If you want more patterns (like the spirals that Mike showed) then you’d buy the PatternPack addition. But the 3 you get free are pretty nifty, even if you just get that demo.

Another fun thing to try: paste your pattern objects into non-rectangular frames. No reason why you can’t use ellipses, polygons, stars, etc. It won’t make a seamless pattern, but it makes for some funky masking effects.

Alternative to Step and Repeat: For a different effect, select your swatch, set the reference point to the bottom center, and keep clicking the Flip Vertical button in the Control panel. Then make the reference point the center right and keep clicking on the Flip Horizontal button.

Thanks

I think the easiest way to save them for re-use is as a snippet, library item, or in a master pattern document with all the items in your swatch collection.

In any case, if your pattern uses linked graphics, it’s probably best to not embed them. Although this would remove the hassle of keeping track of the linked graphics, your document would swell in size very rapidly.

If you use a master document, you could package it to collect all your links.

Is there a way to save a particular “pattern object” to make them easier and more accessible for later use or reuse?

Reuben