Frequently asked questions

Yes. Upload a photo or screenshot, or paste a Pinterest or Instagram link, and Ourlette's AI recognises the garment and its details (length, neckline, sleeves, fullness, closure, pockets, fabric colours and print). Ourlette's drafting engine then draws the pattern pieces to your measurements from proper flat-pattern blocks. You can adjust every detail before printing. On the Free plan, Ourlette suggests the closest of its 36 tested garments and Community patterns to start from; the Maker plan drafts the exact design, piece by piece, 3 times a month (then opens the closest garment), and the Atelier plan with its 12 AI credits a month.

A catalogue of 36 garment types with tested drafting and many options: A-line, circle, gathered or tiered, pencil and wrap skirts, or a skirt built from parts; T-shirts and tanks, woven tops and blouses, button-up and camp shirts, or a top, shirt, jacket or coat built from parts; sweatshirts and hoodies; shift, fit-and-flare, slip and shirt dresses, or a dress built from parts; pull-on trousers and shorts, jeans, chinos, or trousers built from parts; kimono, trucker, chore and bomber jackets, a trucker vest and a waistcoat; a tote bag, a drawstring bag, a zip pouch, a bucket hat, a scrunchie and a headband; cushion covers and an apron. Anything else, from jumpsuits, blazers with notched lapels and corsets to swimwear, lingerie, children's clothes, backpacks, toys and pet coats, is drafted piece by piece by Ourlette's AI pattern maker in 4 to 8 minutes. Those new designs are not tested on real bodies yet, so sew a toile first; very structured tailoring, underwired bras and boned corsetry may need adjusting by hand. Ourlette does not make knitting patterns. See all patterns. Drafting those new designs is part of the Maker plan (3 a month) and the Atelier plan (12 AI credits a month); on the Free plan, Ourlette suggests the closest tested models and Community patterns to start from.

Ourlette drafts to measurements, not to a fixed size. Enter your own (height, bust, waist and hip are enough to start; the measuring guide explains each one) or pick your usual size: women EU 32–54 (US 0–22, UK 4–26), men XS–3XL or children 2–14 years. The pattern adds the right ease for the style, so a fitted dress and an oversized sweatshirt both fit as intended.

Starting is free: a free account gives you any of the 36 tested garments, suggestions of the closest tested models and Community patterns from a photo, a link or a description (Maker and Atelier draft the exact design), 2 small AI changes per pattern, 6 AI messages a month, unlimited changes by hand, the 3D preview and the sewing guide on screen. Six very easy models also print free, true-scale PDF and sewing guide included, as long as the pattern stays one of them: the tote bag, drawstring bag, scrunchie, headband, cushion cover and apron. Printing any other pattern needs a plan: Maker at $7.99 a month (or $59 a year) or Atelier at $19.99 a month (or $149 a year). Cancel anytime. See pricing.

Choose your paper (A4, US Letter, A3, Tabloid, an A0 or 36 × 48 in copy-shop sheet, or a projector file) and print at 100 % or "Actual size", never "Fit to page". Measure the test square on the first pages: 5 cm and 2 in exactly. Then trim and tape the pages following the page map: rows are letters, columns are numbers. Our guide to printing PDF patterns has the details.

Yes. Every piece shows the cutting line (solid) and the sewing line (dashed). By default the seam allowance is 1.5 cm (5/8 in) on woven fabric and 1 cm (3/8 in) on knits, with a separate hem allowance; you can change both before printing.

A mannequin built from your measurements wearing the garment, in a plain colour or the print taken from your picture. It shows the silhouette and proportions (length, fullness, neckline, sleeves) so you can decide before cutting. It is a preview, not a physics simulation of how a particular fabric drapes.

Yes. Every pattern has its own step-by-step sewing guide, and you can ask it anything about your pattern: what a term means, how to do a step, what to do with a difficult fabric. Answers use your pattern's pieces, allowances and options.

Yes. Start with one of the easiest projects (a tote bag, scrunchie, gathered skirt or pull-on shorts): Ourlette drafts the pattern, tells you how much fabric to buy and explains each step. The beginner's guide covers your machine and the tools you need.

Public Pinterest pins and most shop product pages work by pasting the link. Instagram often hides pictures from other websites; when that happens, take a screenshot and upload it instead. Private posts and pages that need a login cannot be read.

Yes. Ourlette works inside ChatGPT and Claude as an app (an MCP server): add it once, sign in with your Ourlette account, then ask for a pattern with a photo link or a description. Ourlette drafts it, shows it in the chat and gives you the link to print it. See Ourlette in ChatGPT and Ourlette in Claude.

Yes, you can sell the garments you sew from your Ourlette patterns. The pattern files themselves are for your personal use: please do not share or resell them.

They are private to your account and used only to make your patterns. We never show them to anyone, never use them in marketing and you can delete them, or your whole account, at any time. See the privacy policy.

The site and the app are in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch, and the AI understands any language. Every measurement, allowance and fabric quantity can be shown in centimetres or inches, and the printed pattern is at true scale either way.

You can cancel anytime from your account: your plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for. If Ourlette does not work for you, ask for a refund within 14 days of your first payment. See the refund policy.

A pattern Ourlette's AI sets up for you from a photo, a screenshot, a link or a description. On Maker, once its 3 exact designs of the month are used, it starts from the closest of the 36 catalogue garments, set as close as it can be. The free plan makes no AI patterns: it suggests the closest tested models and Community patterns to start from. Starting from a catalogue garment and choosing its options yourself uses no AI at all.

On the Maker and Atelier plans, when no catalogue garment matches, Ourlette's AI pattern maker drafts the exact piece from scratch: every piece from your measurements, checked by a second AI review, in 4 to 8 minutes. Maker drafts 3 new designs a month; on Atelier each one uses one of its 12 AI credits a month.

A small change adjusts the pattern ("make it midi", "add pockets", "short puff sleeves"); a big change redraws its pieces (a new part, a different shape). The free plan includes 2 small AI changes per pattern and no big changes. A small change uses one AI message; a big change uses one of Maker's 5 big changes a month, or one of Atelier's 12 AI credits, and no AI message.

A small AI change, a question to the sewing guide or a question to the measuring assistant: 6 a month on the free plan, 100 on Maker, unlimited on Atelier (fair use). Every allowance resets on the first day of each month.

A window offers the plan that includes it; you can also close it and carry on. Your patterns stay available and changes by hand (measurements and options) stay unlimited. Allowances come back on the first day of the next month.

Yes for six very easy models: the tote bag, drawstring bag, scrunchie, headband, cushion cover and apron print free on every plan, as long as the pattern stays one of them. For any other pattern, choose a plan when you are ready to print: every pattern you made is kept and its PDF is available right away.

Yes, anytime from your account. Moving up takes effect immediately; cancelling keeps your plan until the end of the period you paid for.

Yes: if Ourlette does not work for you, ask within 14 days of your first payment and we refund it.