Frequently asked questions

Two PDFs for the size you buy — a single-sheet A0 for copy-shop printing and a tiled A4/Letter for home printing — plus step-by-step construction instructions. Kaia Patterns are digital products: nothing is physically shipped. Your pattern files are available as an instant PDF download after purchase.

Immediately. Your files are generated and emailed automatically as soon as the order is confirmed — usually within a minute. If it has not arrived, check your spam folder, then email hello@kaiapatterns.com.

No. The files are yours to keep, and we can re-send them if you lose the email.

No — every pattern is a digital PDF download, and nothing is physically shipped. If you would rather not print and tape at home, take the included A0 PDF to a local copy shop and they will print it as one large sheet.

A0 is a single large sheet you take to a copy shop — no taping, but you have to get it printed. A4/Letter is the same pattern tiled across ordinary pages you print at home and tape together. Both are in every order, so you can decide later.

In your print dialog set scaling to None or 100% — never “Fit to page”, which silently shrinks everything. Every pattern has a test square on the first page: print that one page, measure the square, and only print the rest once it measures correctly. See printing your pattern.

Reprint page one with scaling off. If it is still wrong, try a different PDF reader — browser built-in viewers are the usual culprit, and Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most reliable. Do not scale the pattern to fix a wrong square; the pieces will no longer match each other.

It depends on the pattern and the size, typically 20–50 pages for a garment and fewer for accessories. Larger sizes need more pages.

Yes — send the A0 file and specifically ask for 100% scale with no fitting. Copy shops default to fitting the page surprisingly often, so it is worth saying it twice.

XS to 8XL. Every size is drafted and validated individually, so a pattern only lists the sizes it genuinely works in — a few wide-leg trousers stop short of 8XL because the geometry does not hold up there. The sizes on each product page are the real ones. See the size guide.

From your body measurements — bust, waist and hip — not the size you buy in shops. Pattern sizing and retail sizing are different systems, and the size you need here is routinely one or two away from your usual. The measurements are on every product page.

Go by whichever measurement is hardest to alter — bust for tops and dresses, hip for skirts and trousers — then adjust the rest. Do not size up throughout just because one measurement is larger.

The chart is body measurements. Ease is added separately for each garment depending on fabric and intended fit, so a finished garment always measures more than the body it fits.

Not yet. Everything is drafted for a regular height of about 167.6 cm / 5′6″. Petite and tall need their own height blocks rather than a shrink or stretch of this one, which is why we would rather do them properly than fake them.

It is an internal drafting baseline with fit validation in progress — sewn samples at anchor sizes across the run. We would rather say that plainly than imply a level of testing we have not finished. Tell us if something fits differently to the chart.

Every product page lists it for the size you select, at both 115 cm and 150 cm widths. The figures are calculated from that size’s actual pattern pieces laid out on-grain, not estimated. Allow extra for a directional print, a stripe you want to match, or pre-washing shrinkage.

Each listing states the fabric the pattern is drafted for. Woven and stretch patterns are drafted with different ease, so swapping between them will change how the finished garment fits — sometimes drastically.

Yes, and the amount is stated on the pattern itself so you are never guessing.

Every pattern carries a difficulty rating shown on its page, from beginner upwards. The rating reflects the construction, not the size.

Because the files are delivered instantly and cannot be returned, digital patterns are not refundable once downloaded. That said — if a file is faulty, incomplete or not what the listing described, tell us and we will fix it or refund it. Full terms on the refunds page.

Yes — sell the finished garments you sew yourself, we are glad to see it. What you cannot do is resell, share, or redistribute the pattern files, or use them for mass production. See the terms.

No — each purchase is licensed to one person. Sewing groups and classes need a licence per person; email us and we will sort something out.

Check spam and promotions folders first — automated attachments land there more often than they should. Then email hello@kaiapatterns.com and we will re-send it. We respond within 2 business days.