Save, close, and resume a pattern

What you are trying to accomplish

Keep your PatternForge work safe, leave the editor without losing your latest changes, and return to the right next step on this device or—after a confirmed cloud backup—another device.

Available now: every pattern saves locally first. Public Beta: a verified signed-in maker can deliberately choose Save on my other devices for an individual pattern. Signing in never uploads all existing local patterns automatically.

Why it matters

A pattern is more than its outline. Its true-size check, piece names, markings, seam decisions, print arrangement, instruction booklet, and referenced photos all need to stay together.

PatternForge saves the editable working copy in browser storage on the device you are using. Saved on this device means that local save succeeded. It does not mean the project was uploaded to your account or copied to another device.

For a pattern you deliberately back up, On your other devices ✓ is the separate cloud confirmation. Signed-in phone-photo handoff is also a separate feature: it can send source photos from a phone to From your phone on a larger screen. A capture set is not itself an editable project or a project backup.

Step by step

1. Work normally and watch the save message in the top bar. It moves through Saving… to Saved on this device after a successful local save.
2. If you see Couldn't save, stop making changes. Keep the tab open, free some browser or device storage, and make a small change so PatternForge can try again.
3. Return to My Patterns when you are ready to stop. Each card names the real next action, such as Set and check the size, Create pieces, Add piece details, Check the pattern, or Arrange for printing.
4. To resume on this device, open the pattern card. PatternForge restores the saved project and carries the card's next-step intent into the editor.
5. To use another device, first sign in to a verified account. In the pattern's actions menu, choose Save on my other devices. This is a per-pattern choice; other local patterns are not uploaded automatically.
6. Wait for On your other devices ✓ before leaving or switching devices. Sending…, waiting for a connection, paused, blocked, or conflict wording means the latest cloud copy is not confirmed yet.
7. On the other device, sign in to the same account, find the pattern under On your other devices, and choose Open here. Confirm its name, photos, pieces, true-size state, and next step before editing.
8. If you captured photos through the signed-in phone flow, wait for the upload confirmation. On the larger screen, open From your phone and choose Start tracing. Then check the resulting pattern's own local and cloud status like any other editable project.
9. Avoid editing the same pattern in two browser tabs or on two devices at the same time. If PatternForge shows a conflict or recovery warning, stop and follow that warning before continuing.
10. Before clearing browser data or replacing a device, keep the original source photos and a verified export in storage you control. For a backed-up pattern, also verify On your other devices ✓ and reopen it on the intended second device.
11. If Previous cloud copies appears, recover only the copy you recognize. PatternForge creates a separate local pattern without the old photo files and marks its size proof for rechecking.

What success looks like

• The top bar says Saved on this device before you leave.
• The pattern appears in My Patterns with the expected name, piece count, status, and next action.
• A pattern intended for another device separately says On your other devices ✓.
• Opening it elsewhere under the same account restores the expected geometry, photos, markings, details, instructions, and workflow state.
• You still have the original source material and a verified export outside the app.

Common problems and recovery

The save message stays on “Saving…”

Wait briefly and keep the page open. If it changes to an error, free storage and trigger another save. Do not assume closing the tab will repair a failed save.

The pattern is missing on another device

Check the original device. If the pattern never reached On your other devices ✓, it is not confirmed in cloud backup; keep that device online and resolve the visible message. If it was confirmed, verify the second device is signed in to the same account, refresh My Patterns, and look under On your other devices.

The pattern opens but its source photo is unavailable

Do not edit or export an incomplete project. Keep the original device online and let cloud backup finish, then reopen the pattern. If you deliberately replace a source photo, check the scale again.

A phone photo set appears separately from the pattern

That is expected. From your phone is a source-photo handoff, not the editable-project list. Choose Start tracing, then use the resulting pattern's own save and cloud status.

Another tab or device changed this pattern

Follow the conflict banner instead of continuing in both places. Choose one saved copy or keep both. PatternForge stops rather than silently merging or overwriting simultaneous edits.

A saved copy was made by a newer PatternForge version

Refresh the app before opening it. PatternForge refuses to silently downgrade a newer project record.

The saved copy looks damaged

Use any recovery option PatternForge presents and keep the preserved copy until you confirm the recovered pattern. Do not delete the project while recovery is still in question.

You deleted a project

Deletion is permanent; there is no user-facing trash folder. A device-only pattern is deleted from that device. A cloud-backed pattern warns that deletion also applies to your other devices. Keep exported files and source photos independently if you may need the work later.

Quick safety check

Before leaving, confirm:

• Saved on this device is visible.
• The pattern card shows the right name and next action.
• On your other devices ✓ is visible if you expect to continue elsewhere.
• No cloud warning or unresolved conflict remains.
• The original photos still exist somewhere you control.
• A recent, true-size export exists for any pattern you cannot afford to recreate.

Related tools and next step

Next, learn how to create pieces manually or with Auto-Detect, then name and label each piece. Read project cloud backup before changing devices or clearing browser data.