FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

You'll find all purchased eBooks and embroidery files in your customer account under Downloads. You can download them again there at any time, always in the latest version.

Right after your purchase, you'll also see the downloads on the order confirmation page. In the order confirmation email, you can get there via “View order” as well.

Important: You'll find your purchased eBooks when you log in with the email address you used to make the purchase.

• First check your spam or promotions folder. Emails with links sometimes end up there.
• Check whether you entered the correct email address when ordering.
• You don't need the email to get your sewing patterns: log in to your customer account with the email address from your order, all downloads are there.

If it still doesn't work, write to us via the contact form and include your order number.

You don't need a separately created account. Simply log in with the email address you used for your order. Your orders and downloads will then be there automatically.

Yes. We have transferred orders from the old SewSimple shop. Log in with the email address you used to order back then. Your previous sewing patterns will then appear under Downloads.

Is a sewing pattern missing? Write to us via the contact form, ideally with the order date or your old order number.

As often as you like, with no time limit. When we revise a sewing pattern, you automatically get the new version in your customer account.

When you're logged in, we show you on the product page that you already own a sewing pattern. If you bought it twice anyway, for example without logging in, write to us via the contact form with your order number. We'll then sort it out with you.

Our eBooks are PDF files. Larger eBooks with several files (instructions, pattern in A4 and A0, layered version) come as a ZIP file that contains all the PDFs.

You don't need an eBook reader like Kindle, just a program that can open PDFs, e.g. the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

A ZIP file is a package that bundles several files together in a space-saving way. You can recognise it by the file extension .zip, e.g. eBook-Tasche-Trisch-3-Groessen.zip. Before you can open the PDFs, you need to unzip it:

• Windows: Right-click the file → “Extract All”.
• Mac: Double-click the file.
• iPhone/iPad: In the “Files” app, tap the ZIP file briefly.
• Android: In the “Files” or “My Files” app, tap the ZIP file and choose “Extract”.

If that doesn't work, a free unzipping program such as 7-Zip (Windows) often helps.

Usually the ZIP file hasn't been unzipped yet. After unzipping, you'll find a folder such as “Schnittmuster DIN A4” or “Schnittmuster DIN A0” containing the pattern pieces.

If you get an error while unzipping, download the file again from your customer account and, if necessary, try it on another device. If that doesn't help, send us a message and we'll help you out.

• Print the A4 file. The A0 file is meant for the copy shop.
• In the print dialogue, set 100 % or “Actual size” without using “Fit to page”.
• Select “Document and Markups”, otherwise labels will be missing from the pattern.

The sewing pattern is full size, you don't need to enlarge anything.

Go through these points:

• Have you unzipped the ZIP file?
• Are you printing the sewing pattern and not the assembly plan? The assembly plan is just an overview page.
• Are you printing the A4 file and not the A0 file by mistake?
• Are you using the matching assembly plan? The black-and-white and layered versions have different plans.
• Try it on another device or in another PDF program.

Every sewing pattern has an assembly plan. For clothing, the pages are numbered consecutively; for bags and accessories, the assembly plan is usually printed directly on the pattern. Some patterns are taped together row by row in portrait or landscape format, the plan shows you how.

You'll find lots more tips in our article Common sewing pattern problems.

Yes, most sewing patterns include an A0 file. You can take it to the copy shop on a USB stick or by email and have it plotted there at full size (100 %). That way you hardly need to tape anything.

The product description says “layer function”. In the eBook, you'll then find a file called “Schnittmuster Ebenen” in A4 and A0. The layered patterns are usually in colour, and the classic black-and-white version is included as well.

Open the layered file in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer. In the layers view, hide all the sizes you don't need and print only yours.

You'll find step-by-step instructions here: Printing sewing patterns in layers.

Unfortunately not reliably. Most phone and tablet apps can't hide layers or can't print directly. It's best to use a computer for this.

You can also use the A0 layered file at the copy shop. Just tell the staff which size you need.

Every sewing pattern has a body measurements chart and a finished measurements chart:

• The body measurements chart shows which body measurements a size is intended for. Take your measurements and find the matching size.
• The finished measurements chart shows the measurements of the finished garment. Compare them with a well-fitting garment from your wardrobe.

If your waist and hips fall into different sizes, you can sew between sizes and blend the lines smoothly.

Yes. We recommend sewing a test garment from inexpensive fabric the first time. It shows you where you'd like to change something, and you then transfer that to the pattern.

Please understand that we can't offer personal advice on sizing or alterations by email. You'll find tips on fitting in the Sewing Academy and on our blog.

Click the person icon at the top right and enter your email address. You'll receive a 6-digit code by email, which you use to log in. You no longer need a password.

If you don't have an account yet, it will be created automatically the first time you log in.

• Check your spam or promotions folder.
• Check the spelling of your email address.
• Wait one to two minutes and then request a new code. Always use the most recent code.

If nothing arrives, write to us via the contact form.

No, you don't need it any more. Log in with the same email address and the code we send you. Your orders from the old shop are stored there.

Important: Always use the same email address so that all your purchases are saved in the same customer account and you don't have to search for them.

Log in to your customer account and open your profile. There you can change your email address.

Important for freebooks: The email address of your customer account must be the same as the one for your newsletter subscription. If you change it in your account, also sign up for the newsletter with the new address.

You'll find all the details of your order in the order confirmation email and in your customer account under Orders. If you need an invoice, write to us via the contact form with your order number.

The freebooks are a thank-you to everyone who reads our newsletter, the Nähpost.

Here's how:

1. Sign up for the newsletter and click the link in the confirmation email.
2. Log in with the same email address in your customer account.
3. On the freebook overview or directly on the freebook itself, you can now download it.

You can download up to 3 different freebooks per day. Freebooks you have already downloaded can be downloaded again at any time.

Please understand that we don't send freebooks by email.

You have signed up for the newsletter but haven't clicked the confirmation link yet. Check your inbox (including the spam folder) for the confirmation email and click the link. After that, the download is unlocked.

• Check that your customer account and your newsletter subscription use the same email address for both.
• Have you already downloaded 3 different freebooks today? Then you can continue tomorrow.
• Try a different browser or a private window.

Sometimes our new website doesn't recognise that you may have been subscribed to our newsletter for a while. In that case, it helps to unsubscribe briefly and sign up again.

At the very bottom of every Nähpost newsletter, you'll find a link to change your details or unsubscribe. One click is all it takes.

If you change your address, remember to update it in your customer account too, so the freebooks keep working.

Right after your purchase, you'll find your course in your customer account under **My courses**. The courses are online courses to watch in your browser. That's why you won't receive a download link for the course itself.

You'll find sewing patterns and materials for the course to download directly in the respective course lessons.

No. The courses run in any up-to-date browser, e.g. Safari, Chrome or Firefox, on a computer, tablet or phone. You can pause them and watch them as often as you like.

No, the T-shirt course is not a pattern drafting course. You'll learn everything you need to sew a T-shirt yourself: fabrics, materials, reading sewing patterns and simple variations of the basic pattern.

You receive the pattern printed in large format (A0 plot) by post. You'll also find the sewing instructions and the complete eBook with all sizes as a download in your customer account.

We deliberately don't include printed instructions, which saves paper. You can easily open the instructions on your phone or tablet while sewing.

Depending on the pattern, a paper pattern consists of 2 to 4 sheets that you need to tape together along one or two edges.

Paper patterns are printed for you and sent as a letter. Please allow 1 to 2½ weeks for delivery, a little longer during postal strikes.

We don't ship between Christmas and New Year. Orders placed during this time go out from the first working day of the new year.

We send paper patterns as a letter, not as an insured parcel. Unfortunately, things sometimes get lost along the way. Write to us via the contact form with your order number. We'll then send the pattern again or refund the price of the paper pattern.

Please check beforehand that the delivery address in your order is correct.

This can happen if a wrong or outdated address was given when ordering. We're happy to send the pattern again. Please first make sure the new address is correct and send it to us via the contact form.

For handling, packaging and reshipping, we charge a flat fee of €7 per sewing pattern, which you pay in advance via PayPal. We keep returned paper patterns for you for 1 week.

You can choose PayPal, Shop Pay, Visa, Mastercard, American Expres, Maestro, Union Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, WeChat Pay or Klarna as your payment method. Klarna also lets you pay by credit card. You'll see which Klarna options are available to you at checkout.

At checkout, there's a field called “Discount code or gift card”. Enter the code, click “Apply” and the discount is deducted straight away.

Try a different browser, a private window or another device. Choosing a different payment method often helps too. If it still doesn't work, drop us a quick line via the contact form.

Yes, with our gift voucher for sewing patterns. You can enter a recipient, add a personal message and choose the delivery date. The voucher is then sent by email and can be redeemed at checkout.

Yes, with a commercial use licence. Our sewing patterns and instructions are protected by copyright. For private use, you can sew as much as you like. As soon as you sell sewn items, you need a licence, even for free sewing patterns.

• A licence applies to exactly one sewing pattern.
• It is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase and for up to 50 items sold.
• It costs €10 per sewing pattern and is not a subscription. Afterwards, you can buy a new licence.

The sewing pattern itself is not included, you buy it separately. All details are in our licence terms.

You'll find the licence directly on the product page of the respective sewing pattern. Requirement: you're logged in to your customer account and have bought the sewing pattern or have it in your cart. After your purchase, you'll find your personal licence PDF in your customer account.

Yes. Licences you bought before we switched to the new shop remain valid under the terms agreed at the time. Your original licence document serves as proof. Please keep it safe.

Old licences are not shown in the new customer account. You buy new licences directly on the product page, as described above.

Download the embroidery file from your customer account and unzip it. Then copy the file in the right format for your machine onto a USB stick or transfer it via cable.

Our embroidery files come in these formats: DST, PES, JEF, EXP, XXX, HUS and VP3. Many designs also include a version for embroidering with embroidery foil in addition to the normal stitch density. This is then stated in the product description.

If you open designs in embroidery software, e.g. to combine them or add lettering, one setting is important in Hatch, Bernina and older Janome versions:

1. File → Open and select the embroidery file.
2. Click Options in the dialogue.
3. “Keep stitches as individual stitches – Grade D” – tick this option.
4. Confirm with OK and open.

If “Convert stitches to object shapes – Grade C” is active instead, the design is recalculated. Then parts are missing, the machine jumps or stitches very slowly, or the design becomes unusable. You only need to change this setting once.

• Does the design fit your embroidery hoop? If the hoop is too small, the design often won't be displayed at all.
• Are you choosing the right file format for your machine?
• Is your machine's software up to date?

For a clean result, we recommend the embroidery stabilisers named in the instructions.

Write to us via our contact form. We usually get back to you within 5 working days, often sooner.

Please understand that we can't offer personal advice on choosing sizes, pattern alterations or sewing basics by email. You'll find lots of tips on these in the Sewing Academy and on our blog.

Important: We don't offer customer service by phone.