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A tool that plays pattern Tetris for you
Many of you have been dreaming of a tool that plans your cutting layout for you. In the projector sewing world, we call that puzzle “pattern Tetris.” Well, today is that day. PatternNest arranges your pattern pieces on your fabric in just a few clicks.
PatternNest lives on Madegrain.com, and you can go straight to it at madegrain.com/patternnest. Madegrain has built a few other layout tools too. Under “Find Tool” you’ll see NestForge, DXF Medic and Barcode Medic, which arrange patterns or shape outlines in other ways. Today we’re focusing on PatternNest.
How much does PatternNest cost?
Let’s talk price first, because I know you’re all wondering. There’s a free version and a one-time paid license.
- Free version: lets you export layouts with up to 10 pattern pieces. For a lot of patterns, that’s all you need. You can also split a bigger pattern into a few separate files and stay on the free version.
- One-time license: listed at 14 euros, roughly $15–16 US depending on the exchange rate. Once you buy it, it’s yours. There’s no subscription.
Everything else in the program is available on the free tier. The only limit is the number of pattern pieces. Even if you’re ready to buy a license, you still start by clicking Try for free.
Full disclosure: the makers of Madegrain gave me a license. In the free version you’ll see a “Free tier” label at the top, but in this walkthrough I’m only laying out 10 pieces, so everything I show works on the free version.
Setting up your project and fabric
At the very top, name your project. I called mine “Trial page.” PatternNest usually saves whatever you worked on last, so click New project when you want to start fresh. You can also open a .pnest file if you saved a project from PatternNest earlier.
Next to that you’ll find your units of measurement and language. Pick the units you actually sew with. The developers update the program regularly, and you can click to see what’s new.
The workspace
- Left side: choose your pattern file, or load one of their examples to practice. Your pattern pieces appear here once they’re loaded.
- Center: your layout appears here after you click Calculate layout.
- Right side: your fabric and layout settings.
Important: When PatternNest imports your pattern, it does not bring in notches, labels, dart markings or the pattern’s grainline arrows. It adds its own grainline to each piece, but the rest is left behind. I’ll share my workaround below.
Fabric settings
- Fabric width: enter a custom size or pick a preset. I used 60-inch-wide fabric.
- Edge margin: the unusable selvage on each side of your fabric. Measure your selvage and enter it here. I left the default because it was close to mine. My seam allowances are large, so cutting slightly into the selvage didn’t worry me.
- Fold: choose a folded layout to cut two layers at once, or a single layer. My fabric was slippery, so I chose single layer for cutting with my projector.
Layout settings
- Spacing: how close the pieces sit to each other. Go as close as you’re comfortable cutting. I kept the default rather than a quarter inch, since slippery fabric needs a little extra leeway.
- Effort: how hard PatternNest works on the layout. Draft gives the first layout it finds. Standard is fast and usually saves fabric well. Max hunts for the tightest layout using the least fabric, but takes longer. I started with Standard, then tried Max to compare.
Importing your pattern and setting up each piece
Click Choose file to load a pattern from your computer. PatternNest accepts SVG, DXF and PDF files. A single-page pattern file works best, so projector files are ideal. I used the projector file for the Seamwork Cosmo top.
Pick your size and pieces
Once the file opens, you’ll see every pattern piece, and you can zoom in to see them better. Layers show up on the side, and you can select all, select none, or pick just your size. I turned off everything except the size I wanted.
You can turn on piece information to see it on screen, but it won’t carry over into the export. Before you start, open your pattern in another program and write down the cutting instructions: which pieces are cut on the fold, cut two, or cut as a mirrored pair. You’ll need that information in a minute.
Pieces PatternNest thinks are pattern outlines are marked “outline.” Click each piece you want in your layout. Don’t worry about mirroring or cutting two yet.
Check the scale
Projector files should already be at the correct scale, so I leave the scale at 1.0. PatternNest won’t let you add pieces until you confirm the selection and scale are correct. My grainlines were already running the right direction, another reason projector files work so well here. With other files, you may need to rotate pieces so they sit on grain.
Piece settings
After you add your pieces, they appear on the left. Click each one to set:
- Rotation: keep it fixed, allow 0° or 180°, or allow any direction. Use one way (nap) for directional prints so nothing ends up upside down. “Any direction” works for crafts where grain doesn’t matter. My fabric was a solid, so I allowed 0° or 180° to keep the grainline vertical.
- Turn: rotate the piece in 90° increments if you want its grainline running another way.
- Quantity: choose Cut 2 for two identical pieces, or as a pair for mirror images. My front and sleeves needed mirrored pairs.
- Fold: if a piece is cut on the fold, mark it and choose which edge is the fold. PatternNest unfolds the piece for you, so you don’t have to do that in another program first.
- Pattern matching: for stripes and plaids (more on that below).
My layout ended up with 10 pieces total. Mirrored pairs count as two pieces toward the free version’s 10-piece limit.
Calculating the layout and exporting a projector file
With Standard effort selected, I clicked Calculate layout. PatternNest fit all 10 pieces into about one and a half yards. Switching to Max trimmed it by just a little, so not a big difference, but it’s always worth checking whether a tighter layout exists.
Export options
Once you’re happy with the layout, export it. Your choices are:
- Projector file, which you can project directly onto your fabric
- PDF cutting plan
- SVG cutting plan
- DXF cutting plan
I chose the projector file, and it opened right up in Adobe so I could save it to my computer. I didn’t include the fabric outline. What I love is everything that came on the file automatically:
- A 4-inch calibration square
- Rulers along the sides of the fabric for checking measurements
- A marking showing where the selvage is
- The file name, the pattern pieces used and any notes I entered
- The scale, which was 1:1
- A grainline on every piece
Two limitations to know. Pieces only rotate in 90° steps, so nothing gets placed on the bias. And notches aren’t included, so you’ll need to add them to the file afterward, or mark and cut them from your original pattern pieces later. Still, for planning a fabric layout, it’s pretty fascinating that it exports a ready-to-project file just like that.
Pattern matching for stripes, plaids and prints
PatternNest can also plan layouts for patterned fabric. I haven’t done much pattern matching myself, so think of this as a first look at the menus.
Fabric pattern
Under Fabric pattern, choose stripes, plaids or a motif repeat.
- Stripes: set whether they run across the length or the width, and enter the repeat in millimeters. You can leave the origin at zero and keep the print direction.
- Bands: add each stripe with its own width, color and name. For my test I made a 20 mm pink band and a 30 mm blue band, and you can add more stripes as needed.
- Motif repeat: you can add an image of your print. I haven’t tried this one yet.
Click Apply pattern when you’re done.
Matching rules
Under Matching rules, choose how pieces should match, such as matching corresponding seams. You can add a seam point on a piece to tell PatternNest exactly where pieces should line up.
When I recalculated with Standard effort, the stripes showed up in the layout. Because everything was matched, the pieces lined up in a straight column down the fabric. I can see room for more pieces to fit, so I’ll need to experiment to get it tighter.
Tip: click New project when you start your next layout, so your matching settings don’t carry over.
The finished cutting layout and top
For my final projector file, I added the notches and pattern information in Affinity. Because PatternNest had already done the planning, I added those details knowing I had the best arrangement of pieces on my fabric.
After cutting everything out from the layout, I used exactly the amount of fabric PatternNest predicted: one and a half yards. The slippery fabric was a little tricky to sew, but the Seamwork Cosmo top turned out just as I imagined, and I think it’ll be a great addition to my wardrobe.
Is PatternNest worth trying?
PatternNest is a fun little tool for planning your cutting layouts, and it’s a lot faster than doing pattern Tetris by hand. Remember to note your cutting instructions before you import, and plan to add notches back yourself. With a free version that covers most patterns, there’s no reason not to try it.
I think there is still room for improvement with notches and pattern marking, but it is off to a promising start!
Do you see yourself using PatternNest? Let me know in the comments. I read every single one. Happy sewing!