How savvy are you when it comes to downloading, saving, and filing your digital quilt patterns?
I ask because sometimes we take things for granted. Have you ever found yourself doing a task without really giving it any thought until someone comments on how cool, handy or helpful that was? And all you’re thinking is “I thought everyone did this!”
We just assume everyone knows what we know, but that’s not always the case 😊
This brings me back to the topic of saving and filing your digital quilt patterns.
I hadn’t really given this much thought until Susan asked me while I was a guest on her podcast (listen to the episode here) about my own digital quilt pattern-saving best tips. And it dawned on me you might find it helpful to know how I save my own PDFs.
So, that’s the objective for today, to walk you through how Shannon Fraser Designs’ digital quilt patterns are structured and share some best practices on how to save and file your digital quilt patterns.
The KISS Principle
My hubz is in IT and there’s one principle he’s taught me that I come back to time and time again and that’s the KISS principle. It’s an acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid!”, and it’s a design concept that most systems work best when kept simple and was even adopted by the US Navy.
I’m a big proponent of keeping things simple, with that in mind, I’m starting things off with the basics so I cover every possible question you might have. If I miss anything, leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to help you out!
Ok, let’s dive in!
Why Are Shannon Fraser Designs Quilt Patterns Only Offered in Digital Format?
I’m a tree lover who loves our tiny blue dot and offering digital quilt patterns is one way I try to protect our environment.
Not only does a digital quilt pattern mean you can reduce the number of pages you print and save on both paper and printer ink, but it also means the file can be delivered to you via email rather than shipping it, which also reduces the carbon footprint.
It’s a small way of showing love for our planet!
What is a PDF File?
So what exactly is a PDF file?
A PDF file is a multi-platform document that can be viewed on lots of different devices. It’s typically created by Adobe Acrobat or another PDF application. You can download your free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
This file format is used to save different file types in a standard format, making it accessible across different platforms.
All Shannon Fraser Designs quilt patterns are saved as PDF files so that you can open the pattern on your cellphone, tablet, or computer.
What is an interactive PDF file?
An interactive PDF file simply means that you can take actions within the document – aka interact with the document.
Active Hyperlinks
This means you can click on active hyperlinks which will take you directly to the tutorials, videos, and other web-based destinations I’ve snuck in there to help you along the quilt-making journey. All the information you need related to making the quilt pattern is contained in one document!
Track Your Progress
A newer addition to SFD quilt patterns is the ability to track your progress.
You’ll notice check boxes at each step to help you stay on track and remember what you have and haven’t tackled.
You can tap the check box with your mouse (on your PC), or finger (on your phone or tablet) and a checkmark will appear!
If you prefer to print your patterns out, you can still benefit from this feature by using a pen or pencil to add your own check mark 😊
How to Download Your Shannon Fraser Designs Quilt Pattern?
Once your purchase is complete, you’ll receive a second email from Shannon Fraser Designs which includes a link to download your digital quilt pattern(s).
Important – give your spam folder a quick check if you don’t see it in your inbox, as emails can get caught in spam or promotions folders from time to time.
The email has the subject heading “Your Downloads Are Ready”, which you can use to search your folders.
By clicking on the ‘Download your pattern” button, you’ll automatically start the download of your files.
Tip – it’s best to download your quilt pattern(s) to your computer as some phones and tablets have issues with saving, downloading, and opening PDFs. This is especially true if you have an iPhone or an iPad.
Important – there is a maximum of 3 downloads for your digital files, so be sure to save them on your computer.
Where to Save Your Digital Quilt Pattern?
Depending on how your system preferences are set up when you download a file from the internet, it usually will be saved to your ‘Downloads’ folder.
I like to consider this a temporary spot for my downloaded files.
Once I see the pattern has arrived in my ‘downloads’ folder, I move it to my ‘Patterns Folder’.
This is where I save and sort all of my digital quilt patterns. I have them sorted by quilt pattern designer so that I can easily locate the files. There are lots of ways you can organize your own digital quilt patterns, including:
- By style
- By designer
- By technique
I also like the idea of having a ‘To Make’ folder, where you could save the quilt patterns you haven’t made yet. The next time you’re looking for inspiration on what to make next, all you’ll need to do is pull up your ‘To Make’ folder and see which patterns are still sitting in there 😊
The bottom line is there’s no right or wrong way of storing your files, just what will be easiest for you to find them!
How to Get the Most Out of Your Shannon Fraser Designs Digital Quilt Patterns?
Rename and Save Your Files
Since SFD quilt patterns are interactive, the best way to get the most out of your quilt patterns is to save them in your Shannon Fraser Designs quilt pattern folder.
Then, when it comes time to make your quilt, open the pattern and save it with a new name.
Something like Date + Pattern Name. For example, if I was making the Etched Diamond Quilt, I’d rename it “20221201.EtchedDiamondQuilt”.
That way, when you use the Track Your Progress tick boxes, you’ll be saving those check marks in that new version rather than the original (which saves you from having to delete your check marks, save your file and reopen to start again).
Print Only What You Need
The fun thing about digital quilt patterns is that you can open your print dialogue box and select the exact pages you want, instead of having to print the entire document.
All you need to do is hit “Ctrl + P” on your PC or “Command + P” on your MAC to bring up the print dialogue box.
Then, identify the page series you want to print. For example, if you only want to print the Block Labels on pages 18-19, then you’d enter “18-19” in that section of the dialogue box.
I tend to only print out the Block Labels and Templates included in a pattern and refer to the rest of the instructions on my tablet screen.
How I Set Myself Up
I tend to have my tablet in front of my cutting mat. It makes it super easy to reference the cutting instructions and I can zoom in and out to make things bigger or smaller (which my aging eyes are super thankful for!).
As I finish cutting each fabric colour, I tap my screen to tick off the colours I’ve cut and hit save.
This means that if my cutting session gets interrupted, I can easily come back a few hours later or even several weeks later and know exactly where I left off!
Neat, right?!
For more quilty inspiration, check out:
Do you have your own system for safeguarding the PDF quilt patterns you purchase? Share your tips and approach in the comments below!
And if there are any top-of-mind questions popping up for you about how to save and file your Shannon Fraser Designs’ digital quilt patterns, then ask away in the comments below!
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
Never miss a post – sign up for the weekly newsletter.
This post uses affiliate links. For more info, visit the FAQ page.
Such a smart post to have written to be able to point your customers to, Shannon. Great tips and advice!
Yes, that’s the plan, Yvonne! I wanted to help demystify the process and have a spot where I could summarize all the steps and features. Hopefully, this will help quilters get the most out of their digital quilt patterns!
I keep my patterns in my Dropbox folder so they are constantly backed up to the cloud. This also allows me to access the files on my phone or tablet when I am in a fabric store or want to find patterns and share the information with quilting buddies.
My desktop computer is also backed up regularly to an external hard drive, so I definitely won’t lose the 1,000s of dollars that I have spent on patterns.
You raise an excellent point, Karen! It is super important to make sure you’re backing up your documents. I use OneDrive for this and my hubz also manages all of our backups. I’d cry if I lost all my patterns and photos!
Thank You So Much Shannon for this newsletter. I use a Mac, however, I do have Microsoft for Mac and in the past always downloaded to Word or Pdf. Last year everything Quilty appeared to be sent in Adobe and I struggled to avoid the HTMI document (not for long).
I finally realized I needed to actually download in the Adobe document. I do only print what I need. We do not have stable internet so I do print most patterns I intend to make, that way if there is a tutorial on you tube, I can watch the video and have the pattern for reference. Your information and tips were so helpful and I will definitely be using the Command P a lot in my future.
I am going to need to explore the first part of your info……Interactive File, this one is new to me and I will go in and try it out. I love the feature for progress tracking and (wish you had a step by step at this point, no worries I will get there). A very useful feature for sure that I intend to explore and learn more about, it will have so much added value to my quilting life. Thank You!
Wishing you a really great day and your full recovery.
I’m so thrilled to hear these details are coming in handy, Ellen! And I will see about adding a visual for the track your progress section. Essentially, you’ll see little tick boxes at each step of the quilt-making journey which you can tap on your screen to have a checkmark appear so that you know you’ve tackled that step. Since you print your patterns out, you can use a pen to keep track. Note that if your pattern is already downloaded to your computer, you don’t need an internet connection to view the pattern 🙂 Let me know if any other questions pop up as you play with the features!
I mostly download to my iPhone or iPad but I immediately hit that little square with the arrow to “save to files” and I save it to my iCloud, not my device. Then I can access it from everywhere. If the file name isn’t straightforward or has dashes in it, I also rename the file so I can find it with a simple search for the quilt name. I also don’t delete my emails with download links so I can also find the pdfs years later if necessary. For regular patterns I don’t put them in folders but if it is a BOM or a mystery quilt I will make a folder.
Smart tip about removing dashes in file names for easier search, Stephanie!! Thanks for sharing 🙂