01
Arrange intelligently
Three rectangle-packing heuristics compare potential placements; see fabric length, remaining stock, waste and cost.
✧ A studio of silk, color & calm ✧✦ THE ART OF THOUGHTFUL MAKING
Where every piece finds its place.
A genuinely usable fabric cutting workspace. Plan rectangular pattern pieces, compare layouts, estimate yardage, adjust by hand and export your work — free, private, and made for makers everywhere.
✧ No sign-up✧ Local-first✧ Inspired by textile heritage
↓ DISCOVER THE ATELIER
錦繡
Inside the atelier
Not a decorative landing page: the studio, project templates, calculators, articles, and saved projects are all working destinations.
400Color archive
09Pattern library
06Calculators
03Compare arrangements
YOUR CREATIVE ROUTE
A little wonder at every turn.
Not sure where to begin? Choose what you need today. Each door opens a real part of the atelier.
YOUR NEXT STEP / 01I have an idea
Explore this path ↗Browse real starter patterns and adapt every measurement.
BEAUTY MEETS PRECISION
An atelier built around the real work.
Not a decorative landing page: the studio, project templates, calculators, articles, and saved projects are all working destinations.
02
Respect grain and fold
Lock directional layouts and place on-fold pieces against a genuine fold edge. See exactly what the algorithm assumes.
03
Keep your craft private
Store projects in your browser or export portable JSON. The planner works without accounts or paid computation APIs.
04
Refine by hand
Turn on manual edit, drag pieces and reject overlaps instead of silently corrupting a cutting plan.
05
Take results with you
Download a vector SVG, high-resolution PNG, or print the diagram to PDF.
06
Start with a real project
Open nine editable sample sets, from tote bags and quilts to shirts and historical-inspired robes.
THE EMBROIDERED GARDEN
Four little guardians of good craft.
Meet the gentle spirits of our imaginary workshop. Each one points you toward a useful next step—not an empty page.
THE PATTERN GALLERY
Start with a story, not a blank page.
Nine editable patterns open directly in the working cutting studio. Dimensions are illustrative; replace them with your measurements before cutting.
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ATELIER / 01
Everyday tote bag
Two body panels, handles and an optional inner pocket.
Use in studio ↗◇
ATELIER / 02
Envelope pillowcase
Simple rectangular panels for a 45 cm cushion cover.
Use in studio ↗❖
ATELIER / 03
Kitchen apron
Apron body, waist ties, and neck tie.
Use in studio ↗✦
ATELIER / 04
Gathered skirt
Two skirt panels and a waistband; adjust to your measurements.
Use in studio ↗✺
ATELIER / 05
Relaxed shirt blocks
Bodice panels, sleeves, collar and cuffs (bounding boxes).
Use in studio ↗⌘
ATELIER / 06
Patchwork quilt blocks
Thirty-six patchwork squares for a small quilt layout.
Use in studio ↗☷
ATELIER / 07
Hanfu robe components
Illustrative straight panels and ties inspired by traditional robe construction.
Use in studio ↗✳
ATELIER / 08
Cosplay foam armor
Illustrative EVA foam rectangular cutting envelopes.
Use in studio ↗❃
ATELIER / 09
Curtain panels
Two long panels with allowance for hems.
Use in studio ↗THE LIVING ARCHIVE
Four hundred shades. One infinite imagination.
Color is part of the construction, not an afterthought. Examine 400 distinct digital pigments, keep a shortlist, and bring your chosen tones into your cutting project.
Explore all 400 shades ↗四百色SILK / SPECTRUM / 400
400 / HEXSee color combinations ↗
THE COLOR ORACLE
Which silk story feels like yours?
Select a color mood to reveal a small, considered palette. Every shade can be copied and used in your project.
Open the full color archive ↗THE SILK STORY / 01
Moonlit jade
Quiet jade, mist and soft gold for serene cloth.
A LITTLE PRECISION
Know the cost before the first cut.
A small working estimate for your fabric purchase. For full seam and placement planning, open the studio.
Calculators ↗A smoother way to plan
Three steps from idea to measurable layout.
Enter dimensions
Choose fabric width, available length, seam allowance and the pieces you need.
Compare arrangements
See three packing strategies, grain limitations, estimated waste and the cut map.
Save your plan
Use a saved local project or export PNG, SVG, JSON or a print-ready PDF.
THE TOOL CABINET
Small tools for decisions that add up.
Open individual calculators, all implemented and linked to working forms.
Length unit converterConvert metres, yards, feet, centimetres and inches instantly.↗Prewash shrinkage estimatorEstimate purchase length to retain your target after a known percentage of lengthwise shrinkage.↗Fabric cost estimatorMultiply purchased fabric length by its per-metre price.↗Theoretical area lower boundEstimate the absolute minimum fabric length based on rectangle area; real nesting will usually require more.↗Print repeat roundingRound required length up to a repeated motif interval. Does not replace individual-piece pattern matching.↗Bias strip segment countEstimate the number of straight cuts needed for a target strip length; does not account for diagonal joins.↗
THE MAKER’S LIBRARY
Learn the details that protect your fabric.
Practical articles on grain, fold, allowances, motifs, shrinkage and reliable estimation.
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CHAPTER / 01Grainline and rotation
Woven cloth has lengthwise and crosswise directions. The lengthwise grain generally follows the selvage, while the crosswise grain runs across the fabric. A paper pattern normally marks the intended grainline with an arrow.
Sewing guide ↗✦
CHAPTER / 02Cutting on the fold
A fold lets one half-pattern produce a symmetrical full piece. The paper edge labeled “place on fold” must sit on the fold, rather than being surrounded by an ordinary seam allowance.
Sewing guide ↗✺
CHAPTER / 03Seam allowances and cutting clearance
A seam allowance is the extra cloth between the stitching line and cut edge. If you enter dimensions measured only to the stitching line, add the allowance in the fabric settings. If your rectangles already include allowance, enter zero to avoid double counting.
Sewing guide ↗⌘
CHAPTER / 04Directional prints, nap and motif matching
Print direction matters for animals, lettering, gradients, velvet, corduroy and textiles whose surface looks different when turned. Rotating a piece by 90° can cause inconsistent appearance even when it fits geometrically.
Sewing guide ↗☷
CHAPTER / 05Estimating yardage and cost
To estimate a purchase, start with the full fabric width and enter accurate bounding sizes for the chosen pieces. The planner computes an arrangement and a required length in centimetres or inches. Convert centimetres to metres by dividing by 100, and inches to yards by dividing by 36.
Sewing guide ↗✳
CHAPTER / 06Understanding layout efficiency
Stacking rectangles to minimize fabric length is an instance of two-dimensional packing. Different orderings produce different usable arrangements; they are generally not guaranteed to be globally optimal.
Sewing guide ↗剪CRAFT / CARE / PRECISION
BEFORE THE SCISSORS
Six checks before cutting.
A gentle checklist turns good intentions into repeatable craft. Check each item as you prepare your real fabric.
Preparation progress0 / 6
✦ Preparation complete
A CLOSER LOOK
See why layout decisions matter.
Different grain and fold constraints change which rotations and placements are physically valid. Use the studio to compare strategies on your own measurements.
Fold-aware planning
When a piece must sit on a fold, its designated edge belongs at the fabric fold. The planner enforces that edge instead of treating the entire rectangle as freely movable.
Sewing guide ↗Direction-first cutting
A clever-looking rotation can be wrong for a directional print or woven grain. Lock rotation when your pattern or nap requires it.
Sewing guide ↗錦繡
Inspired by the elegance of traditional textile arts.— BROCADE ATELIER / DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Important: this is a rectangular bounding-box estimator, not garment drafting software, an exact curved-piece nesting engine, or a cutting certification.
Measure the actual available width
A bolt may be sold as a nominal width, but selvages, borders or damaged edges reduce the practical cutting area. Measure a usable width, then decide whether the material will be folded.
Allow for each constraint
Seams, folds, directional motifs and grainline restrictions influence the layout. A bounding-box estimate is useful for planning, but curved paper pieces must still be verified by hand.
Compare before committing
No single simple rectangle-ordering rule guarantees the global best arrangement. Compare the three options in the studio, consider a reserve, and print your plan before making irreversible cuts.
Keep your work portable
Store several projects locally, export a JSON backup, or take a clean SVG and PNG into your own workflow. Core planning does not require creating an account.
THE MAKER’S JOURNAL
The small details make the masterpiece.
Three practical ideas, with real articles to go deeper—not just ornamental cards.
ATELIER / 01
CHAPTER / 01
Respect the grain
Turn a garment piece against its intended grain and its drape may change. Check the pattern arrow before you rotate.
Read the guide ↗ATELIER / 02
CHAPTER / 02
Give the seams space
A precise layout still needs room for the seam allowances you intend to sew.
Read the guide ↗ATELIER / 03
CHAPTER / 03
Mind the printed motif
A print repeat can require more fabric than a simple area estimate suggests.
Read the guide ↗QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Clear answers before you begin.
These answers also live in the complete help center, alongside the limitations of rectangle-based nesting.
Read all 14 answers ↗Can this arrange true curved sewing patterns?
No. It places the rectangular bounding dimensions you enter. It cannot nest actual curved contours, calculate darts or inspect a PDF sewing pattern. Use its output as a purchasing and cutting estimate, and verify with your paper patterns.
How does on-fold cutting work?
Activate the folded-fabric option. The planner treats usable width as half the original width and forces pieces marked “align with fold” to start exactly on the fold edge. Quantities represent cut operations, not a guarantee about the number of final fabric layers.
Does “grain-aware” guarantee the correct fabric grainline?
No. You control allowed 90° rotation and can globally lock rotation for directional/nap fabric. Grainline arrows are orientation cues only; they are not a substitute for checking the actual grain arrow printed on your pattern.
What about plaid, stripes and matching motifs?
The studio does not automatically match printed motifs. Use the print-repeat calculator as an initial allowance and verify where each motif must align. For high-value patterned fabric, plan and mark manually.
How is fabric efficiency calculated?
The ratio is the sum of outer rectangular piece areas divided by usable width multiplied by the final used length. It is a bounding-box utilization metric. It is not true fabric yield when pieces are curved or cut on multiple layers.
Is the selected plan mathematically optimal?
No. Three deterministic rectangular packing heuristics are compared. The shortest result found is shown, but another arrangement may use less material. Manual adjustment can sometimes improve it.
✧
Local-first
Privacy ↗Keep your craft private
Store projects in your browser or export portable JSON. The planner works without accounts or paid computation APIs.
錦
A WORKSHOP WITHOUT WALLS
Make space for what you want to create.
Choose a pattern, explore color, estimate your budget, and build a cutting plan in the same beautifully considered workspace.