PAPER PANACHE FAQs 

God willing, I get a site update out every 8 weeks, and then send a Site Update Announcement within a day or two. If you wish to be notified, please join the email list.

Paper Panache paper piecing is pretty similar to other paper-pieced patterns out there. It does tend to be more detailed, which means more pieces and sections. Remember, the beauty of paper piecing is that you can add small pieces as easily as large ones. You can always get an idea of my patterns by downloading the very last mystery block (MB#100), or one of the Paper Panache free patterns. Please note that most Paper Panache patterns do not include printed 1/4" seam allowances. Sections are cut apart on the heavy lines, and seam allowances are added as you go. After paper piecing sections are pinned along seam lines and sewn back together. Patterns do look less intimidating once you cut them apart.

These patterns do assume some previous paper- or foundation-piecing experience. If pressed, I would say they are intermediate. Whether these patterns are "easy enough for a beginner" depends completely on the beginner. If you've done any multi-section paper piecing before, it is identical. A potential difference may be that sections are pinned and sewn back together along the paper edges (rather than sewn on a line through the paper). I have had a few beginners write to tell me they did their first paper piecing using one of the Mystery Blocks... and one or two who have gone straight for the Advent Nativity. See How-tos. (I heartily recommend the Butterfly Trick.)

See the Pattern Collection. The Free Patterns page has a limited selection that usually changes with every site update. The Coming Patterns contains previously available patterns that are on the list for reformatting.

The Coming Patterns gallery includes previously-printed patterns, ex-mysteries, previously retired patterns, and patterns originally published in the old newsletters that I have remaining, all waiting to be reworked into the PDF download format. I no longer have an inventory of printed patterns. If you would like to be informed when a pattern is in PDF format and ready for sale, please send me the name of the pattern you are looking for and your email address, and I will be glad to let you know when it is ready. Patterns with more interest will be given precedence over others and will be reformatted sooner.

Certainly. I allow photocopies of my patterns, with or without enlargements or reductions, by the purchaser, for personal use, and you may do so without asking my specific permission. However, I realize that some copy shops will not allow the copying of copyrighted material without a written notice. Take a copy of your receipt and show them this notice here on the site. Write to me if necessary for an email permission slip to take to the copy shop.

Patterns printed by way of photocopier or laser printer may transfer ink/toner. The hot iron meets the ink/toner on the pattern--the toner melts, gets on your iron, and can be wiped onto your fabric. You will have to be careful if you have printed your patterns in these ways. You can help to get much of the excess toner off of the pattern before using by pressing the pattern printed side down on successive sheets of white paper before you cut it up into sections. Patterns printed on an inkjet printer may or may not be water-fast. I recommend that you always use a dry iron when pressing. Do not wet patterns after sewing in an effort to remove paper without testing first. Spotting of fabrics could occur.

Please check my Pattern Collection, the Coming Patterns gallery, and the current selection of Free patterns. If you know that it is one of my free patterns but it is not currently showing on the Free Patterns page, you may email me for a link. If it is not a pattern I offer, my best advice is to go to yahoo or google and put "thing-you're-looking-for paper-pieced quilt pattern" or "thing-you're-looking-for foundation quilt pattern" in the search box. (Leave off the quotes.) That's what I would do, and it usually turns up clues.

For 24 years, new mysteries were offered 3-5 times a year and were interspersed with free patterns. In November 2021, I retired from posting new mystery blocks. Most of the previous mysteries are available for sale, and a small number are still in the Coming Gallery waiting to be reformatted. I will continue to post patterns in the Free Gallery.

All of the mysteries are shown in the Mystery Gallery, and most are already available for sale. In the Mystery Gallery, you can roll over each picture and see the pattern status. Optionally, look over the Pattern Collection and/or the Coming Gallery. Mystery blocks put in the Coming Gallery eventually come back around reformatted for sale...in 2-5 years. You may request to be notified when the one you're interested in becomes available. Prefer not to wait? I don't advertise it, but you can usually buy a copy of an old mystery that is not yet reformatted--that is, still in its original mystery format--if you email me. I will email you back with the price and send you a link to put it in the shopping cart.

PDF stands for "Portable Document File." A pattern in the PDF file format can be opened on any computer using Adobe Reader, which is a FREE program for opening and reading PDF files (see next FAQ). When Reader is available on your machine, you can click on any PDF file and Reader will open and show you the file. Then you can print the file if you choose.

These PDFs are made with Adobe products and will open reliably with the free Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader must be installed on your machine prior to opening a PDF pattern. Often Reader has already been loaded with your browser or other programs on your computer. If you have problems opening a PDF, please check whether a different program is opening it. There are many programs that open PDFs but some may have issues with the settings I use. PC: To check which program is opening, double click on any PDF icon and see which program opens to open the PDF. You can also right click on any PDF icon and select “Open With >,” and you should get a list of various programs that can open the file. Choose Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have the free Adobe Reader, click this button to get one:

You will be offered download links to the pattern(s) you have purchased on the thank you page immediately after making your payment. See more info under Collecting Your PDF Patterns on the Order Information page.

“Downloading” and “Saving” are essentially the same process—either will put a permanent copy of the pdf pattern onto your machine. Saving is usually done from within an opened pattern, using File>Save As. When you save, you will be able to select the folder you want to save to. When the saving is done, return to that folder and re-open your file from there. Different systems/browsers/email programs will give you different options when you click on a download link. A download link looks like any other link, except that it is connected to a document and not another webpage. Some browsers download immediately without your input. Some might have you select "Download" or "Save" to permanently transfer the file to your machine. If you click "Download," you may not get to tell it what folder to send it to, so check the Download folder.

I'm sorry, no. When you buy a pattern from Paper Panache, you have to download and save the pattern to your own machine. You'll have several days, but please don't fail to do this. Store them in your own pattern folder so you'll always know where to find them and, just like a library, you'll have 24/7 access to it!

No password is required to open PDF patterns in Adobe Reader for normal reading and printing. However, there IS an internal artwork password that you normally would not see unless you try to open using an Adobe product such as Illustrator or Photoshop, or a third-party PDF viewer. This password is in place to prohibit changes to the artwork. If you see a request for password, you are not using Acrobat Reader. Please access/download Acrobat Reader and try again. If you need to access the artwork to proceed with your project, please contact me.

You may see a white page for many seconds when opening the file. The file is loading, so please wait. The bigger the file, the longer the wait.

All patterns have been formatted to print on 8-1/2"x11" paper. I have not heard of any issue with printing on A3 paper.

If you have the option, print pdfs to an inkjet printer. Laser or photocopied patterns can transfer toner when used with a hot iron. See toner transfer and ink run question under FAQs>About Patterns. Most Paper Panache PDF patterns have an "inch mark" graphic somewhere on its pattern pages. The idea is to measure this mark after printing to make sure the 1-inch mark is actually 1 inch in both directions. Then you'll know that the pattern conforms to all the measurements given in the directions. When you send the pdf to print, look over the Adobe Reader print menu before clicking "Print" (or "OK"). You may find options to set Page Scaling or Page Size. Set Page Scaling to None or Page Sizing to Actual Size where they exist. Each version of Reader is slightly different. Examples: In Adobe Reader 4.0 print menu, uncheck all boxes at top right. (DO NOT use"fit to page.") In Adobe Reader 7.0 print menu (shown below), make sure Page Scaling is set to "None." In Adobe Reader 11.0 print menu, make sure Paper Size Handling is set to "Actual Size."

Check that you have followed the advice in the foregoing "PDF Printing Advice" FAQ. After that, the answer seems to be: use better print quality, NOT DRAFT. As far as I have been able to determine, getting a reduced inch mark has to do with the combination of operating system, the version of Adobe Reader you're using, and the printer driver that works between the two. On one of my computers I found that if I use the better default print quality (NOT DRAFT), the inch mark is correct. Thankfully, on the other computer, I get a proper inch mark even when I use draft. As long as the inch mark is the same size in both directions the pattern will still go together. Just remember that any printed measurements given will be different. So, the choices are: To make the block at whatever size you get it to print at, to try a different printer, or get someone else to print the pattern out for you.

Unfortunately, I no longer print patterns. I no longer own the large format printing equipment that the old patterns were set up for.

"UnFinished Object." (You must be new to quilting!)

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COPYRIGHT: Unless specified otherwise, all designs, images, photos, scans, and text on this site and in Paper Panache printed and electronic patterns are made by and property of Linda S. Worland, dba Paper Panache. Personal use and permission can be found on this page.

Paper Panache relocated to Prescott Valley, Arizona USA in June 2020. If you need to call or mail something, please use the email form to ask for this information.

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