Last Updated: October 14, 2026
App Overview
FabricNest helps you arrange rectangular fabric pieces on a single layer, compare standard and optimized layouts, estimate fabric requirements and purchasing savings, track cuts and export a PDF cutting report. Core planning works offline without an account.
Quick Start
Fabric, Pieces and Units
The app supports inches, feet, yards, centimeters and meters. Changing the display unit preserves physical dimensions. Fabric width is across the roll and required length runs along it. Enter a usable width and allow margins for edges you cannot cut.
Seam allowance expands every side: a 10 × 8 piece with a 0.5 allowance becomes an 11 × 9 cutting rectangle in the same unit. Spacing separates neighboring cuts; the fabric margin applies to both sides and both ends of the required strip. Account for hems, ease and other construction needs in your inputs and check the final cutting dimensions.
With grain lock enabled, the piece's height runs along the fabric length. A fabric rotation lock or an individual piece rotation lock prevents 90-degree rotation. Check these settings when a piece does not fit or the layout uses more length than expected.
Layouts, Utilization and Stock
In a project, use Layout to switch between Optimized and Standard, fit the diagram to the screen, zoom or open the full-screen map. Standard layout uses sequential row packing in the piece order. Smart nesting compares deterministic candidates and keeps the shorter valid plan. It is a heuristic and does not prove the mathematically shortest layout.
Utilization compares the expanded piece area with the full required fabric strip, including margins and spacing. Unused stock beyond that strip is not counted as layout waste. A plan can be valid even when your stock is too short: the app shows all required cuts and reports the missing length. Obtain enough fabric before cutting.
Saving parameter edits recalculates the plan. Wait for the current result before cutting or exporting. Use Optimize layout in the project actions menu to retry when needed. Restore Previous Plan restores its parameters, layout and cutting progress together. Cut marks are retained after recalculation only for placements whose position, dimensions and rotation remain identical.
Cost and Purchase Savings
Enter a price in USD per yard or meter and, if needed, the increment in which fabric is sold. Length-value savings multiplies the length saved by your rate. Potential purchase savings rounds the standard and optimized requirements independently to the purchase increment before comparing their costs. An increment of zero means exact-length purchasing.
A shorter plan may show zero purchase savings if both plans round to the same purchased amount. Prices in samples are example inputs. Enter your supplier's actual price and increment; the app does not fetch prices or guarantee a saving.
Cutting Progress, Samples and Insights
Pieces lists the inputs; Compare shows the two plans and savings; Cut tracks each numbered placement. Use the current map and dimensioned list to identify a piece before marking it complete.
Samples contains 20 calculated DIY and professional examples that you can preview and copy into an editable project. They are rectangular planning examples, not complete sewing patterns. Read their preparation notes for excluded linings, hardware, hems or shaping. Insights summarizes current optimized plans and links to project comparisons; its utilization is weighted by required fabric area.
PDF Reports and Printing
Open a project and select the PDF button in the top toolbar. The preview lets you share or save through the iOS share sheet and print through the system printing interface. Reports include parameters, comparison metrics, a vector cutting map, piece numbering, dimensions, coordinates, seam allowances, notes and progress.
The diagram is a planning report, not a full-size pattern. Long rolls are split across map pages; extremely long or narrow maps use a reduced scale to keep the map within 40 pages. Use the dimensioned cutting list for measurements. If export is unavailable, add pieces and wait for recalculation or retry optimization. If a save or print destination is missing, check the apps, file providers or printer available to iOS.
Backup, Restore and Moving Devices
Open Settings → Local data → Export JSON backup, then save the file somewhere you control. The project folder is excluded from automatic cloud backup, and FabricNest has no automatic sync. Export before deleting the app or moving to another device. A PDF report cannot restore an editable project library.
Choose Restore JSON backup, select a FabricNest JSON file and review the confirmation. Restore merges by project identifier: imported versions replace matching projects, while other local projects remain. Export the current library first if you may need its existing versions. Backups must use the supported format, be no larger than 20 MB and result in no more than 200 projects after merging.
If saving fails, changes may remain only in memory. Use Retry saving projects in Settings before closing the app and check available device storage. If the library cannot be opened, the app protects the original file; restore a valid backup. Keep a separate copy of the original file or backup when seeking help.
Common Questions
- Why does a piece not fit? Check fabric width, both edge margins, expanded seam dimensions and grain or rotation locks. The planner cannot fit a piece wider than the usable fabric.
- Why is there no saving? The standard layout may already be as short as the best candidate, or purchase rounding may give both plans the same cost.
- Why did cut marks change? Edits can move, rotate or resize cuts. Marks are preserved only when the individual placement stays identical.
- How do I change language? Use Settings → Language to open Apple Settings, choose an app language when available and reopen the app. Saved names and notes retain the text you entered.
- Can I sync projects? Transfer a JSON backup manually. There is no account or automatic cross-device synchronization.
- Can support recover deleted projects? We have no server copy. Restore a JSON backup you previously exported; externally saved reports and files remain at their destinations.
- Why did the rating dialog not appear? FabricNest can request the native prompt after eligible PDF reports; Apple controls whether it is displayed.
Planning Limits and Use
The current planner supports rectangles on one fabric layer. It does not account for irregular pattern shapes, print matching, folds, shrinkage or fabric defects. Verify measurements, grain, seam allowances, material condition and cutting order before using the plan. Samples and calculated savings are planning aids, and a PDF diagram should not be used as a life-size cutting template.
For App Store license terms, see the Apple Standard End User License Agreement.
Contact Support
Email 298030287@qq.com with your device model, iOS version, FabricNest version and steps to reproduce the issue. For a layout question, include units, fabric width and stock length, margins, spacing, piece dimensions and quantities, seam allowances, grain and rotation settings. Include price and purchase increment for a savings question.
A screenshot or a small example with private names, notes and confidential pricing removed is usually sufficient. Do not send a complete backup unless it is needed for troubleshooting.
- Developer: JiaBao Dai
- Privacy: FabricNest Privacy Policy
- App directory: WoodCutTool app support directory