you're opening the file in Adobe, then look for the layers icon on the left side. It will look like a stack of boxes.

Many of our patterns come with layers- meaning you can print only the size(s) you need, making it easier to trace or cut out your pattern.

Click on the stacked boxes on the left side of the Adobe window, and then de-select the sizes you do not need by clicking on the "eye" next to them.. Leave the "Common Layer" or "Page Numbers" layers selected, along with your chosen size.

Some of our older patterns do not have size layers- like the Brassie Joggers (which have rise layers, but not size layers). See the example below.

That's OK- simply de-select the option you don't want, or if no layers are present, you don't have to do anything at all! All sizes will print, and these patterns were designed with this in mind, so the lines will be easy to differentiate.

In fact, sometimes I print this way on purpose so I have a "master copy"- I can then trace off the sizes I need as I need them. I recommend swedish tracing paper or medical exam paper for tracing patterns- it stores well, and doesn't take up a lot of space.

You'll also want to make sure that your pattern prints at 100%, with no scaling. Check your printer dialog box to make sure that these items are selected. I tend to print my patterns in grayscale to preserve ink, but you can print in color if you like. 

You don't need to print the entire file- I usually just print the pattern pages, and look at the instructions from the computer to save ink. To change that, select the "Pages" button, and enter the page range you want to print.

Before printing all the pages, however, I highly recommend printing the first page, which will have a scaling box on it. 

Measure your box, and make sure it measures correctly- being off by even 1/8" will really affect the fit of your garment. If it doesn't match up, make sure you're printing at 100% scaling and try again. 

Once you know you've got your pattern scaled correctly, go ahead and print the rest of the pattern pages. All Greenstyle patterns are NO TRIM patterns, which means you don't have to cut the edges off to assemble them, which is a huge timesaver! 

Assembling Your Patterns

Overlap the pages and align the edge of one page to the edge of the grey line of the next. Continue tiling the pages together and taping as you go, making sure to line them all up as precisely as possible. I like to go from top to bottom, and left to right. Follow the assembly guide in your instructions.

Once you've got your pattern assembled, you can trace or cut it out, and get started with your project!

Here's a brief video on assembling your patterns for those visual learners out there:

That's it- now you're ready to sew!

Don't forget to join our Facebook group- this is where you can interact, get inspiration, ask questions, and show off your projects! We also have giveaways, sew alongs, and contests from time to time in our group- so you don't want to miss out! You can also follow us on Instagram and Pinterest to stay connected. 

Welcome to the Greenstyle family- we are glad you found us and look forward to getting to know you better!