PatternNest
Fabric requirement & cutting layout · offline · pay once
How much fabric do you actually need?
Drop in your pattern — get the exact answer, offline. PatternNest packs your pattern pieces (SVG/DXF) onto your fabric width the way you'd lay them out on the table: grainline respected, one-way prints kept one-way, "cut 1 pair" pieces mirrored. The result is a number you can take to the fabric store — and a cutting layout you can print. Entirely in your browser: your pattern never leaves your machine.
Free up to 10 pieces — nesting, fabric requirement and export included. No signup, no time limit.
Prices plus VAT/sales tax depending on your country — the checkout shows the final amount.
Drop. Set width. Get the number.
No install, no signup, no manual. The rule of thumb on the pattern envelope was written for one fabric width and a generic size — your project isn't generic. PatternNest computes the requirement from your actual pieces:
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Drop your pattern pieces.
SVG or DXF — exported from Seamly2D, Valentina or FreeSewing, or traced in Inkscape. Everything is processed in your browser (WebAssembly); there is no upload endpoint, your pattern stays on your machine.
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Set fabric width and direction rules.
Width presets 110 / 140 / 150 / 160 cm or any custom width. Per piece: rotation free, "follow grainline" (0°/180°), or "one-way" for nap and directional prints (0° only). Mark pieces that are cut as a mirrored pair.
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Read the answer. Print the layout.
The headline result is the length you need in metres — or, if you tell PatternNest how much fabric you have, whether it fits and what's left over. Export the cutting layout as PDF or SVG (DXF too, if you want it).
It answers the two questions you actually have.
Every fabric purchase is one of these two situations — PatternNest has a mode for each:
"How much do I need?"
You're about to buy fabric. PatternNest packs your pieces onto the chosen width and answers with the required length in metres — computed from the real shapes, not estimated from rectangles. Buy that, not the envelope's guess.
"I have 2 m — does it fit?"
You're standing in front of your fabric stash. Enter the length you have: PatternNest tells you whether the project fits on it, and how much is left over if it does.
Grainline & one-way fabrics
Per piece you decide: rotate freely, follow the grainline (0°/180°), or strictly one-way for velvet, corduroy and directional prints (0° only). The layout never turns a piece against your rule.
Mirrored pairs
"Cut 1 pair" is a first-class setting: PatternNest places the piece and its mirror image, so left and right sleeves come out opposite — the way you'd cut them on doubled fabric, but on a single layer you can see.
Cutting distance, not kerf
Pieces keep a 10 mm cutting distance by default (adjustable) — room for scissors, not a machine kerf. PatternNest adds no seam allowance and removes none: your pattern is used exactly as drawn.
Why the number pays for itself: say your fabric costs 20 €/m. If the rule of thumb over-buys just half a metre, that's 10 € gone on one project — under-buy instead, and the second trip to the store costs time and rarely matches the dye lot. The exact number is worth more than it costs.
Illustrative arithmetic, not a measured claim — your fabrics and patterns vary. That's the point: compute it from your pattern.
What PatternNest is not.
One job, done properly: tell you how much fabric you need and give you an honest cutting layout. Three things it deliberately does not do:
Not a pattern editor
No drafting, no grading, no fitting. Draft in Seamly2D, Valentina or FreeSewing — PatternNest takes their SVG/DXF export and does the layout math.
No markings in the layout
Notches, grainline arrows and labels from your pattern are not reproduced in the exported layout — it plans placement and yardage. You cut and mark from your own pattern, as usual.
No fold layouts (v1)
"Cut on fold" isn't modelled yet. Workaround: mirror-double the piece (the FAQ shows how) and lay out on a single layer — the fabric requirement stays honest.
Built on a proven engine.
PatternNest is not a weekend project. Underneath runs the same sealed nesting and geometry engine as NestForge (true-shape nesting for laser/CNC/plasma) and DXF Medic (file diagnosis & repair) — built and tested to survive real-world files.
The engine is deterministic: the same pattern with the same options produces the identical layout, every time — no dice-rolling. Curves stay true curves through import, nesting and export. And a file it can't read gets a named error that says what's wrong, never a spinner.
One price. Pay once.
No subscription, no account. Projects up to 10 pieces are completely free — you pay only if you want to export layouts for bigger patterns.
Free tier
€0
No time limit. No signup.
- Up to 10 pieces: everything — nesting, fabric requirement, PDF/SVG export
- Above 10 pieces: fabric requirement and preview stay visible
- Grainline / one-way / mirrored pairs included
- Runs offline, patterns stay local
PatternNest Full
€14 €19
One-time purchase · offline license key · all v1 updates included · plus VAT/sales tax depending on your country (final amount at checkout)
- Export & print without piece limit
- Same engine, same features as the free tier
- License key works offline, on all your machines
- 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked
Plus VAT/sales tax depending on your country — the checkout shows the final amount.
Questions, answered honestly.
The same answers we give in support mail — no marketing dialect.
Where do I get an SVG or DXF of my pattern?
If you draft digitally, you already have it: Seamly2D and Valentina export SVG/DXF, FreeSewing patterns download as SVG. If your pattern is paper or PDF, trace the outlines in the free Inkscape (import the PDF page, redraw the outline with the pen tool, save as SVG). PatternNest reads the closed outer outlines of your pieces.
Can I drop in a PDF sewing pattern directly?
Not in v1 — PDF patterns mix outlines for all sizes, text and markings in one drawing, and picking "your size's outline" out of that automatically is guesswork we refuse to do silently. SVG and DXF are unambiguous. A PDF import is on the v2 candidate list; until then, the Inkscape route above works.
Does PatternNest add seam allowance?
No — and it removes none either. Your pieces are used exactly as drawn. If your pattern includes seam allowance, the layout includes it; if you sew from net patterns, add the allowance in your pattern software first. PatternNest keeps a cutting distance between pieces (10 mm by default, adjustable), which is spacing on the fabric, not allowance on the piece.
What about "cut on fold" pieces?
v1 doesn't model fold layouts (a fold halves the usable width — pretending otherwise would produce a wrong fabric number, so we'd rather not fake it). Workaround: double the piece into its full, unfolded shape in your pattern software (mirror it along the fold line and join), then lay it out as one piece on the single layer. The computed requirement is honest that way.
Are notches, grainline arrows and labels in the exported layout?
No. The exported cutting layout shows piece outlines and their placement — internal markings are not reproduced. PatternNest plans your layout and your yardage; you cut and mark from your own pattern the way you always do. Only closed outer outlines count as pieces on import.
Does it really work offline?
Yes. After the first load you can install it as an app (your browser will offer this) and use it with no internet connection at all. Nesting, fabric math, export and license verification all run locally. There is no server component — not for computing, not for licensing, not for anything.
Where do my patterns go? Do you see my designs?
Nowhere, and no. Files are opened in your browser's memory and never transmitted — there is no upload endpoint in the product. We run no analytics and no telemetry. Indie designers' patterns you bought stay yours.
What exactly is free, what is paid?
Projects with up to 10 pieces are completely free — nesting, the fabric number, PDF/SVG export, no time limit, no signup. From the 11th piece the fabric number and the preview stay fully visible, but export and print ask for a license (€14 launch price, one-time; €19 regular later). Nothing else differs. Prices are plus VAT/sales tax depending on your country — the checkout shows the final amount.
What's the refund policy?
14 days, no questions asked, whether you're an EU consumer or not. Layout results depend on your specific patterns, and we'd rather refund than argue. See the refund & withdrawal policy.
On how many machines can I use my license?
On all machines you personally use — the key is bound to your email address, not to hardware, and is verified offline. Sewing-room laptop, desktop, tablet browser: one license. Re-entering it is a single paste.
I cut with a laser and need sheet nesting — is this the right tool?
PatternNest is tuned for fabric: widths in cm, lengths in metres, grainline rules, mirrored pairs. For nesting parts on rigid sheets (plywood, acrylic, steel) our sister product NestForge is the right tool — same engine, sheet-shop semantics. And if a DXF refuses to import anywhere, DXF Medic tells you why.