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Compare textile resources.
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| Decision field | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove | Free accountFOURSOURCE Supplier NetworkGlobalRemove | Open accessSwatch-to-Area Yarn EstimatorGlobalRemove | Open accessFreeSewingGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | ||||
| Primary job | Choose materials | Source production | Choose materials | Find patterns & fit |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Yarn | Production | Yarn | Patterns & fit |
| Best for | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch | Searching global apparel and textile production capabilities | Documenting a bounded sample-to-area yarn calculation when the equivalent area is already known and genuinely comparable with the sample | Custom-fit home sewing patterns |
| Know before using | 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. | 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. | The worksheet does not establish that a sample represents a project, derive the area of shaped pieces, account for construction or openings, prescribe reserve, supply typical project quantities, round to packages, verify label values, guarantee required quantity, check dye-lot supply, or replace a tested pattern amount. Yarn, tool, maker, strand count, stitch or texture, density, treatment, finishing, planned area, and supply decisions remain project-specific. | A generated pattern is not independent fit evidence or a production-ready graded block. The result still depends on accurate measurements, the selected design and options, ease assumptions, fabric behavior, construction, and representative test garments. An account stores saved patterns and measurement sets, so review the platform's privacy terms before retaining personal measurements. |
| Practical access | ||||
| For | Makers | Apparel brands | Makers | Makers |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Access | Open access | Free account | Open access | Open access |
| Format | Reference | Marketplace | Stitch Authority | Software |
| Source type | First-party platform | Commercial marketplace | Stitch Authority | Open-source project |
| Account, payment, and exit | ||||
| Access scope | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Before an account | Search a named yarn, inspect suggested substitutes, and filter by fibre and approximate price band without creating an account. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Free-account boundary | The checked core substitution route does not require an account, and the FAQ does not offer user-entered yarn records. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Payment boundary | 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. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Cancellation or exit | There is no account or recurring plan to cancel for the core route. The newsletter has a separate unsubscribe link. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Saved work and data | 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. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. | Not yet reviewed at this level. |
| Source and review | ||||
| What the source establishes | 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. | 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. | The worksheet performs visible proportional arithmetic on user-entered sample dimensions, sample yarn length or weight-derived length, equivalent area, and optional reserve. Craft Yarn Council pattern-writing guidance says yarn amounts and package counts should be recorded in instructions, and its consumer guidance ties project instructions to a stated yarn amount and representative gauge; those sources do not establish a universal sample-to-area method, project range, or reserve. NIST defines 1 yard as exactly 0.9144 metre for the secondary unit display. | FreeSewing's official documentation says the browser editor drafts a selected design in real time from a measurement set rather than scaling or grading a standard-size pattern. Users can adjust design options and export the generated result, including as PDF; saving the pattern to an account is optional and is used to revisit it later. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | Jul 28, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 |
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