[Sarvi]

I don’t think I’m part of the die-hard paper group you’re asking about, but as a point of comparison, I haven’t bought the Washi dress in PDF but would buy it in paper if the circs were right (had the money, had fabric in mind for it, etc.) I am not familiar with that designer’s PDFs and am wary of PDF patterns in general because the tiling & taping can be really counterintuitive and tedious. Not talking about the Washi, now, but with some PDFs I bought early on which shall remain nameless, they seemed really amateurish and I think they would never have seen the light of day if they’d had to be released in print.

[Nicole]

I am most definitely a collector but I still house my PDF’s as I do my paper patterns.

I laminate the front and back pages, store them is a ziplock bag with the instructions stapled together (so much easier then a large sheet to read when sewing). I print my pattern, glue stick it together, trace and then fold it, just like a pattern sheet.

I have lost the odd PDF pattern (my daughter vomiting in my laptop took care of a few) but now I save them on a USB as well.

I do miss the paper dolls.

That said, I do snap up any paper copies ( OOP) I find out and about, just in case.

[KarenK]

I prefer paper over pdf mostly because taping pieces together annoys me. HOWEVER, it’s not a deal breaker for me if I don’t have the choice.

[Kim]

I prefer paper patterns because to me it’s art. I love to handle the paper envelope and pattern just like I like to hold a real book over my Kindle. I collect them and store them in a space just like I do with my books.

[Liesl Gibson]

If we knew we could sell through a print run of Liesl + Co paper patterns we’d be thrilled to print them. The challenge, however, is that very few fabric stores carry women’s patterns. A handful, at most. And without retailers to carry the patterns, it’s unlikely that we’d sell the volume that we would need to sell. Which means a lot of money tied up in a warehouse–and I’m sure you can imagine we already have that with the many, many Oliver + S patterns we’ve kept in print.

My hope is that sales of Liesl + Co PDF patterns will continue to increase to a level that will justify a print run. We just need to see that the customers are there. If you’d like to help you can spread the word by telling your friends about us! Word of mouth is the best way for us to grow.

[cybele727]

I use a service like dropbox to store my pdfs. And while I love the delicate tissue feel of the traditional pattern and the transparency, I am willing to forgo it for such conveniences as printing multiple times and not worrying about nesting sizes.

Also, I enjoy the convenience of using my iPad to read the instructions next to the machine. I like the ability to zoom as eye fatigue is a more common occurrence as I age. Lastly, if you are doing it “right” because you aren’t an out of the box perfect fit, you have to trace the pattern anyways to do your alterations. So, might as well print, cut and tape/paste to then be able to hack that FBA/SBA or other alternations without worry.

If only I could print on paper with some transparency like pattern paper. That would be AWESOME!

[miss_sonja]

At first I liked the PDFs I tried because I could just cut out the size needed. But trying to wrangle an adult size pattern (Metro T) was really frustrating. And after that, I decided to trace my PDFs onto tracing paper rather than just cutting out the size for the smaller size patterns (School bus T).

I do prefer paper patterns over all.

[Liesl Gibson]

One other thing I should mention is that if we go to printed paper the price of the patterns–both paper and digital–would almost certainly increase. We can keep the prices lower by only doing PDFS!

[enajybbil]

After I’ve printed it out myself or paid to have it printed on big paper I’ve spent more time and money anyways. I LOVE your paper patterns hard! They have spoiled me for other brands. The weight of the tissue. The clever envelopes. The bygone paper dolls. *sigh* I’d happily pay ~$25 after shipping for an adult size paper pattern. It’s just worth it to me. BUT I can appreciate the risk it would be! You’re patterns are great enough to make this PDF averse lady to click “download”. 😉 Just gotta add my input :-}

[housecall]

I would gladly pay more for the printed patterns. I really resist the PDFs and when I have no choice I buy it and then pay to have it printed. Not worth the hassle to save a few bucks. Maybe PDF for your international following and paper for the rest of us? Please? 🙂

[meleliza]

I will buy PDF when it’s the only option AND I feel the design is something I can’t get anywhere else in paper AND I feel pretty confident about the company. I’m empathetic to the struggles of trying to make the patterns pay for themselves, though. It doesn’t look easy to run a business with integrity and I certainly don’t mind paying a little more for something I know is well made by a family business.

I have bought the everyday skirt because I think it really is wonderfully useful. I adore the new bistro dress and would happily buy that. I know the pattern is well drafted and I’ll say this – the women’s patterns are less of a hassle in PDF form because I only need to deal with printing and tracing and all that once. I can make multiple of the same size for myself once I have a muslin. I can take that apart and use it for the pattern. The children’s patterns are made in a different size each time, so that really is a hassle with PDF. I don’t mind printing the instructions, though it is harder to keep track of multiple pages than one big one. But reading the instructions on an ipad is a hassle. First, I have to barter the ipad away from the kids, then I have to tap it all the time because it blacks out constantly. I like simplicity and convenience that PDF simply can’t provide. Paper is easy, reliable and crash proof! It doesn’t need updates either. I don’t need a new device every other year to access it.

[Nicole]

Me again, I really feel they are so similar to paper. 🙂

I keep mine like this https://www.flickr.com/photos/motherof5/sets/72157637457087373/ , scroll down to the bottom of the piccies, if you can be bothered 🙂

They still look lovely.

I print and use like paper, no devices here.

[Violaisabelle]

I much prefer paper. I look at my patterns as not just patterns, but also ‘books’. I carry my patterns around and read them. I read them in the house, when I am at events with my children or waiting for doctor visits. I find inspiration in patterns, even if I don’t sew up the pattern. I might purchase a pattern to learn a new technique. With independent pattern makers, I might purchase a pattern, knowing full well I will never sew it up, but I want to support the pattern company/designer, and I want to see the style line, read the directions, or be inspired by the pattern. I can’t do that with the digital. Digital patterns are a pain for me to store. I do not like to be wasteful, so when I tape the pattern together, I end up rolling up the tube of patterns, but they don’t really store well that way. I then trace off the size I need, further making storage a challenge.

I know I opt out of purchasing some patterns because they are digital only and I can’t be bothered, it has to be inspiring to make me want to purchase a digital pattern. If I have a choice between digital and paper, paper wins, hands down!

Because I give patterns as gifts to my sewing buddies, it’s much easier to give paper patterns, rather than digital.

One issue I have with your paper patterns, Liesl and Todd, is the way in which they are labeled when shipping. I was ready to purchase many of your paper patterns (ones I already own) on the last sale, I thought I could use them as gifts and use them for a class I was considering teaching (giving each student one of the patterns), but I abandoned the purchase because on my last order, the non-sale price was listed on the outside package, rather than what I actually paid, which pushed the patterns over into extra taxes. In other words, I had to pay taxes on regular price, rather than sale price. Every other independent pattern company, including the big pattern companies I have purchased from, lists my actual purchase price, minus the shipping, making things much easier. If you ever make a change in your invoice on the shipping envelopes to actual costs, please let me know. 🙂

[dubhels2003]

I am very much a paper pattern person. I have bought the everyday skirt and one or two other PDF patterns, but needless to say I haven’t actually made them yet. I love paper patterns for a number of reasons.

Firstly I don’t have a printer, so I would never get the pattern to start sewing immediately.

Secondly I work full time in a small town which doesn’t have a printers with the printing capability to print the patterns out, and I would struggle to take time out of my weekend to sort the printing out with my beautiful two under two.

Thirdly, I am a collector. I have a collection of my Mum’s old patterns, and many that I bought when I first sewed for me in the late 90s/early 00s (apparently these are considered vintage by today’s young folk 🙁 ) I like to have the pattern in the packet. I do not object to what I pay for a decent pattern, especially when I am going to make it more than once as I count the prince into the cost of the first ‘make’ with that pattern.

Finally, the idea of sitting with reams of A4 paper having to tape them together, if I managed to get someone else to print the pattern out for me, just doesn’t sit with my very low patience levels.

I can see how brilliant the concept of pdf patterns are, and I totally understand why many people love them, I guess I am just a pattern luddite!

[Linda]

I love paper patterns the best. However, I will buy PDF if I really like the pattern and there is no other option. However, I live in UK and three times recently I have to pay customs duty on patterns from the US. £20 yesterday! Whatever happened to free trade and global economy etc!!! So I think I might have to consider buying more pdf- most of the indie designers I like are in US, not UK.