How to print and assemble your PDF patterns?

New Release

Order your PDF pattern

Guide to printing patterns with frames and layers by size

Pattern Projection Guide

FAQ

New Release : Enhanced PDF Patterns 

Starting in February 2025, all our PDF patterns will include:

Alignment frames for easier assembly
Layered sizes for a clearer sewing experience
Projector-friendly format for paperless cutting

What’s New?

🖨 Alignment Frames
These borders and guides have been added to help you accurately assemble printed pages. When a pattern is spread over multiple sheets, the frames ensure perfect alignment by following the guides. They also include a scale square (3 cm x 3 cm) to verify print accuracy.

Layered Sizes
With this feature, you can select only the size you need in a PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat Reader, reducing clutter from overlapping lines. This makes it easier to trace and minimizes errors. Plus, it allows multi-size blending, so you can adjust between different sizes (e.g., between bust and hips).

Projector Format
Skip printing altogether! With video projection, you can display the pattern directly onto your fabric and cut along the projected lines—saving paper, ink, and assembly time. The projection can be calibrated to ensure true-to-size accuracy, making it a game-changer for digital sewists.

Our PDF Patterns Are Available in 4 Formats:

A0 – A large-format print (841mm x 1189mm), ideal for printing on a single sheet at a copy shop or with a wide-format printer.

A4 & US Letter – Designed for home printers:

• A4 (210mm x 297mm) – the standard size in Europe.
• US Letter (8.5 x 11 inches / 216mm x 279mm) – commonly used in North America.

A3 – A larger intermediate format (297mm x 420mm), twice the size of A4. Suitable for offices, copy shops, or printers that support larger formats.

Order your PDF pattern

Select from o cart" from the product sheet. Validate your order and pay. Automatically, the page "Your order is now confirmed" will be displayed.

You will receive an email "Your MAISON FAUVE download is ready" with the download links for your digital purchases. We invite you to keep this email indefinitely in order to be able to download your files again.

Links can be used 5 times. We strongly recommend that you save your files to your computer to keep them indefinitely!

How to Download Your PDF Pattern

Go to our selection of PDF patterns on our website. Once you have chosen your pattern click "Add to Cart" on the product page 
Complete your order and proceed to payment.
Once your order is confirmed, a "Your order is now confirmed" page will appear.

How to Access Your Files
You will receive an email titled "Your MAISON FAUVE download is ready", containing links to download your digital purchases. We recommend keeping this email safely, as it allows you to re-download your files when needed.

 Important Notes:

• Download links can be used up to 5 times.
• We strongly advise saving your files to your computer to ensure you keep them indefinitely.

Guide to Printing Patterns with Frames & Layered Sizes

To print your pattern correctly, follow these steps:

Click on the printer icon (🖨️) or go to File > Print.
In the print settings window, check the following options:

Print Settings:
Pages to print: Page 1 (for the test square)
Page Sizing & Handling: Actual size (do not scale)
For Mac users: Select “Choose paper source according to PDF page format”

Printing Tip:
The PDF format is intentionally slightly smaller than standard paper sizes. When previewing, make sure the cutting rectangle is centred, then select your preferred print format: A4, A3, or US Letter.

This ensures your pattern prints at the correct scale for a seamless assembly!

These settings ensure that only the first page is printed. Now, measure the test square to confirm it matches the indicated size.

Print Alignment Tip:
If your prints seem misaligned, make sure the paper is properly secured in the printer tray. This helps prevent shifting during printing, ensuring precise and accurate results.

Print Your Pattern in Your Selected Size

Our PDF catalogue has evolved—all our patterns now include layered sizes for a more precise and user-friendly experience!

To print only the size you need, follow these steps:

Download & install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer.
Open the PDF file you wish to print using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

You will then see all the layers proposed in your file. By default, all sizes are already displayed on your pattern.

To display only your chosen size, uncheck all other sizes by clicking on the eye icon (👁️) in the Layers tab.

For example, if you’re printing the Hussard pants pattern in size 40, you would deselect all other sizes (34, 36, 38, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52), leaving only the lines for size 40 visible.

Your final result should look like this: 

Keep the "LEGEND" layer visible – This includes all essential markings such as part labels, grainline indications, universal markings for all sizes, the test square, assembly guide, page numbers, and cutting rectangles.

Assembling Your Pattern

Cut your sheets along the cutting rectangles – To save time, you only need to trim the right and bottom edges of each page.

Align & assemble – Follow the assembly guide on page 1, carefully matching up the registration marks for a precise fit.

Cutting out

Check your size using the size chart and cut along the dotted lines of your size. If you want to keep all your sizes, we recommend tracing the pattern.

Sew, sew, sew!

And there you have it! All you have to do is transfer your pattern onto your fabric and sew! To get the best results, make a quick toile that will confirm the size and allow you to perfectly adjust the pattern to your body shape.

Pattern Projection Guide

To use the video projection, you must first download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer.

Open the PDF file you want to project with Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can choose between a projection file with a white background and one with a pink background. Choose the one that will be most visible on your fabric.

Calibrate your projector

Click on the "Layer" tab, represented by the icon indicated by the arrow below.

Then select the calibration grid that best suits your needs: in centimeters or inches. To enable or disable a layer, simply click on the (👁️) icon to check or uncheck it. Make sure to uncheck all additional size options below to avoid any overlap.

Enter the zoom corresponding to your installation in the dedicated window.

If you're having trouble calibrating your setup, we recommend joining the Facebook group "Projection et Patrons (de couture)" for support. The zoom level required depends on your specific installation and ensures that the pattern is projected at a true-to-scale (1:1) ratio.

Once your file is calibrated, you’re ready to proceed.

Make sure to keep the “GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS” layer visible. This layer contains essential details such as part labels, grainline indications, and markings common to all sizes.

Choose your size

Return to the layer panel and select the size that fits you best using the (👁️) icon. For better visibility, you can hide the calibration layer.

Close any unnecessary software panels that might reduce your cutting area.

Important: At every step, ensure that your zoom level remains unchanged. If it has shifted, ensure you reset it to maintain accuracy.

Cut out

Cut around each shape carefully. All pattern pieces are included in the file, with elements like sleeves already duplicated and mirrored. This allows you to cut both a right and left sleeve without folding your fabric (e.g., as with the Soho dress).

Don't forget to mark the notches, reference points and middle of the piece.

For pieces that extend beyond the frame, use the centre lines, notches, and extension guides to reposition your fabric and adjust your screen as needed to complete the cutting process.

Sew

To obtain an optimal result, make a quick toile which will confirm the size, and allow you to perfectly adjust the pattern to your body shape.

FAQ

Why have you changed the way PDF patterns are printed?

The PDF format allows you to print patterns at home in A4, US Letter, or A3 sizes. One of its main advantages is that you can order and receive your pattern instantly. However, using a PDF pattern depends on the printing equipment available at home. The reliability and quality of prints can vary, especially between inkjet and laser printers.

Regardless of the format, a PDF pattern smaller than A0 remains identical—only the original layout is divided into multiple smaller sheets. The pattern itself does not change. However, printing across multiple sheets can create breaks in the tracing lines where the sheets meet. Depending on your printer, slight misalignments can occur because printers feed paper unevenly, potentially shifting the tracings. The more sheets a pattern has, the higher the risk of misalignment.

Additionally, every printer has a non-printing area known as the print margin, which varies by model. This margin can cause gaps in the tracing lines that may need to be manually extended.

To eliminate these issues and ensure accuracy, we have reworked the entire Maison Fauve PDF pattern catalogue. Each sheet now includes delimiting frames. This means that even if your printer shifts the print slightly or has a larger non-printing margin, the shift will remain outside the frame and will not affect the tracings.

What's changing in the Maison Fauve PDF patterns?

The patterns have an alignment frame

For greater ease of use and to eliminate dependence on the variable precision of home printers, we now offer patterns in A4, A3, and US Letter formats with alignment frames. This format is simple to use and ensures that the assembled pattern remains accurate, with no misalignment or interruptions from non-printing margins.

The assembly plan is directly integrated into your pattern

The first sheet of the PDF pattern includes the sheet assembly guide and a test square to ensure your pattern is printed to the correct scale. All essential information on using the pattern, along with the recommended print settings, can be found in the printing guide provided.

The patterns have layers by size

Your sewing patterns are available from 34 to 52. The oldest models have a gradation that stops at 46 (the available size range is indicated on the product sheet of your pattern). In order to avoid having to print all the sizes, all our PDF patterns have a layer system, which allows you to select only the size(s) you want. To access the layer selection, you must first download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer.

PDF patterns are available in video projection format

To meet the evolving use of PDF patterns, we offer the entire catalogue of Maison Fauve PDF patterns in a video projection format. This format allows you to project the pieces directly onto your fabric. It requires a video projector suitable for this use, unfortunately we are not able to guide you on the purchase of a particular type of projector.

If I have already purchased the envelope pattern, can I get the PDF pattern of the model for free?

Just as a paper book differs from an audiobook or an eBook, the pocket pattern and the PDF pattern are two distinct products, each requiring separate distribution processes. Purchasing one format (PDF or Pocket) does not grant access to the other for free, and we do not offer a bundle combining both formats.

How does this work for my previous PDF purchases?

All PDF pattern files are automatically updated in your customer account. You would have received several notifications to inform you of the change in format. If you have not downloaded or saved the old version of the PDFs on your computer, we will not be able to offer you this old layout and you will be offered the new version of the PDFs with the frames and layers.

Are all Maison Fauve patterns available in PDF format?

We do not offer PDF versions of patterns from our most recent collections. Unfortunately, PDF patterns are highly susceptible to piracy, with widespread and uncontrolled sharing, particularly in private groups. While there is no definitive solution to prevent this, we have carefully considered the issue—both internally and in discussions with other designers. One approach we have taken is to delay the release of new patterns in PDF format. While this decision may not always be understood or welcomed by all sewists, it is a necessary step to protect our work, our team’s efforts, and our business. Our partners and resellers also appreciate this approach, as it helps prevent the immediate competition between printed patterns and digital downloads.

That said, our PDF catalogue remains extensive, offering a wide range of patterns. Each season, we take care to sew past collection designs in our new fabrics, as we believe our creations remain timeless and relevant long after their initial release.

For a more detailed explanation of how our pocket and PDF formats work, we invite you to watch our dedicated video on our YouTube channel.

Is there a walkthrough available to find all the instructions?

To help you use your files in the format of your choice, we provide two dedicated user guides: one for framed patterns and another for video projection format patterns. These guides contain all the essential information needed to ensure a smooth and accurate sewing experience.