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Compare textile resources.
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| Decision field | Open accessUnknown Textile Identification & Evidence RecordGlobalRemove | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove | Free + paidThreadloop Sewing Pattern DatabaseGlobalRemove | Free + paidSewportGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | ||||
| Primary job | Choose materials | Choose materials | Find patterns & fit | Source production |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Materials | Yarn | Patterns & fit | Production |
| Best for | Investigating an unknown textile without using flame, smoke, odor, or residue as composition, flammability, care, safety, or compliance proof | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch | Searching current and out-of-print sewing patterns | Requesting apparel-production proposals |
| Know before using | The record does not identify a submitted textile, provide a home burn procedure, turn an observation into a fibre or blend result, choose a laboratory method, establish flammability or market compliance, validate a care instruction, or replace qualified laboratory, textile, conservation, safety, compliance, and legal review. | 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. | 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 profile, proposal, match, or escrow status does not establish factory ownership, identity, capacity, workmanship, quality systems, labour or chemical compliance, delivery performance, contract enforceability, or project fit. Verify the legal and production entities, references, site and subcontracting, samples, compliance evidence, specifications, terms, and remedies directly. |
| Practical access | ||||
| For | Both | Makers | Makers | Apparel brands |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Access | Open access | Open access | Free + paid | Free + paid |
| Format | Stitch Authority | Reference | Community | Marketplace |
| Source type | Stitch Authority | First-party platform | Community database | Commercial marketplace |
| Account, payment, and exit | ||||
| Access scope | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. | Sewer searching pattern records or organizing patterns, projects, fabric, notions, and private files. | Apparel brand requesting production proposals or service provider responding to enquiries through Sewport's project workflow. |
| Before 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. | Browse the pattern database, guide, designers, publications, and public community areas without creating an account. | Read the brand and service-provider workflow, public learning pages, and selected country or city manufacturer pages. Creating an enquiry, seeing matched results, messaging, proposals, and dashboard work require an account. |
| Free-account boundary | 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. | A free account needs no card and supports a stash, wishlist, projects, reviews, and personal organization. | The current first-party FAQ gives brands a seven-day trial and says service providers can join free. Access differs by role: brands create and publish enquiries; completed service-provider profiles can appear in search and browse enquiries. |
| Payment boundary | 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. | Plus adds PDF pattern storage, collections, saved searches, bulk editing, and other workflow features on monthly or annual billing. | After the brand trial, the FAQ routes brands to monthly or annual subscription access. A supplier proposal, brand-paid platform commission, production payment, and optional escrow are separate transaction costs rather than the subscription itself. |
| Cancellation or exit | 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. | Cancel through an in-account link. Paid features remain through the current billing cycle, then the account returns to free features. | The FAQ routes account cancellation through Account settings and says the trial can be canceled. The checked public pages do not establish when subscription access ends, refund terms, or what happens to active enquiries, messages, proposals, or escrow after cancellation. |
| Saved work and data | 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. | 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. | Accounts can hold project details, uploads, messages, proposals, agreements, and invoices. Invoices and individual attachments have download routes, but the checked public pages do not establish a complete account export or post-cancellation retention and deletion path. Keep original files and decision records outside the platform. |
| Source and review | ||||
| What the source establishes | The guide cites current AATCC qualitative and quantitative fibre-analysis methods, the published ISO 1833-1 quantitative-analysis principles, ASTM's withdrawn D276 status and reinstatement work item, current FTC U.S. textile-label guidance, and current CPSC clothing-textile flammability guidance. | 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. | 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. | Sewport's current brand workflow starts with an account and guided project enquiry, then exposes proposals from garment factories and production specialists. The platform tells brands to compare profiles, portfolios, location, price, and communication, then record service, delivery, payment, and contract terms in a formal proposal. Its service-provider workflow includes factories, sample studios, pattern cutters, tech-pack makers, sourcing specialists, and material suppliers, with optional split-payment escrow. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 16, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jul 16, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 |
| Inspect | ||||
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