F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I make sewing patterns using Modern Art AI?

A. On the text-to-pattern and image-to-pattern pages, you can make sewing patterns by entering a text prompt into the form and pressing the "create" button. Describe the clothing features you want the pattern to have. The features you describe first in the prompt usually have the most weight. Separate the main features with commas. Sometimes the tool will omit later featues in a long list and focus on the ones mentioned earlier in the prompt sequence. You can also upload or drag-and-drop an image to guide the prompt. The image-to-pattern page is optimized for image prompts and text prompts submitted together. The text-to-pattern page is optimized to emphasize text prompts alone, but will also accept images for some additional guidance. Describing the image prompt with the text prompt usually gives the best results when creating a pattern with specific, desired clothing features. Using text prompts alone tend to create more standardized pattern shapes that are more similar to traditional sewing patterns. After entering your prompts and pressing the generate button, you will see a spinner and progress updates (starting, processing, etc.). The first generation takes longer than subsequent ones because sometimes the computer needs to warm up. It can take from a few seconds to over a minute to generate a pattern. Patterns with both image and text inputs take longer to generate. When the generated pattern appears in the interface, click the download button to open it in another window. Drag, save, or downlod the pattern to your computer. You can use a tool like image trace in Adobe Illustrator to turn your pattern into a vector drawing that can be resized. Our text-to-pattern and image-to-pattern tools are still in development -- they will continue to improve as we train new AI models and implement new technology.

Q. How do I resize my sewing pattern image that I created with Modern Art?

A. You can use a tool like Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator or an internet-based image converter (png to svg converter) to turn your pattern into a vector drawing that can be resized. Modern Art has developed tools to trace, resize, and print patterns in our app, but we are still working on implementing them online — they should be available soon. In the meantime, we will do everything we can to help you reszie and print your patterns at home. You will need a vector graphics tool (e.g. Adobe Illustrator) and to do one middle school math problem.

To resize your patterns in Adobe Illustrator (to the size you want to fit your body or to some other desired size), place the pattern image from Modern Art in a new document. On a separate layer, draw a simple horizontal line from armpit to armpit (or at the level where you choose to measure the bust line of the garment). Go to View/Rulers/Show Rulers. Click on the ruler and select "inches" (or "centimeters" for metric). Get the measurement of that line segment by selecting it and then looking in the "Properties" tab for the width.

For example, the measurement of the line segment is 2.5 inches. You want the bust line to be 16 inches (which will be 32 inches circumference, a 32 inch measurement of the garment all the way around at the bust level). 16/2.5 = 6.4 (16 divided by 2.5 is 6.4). In Illustrator, if you right click on the whole pattern (select the whole pattern and right click on it), it will bring up a menu. In that menu go to Transform/Scale. In the box labeled "Uniform" enter 640% (this menu and scaling feature is also available by clicking Object(top menu bar)/Transform/Scale). Your pattern should now be scaled based on a 32 inch bust clothing measurement (16 inches across each side). To create the back of a top, blouse, or sweater, you should add extra volume. Additionally, you may want to resize certain paths/lines in the pattern based on fit and design preferences.

Use Illustrator’s Offset Path tool (Object/Path/Offset Path) to add seam allowances if desired.

Our pattern images are a starting point for your iteration, pattern-making and design process. Sometimes the patterns our tools generate work fine without needing adjustments. Like with any pattern and any sewing project, it is best to manipulate the pattern in a real-world, physical setting around a mannequin, body form, real person etc. (before cutting fabric and sewing) in order to make adjustments, further iterate on the design and so forth.

Q. How can I print out my sewing patterns on my home printer?

A. Resize your pattern (see previous question "How do I resize my sewing pattern..?") Decide whether to add seam allowances. Print out the pattern from a home computer on a home printer by separating the full-size pattern image into smaller pieces as pages in a pdf document. (Home printing is recommended so you can quickly iterate and make a new pattern/adjust the design etc). You can also have your patterns printed by an online pattern printing shop, office store, etc.

Here is how to print your pattern at home using Adobe Illustrator. Set up a full-sized Artboard with the full-sized pattern design. View,Show Print Tiling File,Print,MediSize: Letter. Scaling,Tile Full Pages. Overlap: (as desired, changing this will change how the images overlap when you assemble the printed sheets into the full-sized pattern; you can choose none and have the edges of the pages touch directly and tape them together that way).

Q. How do I save and download my generated images and patterns to my tablet or computer?

A. Click the download button (located below the text prompt bar) to load your generated image into a separate window. Depending on your browser and operating system, you can drag and drop the image to your desktop, click and save it, or download it to the browser. You need to remember to save your images in this way as we do not save a copy of them.

Q. I forgot to download my pattern or image. Can you retrieve it for me?

A. Unfortunately we do not retain a copy of any user images on our servers. You need to download and save your patterns and images immediately after generation. If you are interested in having the ability to save some images in your user dashboard, please let us know. It is a feature we are hoping to add in the future.

Q. How do your subscriptions work?

A. We offer two subscription choices. Our standard subscription is $12.00 per month and offers a limited amount (200 per month) of image and pattern generations (200 total generations per month). Our premium subscription is $30.00 per month and offers unlimited image and pattern generations. You first need to sign up for an account (use the button on our home page or on the top bar to Log in — logging into Google or another service with automatically create your account). Once you have created an account you will have the option of signing up for either subscription on the account page. Clicking on the subscribe button for either option will send you to Stripe to pay. Subscriptions are billed montly. Your billing date is the day you subscribed. You can manage or upgrade your subscription by clicking the manage subscription button on your account page to access your customer portal on Stripe.

Q. Why isn’t it free?

A. It takes a tremedous amout of time, money, and energy to train the AI models we use in our tools. We also pay for the compute you use when you design patterns and create images with our tools. We are not able to offer a free plan due to these constraints. We hope you will want to support the continued development and innovation of our pattern and image tools by subscribing.

Q. What is the best way to sew clothing from your patterns?

A. The best way to sew clothing from Modern Art AI patterns is to use our patterns as a starting point from which to iterate on the final pattern and design. Resizing and adjusting patterns in Adobe Illustrator or another design tool is usually necessary for best results. Additionally, it is good to leave some extra fabric (additional seam allowance or ease) to make your final sewn garment fit well, much as a custom tailor would when fitting a garment on a client. Pinning or basting your cut fabric pieces and testing them on your body for fit before final sewing will help improve the finished garment.

Q. How can I use prompts to get the results I want to see in my sewing patterns?

A. Try describing each important feature that the pattern should reflect with a single word or phrase separated by commas. For example: long sleeve, cropped bodice, waistband, bodice ruffle, asymmetrical hem ("asymmhem" is an abbreviation of this that some of our models understand). If you are using an image prompt, you can also describe the featues of the image that you want the pattern to have in the accompanying text prompt. For example, if your image is a one shoulder, one sleeve top and has a puffy sleeve and you really want the one shoulder feature, make "one shoulder" the first feature in your text prompt. You can also try describing features you want to add to a pattern that are not in the image. We also hope to have settings (available soon) that let you choose a preference for a more linear, traditional sewing pattern versus a technical drawing that will focus on details, colors and textures and can be used like a pattern to help reproduce intricate panels, unusual designs, layered textures and so forth.

Q. How can I use prompts to get the results I want to see in my fashion images?

A. Describe the features you want to see in the image separated by commas. Start your prompt with the features that are most important. It can be helpful to include "on a runway model", "laying flat on a white background", "fashion techincal drawing", "colored pencil style fashion sketch" to help steer the type of image you want it to make. There is also a drop-down menu in the image generation interface that offers some specific style choices to guide the image generation.

Q. How can I make my patterns more unusual or weird?

A. The best way to make unusual patterns is to use a weird or unusual AI image as the image prompt, and then describe the unusual features in the text prompt. It is also possible to generate weird patterns by using an image prompt that is not a clothing item, while describing some clothing features in the text prompt. In contrast to (or perhaps to compliment) technical fashion CAD design software tools, our pattern generation tools embrace unpredictibility and open-ended creativity. You can also make your own sketch or photograph, digitize it, and use it as an image prompt. The new Runway Fashion Week image generation model understands the words weird and unusual. You can use these words to nudge your image generations in a more experimental direction.

Q. What types of garments can I generate sewing patterns for with your text-to-pattern and image-to-pattern tools?

A. Our image-to-pattern and text-to-pattern AI tools are currently optimized for and trained to make images of tops, blouses and sweaters. They understand terms like "tunic" or "longer bodice" that you could use to make something like a mini dress. You can also make a simple dress by making a top pattern longer before you print or use it. You can sometimes get results for dresses and skirts, but we focused on tops for our first pattern models. We are in the process of perfecting pattern models for additional clothing types. Some early, test versions of those models will be available for you to use very soon.

Q. How do I make the “back” of the shirt, blouse, or sweater?

A. Because women’s shoulder tips are slightly forward, you will want to add length/fabric to the length of the shoulder on the back pieces of your garments. You might also want to add a shoulder dart to the back piece and a side bust dart to the front and an additional clothing bust measurement of one half inch (1/2 inch) to the front piece per additional letter of increased bust size for better fit. We recommend sewing one of the generated patterns with muslin or some practice knit fabric to better understand how our patterns compare to those you have worked with previously.

Q. How do I cut out sleeves from fabric using your patterns?

A. Our patterns (usually) give you a form for half of each sleeve. You will need to trace it and then flip it to trace the other symmetrical half to cut out a whole, complete sleeve fabric piece. You can also make a full sleeve pattern by tracing our pattern twice onto a separate sheet of paper.

For help using Modern Art AI, please contact us at help@modernart-ai.com