Specifically, I’m writing about the Laundry Day Tee pattern because I just used it and I can’t say exactly about the others (other designers and other patterns) but if you save your pattern to your computer (vs. just downloading and printing from the download), open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader (which is free and so useful), then you can use the “layers” feature and print only the size you’re wanting to make.
The pattern comes with a lot of sizes . . a LOT! Say I’m making the medium. I would use the layers feature and leave on only the Medium and the Guidelines. Then I wouldn’t have to be figuring out whether to cut along the blue dashed line or the orange slashed/dot line. Also, LDT is 36 pages as I recall. I believe the actual pattern starts on page 18 so if you want to read through the instructions on the computer and not print all that (it’s so easy to make!), that saves 18 pages of printing. Also, there are several versions so you can print only the pages you need for the version you’re making. Love Notions has a great tutorial here for printing only your size and it really is as easy as the video makes it look.
I think once I printed the pages I need, I only had 7 or 8 sheets of paper to tape together and cut. Piece of cake! Even with Boots’ “help”, it only takes about 5 minutes to line up along the guidelines and tape it together. I don’t cut it out til I’m cutting out my first top and do it all at the same time.
Later if you decide you need a difference size pattern, you can go back to your file and print it again. No limit to how many times you can download the pattern, and of course, no limit to how many times you can print it off your own computer.
I would much, much rather work with taping printer sheets together than that icky paper in storebought patterns!
Also, each pattern comes with several formats. You can take it on a thumb drive (or maybe email it) to the print shop and get it printed on larger paper. Honestly, by the time I drive to the print shop, hope they print it while I wait and drive back home, I could have printed quite a few of them on my printer, taped them together and probably had two tops made!
Don’t let the petty stuff stop you from trying one of these wonderful tops.
One last thing, if you go to any of the Facebook pages of these designers, you’ll see ladies happily modeling their tops/dresses/leggings. There are short, tall, wide, narrow — you name it — all sizes and everyone seems to LOVE these tops. I do this a lot on Ravelry . . find someone who’s kinda shaped like me (bless their heart!), and see how a pattern looks on them before deciding if it’s something I want to make. But, like I said yesterday, worst case scenario – you don’t like it at all – you have a sleep shirt!
Erin says
Thank you Judy! I am going to give this a try! I have not made clothes in 35 years!
Now do I buy a serger too?
Cynthia says
Stitch upon a time has awesome stuff for the whole family, free pattern with purchase and they are layered like you were describing.
JudyL says
I think almost all of them have items for the family and are layered. I also love Patterns for Pirates and Made for Mermaids.
Terri in BC says
Thanks for the tip! After I bought my pattern, I discovered if you sign up for their Facebook page, you can get a code to get the pattern for free.
Cilla Tyler says
What does “layered” mean? I don’t see how to print off just one size. There are like 36 pages otherwise.
Judee says
The layers you turn off or on in Adobe. You uncheck all the sizes you don’t want to print and leave only the one that you do want to print. Otherwise the patterns will all print on top of each other with many many different lines on top of each other.
Cilla Tyler says
I don’t have Adobe that I know of.
Judee says
Its free if you don’t have it….
get.adobe.com/reader
Judee says
Be careful while installing it. Adobe always wants to add on extra software you don’t need. Be sure to read all the checkboxes and uncheck them as desired
Karen Sutton says
Anyone printing on a Mac? I went to app store and Adobe Reader is not listed.
Judee says
You should be able to download it directly from Adobe at get.adobe.com/reader You may need to check or uncheck an option in your browser that will allow you to download from other places other than the apple app store. The Laundry Day tee site has additional info at lovenotions dot com/product/laundry-day-tee-xs-xxxl
Karen Sutton says
Thanks Judee.
barbara says
thank you for the link to Love Notions tutorial for printing. i think i deleted the file from my adobe storage (or whatever it’s called) but i won’t lose sleep over it. i know i can print it out from Finder using only the pages i want, but they’ll be multi-sized. i just contacted them asking if it’s too late to put it back in my adobe storage. i’ll have to learn the part about pulling it up when i want to retrieve it. baby steps, baby steps. mine is the Rhapsody Blouse but the Laundry Tee is great for summer. it looks made for hot Texas days. do you have to shorten the body length? how tall are you?
again. thanks for that link.