• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 7 minDigitizing Vintage Sewing Patterns Without Damaging ThemHow to digitize vintage sewing patterns safely: handling old tissue, scanning in sections, keeping perforations and markings, and copyright questions.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 9 minGrading by Hand vs in CAD: Speed, Accuracy and Cost of Pattern Grading SoftwareGrading by hand or with pattern grading software? Compare speed, accuracy and cost, the methods each uses, and when outsourcing makes sense.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 8 minGrading Rules and Size Charts: From Measurements to IncrementsHow pattern grading rules come from a size chart: body increments, breaks, splitting girth between pieces and points, and building x/y rule tables, by example.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 7 minHow to Digitize Paper Sewing Patterns: 5 Methods ComparedHow to digitize sewing patterns from paper: digitizer board, photo with calibration, scanner, tracing in a vector app, or a pro service. Accuracy, cost, effort.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 6 minHow to Scan a Sewing Pattern (and Why Scans Aren't CAD-Ready)How to scan a sewing pattern: flatbed vs large-format scanners, resolution, stitching sections, checking distortion, and why a raster scan still needs tracing.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 7 minHow to Trace a Sewing Pattern (and Keep All the Markings)How to trace a sewing pattern accurately: tools and paper, tracing one size, curves and fold lines, and transferring every notch, grain line and dart.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 8 minMarker Making Basics: Nesting Pattern Pieces to Save FabricMarker making in the garment industry: marker width and length, efficiency, grain and nap rules, plaids, size ratios, and where DXF pattern files fit.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 8 minMarker Making Software for Small Studios: What It Does and What It NeedsMarker making software for small studios: interactive vs automatic nesting, the DXF inputs it needs, industry and free options, and when to outsource.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 6 minPattern Digitizer Boards: How They Work and Who Still Needs OneHow a pattern digitizer board works: tablet grid, puck buttons, point codes and accuracy. Who still needs one in 2026, and the alternatives to consider.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 7 minPattern Grading Basics: How Sizes Are MadeWhat is pattern grading? How a base pattern becomes a size range: grade points, grade rules, the nest, and the main methods from cut-and-spread to CAD grading.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 7 minPattern Plotters: Printing and Cutting Patterns in a StudioA pattern plotter guide: inkjet roll plotters, pen plotters and cutting plotters, roll widths, HPGL/PLT, DXF and PDF files, and how to check scale.
• L8 · Digitizing & grading · 7 minPhoto Digitizing of Patterns: Accuracy, Calibration and LimitsPhoto pattern digitizing explained: lens and perspective distortion, reference frames and markers, how pixel size limits accuracy, and how to test your setup.