Screen shot form PatternFile showing a new pattern entry
I little while back I got an e-mail from a woman regarding PatternFile, a program she had written to catalog sewing patterns. She asked if I'd like to test drive it for a possible review and having, um, a lot of sewing patterns, and thinking this sounded like such a cool idea I said yes indeed! About 30 minutes after downloading the program and using the PatternFile Plus features, I had cataloged over 60 of my patterns, complete with images and line drawings (including the back of the envelopes) by only entering the pattern number. That's it. Magic! I didn't have to enter anything else. It was ridiculously fun and by adding tags as I go I can now search for "sadie", for example, which wil up any pattern I have sewn for her as well. All the big companies are represented with this auto fill feature—McCall's, Simplicity, etc. and also some smaller indie pattern companies, like Colette Patterns and Amy Butler.
Screen Shot from PatternFile showing a pattern collection
There are more cool features other than this autofill-magic feature (which is only available with the subscription price level called PatternFile Plus) that allows you to enter a pattern so effortlessly. There's a search feature so you can see all your patterns by type—dresses, skirts, blouses, etc, or by size, and also a friends feature, so you can see what patterns your friends have.
The site is really informative and describes the program really well. I'd start by reading the Press Kit description here to see what all this program does. There are so many free services online, and Morgan, the software designer, has some great thoughts on their blog about why paying for this product makes sense and she is offering a 10 day free trial, which is awesome and would allow you to have some fun and see what you think. And there will be an app soon for your iphone so you will have access to your whole pattern collection at the fabric store. What a handy way to check your yardage!
I've already used this program a lot, not just for looking up what I have to get ideas about what to sew, but also as a quick check when I want to buy new patterns (on sale, when they are .99!) and don't want to repeat any. I do my pattern shopping online at the manufacturer sites and then jot the numbers down so when I get to the store I just go right to the drawers. With this program I can easily check my collection first, because I have been known to buy the same pattern before. And now I can keep tabs on what my friends have, too, so we can compare notes. It's pretty dang cool.
