Sewly vs Tailornova: which pattern maker is right for you?

Tailornova and Sewly both make made-to-measure sewing patterns with a 3D preview, but they start from different places. Tailornova is a web-based 3D fashion design platform: you build a design from its templates and get a custom-fitted pattern, technical flats and instructions. Sewly starts from a photo or a description of the garment you want and drafts the pattern for you. Designers and small labels will often prefer Tailornova; home sewists who copy looks they see will often prefer Sewly.

How does Tailornova work?

At the time of writing (October 2026), Tailornova describes itself as a web-based 3D fashion design platform. You choose a smart design template and change its features (length, silhouette, neckline, closure, sleeve length and style), and Tailornova shows the result as a 2D technical flat, a made-to-measure pattern and a 3D sample on its FitModel, a body you customize to your measurements, height and shape. Its templates cover categories such as dresses, tops, pants, jackets and coats.

Patterns download as PDF to print at home or plot, with step-by-step sewing instructions generated for each design. Commercial plans add PLT, DXF and DXF-AAMA files for CAD software, unlimited downloads, grading and a license to sell. Tailornova is sold as a monthly or annual subscription: a personal tier with a monthly allowance of pattern downloads, and commercial tiers aimed at designers, boutiques and manufacturers.

How does Sewly work?

Sewly begins with the garment you have in mind. Upload a photo, paste a screenshot or a link to a public Pinterest pin, Instagram post or shop page, or describe it. The AI recognizes the garment, its silhouette and details (length, neckline, sleeves, fullness, closure, pockets) and the colors and print of the fabric, then picks the closest garment type in Sewly's library with the right options. A drafting engine draws every piece from flat-pattern blocks with your measurements and the right ease; changing an option or a measurement afterwards redraws the pattern instantly, without the AI.

The 3D preview shows the garment on a mannequin built from your measurements, in a plain color or in the print from your picture. It shows silhouette and proportions; it does not simulate fabric drape. On a paid plan you print the pattern at true scale on A4, US Letter, A3, Tabloid (11 × 17 in), A0, 36 × 48 in or as a projector file, with the sewing guide as a PDF.

When is Tailornova the better choice?

• You want to design, not copy. Tailornova's templates are a design tool: you build a style from parts and see it as a flat, a pattern and a 3D sample.
• You need professional outputs. Technical flats as vector files, DXF and PLT for CAD software and plotters, and grading are on its commercial plans. Sewly exports print-ready PDFs and a projector file only.
• You sell patterns or run a small label. Tailornova's commercial tiers include a license for that. Sewly lets you sell what you sew, but its pattern files are for personal use.
• You need outerwear. Tailornova lists jackets and coats among its templates; Sewly does not yet draft tailored jackets with collars and lapels or coats (its kimono jacket is the closest).

When is Sewly the better choice?

• You start from a picture. Sewly's workflow begins with a photo, a screenshot or a link; you do not have to rebuild the look from templates.
• You print at home in different ways. Every pattern prints on six paper sizes and as a projector file, with lettered and numbered pages, a page map, a 5 cm and 2 in test square, and empty pages skipped. Large plain rectangles such as waistbands are given as cutting dimensions to save paper.
• You want help while sewing. The guide lists pieces, notions, fabric quantities for 110, 140 and 150 cm (45, 55 and 60 in) wide fabric and cutting layouts, and you can ask it questions about any step.
• You sew for yourself on a budget. At the time of writing, Sewly's paid plans cost less per month than Tailornova's personal plan: Maker is $7.99 a month or $59 a year, and the free plan lets you make, fit and preview patterns before paying.
• You work in an AI assistant. Sewly also runs inside ChatGPT and Claude as an app.

What are the limits of both?

Both rely on the garment types their makers have built: Tailornova on its templates, Sewly on its 20 garment types at launch and their options. Neither will draft a one-off design detail that falls outside them. Sewly's 3D view is a preview of proportions rather than a drape simulation, so a toile is still the most reliable test of fit for a close-fitting garment. And both depend on accurate measurements: take them carefully with a tape and check them before drafting.

Can you switch or use both?

Your measurements are what carries over. If you already have a Tailornova fit model, the same tape measurements (height, bust, waist, hip and the rest) go into a Sewly measurement profile. It can make sense to keep Tailornova for designing your own styles or selling patterns, and to use Sewly for looks you find on Pinterest or Instagram. If you mostly sew from photos for yourself, Sewly on its own covers that.