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Compare textile resources.
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| Decision field | Free accountFOURSOURCE Supplier NetworkGlobalRemove | Free + paidThreadloop Sewing Pattern DatabaseGlobalRemove | Open accessEU VIES VAT Number ValidationEuropean UnionRemove | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | ||||
| Primary job | Source production | Find patterns & fit | Check standards | Choose materials |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Production | Patterns & fit | Standards | Yarn |
| Best for | Searching global apparel and textile production capabilities | Searching current and out-of-print sewing patterns | Checking an EU supplier's stated VAT number and saving the dated validation response as one identity and invoicing control | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch |
| Know before using | The company count is a changing platform claim. Search fields, profiles, certificates, locations, and account access do not independently verify the legal entity, factory ownership, capability, capacity, certificate validity or scope, compliance performance, delivery, or project fit. Confirm the site and subcontracting, credentials with issuers, samples, audits when appropriate, specifications, contracts, and commercial terms. | Community members add and quality-control the records, so confirm sizing, measurements, fabric suggestions, format, availability, errata, license, and purchase terms with the designer or publisher. Adding an entry to a stash does not provide the pattern files. Saved searches and private PDF storage are paid Plus features, and a listing or review does not establish pattern accuracy or fit. | A valid VAT number is not proof of manufacturing capability, facility ownership, authorized bank instructions, product origin, tax advice, quality, capacity, certification, labor conditions, or delivery; names and addresses may not be returned for every country, and temporary database outages occur. | A suggested match is a data-based shortlist, not proof that the yarn suits the pattern or maker. Records can be incomplete or wrong, price bands are approximate, availability varies by country and seller, and shade-level matching is unavailable. YarnSub says affiliate status does not change suggestions, but equally rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. Confirm required gauge, total length, fibre behavior, construction, care, colour, dye lot, accessibility, price, availability, and seller terms, then make and assess a representative swatch before committing. |
| Practical access | ||||
| For | Apparel brands | Makers | Apparel brands | Makers |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | European Union | Global |
| Access | Free account | Free + paid | Open access | Open access |
| Format | Marketplace | Community | Reference | Reference |
| Source type | Commercial marketplace | Community database | Official registry | First-party platform |
| Account, payment, and exit | ||||
| Access scope | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Sewer searching pattern records or organizing patterns, projects, fabric, notions, and private files. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. |
| Before an account | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Browse the pattern database, guide, designers, publications, and public community areas without creating an account. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Search a named yarn, inspect suggested substitutes, and filter by fibre and approximate price band without creating an account. |
| Free-account boundary | Not yet reviewed at this level. | A free account needs no card and supports a stash, wishlist, projects, reviews, and personal organization. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | The checked core substitution route does not require an account, and the FAQ does not offer user-entered yarn records. |
| Payment boundary | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Plus adds PDF pattern storage, collections, saved searches, bulk editing, and other workflow features on monthly or annual billing. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | No subscription is presented for the core route. Affiliate retailer links and optional donations help fund the site; equal-rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. |
| Cancellation or exit | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Cancel through an in-account link. Paid features remain through the current billing cycle, then the account returns to free features. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | There is no account or recurring plan to cancel for the core route. The newsletter has a separate unsubscribe link. |
| Saved work and data | Not yet reviewed at this level. | The terms say submitted materials remain yours, but the checked public pages do not explain a full export or how stored PDFs behave after downgrade. Keep originals outside the platform. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | YarnSub does not expose an API and does not accept user-entered yarn details. Use the data-issue link on a yarn page for corrections. |
| Source and review | ||||
| What the source establishes | FOURSOURCE's current public network page presents an operator-reported global company count and country or territory search. It says logged-in users can narrow results by compliance certificates, product groups, fabric types, target groups, minimum order quantities, and other fields, with a free-trial and supplier sign-up route. | Threadloop's official guide describes an independent, fully crowdsourced database covering available and out-of-print sewing patterns. Its search supports pattern type, fabric type, age group, body type, cup size, level, format, file features, language, measurements, availability, and other filters; members can also track a stash, wishlist, projects, reviews, and discussions. Current terms state that the free plan requires no card, paid upgrades start billing immediately, cancellation retains paid features through the current cycle, and the account then returns to free features. | VIES is the European Commission's online VAT Information Exchange System interface for querying national VAT databases to determine whether a submitted number is valid for intra-EU cross-border trade at the time of the request. | YarnSub's official FAQ says its matching software compares gauge, texture, yarn weight and density, fibre content, and fibre qualities such as drape and softness. Discontinued yarns remain searchable as starting points but are excluded from suggestions. Result filters can exclude animal, animal-derived, synthetic, or plant fibre groups and use a subjective $ to $$$$$ price indicator. The site does not accept user-entered yarn details, individual shade cards, or expose an API. Each yarn page provides a data-issue route. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 21, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 15, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jan 17, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | Oct 13, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 |
| Inspect | ||||
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