What do you expect in a pattern you buy?

So im starting up an etsy. Like nearly up and published. Dw at least one new release
a month will still be free here but most will switch over to etsy.

When you buy a pattern what sort of pictures do you expect to see. For instance if its a bird with feathers and a beak, tail and wings should i show all of those as pictures so its very clear how its supposed to look.

Thanks to anyone who has ever tested for me. I thought my patterns were literally going to flop now im actually making them pretty and ready to go out into the world.

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i would show pictures yes. the patterns that I’ve bought that include pictures feel very high quality. it also helps in case some instructions are unclear to compare with the picture reference

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It’s a pet peeve of mine when pattern photos only show one angle/side or give no indication of scale. Like… I don’t need a full 360° or precise measurements, just a good idea of what I’ll end up with.

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So if you were doing a bird tail a photo of it from a good angle in relation to the body would be perfect?

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Im trying to work out the right balance between heres absolutely everything and heres nothing. I find it hard to tell where it goes from understandable to oh dear

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i get that, I’m sure you’ll do week though, you’re a very talented person

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Absolutely. :blush:

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First off, Ribblr is the ONLY real world. ^-^

But, what I look for in the pictures for a pattern, is I want to see at least two DIFFERENT angles of the finished product. A lot of patterns i see only show a front angle or 8 images of just barely off angle from that. I like seeing a front and a side or a 3/4 view; it helps give an idea of the pattern.

Ideally, I want one of these to give a sense of size for the plushie, maybe include a person, a hand or a tissue box, something that gives you a sense of scale. And something I see very rarely is a note about what size yarn the example piece was made with. (A size 4 yarn produces a VERY DIFFERENT plush from a size 6, for example.) On that note, an image that denotes these items in multiple sized yarns is great to give one multiple ideas of the size to expect.

I’ve seen a few patterns where one of the example images includes a suggested materials list. Such as, how many different colors of yarn you’ll need, whether you’ll need safety eyes or if you’d reccommend embroidered or needle felted or whatever, reccomendations for a tapestry needle and such.

I’ve also seen some include a list of stitches that may be required. This is nice, but not necessary.

All told, despite the variety I like to see, I don’t know that I’d reccommend too many photos; you don’t want to make it easy for people to try to reconstruct what you’ve made without buying the pattern, after all.

In your bird example, I might suggest a 3/4 view and a side view of the plush, and have someone holding it in at least one of those photos even if you can’t see their face. A hand is a great way to get a general ‘okay, it’s this big’ idea. (I also occasionally use a ruler behind or beside the product when I take finished photos for my tests.) Depending on the difficulty of the pattern, more than the 2 photos might be overkill, but that’s a call you’ll have to make yourself.

Edit: Hoooly… SOrry for the book XD

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Oooo… I’m going to start doing this!

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Hi! First of all, congrats on getting your designs out there. Etsy is my primary selling platform and what I’ve found is that yes, people want lots of photos and instructions in the pattern. I always include placement info and photos that show where to put the components. For example, something like: sew finished wings to sides of body at Rnd 44. Or, sew eyes to center front of head at Rnd 66, leaving 4 sps between eyes. Doing this will help your buyers create a piece that looks how it’s supposed to and you’ll get good reviews, which is important on Etsy. If you want to see what my listings look like, my etsy shop is called FatLadyCrochet.

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