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 later on the same browser and device.

Available now: device-local saving and reopening. Planned: complete editable-project cloud sync and project access across devices. A signed-in beta account may show a narrow Previous cloud copies recovery card for data retained from the earlier service; it does not enable cloud sync for new work.

Why it matters

A pattern is more than its outline. Its true-size check, piece names, markings, seam decisions, print arrangement, and instruction booklet 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.

Signed-in phone-photo handoff is a separate feature: it can send source photos from a phone to From your phone on a larger screen. It does not move an editable project and is not 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. 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. The resulting editable project is local to that larger screen.
6. Avoid editing the same local pattern in two browser tabs at the same time. If PatternForge shows a same-browser conflict or recovery warning, stop and follow that warning before continuing.
7. Before changing devices, clearing browser data, or replacing a device, keep the original source photos and a verified export in storage you control. There is currently no supported way to move the editable project itself.
8. 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.
• Reopening it restores the geometry, markings, details, and workflow state you expected.
• 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

That is expected for current projects. Editable projects are not routinely synced through your account. Continue on the original browser and device. If Previous cloud copies appears, it can recover an earlier beta copy as a separate local pattern, but its photos and size proof do not transfer. You can move exported PDF, SVG, or ZIP files through storage you control, but those files are outputs rather than editable PatternForge projects.

The pattern opens but its source photo is unavailable

Do not edit or export an incomplete project. Return to the browser and device where the complete local project was saved. If you deliberately replace a source photo, check the scale again.

A phone photo set appears separately from the pattern

That is expected. Use From your phone and Start tracing to bring the captured set into a local project on the larger device.

Another tab changed this pattern

Follow the conflict banner instead of continuing in both tabs. Choose one tab as the active editor, then reload or reopen the other only after the chosen copy is safely saved.

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 from My Patterns is permanent on this device; there is no trash folder. 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.
• 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. Review the planned project-cloud boundary before changing devices or clearing browser data.