Last updated on July 28th, 2025 at 03:18 pm
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Have you ever wondered what to do when the pattern piece you have is larger than your projection size? Don’t start printing your pattern pieces just yet! Here are two simple ways to cut a pattern that is larger than your projection!
Use Tracing Paper
Don’t have enough room for the entire pattern piece? Let tracing paper fill in the gaps.
Step 1: Open and Mark
Open the pattern in Pattern Projector. Select only the layers that you need. Open the pattern in full screen mode. Using the line tool, make 2-3 lines near where the pattern extends beyond the image.
Step 2: Trace Pattern.
Now, lay your tracing paper on your cutting table with the pattern shining on it. Use a marker to mark the lines you drew in step 1. Then, continue tracing the visible parts of the pattern.
Step 3: Shift and Trace
Next, use the arrow keys or mouse to shift the pattern so that the part that was not in the image is now on screen. Align the tracing paper with the already traced pattern lines, and align the 2-3 marks that were made. Trace the rest of the pattern onto the paper.
You can now use the traced image to cut out the entire pattern piece as needed.
Cut in Sections by Scrolling Projection
This is my favorite way to cut something larger than my projection. It involves shifting the fabric or table to cut out the entire pattern. It is done similar to the trace method, but you will cut out the fabric as you go instead of tracing.
Step 1: Open and Mark
Open the pattern in Pattern Projector and select only the layer(s) you need. Align the pattern in the center of the screen so that the majority of the pattern fits. Use the Line tool to make 3 marks in a triangle pattern near where the pattern exits the screen.
Step 2: Mark fabric.
Lay your fabric on your cutting table. Ensure that you have enough fabric for the rest of the pattern that is not showing in your image. Use pins, tailor’s chalk, or Frixion pen to mark the lines you drew in step 1.
Step 3: Cut the pattern.
Now, carefully cut out the visible parts of the pattern. Go right up to the edge of what you can see.
Step 4: Shift fabric and scroll pattern.
Once you have cut out the first part of your pattern, you are ready to shift and scroll. Shift the projected image in Pattern projector until that part of the pattern that was not on screen, is now on screen. Make sure your marks you made in step 1 are still showing in the screen too.
Now carefully shift the fabric and align the marks on the screen with the marks and cut pattern lines on the fabric. Some knits are easy to “stretch” instead of “shift”. Ensure that you are not stretching the fabric as you move it.
*If you have a table on wheels, some sewists like to shift the table instead of the fabric.
Make sure to align the pattern and fabric both horizontally and vertically. The pattern cut lines should align with what you have already cut and the marked lines on the screen should match the fabric marks. If your fabric was shifted unevenly, you may need to adjust the fabric.
Step 5: Cut out the rest of the pattern. Or repeat as needed.
Now you can see the rest of the pattern projected onto the fabric. Continue your cut lines and cut out the remaining parts of the pattern. If you still do not see all of the pattern on the screen, you may need to repeat the steps and shift again.
Conclusion
Way to go! Now you can master cutting pattern pieces that are larger than your projection. You can trace the pattern out on tracing paper. Which, still beats printing and taping! Another and more common way to cut a pattern that is bigger than your projection is to cut in sections. Both ways will have you pattern cut out in less time than it takes to tape a PDF pattern together!
If you find yourself doing this often, you may consider revising your projector setup to a projector with a lower throw ratio or increasing the distance between the projector and cutting surface to create a larger image size.