"Hybrid" Print/Digital Patterns

A Hybrid Pattern is a pattern that is a blend of digital download (typically a full color/fully illustrated instructions booklet) and a physical full size pattern. When you make your purchase you will immediately be able to download your digital instructions booklet which you can choose to print at home, read on a pc/tablet/phone, or have printed/bound at a copy shop. You will also receive a full size printed pattern in the mail just as you would with a traditional pattern, but without printed instructions. 

When we began revamping our pattern line it was important to us to continue the legacy of clear and concise instructions which demonstrate 18th century construction techniques that are accessible to all levels of sewers. We also wanted to make sure that we are able to keep our prices as low as possible so that our patterns aren't cost prohibitive.

As part of striking that balance, we've chosen the Hybrid format because it allows us to alleviate one of the biggest complaints of Print at Home patterns (all of that trimming and taping!) while being able to maintain a full color, fully illustrated instruction manual with hyperlinks to instructional videos that cover the stitches used in a pattern, short tutorials to help sewers visualize more complex techniques, and special tutorials to demonstrate common fit adjustments for different body types. 

The digital format also allows us to update the resources in the instruction manuals if newer information comes to light so that once you have purchased the pattern you can easily receive all updates to it in the future. We also include a digital bibliography for our patterns which is able to be updated in real time as more sources become available, and these types of updates would be incompatible with a print format.

While full color, fully illustrated instruction booklets are great for the sewer they also require a lot of paper. Keeping the 20-35 page manuals digital helps us to reduce the resources consumed and reduces the shipping impact to lower the carbon footprint of our patterns as they make their way around the world. 

We know that as makers everyone has an approach or process that works best for them. Some folks thrive in a digital environment while others prefer the feel of the printed page. The Hybrid approach offers each individual to choose how to approach their pattern instructions by reading them on screen for maximum interactivity or choosing to print them as a booklet to keep on hand and only using the PDF when they want to watch a tutorial segment or view the ever updated digital bibliography board (via Pinterest.) 

It's incredibly important to us that our 18th century educational offerings be reasonably priced while maintaining the highest quality possible, and we see our pattern line as an extension of our educational mission. This means that high quality, step by step, illustrated instructions are an important component for our patterns since we know not everyone does well with text only instructions. Printed instruction manuals would significantly increase the cost of our patterns. Making digital instruction booklets is not only more cost friendly for our customers but also means we don't have to compromise on quality for cost.