freesewing/sites/orgdocs/docs/about/site/readme.mdx

---
title: Using the FreeSewing.org website
---

On these pages, we'll paint a high-level picture of how to get the most out of
the FreeSewing.org website.  Most people will be most interested in [How to
generate bespoke sewing patterns](/docs/about/site/draft/).

:::tip Where can I download the patterns?
It can be frustrating for visitors who come here expecting a website where they
can download sewing patterns that they can't seem to find the sewing patterns
to download. Almost like hiding the _download button_ is some elaborate scheme
to waste their time.

I don't really know how to fix this because I cannot control people's
expectations. FreeSewing.org is _very_ different from a website with some
links to PDF sewing patterns. So if that's what you're expecting, we almost
have to de-train you before we can talk about what this site offers.

So I'm not going to do that. I'm going to assume you are reading with an open mind.

joost
:::

## Finding your way

On every page of FreeSewing.org is the same header with links to the most
important sections of the site:

- [Designs](https://freesewing.org/designs/) shows our collection of parametric
  designs you can generate bespoke sewing patterns from
- [Documentation](/docs/) holds all the documentation, for the website, for our
  designs, everything
- [Blog](https://freesewing.org/blog/) holds blog posts with updates and news
  about FreeSewing
- [Showcase](https://freesewing.org/showcase/) show examples from the
  FreeSewing community, things they have made with FreeSewing patterns
- [Account](https://freesewing.org/account/) is where you can manage your
  FreeSewing account
- [Support](https://freesewing.org/support/) lists your options for where to
  get help
- [Search](https://freesewing.org/search/) can help you find something if
  you're not certain where to start looking

In addition, the header also has buttons to change the **Theme** (or color
scheme) and **Language** of the website.

On mobile, the header is at the bottom of the page and because of space
constraints not all of these links are shown.  However, click the _hamburger
icon_ to open the menu that contains all of these links.

## Signing up or Signing in

You can sign up for a FreeSewing account at
[/signin](https://freesewing.org/signin/). We support signing in with your
Google or GitHub account if that is easier for you.

If you already have an account, you can sign in to your account at at
[/signin](https://freesewing.org/signin/).

Some functionality requires a FreeSewing account. So I will assume you have an
account for the remainder of these instructions.

## Important account settings

When your signed in, you can navigate to
[/account](https://freesewing.org/account/) to manage the data stored in your
account, which includes various settings.

I'd like to highlight a couple of them that are worth your attention:

### User Experience

The [User Experience setting](https://freesewing.org/account/control/) allows
you to gradually reveal more complexity.  If you are a little overwhelmed with
everything FreeSewing.org has to offer, setting this to a lower value will
gradually hide more features for the sake of simplicity. But setting a higher
value here will show more features and functionality.

Dial this setting down if you want a simpler experience. Turn it up if you want
more power, or some things that you know exists are not shown on your screen.

### Two-Factor Authentication

Please enable [Two-Factor Authentication](https://freesewing.org/account/mfa/)
to secure your FreeSewing account.

## Make it your own

Now that you have a FreeSewing account, there's more you can do on FreeSewing.org.
Click through to learn more about the following features:

- [Account](/docs/about/site/account)
- [Measurements Sets](/docs/about/site/sets)
- [Patterns](/docs/about/site/patterns)
- [Curated measurements sets](/docs/about/site/csets)
- [Bookmarks](/docs/about/site/bookmarks)
- [API Keys](/docs/about/site/apikeys)

## Generating sewing patterns

With that out of the way, let's move on to [How to generate bespoke sewing
patterns](/docs/about/site/draft/).