Fabric

KimborlyKighI
Design,Print&SellYourOwnFabricTraditional&DigitalTechniques
lorOulltlng,HomcDcc&^arcl
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AFieldGuideto
Textcopyright2011byKimKight
PhotographyandArtworkcopyright2011
byC&TPublishing,Inc.
ULISHLAmyMarson
CLATIVLDILCTO
GailenRunge
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SandyPeterson
KirstieLPettersen
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KristyZacharias
ODUCTIONCOODINATO
JennyLeicester
ODUCTIONLDITO
AliceMaceNakanishi
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MaryFlynnand
KirstieL.Pettersen
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Kight,Kimberly.
Afieldguidetofabricdesign:design,print&sellyourown
fabric:traditional&digitaltechniquesforquilting,homedec&
apparel/KimberlyKight.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-1-60705-355-2(pbk.)
1.Textileprinting--Amateursmanuals.2.Textiledesign--Ama-
teursmanuals.I.Title.II.Title:Traditional&digitaltechniques
forquilting,homedec&apparel.
TT852.K542011
677.022--dc22
2011010501
PrintedinChina
10987654321
Dedication
WithlovetoBryan,Oto,andmymom.Andtomydad,
whoremindedmeaferastringofscreenexposurefail-
ures,Ifitwereeasy,everyonewouldbedoingit.
Acknowledgments
Hugethankstothefabricdesignerswhoansweredmy
questions,providedadvice,andcontributedimages:
BariJ.Ackerman,MelissaAverinos,MoBedell,Michelle
EngelBencsko,MelanieBowles,AliceBurrows,Amy
Butler,JasondaDesmond,JanDicintio,RoisinFagan,
JulieFreimuth,AnnaMariaHorner,HeidiKenney,Bill
Kerr,ArounnaKhounnoraj,JosephineKimberling,Jessica
Levit,JayMcCarroll,ErinMcMorris,KathyMiller,Nancy
Mims,HeatherMoore,JenniferMoore,JeneanMorrison,
TulaPink,AmyPrior,WeeksRingle,DenyseSchmidt,
CarlySchwerdt,HarmonySusalla,andJessicaSwif.
Thankstothecompaniesandindividualswhodonatedfab-
ricstobefeaturedinthebook:AlexanderHenryFabrics,
AndreasBeckerofStof-Schmie.de,PatriciaBravoand
ArtGalleryFabrics,CynthiaMannofBirchFabricsand
Fabricworm,SharonLangandDharmaTradingCompany,
RysaPitnerandFabriconDemand,LizaPriorLucyof
GloriousColor,PaulaSmailofHenryRoad,LissaAlexander
andModaFabrics,P&BTextiles,RobertKaufmanFabrics,
andLeslieBonnelloftheStitchLabinAustin,Texas.
Severalpeopleprovidedvaluableinsightsandaccess
intotheircornersofthefabricindustry,forwhichIam
eternallygrateful:LisaDenneyatTimelessTreasures
Fabrics;StephenFraserofSpoonfower;LisaKnowlton;
HeatherK.Powers;KyleSanchez,EmmieGoldenbaum,
andAllieHeathofRobertKaufmanFabrics;Tricia
Schmidt;MalloryTheiss;RhiannaWhiteandBobRuggiero
ofQuilts,Inc.;JessicaWillet;andKellyWood.
MyundyinggratitudetoeveryoneatC&TPublishing
forhelpingthisbookcometolife.
ThankstoKathyMack,SusanBeal,andHillaryLang
forthegeneralencouragement!
Andextraspecialthankstoeveryonewhohasread
andparticipatedinwww.1ruoU.noI:toMaryBeth
Eastman,KimSteckler,AlexiaAbegg,andtothespon-
sorswhohaveenabledmetodowhatIloveforaliving.
Cover fabric designs: Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics;
Peacock by Trois Mietes; and Arme by Nadja Petremand
SLC1ION1WO.RIN1ING
KnowYourSurface:FabricBasics . . . . . . 98
ALookatFabricConstruction
CommonlyPrintedFabrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Step-by-StepHandPrinting. . . . . . . . . .110
TUTOIAL BlockPrinting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
TUTOIAL Scrccnrlntlng . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
AllAboutInksCreatingaWorkSurface . . . . 130
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLWhy Do You
Screen-Print? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
DigitalPrinting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Pigment,Dye,andDyeSublimation
PrintingDigitalPrintingServices
ColorinDigitalPrinting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLWhy Digital? . . . . . . . 140
SLC1ION1HRLL.
1HLWORLDOIIARICDLSIGN
DesigningforFunandProt . . . . . . . . 142
Short-RunDesigningforFun
DesigningforProft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLFabric Design
and the Big Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
BuildingYourBrandGoingPro:
ShouldYouGotoSchool?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
MeettheRoundtableDesigners . . . . . . 155
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
AbouttheAuthor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
TodaysFabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
SLC1IONONL.DLSIGNANDCOLOR
KnowYourPaterns:
FabricDesignFundamentals . . . . . . . . . . 8
DesignParametersDevelopingYour
DesignStyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLObstacles to
Creativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Trends:Set,Follow,orIgnore? . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLTrends and You . . . . . . 28
CopyrightPrimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Step-by-StepDesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
TUTOIAL DesigningRepeatsbyHand . . . . . . . 34
TUTOIAL DesigningRepeatsbyComputer. . . . 38
DesignSofwareandToolsProofngRepeats:
WhyandHow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLFavorite Tools. . . . . . . 5
KnowYourColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
DevelopingEfectiveColorPaletes
andSchemesWorkingwithDigitalColor
ApplyingColor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
TUTOIAL ApplyingColorSchemesinIllustrator . 72
TUTOIAL ApplyingColorSchemesinPhotoshop 7
DLSIGNLOUNDTALLBranding with Color . . . 78
ColorwaysandCollections . . . . . . . . . . 80
Contents
t rirto cuior fo rtsric orsicn

Introduction
Thefabricindustryhasstartedtoopenup.Ino
longerhavetobrowseforhourstofndgreat
newfabricstheyreeverywhere.Still,theres
roomformorevarietyandexperimentation.Alot
more.Ifyouveeverdreamedofseeingyourown
designsonfabric,thisisthetimetomakethat
dreamhappen.Thisbookwillshowyouhow.
Thisbookisdividedintothreemainsections:
DesignandColor,Printing,andTheWorldof
FabricDesign.IntheDesignandColorsection,
youlllearnaboutthebasicsofbothcolorand
designandhowtocreaterepeatingpaterns
byhandandcomputer.InthePrintingsec-
tion,youlllearnhowtogetthosedesignsonto
fabricthroughblockprinting,screenprinting,
digitalprinting,orlicensing.TheWorldofFabric
Designwillgetyouthinkingaboutdesigning
forfunorforproft.Sprinkledthroughoutare
valuableDesignerRoundtables,inwhichexpe-
riencedtextiledesignerssharetheirviewsof
theindustryandtheircreativeprocesses.
Whetheryourestartingfromscratchor
comingfromotherareasofartanddesign,
andnomaterwhatyourprofessionalorcre-
ativegoal,Ihopeyoulllearnsomethingthat
willhelpyoucarveyourownuniqueniche
intheever-evolvingfeldoffabricdesign.
Inconjunctionwiththisbook,Iamlaunching
afabricprintingforumonTrueUpforthose
ofyouwhowishtoaskfurtherquestionsor
shareinspirationandresources.Justvisit
www.trueup.net/forumtojoin.Seeyouthere!
Justafewyearsago,itwasarareandspecial
thrilltofndfabricprintsthatinspiredmeto
sew.Ilookedinquiltshopsforanythingbright,
fresh,andmodernamongtheseaofEnglish
gardenthemes,CivilWarreproductions,and
batiks.Apparelfabricprintsinthechainstores
borenoresemblancetotheonesinmyready-
to-wearclothes.Ihadaweekendmorningritual
ofbrowsingfornewarrivalsatthehandfulof
onlinefabricsshops.WhenIfoundsomething
thatcaughtmyeye,Iwantedtoshoutitfromthe
roofopstoallmysewingfriends.Iknewthere
wasahungeroutthereformodernfabricsthat
wasntbeingfulflled.Thatledmetolaunchmy
all-fabric,all-the-timeblog,www.trueup.net.
Sincethen,thefabricdesignscenehascompletely
changed.Themajorquiltingcotonmanufac-
turersareproducingcollectionsformodern
designsensibilitiesandavarietyofapplica-
tionscrafing,accessories,homedcor,and
apparel.Japanesemanufacturershavebegun
toexporttheirunique,ultracute,andartistic
fabricstoretailersworldwide.Digitaltextile
printing,usingmachinessimilartoyourdesktop
inkjetprinterratherthanwithtraditionalvolume
productionmachinery,hasbecomeafordable
andaccessibletoalltocreatefabricdesignsand
seethemonfabric.Severalsmall,independent
fabricproducershavesprungup,furtherdiver-
sifyingthedesignvoices.AndtheInternethas
allowedeveryonetoshowcasetheirproductsto
aworldwideaudienceandhasenableddesigners
tosharetheirinspirationandprocesses.
infrooucfion
Todays Fabrics
Theworldoffabricdesignisespeciallyexcitingnowbecausealongwith
allthebeautifulclassicdesignsbeingcreatedisawonderfulvarietyof
modernfabricsfromwhimsicaltoedgy.Imofenaskedtodefnethe
typesoffabricIcoveronmyblog,TrueUp.Ihaveahardtimebecause,in
fact,thereisplentyofcrossoverbetweentraditionalfabricandwhatI(and
others)callmodernfabric.Modernfabricisntsomuchdefnedbyarejec-
tionoftraditionalstylesandmethodsasitisbyexploringandpushingdesign
boundaries.Embracingnewtechnologyiscertainlypartofit,butitdoesnt
tellthewholestory.Tome,modernfabricisoneormoreofthefollowing:
Lessismore.Cleanlines.
Graphicprint:DaisyChainbyAlice
Apple,printeddigitallyontocoton
Edgyprint:JessiebyWolfe&theSneak,
printeddigitallyontosilkcrepe
Organicprint:SeaandSkyfromMarine
byDanStilesforBirchFabrics
Colorfulprint:FansfromParisvilleby
TulaPinkforFreeSpiritFabrics
Internationalprint:FromMyFolklorebyLecien
International
Digitaltextileprintingisthelatestand
newest,andwithitsquickturnaroundand
lackofminimumpurchases,designerscan
createtrendseting,ultranicheprints.
Organic
Colorful
Ifthereisarejectionoftraditionalfabric
designanywhere,itishere.Muddypal-
etes,marbledcolor,andstrictblue
forboy,pinkforgirlassociationsare
outthewindowinfavorofthebright,
bold,sharp,inventive,andeclectic.
Digitalprintingreduceswasteandpollutantssig-
nifcantly.Sometraditionalfabricmanufacturers,
too,areleadingthewayinreducingthesocial
andenvironmentalimpactofthetextileindustry
byusingorganicallygrownandprocessedcoton
andbyprintingwithlow-impactinksanddyes.
Edgy Graphic
ModernJapanesekawaii (cute)andvin-
tagekimonosilks,Scandinavianfolk,African
waxprints,Welshweaving,andOtomi
embroideryarejustsomeofthedesign
traditionsthathavebeenembracedand
interpretedinternationallyinrecentyears.

Iloveaprintwithalitleoddness,edginess,
andwititremindsusnottotakeourselves
andourcreativeworksoseriouslyallthetime.
Theincreasedinterestinapparelsewing
hasintensifedtheneedforsophisticated,
fashion-forwardprints.Therewillalways
beLibertyofLondon(andtheiremulators),
butthereisalotofroomforotherstyles.
Itsoddtoincludevintagefabricunderthe
modernumbrella,butmostpeoplewholove
modernfabricalsolovevintagefabricsfrom
themid-twentiethcentury.Printswerebeau-
tiful,whimsical,functional,andaccessible.
Theyrereveredtodaynotonlyoutofnostalgia
butalsobecauseoftheirdiversityandinven-
tivenessinpaternandcolor.Theyarealso
reproducedfrequentlyfortodaysmarket.
Vintage (or timeless) Sophisticated
Hands-onprinting(anddyeingand
painting)techniquesareembraced
fortheirbeauty,theirchallenge,and
everythingthatworkingonasmallscale
meansfortheartistandtheworld.
Baseclothsandprintsthatlendthem-
selvestomultipleapplications(fashion,
quilting,homedec,crafs)notonlymake
goodeconomicsenseforthemanufacturer
butalsoanswerthediversifedinterests
oftodaysdo-it-yourselfer(DIYer).
Aboveall,itsaboutknock-your-
socks-ofbeautydesignsthatmake
youseetheworldinanewway.
Beautiful Multipurpose Handmade
Quirkyprint:CryingLightningfromTotally
Severe,printeddigitallyontocoton
Handmadeprint:ElephantbyCarly
SchwerdtforUmbrellaPrints
Sophisticatedprint:Brookeby
AlexanderHenryFabrics
Multipurposeprint:TurnofEventsvel-
veteenfromInnocentCrushbyAnna
MariaHornerforFreeSpiritFabrics
Vintageprint:CageFreefrom
TammisKeefeTributecollec-
tionforMichaelMillerFabrics
Beautifulprint:FromHotBlossom
collectionbyJosephineKimberling
forRobertKaufmanfabrics
Quirky
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COLOR
SLCTIONONL
Dcslgnrlncllcs
&aramctcrs
RepeatsbyHand
RepeatsbyComputer
AllAboutColor
8
8
y
know vour rtffrrns rtsric orsicn runotirnftts
U.K.designersMelanieBowles
andKathrynRoundphoto-
graphedavintagedressonce
ownedbyadebutanteand,using
digitaltextileprinting,createdan
engineeredprintonsilkcrepede
chine.Thepaternpieceswere
assembledintoanewdressfor
theexhibitionTrashFashion:
DesigningOutWasteatthe
ScienceMuseuminLondon.
know vour rtffrrns
Fabric Design Fundamentals
Fabricdesignisextraordinarybecausethe
artisttrustsandencouragesotherstoadapt
thetwo-dimensionalworkonfabricintoanew,
three-dimensionalform.Theimaginedend
usesfortheprintedfabricquilts,clothing,
accessories,homedcorprojects,orany-
thingelsethatcanbemadewithfabriccan
helpguideandinspirethedesignerswork.
Whetheryoureprintingafewyardsinyourhome
studioor10,000yardsinamill,fabricdesign
involvestheseamlessrepetitionofonebasicunit
overthelengthofthecloth.Inthischapter,youll
gettoknowtheconventionsandterminology
usedbydesignersincreatingpaternsforfabric.
Tocreateefectiverepeatingfabricdesigns,youll
makedecisionsaboutthefollowingparameters:
Directionality and
orientation of the
design on the fabric
Motif type
(geometric, foral,
or novelty)
Repeat type (square
repeat, brick repeat,
and others)
Spacing and scale
of motifs
Color
Style
Thischapterwillhelpyouunderstandthese
parameterssothatyoucanmakethebest
choicesinyourownwork.Styleistheleastcon-
creteanddefnableofalltheseparameters,
butlaterinthechapteryoulllearnspecifc
stepsyoucantaketodevelopyourartistic
style.Andcolorissuchacomplextopicthat
itgetsitsownchapterlaterinthissection.
BeyondtheTraditionalPrint:
ANoteaboutPatern
Digitaltextileprinting(seeDigitalPrinting,
page134)istakingfabricdesignintotheterritory
offneart.Asyoureadthis,fashionandtextile
designpioneers,newlyfreedbydigitaltech-
nologyfromtherestrictionsimposedbymass
productionnamely,limitationsonthenumberof
colorsandtherequisiteuseofpaternarecom-
pletelychangingthenotionofwhatafabricprint
is.Still,digitaltechnologyhasitsownlimitations,
andthetraditionalmassproductionmethodswill
continuetodominatefortheforeseeablefuture.
Itsunlikelythattheuseofpaternintextile
designwilleverdisappear,orevendeclineinthe
slightest.Aferall,paternexistedbeforemass
productionmethods,anditwillcontinuetobe
beautifulevenasdigitaltextileprintingmakesit
unnecessary.Studyingpaterndesignparameters
isimportantbecauseithelpstoknowtherules
inordertobreaktheminaninterestingway.
o
Dcslgnaramctcrs
Inthissection,welldiscussdesignparametersdirectionality
andorientation,motif,repeattype,spacingandscale,andfnally,
style.Ifyourenotfamiliarwithbasicfabricterms,turntoA
LookatFabricConstruction(page99)foraquickoverview.
fabricsmayrequireextraatentionforpatchwork
projects.Piecescanallbecutwiththelength-
wisegrainiftheprojecthasadefnitetopand
botom,butquiltersmaybeabletocutoutapor-
tionoftheirpiecesthewrongway,efectively
upgradingthefabrictoatwo-orfour-wayprint.
NONDILCTIONALINTS
Forapparelmanufacturersandhomesewists
alike,nondirectionalprintsarefavoredbecause
sewingpaternpiecesmaybecutoutinanydirec-
tion,translatingtoasmallerinvestmentandless
waste.Nondirectionalprintsincludetwosubtypes:
tossedandfour-way.
Tossodpr|ntscanberotatedinanydirection,
includingonthebias,andlookthesame.Pieces
maybecutinanydirection,sothereislesswaste.
Visually,theyserveasanoasis;theeyecanramble
aroundtheminaleisurelyway.Spaced,tossed
printsofenstronglycommunicateImfunand
carefree!sothedesignermustdecideifthat
messageisconsistentwiththeotheraspectsof
thedesign.
Iour-waypr|ntslookthesamewhethertheyare
orientedat0,90,180,or270,andtheeyewill
typicallytravelalongthesestraightlines.Tartan
plaidsareoneexampleofthiscategory.Though
four-wayprintscantbespunanywhichwaylike
atossedprint,theyarefunctionallynondirec-
tionalbecausemostpiecesarecuttruetothe
lengthwiseorcrosswisegrain.Bias-cutpieces
willlookdiferent,butthatisusuallydesirable.
DirectionalityandOrientation
Thedirectionality ofaprintreferstothenumber
ofwaysyoucanrotatethefabricandkeepthe
printlookingthesame.Asyouwillsee,direction-
alityisbothanaestheticandafunctionalchoice.
DILCTIONALINTS
Mostdirectionalprintsareorientedwith-the-roll
(withthelengthwisedirectionofthefabric).Ifyou
drewanimaginarylinethroughamotif,suchasa
tree,fromitstoptoitsbotom,thatlinewouldbe
paralleltotheselvage.Directionalprintscanbe
one-wayortwo-way.
Ono-waypr|ntscanonlybeturnedoneway;
otherwisetheprintlooksupsidedownorsideways.
Evenifmostmotifsaretwo-wayornondirectional,
ifjustonemotifinadesignisorientedoneway,
theentiredesignisconsideredone-way.Since
thisishowmostoftherealworldisoriented,
itsthemostnaturaldirectioninwhichtolayout
prints.However,one-wayfabricpresentschal-
lengesforsewists.Thisisbecausecutinglayouts
formanytypesofprojectsaredesignedsothat
piecesareorientedlengthwiseandcrosswise,
rightsideupandwrongsidedown,tominimize
yardagerequirements.Butwithone-wayfabrics,
allpiecesmustbeorientedthesameway,and
thereforetheprojectmayrequiremoreyardage.
Two-waypr|ntslookthesamewhethertheyre
turnedrightsideuporupsidedown,sotheyare
lesslimitingintheirprojectlayoutsthanone-
wayfabrics.One-way(andsometimestwo-way)

One-wayprint
Make 1 1/2 high (does not need to be placed at 100%in InDesign
Two-wayprint
Make 1 1/2 high (does not need to be placed at 100%in InDesign
Tossedprint Four-wayprint
Just because a print might not
look the same when it is oriented
upside down or sideways doesn t necessarily mean that
only one orientation is correct or usable. For example,
a stripe could be oriented in four or more directions and
look just fine, but it is still considered a two-way print.
oesicuen fi
One-wayprint:Corduroyfor
RobertKaufmanFabrics
Tossedprint:FallingLeavesfrom
KanoncollectionforDaiwabo
Two-wayprint:HomeyBasics
collectionforDaiwabo
Four-wayprint:PearsfromMetro
MarketforRobertKaufmanFabrics
z
z
All-in-onorinI
ChoaIorrinI
All-in-oneprint
Crahanol
Crafpanel:ClausstheRaccoonfromLetsStitchkit
forEggPress
Borderprint:GrassyPlainfromEchiroFall2009collection
byEtsukoFuruyaforKokka
Cheaterprint:TrefecollectionforKokka
All-in-oneprint:PetiteEcoleforKokka
ordorrinI

OTHLTYLSOIINTS
a||roadodpr|ntsfeaturemotifsthatrunparalleltothe
selvage.Thistypeofprintisofenfoundinupholstery
fabrics:Thefabriccancovertheentirebackofasofa,so
thereisnoneedforcutingandseaming.
ordorpr|ntsarerailroadedbynatureandaredesignedwith
specifcendusesinmind,suchaspillowcases,tablecloths,
skirts,totes,andaprons.Thedecorativebordertravelsalong
oneorbothselvages(sometimesthetwobordersaredif-
ferent),andtheremainderissolidorflledwithaquieterprint.
Designedwithevenmorespecifcendusesinmindare
craf panels, all-in-one prints,andcheater prints.
CraRpano|sincludealltheready-to-sewpiecesforaproject,
suchasastufedtoy,printeddirectlyontothefabric.Relatedto
theseareplacementprints,whicharenotrepeatingpaternsat
all(thoughtheymighthaverepeatingmotifswithinthem).They
mightbeprinteddirectlyontoafnishedproduct,suchasaT-shirt
ortotebag,orprintedalongthelengthofacloththatisthencut
apartandhemmed,asinthecaseofscarvesorteatowels.
Lng|noorodpr|ntsarefashionsversionofcrafpanels.
Piecesforagarment,suchasanapronordress,areprinted
directlyontothefabric,withtheprintalreadyflledin.
A||-|n-onopr|nts(whichareusuallyrailroaded)includea
minicollectionofdiferentprintsallononelengthoffabric.
Theall-in-oneprinthascometorecentpopularityinJapan,
andIthinkitsagreatideaforanydesignertoconsider.
Acboatorpr|ntismockpatchwork,whichmightbesimple
squaresorcomplicatedtraditionalquiltpaternsliketheDouble
WeddingRing.Thequiltercanskipthelaborofpiecingandgo
straighttolayeringandquiltingthepiecebysimplystitching
in-the-ditchbetweenprintpatches.Cheaterscanalsobecut
apartforscrappyprojects.Likeall-in-oneprints,theyareagreat
waytoincorporateseveralprintsintoonelengthofcloth.
MotifTypes
Thetermmotifreferstoany
elementinadesign.Ittypically
appliestoarepeatedelement,
butwellusethetermfornon-
repeatedelementsaswell.
Itshardtobelieve,buttextile
designinvolvesonlythreebroad
categoriesofmotifs:geometric,
foral,andnovelty.Really,you
couldnarrowitdowntotwo:
abstract(geometric)andrep-
resentational(encompassing
bothforalandnovelty).But
foralmotifshavebeenso
prevalentthroughouterasand
culturesthattheyhavebeen
grantedaclassoftheirown.
C
D
L
I
I
H
G
Goomotr|cs.Whenyouthinkof
geometrics,thefrstthingsthat
probablycometomindarethe
classicspolkadots,stripes,plaids,
checks,anddiamonds.Geometric
paternscanbesimpleorcomplex,
regimentedorrandom,straightor
curvy,oranywhereinbetween.
Somegeometricpaternsandmotifs
havereal-worldassociations,but
thoseassociationstendtobeloose
andmutable.Forexample,tartan
plaidsoriginatefromandarestill
stronglyassociatedwithScotland,
buttheyareusedsowidelythat
theassociationisofenlost.As
such,geometricsarethemost
versatileanduniversalofprints.
A.Unknown
B.Unknown
C.Vintage
D.Vintage
E.Ginghambyunknownmanufacturer
F.Unknown
G.Vintage
H.Vintagebarkcloth
I.Vintage
J.GlimmerbyNancyMimsforModGreenPod
K.Vintage
L.Vintage
M.Unknown
N.ArgylePlaidfromKatieJumpRopeby
DenyseSchmidtforFreeSpiritFabrics
O.Vintage
N
L
M
O
k
J

A
D
G
L
H
C
I
I
/
/
I|ora|s.Fromcherryblossomstocab-
bagerosestoultragraphicblooms,foral
printsandpaternsareaninextricable
partofnearlyeverydesigntradition,
andjustabouteveryfabriccollection
too.Flowersarefeminine,beautiful,
andclassic;andbecauseoftheiruni-
versalappeal,itsnowondertheyget
acategoryalltothemselves.Anditsa
categorywithmoregravitationalpull
thangeometricsifyoutossdaisies
overapolkadotbackground,itscon-
sideredaforalprint,notageometric.

A.Vintage
B.ByPaulaSmailforHenryRoad
C.GiselleCollectionbyJessicaSwiffor
RedRoosterFabrics
D.Vintage
E.Vintage
F.Vintagebarkcloth
G.LightningBugsandOtherMysteries
byHeatherRossforFreeSpiritFabrics
H.OldNewSpicyScrapcollectionforLecien
I.Vintage
J.SecretGardenforAlexanderHenryFabrics
K.GraphicRosesbyBariJ.forWindhamFabrics
L.UnknownJapanesecoton
M.WildThymebyCarolynGavinforP&BTextiles
N.MedallionRosefromTempleFlowers
byAmyButlerforFreeSpiritFabrics
O.Vintagebarkcloth
J
L
N
k
M
O
8
8
A
D
G
L
H
C
I
I
y
Novo|ty,orconversational,prints
encompassvirtuallyeverythingelse
thatdoesntfallintothegeometric
orforalcategories.Thethemeof
themotifs(trains,planets,cities)
narrowsthepotentialaudiencefor
thefabric,butnoveltiestendto
speakmoreloudlythantheother
twotypes,bothvisuallyandasan
emblemofidentityforthewearer
oruserofthefabric.(Andspeaking
ofgravitationalpull,thenovelty
categoryhasthestrongestofall.If
youthrowaducklinginwiththose
daisiesanddots,youvegotanovelty
print.)Whileseveralclassicthemes
likeoldWest,kitchen,nautical,zoo,
andholidaymotifswillalwaysenjoy
anaudience,thepopularityofothers
canfadeinandoutwithfashion.
y
A.LovebirdsforMichaelMillerFabrics
B.HushPuppiesfromNicolesPrintsfor
AlexanderHenryFabrics
C.Vintage
D.UnknownJapanesefabric
E.FromVintageCollectionfor
AmericanFolk&Fabric,Inc.
F.FromNorthernEuropecollection
forYuwaFabrics
G.PeacockbyTroisMietes
H.UnknownJapanesefabric
I.Vintage
J.BelbirdbyMelissaBombardiere
K.Corduroyprintbyunknown
L.GnomesfromLightningBugsand
OtherMysteriesbyHeatherRossfor
lrccSlrltlabrlcs
M.UnknownJapanesefabric
N.HananoNakabyMegumiSakakibara
forKeiFabrics
O.FromPetitVillagebyTimelessTreasures
labrlcs
N
O
L
J
M
k
zo
zo
A spaced, single-
motif square
repeat is usually the first type of pattern
a beginner makes, but this type is rela-
tively rare in retail fabrics, because these
grid-based designs can be visually jar-
ring. These repeats work only with certain
styles, motif types, and applications, such
as small-scale motifs (in which the blocki-
ness decreases) or larger-scale, graphic,
clean-lined motifs, like the example below.
Its easy to tell when a designer is lntcn-
tionally harnessing the power of a spaced
square repeat rather than just using it for
lack of other ideas. Varying the color or
some other detail of some of the motifs
adds an interesting element of flow.
oesicuen fi

SnipSnipfrom
WonderlandbyMoMo
forModaFabrics
SquarorooaIrinI
HalI-drorooaIrinI
rickrooaIrinI
Squarerepeatprint:FromRemixbyAnn
KelleforRobertKaufmanFabrics
Half-droprepreatprint:FromFreebird
byMoMoforModaFabrics
Brickrepeatprint:CanyonFluterfrom
NaturaforAlexanderHenryFabrics
RepeatTypes
z
RepeatTypes
Intypicalpaterndesigns,motifsmustbearrangedintorepeating
unitstobeprintedcontinuouslyandseamlesslyonalengthofcloth.
Here,youlllearnaboutthetypesofrepeatssquare,half-drop,
brick,andothers.InStep-by-StepDesign(page32),youllfnd
hands-oninstructionsonhowtocreatetheserepeatsandensure
thattheoverallpaternissuccessful.
Squaroropoat.Thistype,alsoreferredtoastheblock,side,or
straightrepeat,isthesimplest,mostbasicrepeat.Themotifor
motifsarebuiltwithinoroverlappingafoundationalrectangle
(orsquareorparallelogram),andthatrectangleisrepeatedasa
simplegrid.Thegridmaybeinvisibleorincorporatedovertlyas
partofthedesign.Allprintingmethodsexceptdigitalrequirethat
thebasicdesignrepeateventuallybebuiltupintoarectangle,so
really,allrepeatingpaternsarevariationsofasquarerepeat.
Ha|f-drop.Takealternatingcolumnsofthesquarerepeatgridand
pushthemdownafractionoftheblockheightaquarter,ahalf,
threequartersandyouhaveadrop.Half-drops,wherethedesign
ispusheddownhalfofitsheight,arethemostcommontypeofdrop
andthemostcommontypeofrepeatoverall.Eventhesimplest
ofdesignsdrawstheeyediagonallyinbothdirections,creatinga
pleasantfowandbalance.Itsalsoeasiertocamoufagetherepeat
thisway,becauseitbreaksupmotifsthat,iflinedupstraight,would
causcunlntcntlonalstrllngortracking.(Formoreonthistopic,see
ProofngRepeats:WhyandHow,page55.)Dependingonthemotifs,
iftherepeatunitdropsanywherebetweenafull-andahalf-drop,
strongone-waydiagonalsareformed.
r|ckropoatsinvolvethesameconceptsasdrops,butthealter-
natingpaternrows,insteadofthecolumns,arestaggered.
zz
zz
Diamond/lozongoaorn
Diamond/lozongoaorn.Iromroyloaso
byJonniIoraganolliIorIrooSiriIIabrics
Hoxagonaorn.IromNosI
by1ulainkIorModaIabrics
OIhorIossollaIionaorn.IromAugusIIiolds
byAmyuIlorIorRowanIabrics
Hoxagonaorn
OIhorIossollaIion
aorn
Ogooaorn
Ogooaorn.IromMidwosIModorn2
byAmyuIlorIorRowanIabrics
Scalos/clamshollaorn.IromCharm
byAmyuIlorIorIrooSiriIIabrics
SIrioaorn.IromIrooIoGrow
byNancyMimsIorRoborIKauImanIabrics
Scalosor
clamshollaorn
SIrioaorn
RandomversusSetLayouts
z
RandomversusSetLayouts
Motifscanbelaidoutsothattheylookrandomlyscateredover
theclothorsothattheyappearsetinagridorotherarrangedpat-
tern.Thechoicebetweenthetwoisindependentofotherdesign
parameters.
Inrandomlayouts,themostimportantfactoristhattherepeat
isnotsupposedtobeobvious.Theeyeshouldfowoverthe
cloth,andtheviewershouldhavetoworkabittofndwhere
thedesignbeginstorepeat.Thedesignerachievesthisefect
bystrategicallyoverlappingmotifsovertheedgesoftherepeat
boundaries,atechniquethatyoulllearnallaboutinStep-by-Step
Design(page32).Squareanddroprepeatsaremostcommonly
used,thoughitspossibletousethebrickrepeataswell.
Incontrast,ifrepetitionisfauntedasanimportantelementofthe
design,thedesignissaidtobeinaset layout.
Square,drop,andbrickrepeatscanformtheunderlyinggridof
asetlayout(butseetheDesignerTiponpage20fornoteson
usingthesquarerepeatforsetlayouts).Otherinterlockingshapes,
sometimesreferredtoastilingsortessellations,areofenusedas
thebasisforsetlayoutsaswell.Forexample,takeasquaregrid,
turnit45,andyouhaveabasicdiamondpatern.Imaginetaking
thatgridandsmushingitfromthesideortoptomakeaskinnieror
faterdiamond;nowyoutechnicallyhavelozenges, thoughmost
peoplewillstillcallthemdiamonds.Smooththelinesofthediamond
intocurves,andyouhaveogees,whichlooklikeonions.Triangles,
hexagons,andscales (orclamshells)areotherclassicsetlayout
types.Stripesareprobablythemostfamiliarsetlayouttype.They
areone-ortwo-waydesignscomposedoflong,narrowbandsof
motifsorsolidcolor.Thesebandscanbestraight,wavy,orjagged.
Geometricmotifsaretheonesmostcommonlyusedinsetlay-
outs,butmotifchoiceisalmosttotallyindependentofrepeat
andlayoutchoice.Asanexample,simplyimagineastylized
fowerrepeatedinadiamondgrid,oratosseddotprint.
z
Spacing
Scale
Small-,modium-,andlargo-scaloaorns
A
D L
C
Small-scaleprint:FromTrefecollectionforKokka
Medium-scaleprint:MatroyskaDollsndDoiliesforKokka
Large-scaleprint:FromTrefecollectionforKokka
z
SpacingandScale
Motifscanbepacked together,showinglitletonobackground,
orspaced,showinglotsofbackground.Designswithalter-
natingpackedandspacedareasarecalledopen-and-closed.
Theymightfowtogetherviacontinuous,conncctlngclcmcnts
orappeartofoatontheirown.Theseareaestheticchoices
thatdonthavestrongcorrelationstoafabricsenduses.
Note:Allover printorallover paternisofenusedtorefer
topackeddesigns.ButIvealsohearditusedtoreferto
random(asopposedtoset)layoutsandtodistinguish
edge-to-edgeprintedclothfromplacement(isolated)or
borderprints.Toavoidconfusion,Ivechosentousewhat
Iconsiderthemoredescriptivetermsineachcase.
Scale,however,isvery importantinrelationtotheendusesof
afabricwhetheritisusedinapparel,homedec,orquilting.
Motifscanrangefromminuscule(pindots)tothesupergraphics
popularizedbyMarimekkointhemid-to-latetwentiethcentury.
Thoughscaleissomewhatrelativedependingonapplication
(e.g.,amedium-scalequiltingprintmightbeconsideredasmall-
scalehomedecprint),theroughruleofthumbisasfollows:
Small-scale motifs = 1/2 square and under
Medium-scale motifs = greater than 1/2square
to 24 square
Large-scale motifs = greater than 4 square
A.Themotifsinthisvintageprintarespacedapartfromone
anotherandseemtofoatagainstthewhitebackground.
B.Thisvintageforalismoredenselypacked,thoughalitle
bitofbackgroundisshowing.
C.Thesimplepaternedbackgroundofthisvintageforal
addssubtleinterest.
D.Thebackgroundleafmotifsaddfowanddimensiontothis
vintageforalprint,asifyourelookingdownintoafowerbed.
E.Thefowermotifshereareconnectedwithfowingstems
andleavesinthisvintagefabric.
z
Developing Your Style
Thischapterhascoveredthemoredefnableparameters
offabricdesign,butthemostimportantpartstyleis
impossibletolearnfromabook.Developingonesartistic
voiceandstyleisanindividualjourney.Likeallcreative
ventures,itspartiallyaboutinborntalent.Butmostly,
itsabouthardwork,practice,andadesiretoexplore,
learn,andsynthesizeinfuencesinuniqueways.
Followingaresomeconcretethingsyoucando
topushyourselfforwardonthatjourney.
Castyournotw|do|y.Pushbeyondtheworldoffabric
itself.Getoutofyourhouse,travel(evenifonlyinyourown
town),learnsomethingnew,workinavarietyofmedia
paint,paper,flm,musicanythingthatstrikesyourfancy.
Carryacameraandnotebookeverywhere.Striveforinspi-
rationfromintangibleslikeideas,experiences,andfeelings.
Sotconstra|nts.Asyouvebeguntosee,outsidefac-
tors(enduseandprintingmethods)setsomeconstraints
foryouinregardtoparameterslikemotiftype,scale,
anddirectionality.Toavoidoptionparalysisbecoming
overwhelmedwithchoicesandthereforeparalyzedin
decisionmakingithelpstosetconstraints.Especially
whenitcomestothelessobjectiveaspectsofdesign
(theme,color,andstyle),imposingconstraintsonyourself
canhelpyoufocusandunleashyourcreativity.Focuson
aspecifcinspirationtoguidethewaytowardadesign.
Puttogetheraninspirationboard.Chooseacolorpalete
andchallengeyourselftostickwithit.Onslipsofpaper,
writevariousparameters(motiftype,numberofcolors,
repeattype,mediatouse).Puttheminajaranddraw
oneatrandom.Theymightleadtosomegeniuswork,
buteveniftheyturnouttobethewrongchoices,they
ofenwillmaketherightchoicesmorecleartoyou.
Jo|norstartagroup.Gatherlike-mindeddesignersand
artistsforregular,face-to-facegatherings.Discussgoals,
shareinspiration,constructivelycritiqueeachothers
work,andcalleachotheroutonyourartisticdemons.
Ithinkeveryartistrunsinto
oneoralloftheseprob-
lemsfromtimetotime.
Usuallyformeitshavingenough
time.Butitsimportanttotakea
breakfromwhatyouaredoingonce
inawhiletorelaxandclearyour
mind.Acupofteainthegarden,a
weekendawaywithfriendshaving
sometimeforyourselfisveryimpor-
tantsoyoudontgetburnedoutand
youcancontinuetoenjoythework
thatyoudo.tiv suftrr
Ithinkcreativeblocksare
mybiggestobstacle,
becausesometimesIcan
letfearanddoubttakeover.My
mostsurefirewaytogetoveritis
tojuststartcreatingsomething.
OnceImworking,thefeargoes
awayandthecreativitycomes,but
sometimesitshardtogettothe
placeofjuststartingeventhoughI
don thaveanyideaofwhatIm
goingtocreate.arssict swirf
oesicuen nouuofteLe
Obstacles to Creativity
Whatareyourbiggest
creativeobstacles?
Optionparalysis?
Timemanagement?
Designersblock?
Somethingelse?How
doyougetoverthem?
z/
z/
Whenoptionparalysishits,Iask
myself,WhichdesignideadoIsee
mostclearly?WhichcanIcreateby
gettingthemostvalueforthetimeImspending?
Whichoptionisthemostcommerciallyviable?
and,WhichconceptfitswiththeneedsIhaveto
fulfillnowwithdeadlinescomingup?Iusually
getoveritbyansweringthesequestions,cre-
atingaplanofactionwithdeadlines,and
startingtocreate!aosrrninr kiisrrtinc
Thebiggestchallengetomycreativity
ishavingtoomanydistractionsor
tasksdemandingmyattention.Ilike
tobeabletoreallyfocuswhenImdesigning,
sothatIcanvisualizeandbeimaginative.In
ordertokeepmyideasorganized,Ioftenput
togetheranideaboardwithimagesand
sketchesthatrelatetothedesignsandcollec-
tionImworkingon.ThenIwillchooseasolid
blockoftimeadayorweekwhenIcanfocus
ondesigning.arnnirrr ioorr
Formeitsdefinitelyinspirationover-
load.EverywhereIturnIcancomeup
withanewprintidea.Thekeyforme
istomakecohesivegroups.IfIcanenvisiona
seriesofprintsrevolvingaroundonethemethe
seashore,forinstanceIwillconcentratemy
focusandbeginresearchingimagesforthat
specificidea.Thiscanbringadditionaloverload
ofconcepts,butasIdevelopprintsanoverall
lookbeginstoemerge.Therearealwaysmany
morediscardedprintsthanwhatwillwindupin
thefinalselection;forme,itsnearlyfourdis-
cardedtoonekept.iicnrttr rncrt srncsko
Iloveplanningandresearch,sothe
biggestobstacleformehasalways
beenthatIthinkaboutaprojecttoo
muchbeforeIdoit.Sometimesitnevergets
donebecauseitjustnevergotstarted!Ive
learnedthatsometimesIjusthavetojumpin
andfigureoutthingsasIgo.Itmaynotturnout
aswellasIwouldlike,butIalwaysfeelbetter
onceitsdone.atsonot orsiono
Ineverhaveashortageofideas,but
sometimesIhavetoomany,andIhave
troubledecidingwhichwaytogowith
newcollections.IfIgivemyselftoomuchtime,I
willsecond-guessmyselfrepeatedly.IfIdont
haveenoughtime,Ifeelrushed.Iliketocom-
pleteacollectionandthenwaitacoupleof
weeks,lookatitagain,andseehowIfeel.Ineed
plentyoftimebothwiththecollectionandaway
fromthecollectionbeforeIcanfeelcomfort-
ableturningitin.arnrtn iorrison
Generallyitisinspiration
overloadtoomanywon-
derfulthingstoworkintoa
repeatingpatternandprint,anditcanbereally
hardtochoose.SometimeswedoaGoogle
searchtoseeiftoomanyotherpeopleareusing
thesamemotif,butmostofthetimewejust
gowithourgutfeelinganddrawwhatappeals
tous.trounnt knounnorta tno roisin rtctn
Mybiggestobstacleisprobably
negativeself-talk,whichcanbeover-
whelmingifIletitbe.Itendtohave
shortboutsofit,butmostlyIignoreit.You
havetobetenacioustogetanywhereinthis
business,andyoucantletalittlebitofinse-
curitygetintheway.Somuchofthatnegative
thinkingisbroughtonbylookingtotheout-
sideforapprovalorlookingattheworkof
othersanddoingthatself-destructive,ifonly
Iwaslikeso-and-sokindofthinking.Ihaveto
remindmyselftohavegracewhenitcomesto
howIlookatmyself,andtoonlylookinside
forapproval.AsIgetolder,Imdoingamuch
betterjobofit.stri a tckrritn
z8
z8
Trends: Set, Follow,
or Ignore?
Itcantakeayearormoreforatraditionallymanu-
facturedfabriccollectiontogofromconception
tomarket,andalotcanhappeninthattime.Of
course,nobodycanpredictthefutureandknowfor
surewhatwillbeahitandwhatwillfop.Butcurrent
trendsonthefashionrunways,onthestreetsof
majorurbancenters,andfromallkindsofcreative
industriestakesometimetotrickledowntothe
publicandtranslatetomass-marketproduction
inapredictableway.Thereisanentireindustry
devotedtotrendanalysisandprediction,basednot
oncrystal-ballgazingbutonveryobjectiveanalysis
ofmarketdynamicsandconsumerspending.Of
course,theaverageindividualdoesnthaveaccess
totheseservices,butyoucanatleastkeepupwith
thecutingedgebyfollowingfashionanddesign
media(magazinesandblogs).Createinspiration
boardsorscrapbooksdevotedtotrendsthatinspire
you.Interpretingtrendsinyourownwayisjustone
waytosetcreativeconstraintsforyourself,but
itsonethatcanbeterensuremarketsuccess.
Manyyearsagosomeveryinflu-
entialtrend/colorforecasters
camebymyboothatthe
InternationalContemporaryFurnitureFair
andtookpicturesfortheirforecastingpub-
lications.Irealizedthatthebestthingfor
metodowaspayattentiontowhatIlike
andjustgetitoutthere.IfIstartthinking
toomuchaboutwhatothersthinkwillbe
fashionableintwoyearswhensomething
Iamworkingonwillhitthemarket(and
aboutwhatamass-marketaudiencemay
likeasopposedtoahigher-endaudience),
Ijustgetconfused.Imhiredbecause
peoplelikewhatIdo,andItrytotoethat
lineaboveallelse.ornvsr scniiof
Iliketoresearchandstayontopof
trends,butIwouldn tsaytheyplay
alargeroleinmyfabricdesign.If
trendsworktheirwayintomyfabricdesigns,
itcomesmoreintheformofcolorthaninthe
formofmotifs.Ireadstyleblogsandloveto
lookatthelatestfashionsandhomedcor
magazines,soIamsuresomeofthatworks
itswayintomydesignsalthoughitisnot
somethingIsetouttodo.arnrtn iorrison
oesicuen nouuofteLe
Trends and You
Whatroledocurrent
trendsandtrend
predictionplayin
yourwork?
zy
zy
Thisisatrickyonetoanswer.It
seemsliketherearesomanycollec-
tionscomingoutsofrequentlythat
theremustbesomethingforeveryone.Onthe
flipside,thereissubstantialcompetition.With
myfirstcollectionIdidntthinktoomuch
abouttrendsitwasenoughtodesignawhole
collectionthatIwasexcitedabout!Goingfor-
ward,though,Ihaveputmorethoughtinto
trendsthoughtobehonest,Iamstillfiguring
itout.OneniceaspectoftherelationshipI
havewithmymanufactureristhattheyhave
beendoingthisalongtimeandhaveamore
intimateknowledgeofthemarketasawhole
andabetterideaoftrendsastheyrelatespe-
cificallytofabric. io srortt
None,really.Wedon t
followanyparticularcon-
sumertrendingsitesor
publications.Wewantourworktoappealto
peopleandberelevantinthelongterm,rather
thanhaveashort-term,disposablesuccess.
trounnt knounnorta tno roisin rtctn
Currenttrendsandtrendprediction
playstronglyinmywork.Imvery
attractedtotrendsandforward
thinkingandamalwayskeepingmyeyeopen
forwhatscomingdownthepike.Ilikeusing
trendsasaguideandlaunching-offpointlike
acompasstohelpdirectmywork.However,I
alsodontparticularlyliketofollowatrend
exactly,asIenjoythechallengeoffindingmy
ownvoiceamongthetrends.Ialsowontbend
mystyletowardatrendifitsnottrulyme,as
ImallaboutbeingartisticallytruetowhoIam.
aosrrninr kiisrrtinc
Itsimpossiblenottoseewhatsgoing
onaroundyou,sothatdoesplayinto
it.Ithinkthemostsuccessfuldesigners
aretheoneswhostaytruetothemselvesand
theirownpersonalstyle.Theyarethepeople
whosetthetrends.Itsreallyimportanttoknow
whatsgoingon,buttrendchasingwillonly
leaveadesignerlookingliketheydon thave
theirownvoice.futt rink
Idontattempttoforecastorfollow
trends.Asavisualomnivore,Iam
constantlytakingeverythingin,soI
canthelpbutnoticewhatsoutthereandbe
influencedbyitinsomeway.ButIindulgein
myowncolorsenseandletthedesignshappen
organically,toletthembeasauthenticallyme
astheycanbe.irtisst tvrrinos
I dsayitsquiterelevant.Idefinitely
don twanttooffersomethingpass
orsofaraheadofthecurveoroffthe
gridentirelythatpeoplewillnotbeinterested.
Ifbirdsarepopularandbirdsaresomething
Imdrawnto,I lldomybesttoincludethem.
IfthetrendwaszebrasbutIdidn treallyfeel
anaffinitywithzebras,Iwouldlookelsewhere.
OnceIspotthetrends,Itendtohopoffatthe
firststopandthentakemyownpaththerestof
thewayhome.Ithinkthemostsuccessfulcollec-
tionsblendtrendandindividualtasteandstyle:
theyarethosethatmeshmultipleideasintoone,
creatingafreshperspectiveonwhatscurrent.
iicnrttr rncrt srncsko
o
Copyright Primer
Itshouldgowithoutsaying,butImsurprised
athowofenitdoesnt:Do your own work.
Copyrightlawisfartoocomplicatedforthe
scopeofthisbook,butafewmythsrelatedto
copyrightandfabricdesigncomeuprepeatedly.
Mytb1:If I change someone elses work by
10 percent, thats enough to make the work my own.
oa||ty:Therearenomathematicalformulasused
todeterminecopyrightinfringement.Ifyoucopy
ordistributesomeorallofacopyrightedwork
withoutthepermissionofitsoriginalcreator,you
maybeheldliableforcopyrightinfringement.
Mytb2:I can use clip art in my designs.
oa||ty:Notnecessarily.Readthetermsofuse
thatcomewiththebook,sofware,orwebsite
fromwhichtheclipartoriginated.Sometimes
clipartisinthepublicdomain,andsometimes
youarenotallowedtouseitifyouareselling
whateverproducttheartisprintedon.
Mytb3:If the source of the work isn t identied,
the work is free for me to use.
oa||ty:Defnitelynottrue.Itseemsobvious
thatyoucantuseworkyoufndinabookor
otherpublication,butlessobviousforthings
youfndontheInternet.TheInternetprovides
easyaccesstoanendlessarrayofamazing,
inspiringimagery.Theurgetopossessthese
worksisnormal,andcopyingisthepathofleast
resistance.Butnogoodcomesofcopying,and
youwillgetcaughtifyouappropriateothers
workasyourown.Ithurtsthelivelihoodofthe
artistandhindersyourowncreativegrowth,
sojustdontdoit.Instead,thinkaboutthe
lesstangibleaspectsthatdrawyoutothe
workthelines,themood,andsoforthand
usethatasajumping-ofpointforyourown
work.Thatstheessenceofinspiration.
ReproducingVintageDesigns
Whatifyoufallinlovewithavintagefabric
designandwanttocreateyourownversionofit?
Thetextileindustryisfullofvintagereproduc-
tionsandadaptations,andyoumightwonder
whypeoplearefreetocopythesedesigns.
Upuntilthemid-1900s,fabricdesignerswere
usuallyanonymous,andfabricpaternsweretypi-
callynotcopyrighted.Thenbig-namedesigners
begantoemerge,andidentifyinginformation
andcopyrightnoticesstartedtoappearonsome
fabricselvages.Copyrightingfabricdesigns
wasntcommonpracticeuntilrecentdecades.
Today,thereareprobablymillionsofyardsof
fabriccirculatingthathavenoidentifyinginfor-
mation.Somearemodernfabricsandtheirprint
designsarecopyrighted;othersarevintageand
belongtothepublicdomainifcertaincondi-
tionsaremet.CurrentU.S.copyrightlawsets
thetermofcopyrighttothelifeofitscreator
plus70years,butworksofcorporateauthor-
ship(adesigncopyrightedbyacompany)are
protectedfor95yearsaferprintingor120
yearsafercreation.However,dependingonthe
originalpublication(printing)dateandcompli-
ancewithcopyrightregistrationformalities,
manyworkscreatedupto1989includingfabric
printsarenowinthepublicdomain,meaning
thatyoucanusethemwithoutobtainingper-
mission.Seethechart(nextpage)fordetails.
Theproblemwithunidentifedvintagefabric
designsisthatthereisnowayfortheaverage
persontoreliablyidentifythedateoforiginal
publication(printing)ofafabric.However,you
canmakeaneducatedguessbasedoncolors,
weave,designstyles,andotherfactors.(For
booksondatingfabric,seeResources,page158.)
IftheworkwasregisteredaferJanuary1,1978,

copyrightinformationissearchableonline
throughwww.copyright.gov/records.Forworks
before1978,youmustperformthesearchin
personattheLibraryofCongressinWashington,
D.C.,orpaytohaveitdoneforyou.
Ifyouwanttoriskreproducingavintagetextile
design,besuretodocumentyouratemptsto
identifythedesignsoriginsandobtainpermis-
sionstoreproduceit.Shouldyoubeaccusedof
copyrightinfringement,youwillatleasthaveevi-
dencethatyoumadeagood-faitheforttofollow
thelaw.Thismayhelpyourcase,butitmaynot,as
intentionisnotusuallytakenintoconsiderationin
copyrightinfringementlawsuits.Inshort,repro-
ducevintagedesignsatyourownrisk.
Andrememberthatevenifyoualterthedesign,
youonlyownthecopyrighttoyourchangesnot
totheoriginalwork.Iftheoriginalworkisinthe
publicdomain,thenanyoneisfreetoreproduceit.
AdaptedfromPeterB.Hirtle,
20042011.Lastupdated
January3,2011.Useofthischartis
governedbytheCreativeCommons
Attribution3.0License.Forupdates:
www.copyright.cornell.edu/resources/
publicdomain.cfm
WHATSINTHLULICDOMAIN?
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ProtectingYourOriginalWork
AccordingtocurrentU.S.intellectualproperty
law,onceyoucreateanoriginaldesigninatan-
gibleform(notjustanidea),thecopyrightto
itbelongstoyoufortherestofyourlifeplus
70years.Thisholdsevenifyoudonothingto
notifypeopleofthoserights.Butitisstillpru-
dent,especiallyifyourfabricswillbereleasedto
thepublic,toprinttheselvagewithyourname,
yourcompanysname,thenameofthedesign,
andacopyrightsymbolwiththeyearofcreation.
Itsevenmoreprudenttoregisterthecopyright
withtheU.S.CopyrightOfce.Atthetimeofthis
writing,thecosttoregisterabasiccopyrightfora
singleprintoracollectionofprintsonlineis$35.
Theprimarybeneftsofregisteringaretwofold:
Itcreatesapublicrecordofyourcopyrightthat
willlastinperpetuity,anditgivesyoutheability
tosueinfringers.Youmustregistertheworkin
ordertosue.Thedamagesyoucanclaimdepend
onthetimingoftheregistration,sodontwaituntil
yourrightsareviolatedtofleyourcopyright.
Veryfewvintagefabrics
haveidentifyingorcopy-
rightinformationprintedin
theselvage,asthesedo.
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Step-by-Step Design
When I frst became interested in fabric design, I would look at
paterns with seemingly random layouts and puzzle over how on
earth they were made. The a-ha! moment came when I realized that
all paterns are built on a foundational rectangle (and remember
that squares are types of rectangles). The trick (for random and
some kinds of set layouts) is to lay some motifs over the top and
one side of the rectangle and then make sure that the parts that
fall outside the rectangle enter back into it on the opposite side in
perfect alignment.
Repeat boundary
Theconceptofabasicrepeat
Thisconceptistruewhetheryouaredesigningonpaperoron
acomputer.Thoughapaternsinternalunitsmightbemore
complicated,allrepeatsmusteventuallyberendereduponafoun-
dationalrectangleforprinting.Thecarvedblocksandsilkscreens
usedforhandprintingonfabricarerectangles.Flatbedvolume
fabric-printingmethodsalsouserectangularscreensorplates.
Additionally,rotaryscreenprintingusesplatesthatarerolledinto
cylindricalform;thefabricpassesundertheserollingcylindersand
multiplepaternrepeatsareprinted.Formoreinformation,see
VolumePrintingMethods(page145).
Inthischapter,youlllearnhowtocreatesquare(alsocalledblock)
repeatsandhalf-droprepeatsbyhandandonthecomputerwith
theimageeditingprogramofchoice.Thesearenottheonlyways,
buttheydothejobwellforavarietyofpaterntypes.Creatingsuc-
cessfulmotifstoformthebasicunitofrepetitionisonething,but
confguringthemotifssothattheyworkinrepetitionsothatthe
designfowspleasantlywhenyoustepbackandlookatthewhole
clothisanartwithinitself.Aferyoulearnaboutcreatingrepeats,
youlllearntorecognizeandrepairproblemsintheoverallpatern.

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Inthissection,youwilllearnhowtocreate
squarerepeatsandhalf-droprepeatsthe
simplestwayusingpaperandpencil.
Thistime-testedtechniqueforhanddrawing
repeatsinvolvescutingupandreassemblinga
drawinginvariousconfgurations(italsomakes
foracoolpartytrick).Whetheryourecreating
asquareorhalf-droprepeat,theinitialsteps
arethesame.The only dierence is the arrange-
ment of the four quadrants in later steps.
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DESIGNINGREPEATSBYHAND
Notes:
Inthephotosforthistutorial,Imworkingin
penforclarity,butusuallyyou dworkwith
pencilwhileyoureworkingoutthedesign.
Usevelluminsteadofregularpaper;notonly
doesitcomeinhandyfortracing,butitalso
holdsupbetteragainstallthetapingand
untapingyou llbedoing.Ifyouareusingreg-
ularpaper,cutaparttapedareaswithacraft
kniferatherthanriskingarip.
SquareRepeat
1.Cutarectangleorsquareofvellumtoyour
desiredrepeatsize.Ensurethattheedgesare
square.Startdrawingmotifsinthemiddle,keeping
awayfromall4sidesoftherectanglefornow.
Labelthe4quadrantslightlywithapencil.
2.Markthehalfwaypointonthelefandright
sidesofthevellum.Cutthroughthecenterof
thesquarehorizontally,startingandending
atthemarksyoujustmade(Figure2).Cut
aroundtheinteriormotifsinspaceddesigns,
orcutrightthroughthem,whichIdidhere.
(Notethatcutingthroughmotifsmayinvolve
alitlebitofextraworkwithseamrepair;see
RepairingSeamsinHandRendered,Scanned
Artwork,page47,ifdigitizingtheartwork.)
3.Movethetoppiecetothebotom,andfrom
thebackside,tapethepreviousbotomandtop
edgestogetherastheynowmeetinthecenter
(Figure3).Younowhaveanewblankmiddle
areatofllinwithmoredesignelements.
4.Continueyourdesignintothemiddleareaby
drawingoverthetapedhorizontalseam.Thistime,
stayawayfromthelefandrightsides(Figure4).
5.Now,markthehalfwaypointonthetop
andthebotomofthevellum.Cutthrough
thedesignvertically,startingandstoppingat
thesenewmarks.Movethelef-handsection
totherightside,andtapethesectionsback
together(Figure5).Again,fllinthemiddle,
thistimeovertheverticalseam(Figure6).
.Youmaystillhavealitleareaalongthetop
andbotommiddleedgestofllin.Todothis,
detachhorizontallythroughthedesignonthe
previouslycutlines,reassembleandtapethe
quadrantstogether(Figure7),andcomplete
themiddleportionofthedrawing(Figure8).
7.Yourrepeatingpaternisnowcomplete,but
youmaywishtocutall4quadrantsapartand
tapethembackintheoriginal1-2-3-4con-
fguration,asshowninFigure9.Eitherway,
theoverallpaternremainsthesame;however,
thestartingplaceofthepaternrepeatisdif-
ferent.Finished!Youcannowhandproofthe
design(seeProofngRepeats,page55)orscan
itfordigitalmanipulation(seepage40).
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SquareRepeat

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Half-DropRepeat
1.Followthefrst4stepsofthesquarerepeatprocedure
(Figures1013).Youwillcutthevellumoncehorizontally
andfllinyourdrawingoverthehorizontalseam.
2.Markthecenterofthetopandbotomsides.Cutverti-
callythroughthedesign,startingandendingatthemarksyou
justmade,andthendetachthesections(Figure14).Ifyoucut
aroundmotifsinsteadofstraightthrough,itcanbealitletricky
tostartandendyourcutsatthesecentermarks.Somefunky
shapesmightresultwhenyoutapethesectionsbacktogether
inthenextstepsbutdontworry,therepeatwillstillwork.
3.This is the key step in creating a half-drop.Cutthequad-
rantsapartandreassembleandtapethequadrantstogether
(Figure15),liningupthesquarecentercorners.Thisconfgura-
tionmakesitsothatmotifsfallingofthetopright(side)edge
reenteronthelowerlefedgeoftherepeat,andmotifsfalling
ofthebotomright(side)edgereenterontheupperlefedge.
4.Fillinthemiddleofthedrawingoverthe
centerverticalseam(Figure16).
5.Cutthequadrantsapartagainandreassembleand
retapethemtogether(Figure17).Fillintheremaining
middlespaceifneeded(here,itwasnt).
.Reassembleandtapethequadrantsbackintotheorig-
inal1-2-3-4confguration(Figure18).Yourefnished!You
cannowhandproofthedesign(seeProofngRepeats,
page55,orscanfordigitalmanipulation,page40).
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Half-DropRepeat
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Inthissection,youlllearnhowtodesignrepeats
usingthetwomostwidelyusedimageeditingpro-
grams:AdobePhotoshopandAdobeIllustrator.
Note:Thesetutorialsassumebasicfamiliarity
withAdobePhotoshopandAdobeIllustrator
CreativeSuite3(CS3)orlaterversions,
includingbasicfilemanagement;knowledge
ofthedifferentselection,drawingandcol-
oringtools;andbasiclayermanipulation.See
Resources(page158)forsuggestionsifyou
arenotfamiliarwiththeseprograms.Youalso
maybeabletoexperimentwiththesesoft-
wareprogramsatyourlocalcopycenter.
Youmaybewonderingwhichprogramisthebest
touseforfabricdesign.Inshort,bothAdobe
PhotoshopandAdobeIllustratorarepowerful
toolsthatcanbeusedforcreatingrepeatsand,as
youllseeinthenextchapter(KnowYourColor,
page58),foreasilyauditioningcolorforyour
designs.Eachhasitsownstrengthsandweak-
nesses,buteithercanbeusedtocreateadesign
fromscratchortomanipulateandeditscanned
artwork.Beforedelvingintothetutorialsforcre-
atingrepeats,hereisaprimeronthediferences
betweentheprogramsandsomespecialcon-
siderationsforthefabricdesignprocess.
Photoshopisarasterimageeditingprogramit
buildsimagesfrompixels.Itwasdevelopedfor
editingdigitalphotographs,inwhichareasofcolor
blendtogetherwithoutanysharpdelineation
betweenthem.Adigitalphotographmightcontain
thousandsorevenmillionsofcolors.Thoughnot
itsprimarypurpose,Photoshopcanbeusedas
adrawingtool(andfabricdesigningtool)aswell.
Itsbiggestdisadvantagesarethat,unlessspecial
setingsareselected,artworklosesclaritywhen
scaledupanddown.However,mostpeoplefnd
iteasiertomaintaintheintegrityandexpression
ofhand-drawnlinesinPhotoshop,whetherthey
areworkingfromscratchormanipulatingascan.
Illustratorisavectorimageeditingprogram,which
meansthatitcreatesimagesfrompoints(vec-
tors)andlines.Theseimagescanbescaledup
anddowninfnitelywithoutanylossofquality.Its
coloringtoolsarefarmorerobustcomparedwith
Photoshop.Natural-lookinglinescanbedifcult
toachieveunlessyouareexperienced,Illustrator
isbestsuitedtoverygraphic,sharplines.
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DESIGNINGREPEATSBYCOMPUTER
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WhatsYourAlias?
Bydefault,rasterimageswhichincludedrawings
madeinPhotoshopandscannedartworkare
anti-aliased,whichreferstotheblendingofcolor
intothebackgroundcolor(s)byuseofincreas-
inglytransparentcolors.Withoutanti-aliasing,
shapeslookjaggedonthecomputerscreen,
asshowninFigures1and2,andinprint.
Figure1:Anun-anti-aliasedcircle(lef)comparedwith
ananti-aliasedone(right)at100%resolution.
Figure2:Detailofthecirclesedges,seenupclose.
Notehowthepixelsoftheanti-aliasedcircle(right)
becomegraduallylightertowardtheedge.
Thejaggedlookofshapesisaconcernfor
fabricprintingaswell.However,thejagged-
nessbecomeslessvisibleathigherresolutions.
Fabricismoreforgivinginthisregardthanpaper,
becauseithasmoretextureandabsorbsink
morereadily.Ihaveprintedanun-anti-aliased
designat150dotsperinch(dpi)theminimum
recommendedresolutionofmostdigitalprint
bureausandthejaggednessisonlyvisibleto
thetrainedeyewhenlookingclosely.Itsunlikely
thatjaggednesswouldbeaconcernat300dpi
orhigher,whetherthedesignisprinteddigitally
ontofabricorasapositiveforscreenprinting.
WhendesigningfabricprintsinPhotoshopor
Illustratorusingthischapterstutorials,youwill
eitherworkwithascanofablack-and-whiteline
drawing,drawdirectlyintheimagefle,orboth.
IfyouwillbeworkinginPhotoshop,decide
whetheryouwanttouseun-anti-aliasedartor
anti-aliasedart.Eitherisacceptableforanytype
ofprintingprocess.Un-anti-aliasedartisfareasier
toworkwith,asunintuitiveasitmaybeforthose
experiencedinprintdesign.However,youmay
wanttouseanti-aliasedartforseveralreasons:
Its the default way of working in Photoshop,
with no need to change any setings.
Some fnd that it beter captures the quality
and expressiveness of hand-rendered lines.
Its far easier to achieve natural-
looking areas of blended color, for
example, shadows and highlights.
You want the best guarantee that the
edges of your motifs wont look jagged.
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Scann|ngL|noArtforIabr|cDos|gn
Scannedlineartsuchasasketchorinkdrawingorahand-renderedrepeatthat
youcreatedinthetutorialsearlierinthechaptercanbeusedtobuildadesignin
IllustratororPhotoshop.Thesescansmightsimplybeimportedintotheprograms
andleftinthebackgroundtotraceoverwiththeprogramsowndrawingtools,and
deletedaftertheprocessiscomplete.Ifthisisthecase,ananti-aliasedscan(scanned
ingrayscaleorcolormode)isfine.Youcanalsoworkdirectlywiththescannedimage,
arranging,manipulating,andcoloringthemotifsandputtingthemintorepeat.If
thisisthecase,thebestwaytoscanlineartisasahigh-resolution,black-and-white,
un-anti-aliasedbitmap,whetheryouintendtoworkinPhotoshoporIllustrator.
ForPhotoshop
1.Scanlineartat600dpiasablack-and-white
image(bitmap).Savethefileasa.tif.Theresulting
filewillbeun-anti-aliasedonawhitebackground
(Figure1).Here,IhavescannedthedesignIcre-
atedforthehand-drawnhalf-droprepeattutorial
andzoomedintoshowthejaggededgesofthe
un-anti-aliasedartwork.
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2.Openthefileandcleanupanystrayblack
pixelswiththeErasertool.Convertthefileto
Grayscale(Image > Mode > Grayscale);thenclick
OKinthedialogboxthatpopsup(youwantthe
defaultSize Ratioof1).OpentheLayersancl
(Window >Layers)youmustdouble-clickonthe
locktomaketheartworkeditable.Namethelayer
asdesired.
3.SelectthewhitebackgroundwiththeMagic
Wand(Contiguousoptionunchecked)anddelete
it(Figure2).Atthispoint,youhaveartworksuit-
ableformanipulationinavarietyofways.Since
thefilenowhasatransparentbackground,youare
freetoaddyourownbackgroundlayerfilledwith
acolororpatternofchoice.
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4.To convert to anti-aliased art, proceed to Step5.
Tocontinueworkingwithun-anti-aliasedart:Go
toPhotoshop > Preferences > Generalandsetthe
Image InterpolationtoNearest Neighbor(Preserve
Hard Edges)(Figure3).Thisway,motifswillremain
un-anti-aliasedaftertransformingtheminany
wayrotating,resizing,reflecting,andsoforth.
Additionally,unchecktheAnti-Aliasoptionfor
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eachdrawingandselectiontool(suchasthePaint
BucketandMagic Wand).ProceedtoStep6.
Figure3:SetingImage InterpolationtoNearest Neighbor.
Theartworkisnowagainstatransparentbackground.
5.Toconvorttoant|-a||asodart:Goto
Photoshop > Preferences > Generaltoensurethe
Image Interpolationissettothedefault(Bicubic).
Now,reducetheimagesizeto300dpi(orany
otherresolutionupto600)afterward,theart-
workwillbeanti-aliased(Figure4).
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.Workinthecurrentfileifyourscannedartwas
alreadyinrepeat.(Forhintsonrepairingseams,
seethesidebaronpage47.)Ifyouarecreatinga
repeatanewinPhotoshop,youmaywishtocreate
aseparate600dpi,transparent-backgroundfilein
thedimensionsofyourdesiredrepeatsizeandthe
sameresolutionasyourscan,sothatyoucancopy
andpastemotifsintothisnewfile,workingonthe
layoutasyougo.
ForIllustrator
Scanlineartat600dpiasablack-and-whiteimage
(bitmap).Savethefileasa.tif.Theresultingscan
willbeun-anti-aliasedonawhitebackground.
1.CreateanewfileinIllustratorandplacethe.tif
file(File > Place).Deselecttheartwork.
2.OcnLive Trace Options(Object > Live Trace
> Live Trace Options).ChecktheIgnore White
optionandthenclickSet Default.Selectthe
artwork.ApplyLive Trace (Object > Live Trace >
Make and Expand).Ifyouareunhappywiththe
linequality,undoandtrysomeoftheotherpre-
sctslnLive Trace Optionsorexperimentwiththe
settingsonyourown.Themotifsarenowready
toarrange,manipulate,color,andputintorepeat
(Figure5).
Figure5:The
artworkafer
Live Tracels
appliedtheart,
originallyabitmap
scan,lsnowln
vectorformat.
Theartwork
isdeselected
here.Live Trace
preservedthe
wonkyhand-
drawnqualitiesof
themotifswell.
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DesigningRepeatsinPhotoshop
ThetechniqueforcreatingrepeatsinPhotoshopisverysimilar
todrawingthembyhand;theonlydiferenceisthattheOset
flterisusedinplaceofcutingandrearrangingquadrants.
2.FromtheFilter menu,chooseOther > Oset.
SettheVertical Osettohalftheimagesize
(here,2400)andtheHorizontal Osetto0
(seeFigure2).SelecttheWrap Around otlon
ifitisnotselectedalready,andthenclickOK.
ThetopandbotomedgesfromStep1now
meetinthemiddleoftheworkspace.Notice
howmotifsthatwereinthemiddlearenow
splitalongthetopandbotomedges.
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Youarerequiredtorasterizeanyvector
shapesinthelayer(Layer > Rasterize > All
Layers)beforeapplyingtheOffsetfilter.
TheOffset filterappliestoonelayerata
time,soifyouhavemultiplelayers,youmust
eithermergethembeforeapplyingthefilter
(Layer > Merge Layers)oroffseteachindividu-
ally.Ifthebackgroundisasolidcolor,thereis
noneedtooffsetit.
fis
SQUALLLATS
1.Createanewflethesizeofthedesiredrepeat.
Jotdownthesizeinpixels(Image > Image Size).
Mysampledesignis48004800pixels.Ifyour
designwillbeprinteddigitally(seepage134),set
upthedocumenttothedpiandcolormodespeci-
fedbytheprinter.Drawyourdesigninthemiddle
ofthebox(Figure1).
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3.Fillinthemiddlewithmotifs(byaddingnew
motifsorrearrangingexistingones),staying
away from the lef and right sides(Figure3).
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4.ReapplytheOset flter(Filter > Other >
Oset),thistimewiththeHorizontal Oset
settohalfoftheimagewidth(hereitis2400)
andtheVertical Osetsetbackto0.Select
theWrap Aroundoptionifitisnotselected
already,andthenclickOK(Figure4).Now,
thelefandrightedgesfromStep1are
broughtintothecenteroftheworkspace.
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5.Fillinthemiddleagainwithmotifs,
thistimestayingawayfromthetopand
botommiddleedges(Figure5).
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.Atthispoint,somedesignswillstillhavea
gapintheareawherethe4outsidecornersof
therepeatfromStep1meet.ApplytheOset
flteroncemore(Filter > Other > Oset),this
timewiththeVertical Oset settohalftheimage
height(hereitis2400)andtheHorizontal Oset
setto0(Figure6).Thisbringsthose4corners
togetherintothecenteroftheworkspace.
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7.Ifneeded,fllinthelastbitofthedesign.When
yourefnished,settheHorizontal Oset and
Vertical Oset fltersbackto0ifdesired,butthe
designwillnowrepeatseamlesslynomaterifits
ofsetfromitsoriginalpositionornot.Ifyouend
upbeinghappywiththedesigninrepeat,this
isthecompletedfleyouwouldsendtoadigital
printbureau,fabricmanufacturer,andsoon.
8.Now,youwillproofthepatern,checkingthat
thepaternswatchyoujustcreatedtilesseam-
lesslyandthattherepeatfowswell.Fromthe
Editmenu,chooseDene Patern,andnamethe
patern.Createanewflewithacanvassizeat
least300%oftheoriginalrepeatsize.Choose
Edit > Fill.FromthepopupmenuunderUse,
choosePatern, andlocatethepaternyoujust
saved.Clickonittofllyourworkspace(Figure7).
Ifyoulikewhatyousee,youarefnished!(See
page47formoreonproofngandrepairingpat-
ternssothatyouknowwhattolookforandhowto
repairthepaternifyoudon tlikewhatyousee.)
Figure7:Thefnaldesignafersomefurtheredits(lef)
anditsproof(right)
HALI-DOLLATS
1.CompleteSteps1and2ofthePhotoshop
SquareRepeats(page42).Yourdesignisnowin
repeatalongthetopandbotomedges,butnot
yetonthesides.
2.Convertthelayer(s)containingyourmotifsto
aSmart Object(Layer > Smart Object > Convert
to Smart Object).Thiswillallowthecopiesyou
areabouttomaketosnapintoperfectalign-
ment.Also,pullahorizontalguidedownand
placeitexactlyinthemiddleofthedesign(View
> Rulers;thenclickanddragfromtherulerarea).
3.AsshowninFigure8,increasetheCanvas
Size(Image > Canvas Size)200%inboth
widthandheight.IntheCanvas Sizeotlons,
Anchor thecanvascenterlefandcenter.
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4.Create2duplicatelayersofyourdesign(Layer
> Duplicate Layer)andmovethemaboveand
belowtheoriginaldesign,asshowninFigure9,
ensuringthattheyareinperfectalignmentwithno
overlaporgaps.Theywillsnapintoplacebecause
theoriginallayerisaSmart Object.Halfofeach
newlayerwillfalloutsidethecanvasboundaries.
Addaverticalguideattheright-handedgeofthe
patern(here,itisat1000pixelsontheruler).
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5.Make2morecopiesoftheoriginallayer,
thistimedraggingthenewlayerstothetop
andbotomright,asshown.Onenewlayeris
placedabovetheoriginalcenterhorizontal
guideandoneisplacedbelow.Now,place
2moreguideshorizontally,whichbisect
thenewlayersontheright(Figure10).
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.Fillthemiddleareawithmotifsbetweenthe
topandbotomhorizontalguides,leavingsome
spaceneartheguidesthemselves.Then,crop
themiddlesothatitcontainsexactlytheoriginal
layeronthelef,thebotomhalfofthetop-
rightlayer,andthetophalfofthebotom-right
layer(Figure11).(UsingtheCrop tool,click
intheupperlefcornernearthearrowhead
anddragtothelowerrightcorner.Theshaded
areasonthescreenshotwillbecroppedout.)
llgurc11
7.Selectalllayersandmergethemintoonelayer
(Layer > Merge Layers).ApplytheOset flter
(Filter > Other > Oset),setingtheVertical Oset
tohalftheoriginalsize(hereitis500pixels)and
theHorizontal Osetto0(Figure12).Besurethe
Wrap Around optionisselected.
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8.Fillinthelastremainingemptyarea,
whichisnowpositionedinthemiddleof
thewindow(Figure13),withmoremotifs.
Somedesignswillnotrequirethisstep.
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9.ChoosetheRectangular Marquee tooland
setitsstyletoFixed Size,andsetthesize
thesameastheoriginalrepeatsize(hereitis
10001000pixels).Clickintheworkspace
windowandpositionthemarqueeintheexact
centervertically(Figure14).Horizontalpositioning
isnotcrucialatthispoint,aslongasthemarquee
fallsroughlyinthemiddleofyourdesign.
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10.FromtheImage menu,chooseCrop,then
Select > Deselect.Thebasicrepeatisfnished
(Figure15).IfyouwishtousePhotoshopsDene
Paternfunctiontoproofthepatern,how-
ever,youmustbuilditupintoasquarerepeat.
Simplyrebuildtheconfgurationofduplicate
layersyoumadeinSteps13,onlyusingthe
completedrepeat.Then,followStep8inthe
SquareRepeatstutorialtodefneandproofthe
patern.Figure16showstheproofeddesign.
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opa|r|ngSoams|nHand-ondorod,
ScannodArtwork
Thesameportionofthedesignaferrepairing.Becausethe
artisun-anti-aliased,Iwasablesimplytoredrawthelineswith
thePencil toolanderasetheoldlineswiththeEraser tool.
Youmaywishtoscanthehand-renderedrepeatsfordigital
manipulationorprinting.Ifyoucutthroughmotifs(asIdidinthe
SquareRepeatstutorial,page34),youwillneedtorepairthe
seams(mosteasilyachievedinPhotoshop)beforeproceedingwith
editingorcoloring.Placethedocumentassquarelyaspossibleon
thescanneranyskewwillmakeseamrepairmoredifficult.Scan
accordingtoyourpreferredspecifications(discussedonpage40).
OpenthedocumentinPhotoshop,andpulldownhorizontalguides
tohelpyouseeifyourdesignissquare.Rotateandcropifnecessary
tomakethedesignasstraightaspossible.
Notetheimagesizeinpixels.FromtheFilter menu,chooseOther >
Offset.SettheVertical Offsettohalftheimagesizeandkeepthe
Horizontal Offsetat0.Thiswillbringthetopandbottomseams
togetherinthemiddleofthecanvas.UsePhotoshopsdrawingand
retouchingtools(suchastheEraserandRubber Stamp)toeliminate
anyseamlinesinthebackgroundandtobringmisalignedmotifsback
together.Whenfinished,repeattheapplicationoftheOffset filter,
thistimesettingtheHorizontal Offsettohalftheimagesizeand
theVertical Offsetto0.Repairthesideseams,whichwillnowbe
broughttogetherinthecenterofthecanvas.
AferapplyingtheOset flter,pooralignmentalongtheseams
isevident.
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DesigningRepeatsinIllustrator
AdobeIllustratordoesnthavetheexactequiva-
lenttoPhotoshopsOsetflter,butitdoeshave
powerfulalignmenttoolsthatallowyoutoposi-
tioncopiesofmotifspreciselyupontherepeat
boundaries.Whencreatingasquarerepeat,for
everymotifthatleavestherepeatboundaries,
youwillcreateacopyandalignitwiththeoriginal
ontheoppositesideofaboundingbox.Thetiling
stepsyouneedtobuildahalf-droprepeatare
basicallythesameastheyareinPhotoshop.
Note:Here,Iamcreatingasetlayoutof
ogees,butthesameprinciplesapplyto
randomlayouts.
SQUALLLATS
1.Createanewfleandmaketheartboardthe
dimensionsofthedesiredrepeatsize(hereitis
5.753.5).
Notethatyoucanalwaysstartdrawingmotifs
andchoosearepeat/artboardsizelater(select
Window > Artboard,double-clickonthedesired
artboard,thenchangethewidth/heightinthe
pop-updialog).TurnonSmart Guides(View >
Smart Guides).Createguidesalongthe4edges
oftheartboard(View > Show Rulers;thenclickin
themiddleoftherulersanddrag).Fillthecenter
oftheartboardwithyourdesign(Figure1).
llgurc1
2.Addmoremotifsthatoverlapthetop
edgeoftheartboard.Here,theverticalcen-
tersofthemotifsarealignedexactlywith
thetopedgeoftheartboard.Groupthese
motifs(Object > Group).Copythegroupyou
justcreated(Edit > Copy)andplaceitalong
thebotomedge(Edit > Paste)(Figure2).
Selectthecopytogetherwiththeoriginalgroup,
andthenclickthetopgrouponcemoretomake
ltakey object.Whenaligningobjects,thekey
objectwillremaininplaceandotherselected
objectswillaligntoit.Centeralignthe2groups
(sincethetopgroupisthekeyobject,only
thebotomgroupwillmove).BecauseSmart
Guidesareturnedon,youwillseeanotation
ingreenthatthegroupishorizontallyaligned
withthebotomedgeoftheartboard.Editthe
designasneeded.Makesurethatanychanges
madetomotifsthatoverlaptherepeatbound-
ariesarerepeatedontheoppositeedge.
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3.RepeatStep2onthesideedges(Figure3).
BecauseSmart Guidesareturnedon,youwill
seeanotationingreenthatthegroupisverti-
callyalignedwiththerightedgeoftheartboard.
Alsonotethatanymotifshitingonecorner
mustbecopiedtoalltheothercorners.
llgurc3
4.Createarectangletheexactsizeofyourrepeat
(here,5.753.5),withnofllorstrokeweight
(Figure4).Aligntherectanglewiththeartboard.
Cut (Edit Cut),andthenchoose Edit Paste in
Back (alternatively,choose Object Arrange
Send to Back). TheemptyrectangletellsIllustrator
wheretherepeatboundariesare.Pasteanother
copyoftherectangle,alignedexactlywiththe
artboard,betweentheemptyrectangleandthe
motifs,andfllitwiththebackgroundcolor,if
desired.Groupthebackground-containingbox
withthemotifs. Selectthegroup,dragtothe
Swatches Palete, andproof(Figure5):Usingthe
Rectangle Shape Tool, crcatcarcctanglc2or
moretimesasbigasyourrepeatinanewwork-
space.Inthe Swatches Palete, selecttherepeat
paternyoujustmadeandclickonittofllthe
blgrcctanglc.
Note:Illustratordoesn tallownewpatterns
tobebuiltfrommotifsorareasthatarefilled
withapatternfirstyoumustExpandsuch
fills,whichtransformsthemintostand-alone
objects.Beforedraggingyourdesigntothe
Swatchespalette,selectthepattern-filled
motifsorareas(here,theogeesfilledwith
crosshatching)andchooseObject > Expand.
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HALI-DOLLATS
1.FollowSteps1and2underSquareRepeats
(page48).Yourdesignisnowinrepeatalongthe
topandbotomedges,butnotyetonthesides.
2.Drawarectangle(withnofllorstrokeweight)
representingtherepeatboundariesasinStep4
ofSquareRepeats(page49),andcenteritinside
theguides.Selectitalongwiththemotifs(Select
All)andgroupthem(Object > Group).Turn
onSmart Guides(undertheView menu),asin
Figure6.Createahorizontalcenterlineguide
byclickingonthetopruleranddraggingdown.
llgurc
3.Create2copiesoftheselectionyoujust
madeandalignthemasshown(Figure7)tothe
rightoftheoriginal(Edit > Copy,thenEdit >
Paste).Makesurethemotifsalongthebotom
andtopedgesoverlapperfectlyzoominto
checkwiththeMagnifying Glass tool.Thelef
edgesofthecopiesshouldlineupwiththeright
edgeoftheartboard,andthebotomrepeat
boundaryofthetoprightcopyshouldalign
withthehorizontalmidlineoftheoriginal.The
motifsoutlinedinredaretheduplicateshere.
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4.Ungroupthemotifsforediting(Select > All,
thenObject > Ungroup).Fillintheemptyver-
ticalareabetweentheoriginalandthecopies
(Figure8).Ifanypreviouslyplacedmotifsneed
editing,makesurethattheothercopiesareedited
thesameway.
llgurc8
5.Makecopiesofanynewmotifsthatintersect
therightedgeoftheartboard/repeatboundaries
asshown.Iftheyareonthebotomhalf,theymust
becopiedandplacedonthetoplefedge;andif
theyreonthetophalf,theymustbecopiedand
placedonthelowerlefedge.Unlessoneedge
ofoneofyourmotifsisalignedpreciselywiththe
repeatboundary,youcantrelyonIllustrators
Smart Guidestosnapthesemotifsintoalignment.
Butheresatrick:Create2temporaryanchor
boxesjustsimplesquaresdrawnwiththeiredges
alignedtothehorizontalandverticalguides,as
showninFigures9and10.Grouptheseanchor
boxeswiththemotifsthatneedcopying(Object
> Group,thenEdit > Copy)andmovethecopy
totheoppositecorner.Theanchorboxeswill
snapintoplacealongthehorizontalandvertical
guides,andthemotifswillbeinperfectalignment.
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.Ungroupanddeletetheanchorboxes.Delete
allmotifsthatarenotinsideoroverlappingthe
repeatboundaries.Younowhaveafnishedrepeat
(Figure11).
llgurc11
7.Tobuildtherepeatuptobepatern-swatch
ready,youmustfrstbuildtherepeatupintoa
squarerepeat.Selecttheboundingbox.Increase
itswidthto200%,cutit,andthenPaste in Back
orchooseObject > Arrange > Send to Back
(Figure12).Then,selectallthemotifsbutnot
theboundingbox,andgroupthem.Create2
copiesandarrangeasinStep3(Figure13).
llgurc12
llgurc13
8.Aswiththeblockrepeat,copythebounding
boxandfllwithbackgroundcolorifdesired.
Grouptheboxcontainingthebackgroundwith
themotifs.Select thisgrouptogetherwiththe
emptyboundingboxlyingunderneath,and
thendragtotheSwatches Paleteandproof
(Figure14),asinStep4ofSquareRepeats.
llgurc14
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Design Sofware and Tools
Fordesigningprintsonthecomputer,AdobePhotoshop
andIllustratorarecertainlythemostcommonlyusedpro-
grams.Butothersofwareandprofessionaltoolsare
alsoavailable.Heresaroundupofsomeofthem.
Open-SourceSofware
Free,open-sourcesofwarealternatives(sofwarethatisfree
ofchargeandcanbeusedanddistributedatwill)toAdobe
PhotoshopandIllustratorareavailable.GIMPisarasterimage
editingprogram,andInkscapeisavectorimageeditingprogram.
TheyfunctionsimilarlytotheirAdobecompetitorswithrespect
tocreatingrepeatingpaterns.However,youcannotworkwith
Pantonecolorsintheseprograms.(ForinformationaboutPantone
colors,seeUsingthePantoneMatchingSystem,page68.)
SpecializedTextileDesign
Sofware
ThoughtheindustryisincreasinglyturningtoAdobePhotoshop
andIllustratorforprintedandwoventextiledesign(thesepro-
gramsarecheaperandmorewidelyusedinrelatedindustries
likegraphicdesign),morespecializedsofwareprogramsare
available,suchasadesignsuiteproducedbyNedGraphics
(nedgraphics.com),thatmakerepeatsetupandcoloringasnap
whendesigningpaternrepeats.Theyreusuallynotaford-
ablefortheindividualdesigner,butstill,youcandream.Fashion
Toolbox(fashiontoolbox.com)isanafordable,PC-compatible
fashiondesignsuitewithlotsofsimilarfeatures.
Artlandia(artlandia.com)producesafordableplug-ins
forPhotoshopandIllustratorcalledSymmetryShopand

SymmetryWorks,respectively.Theseprograms
builddozensofpaternandrepeattypesfrom
editableseedmotifsatthetouchofabuton
directlyontothescreen;thereisnoneedto
createindividualpaternswatchesandproof
thepaternsbydrawingandfllingnewshapes.
Wheneditingtheseedmotifsofarepeat,allother
instancesofthatmotifareinstantlyupdated.Their
LivePresetsplug-inforIllustratorallowstheuser
tocreatelive(editable)paternswatches.Link
theswatchestodigitallydrapedsewnproducts,
andtherenderingupdatesbeforeyoureyesas
youeditthepatern.
ArtlandiaSymmetryShopscreenshot
ProfessionalTools
Draw|ngtab|ots.Designersandartistsofall
kindsadoretheirdrawingtablets.Thesetablets
replaceorsupplementamousewithapenlike
deviceanddrawingsurface,makingdrawing
andtracingonthecomputerscreenmuchmore
natural.Wacom(wacom.com)isthebiggest
andbest-knownmanufacturerofdrawingtab-
lets.Atthiswriting,touch-screentechnology
isbecomingmoreafordableandwidelyavail-
able,whichwillallowdesignerstodrawdirectly
ontothescreen.Thistechnologywilllikely
replacedrawingtabletsintheyearstocome.
Wacomdrawingtablet
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Proofng Repeats: Why and How
cofeecups,aBriewheel,andcroissantswithout
itsoblongshapecreatingunintentionalstripes.
Colorisabigculpritintracking.Inthisforalphoto
collagedesign,youcanclearlyseethetracking
issueduetogroupsofwhite-coloredroses
standingoutfromthepinkishandgreenishroses.
Ifthecauseofthebreakinthefowisnegative
spacespacenotflledinwiththedesignit
iscalledanalleyway.Alleywaysoccurwhen
someemptyareasoftherepeataretoo
bigcomparedwithothers,orwhenthese
areasformdistinct,directionalshapes.
Steppingbackorzoomingoutcanhelpiden-
tifyproblemsyoumightnothavenoticed
upclose.Leavingthedesignforawhileand
comingbacktoitwithfresheyesisalsovery
helpful.Andofcourseitsalwaysgoodto
haveapartnertakealook;maybeheorshe
canpointoutproblemsyoudidntnotice.
Itsvitaltoproof(orrenderortile)yourpatern
soyoucanseehowitlooksinrepeat.Thisisa
snapinIllustratorandPhotoshop;simplydrawa
largerectangle(inIllustrator)oropenanewfle
(inPhotoshop)thatisseveraltimesthesizeof
yourrepeatandfllitusingthepaternswatch
youcreatedattheendoftheDesigningRepeats
byComputertutorialsearlierinthischapter.It
alsohelpstoprintyourdesignoutonpaperand
tapethetiledpiecestogetheronyourdesign
wallsothatyoucanseeifyoulikehowitfows.
Proofngwillhelpidentifymisalignmentsalongthe
repeatedges.Torenderarepeatforproofngby
hand,simplyplacetheoriginaldesignbeneatha
largesheetoftracingpaper,trace,thenmovethe
originaloveronerepeat(placedaccordingtothe
chosenrepeattype,seepage20),andtraceagain.
IdentifyingProblems
Unlessyouarecreatingasetpatern,people
shouldhavetoworkalitletofndyourrepeat.
(Ofcourse,likeallthingsinartanddesign,this
issubjecttotaste.)Thepaternshouldfow;
theeyeshouldmovearoundandnotimmedi-
atelynoticehowcertainmotifslineupoverthe
lengthofthefabric.Unintentionallntcrrutlons
tothefowarecalledtrackingorstriping.
Trackinghappenswhensomedesignparam-
eterusuallydirection,shape,color,orscaleof
amotifisnotinbalancewiththerestofthe
design,revealingtherepeatinanunpleasant
manner.Forinstance,inatossedpatern,two
motifsmightpointinthesamedirection,pulling
theeyediagonallywhenitshouldntbegoing
inanyonedirectionatall.Asanotherexample,
itwouldbeabigchallengetoputabaguetein
afour-wayFrenchcafthemedprintamong

oesicuen nouuofteLe
Favorite Tools
Whattoolcouldyouabsolutely
notlivewithoutwhenitcomes
todesigningfabric?
AdobeIllustratorandmyiMac.
ornvsr scniiof
Wellitscertainlyeasierwithacomputer,
butsinceImapainteraswell,Icoulddoit
byhandifIneededto!irtisst tvrrinos
Ialwayswantmydesignstohavea
hand-drawnfeeling.Itgivesthema
warmthandquirkinessthatisvery
appealingtome.So,withoutadoubt,myfavorite
toolismyWacomdrawingtablet.Itallowsmeto
createtrulyhand-drawndesignsdirectlyonthe
computer,whichkeepsmyartisticprocessvery
fastandsimplewithoutsacrificingthatunique
hand-drawnquality.atsonot orsiono
Mechanicalpencilandgraphedfade-
outvellum,withoutadoubt.Agiant
eraserforallofthosemistakesthatI
neverevermake.futt rink
WellIvedoneitcompletelybyhand
withpaintsandpensandcopiersand
overlayswithmarker.NowIdotheinitial
designsandlayoutsbyhand,andmyassistant
MollycreatesthedigitalartinthecomputerandI
coloritthere.Wevehadtomakethatgiantleap
becauseofthedemandsonthedesignandthe
waytheprintsareusednotonlyforfabricbut
otherproducts.Sothisisahardquestion,
becauseIcouldstillgobackanddoittheold-
fashionedway.Favoritetools:Maybemyreading
glasses?OranX-Actoknife!tiv suftrr
SolvingProblems
Onceyouveidentifedthesetracking
andalleywayproblems,howdoyou
fxthem?Theresnooneanswer,
buthereareafewfxestotry.
Change the repeat from a
block to a half-drop.
Remove, rotate, or recolor
the ofending motif(s).
Think big. Bigger repeat sizes mean that
repeating elements are farther apart
and there is more to distract the eye
in between. To fx tracking issues when
working with a smaller repeat, try tiling the
original repeat one across and one over
to make a 22set and editing elements
within this new, quadruple-sized repeat.
SpotRepeats
Spotrepeatsarethedesignerssecretweapon
forbalancingnondirectionalprints,andthey
canworkforotherdirectionalitiestoo.Itsa
bitlikeplayingSudokuwithmotifs(onlythis
ismucheasier).Divideasquarerepeatunit
intoagrid,from33onup.Placemotifsso
thateachonegetsitsrowandcolumntoitself,
andvaryeachmotifsrotationifcreatinga
tosseddesign.Oncetheseunitsareinrepeat,
theremightbeanoticeablediagonalfow,
whichyoumayormaynotlike.Furthermore,
somesolutionstothepuzzlewillresultin
trackingoralleyways,soyoumayhaveto
experimentwithdiferentarrangements.
Usingthespotrepeatconcept,youcan
alsocreatecontinuouspaterns.First,
placemajormotifssuchasshowyfowers
inthegrid;theninterconnectthem
withelementslikestemsorvines.
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SPOTREPEATGRIDS
3-spot
3artlalrccats
Paperclip6-spotdesign,recolored
andputintorepeat(3partialrepeats
showninbotomillustration)
IdoasforAdd|ngIntorost
4-spot
5-spot 6-spot
7-spot 8-spot
3-THOUGH8-SOTGIDS
Heresalistofthingstotrywhenyoureplayingwithdesigns
orarestuckforideasonhowtomakeadesignwork:
Fillsolidareasorbackgroundswithsimple
patterns.
Playwithsilhouettesandoutlinesofmotifs.
Startoverandrendermotifsindifferentmedia
(forexample,changefromacomputer-drawn
designanddrawitbyhandinstead).
Useadifferentrepeattype(forexample,change
ablockrepeattoahalf-drop).
Varythescaleofthemotifswithinthedesign.
Adddifferentmotifs,oreditdowntofewer
motifs.(Sometimesmoreismore;sometimes
lessismore!)
8
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Know Your Color
Peoplearedrawninbycolor;theyaresoothedorenergizedby
it.Itcancausearushofnostalgiaorpropelyouforwardwith
itsfreshnessandoriginality.Thecolorswechoosetowearand
tosurroundourselveswithathomesaysomuchaboutwhowe
are.Coloratractspeopletoyourfabricasmuchassometimes
morethananyotheraspectofitsdesign.Itcanbeintimidating
toworkwith,butthroughacombinationoftechnicalknowledge
andplay,manydesignersfndittobethemostsatisfyingaspect
offabricdesign.Inthischapter,youlllearnaboutdevelopinghar-
moniouscolorschemesandapplyingthemtoyourdesignsina
waythatensuresthatthefnalprintmatchesyouroriginalvision.
MastorsatWork
Perhapstheultimateexamplesofeffective,professionaluseof
colorarefabricsdesignedbytheKaffeFassettcollective,which
includesFassett,desiger/studiomanagerBrandonMably,and
designerPhilipJacobs.Theyaremastersofcolor.Theirmotifsare
imaginativeandbeautiful,buttheseaspectsareallvehiclesfor
theiruniqueexpressionofcolor.Thougheachdesignerreleases
newcollectionsregularly,eachflowsintothelargerbodyofwork
ratherthanstandingasisolatedstatements.Colorwaysinclude
pastel,earthybrown,hotcolors,coolcolors,andvibrantblack,
eachtotallychangingthemoodofandpotentialaudiencefor
thedesign.Towhichdoyourespondthemost?
LnglishRosobyhiliJacobs
IorWosIminsIorIabrics
o
Developing Efective
Color Paletes and Schemes
Note:
Insomeinstancescolorhasbeentrademarked.
Forthedifferencebetweencopyrightand
trademark,gotowww.uspto.gov/patents
<General Information Concerning Patents
[HTML] > What Are Patents, Trademarks,
Servicemarks, and Copyrights?
Forgeneralinformationoncopyright,see
CopyrightPrimer(page30).
Youcanalwaysrelyonsourcematerialyou
borrowfromnature,suchasleaves,abirds
feathers,oralandscape,forharmoniouscolor
paletes.Irecommendkeepingacolorjournal
acentralplacetogatherandstoreclippingsof
colorsandcolorcombinationsthatinspireyou.
Youcanscansourcematerialstoextracttheir
colorsforusedirectlyinyourdesignsorto
manipulateintonewpaletes.Ifyouprefermanual
methods,youcanrefertothesourcematerialas
youmixuppaintsorpullpreparedcolorswatches
fromacolorlibrary.Welldiscussthesemanual
anddigitalmethodsinthefollowingpages.
Ofen,thecolorspulledfromsourcematerial
areinsufcientforyourneeds.Abasicunder-
standingofcolortheorycanhelpyouexpand
oradjustthepaletetosuityourdesign.
Doyoulackconfdencewhenitcomestocom-
biningcolors?Maybeyouhaveafavoritecolor
andafewfavoritecolorpairings,butcomingup
withschemesofthreeormorecolorsmakes
youfreezeup.Itsacommonproblem,butits
easilyremediedbythreemethods:borrowing
colorideas,usingcolortheory,andplayingwith
color.Thesearenotmutuallyexclusive,but
allwillhelpyougainconfdenceinyourability
todevelopbeautiful,harmoniouspaletes.
BorrowingColorfrom
SourceMaterial
Theeasiestroutetoanefectivecolorpaleteis
totakeitfromanothersource.Fortunately,this
isperfectlylegal;colorsandcolorcombinations
arenotsubjecttocopyright.Thesamehandfulof
colorstendstolookcompletelynewinthehands
ofeachdesignerandwhenappliedindiferent
proportionstodiferentdesigns,sothechances
ofappearingderivativeareslim.However,I
wouldntrecommendusinganotherartists(espe-
ciallyanotherfabricdesigners)colorpaletes
verbatim.Instead,useasubset,whichyou
caneditorexpandtohelpexpressyourunique
ideas.Sourcematerialforacolorpaletecanbe
anythingaphotograph,worksofart,product
packaging,vintagetextiles,paintsamplesfrom
homeimprovementstores,orapainting,toname
afew.Considertakingatriptothelocalhome
improvementstoretocollectpaintchipsorother
colorsamples.
know vour cotor

Scbomos,a|ottos,
andCo|orways
Thetermscolor scheme,color palette,and
colorwayareoftenusedinterchangeably,but
inthisbookeachhasitsowndefinition.
Co|orScbomo:Agroupofcolorsbuiltonthe
harmonicrelationshipsonthecolorwheel.
Co|ora|otto:Agroupofcolorsassembled
withouttheintentionaluseoftheseharmonic
relationships.
Co|orway:Oncecolorschemesorpalettes
areappliedtoatextile,thedifferentlycol-
oredversionsofthesamedesignarereferred
toascolorways.Agroupofdifferentprints
withacohesivecolorpaletteisalsocalleda
colorway,orsometimesacolor story,bccausc
ithelpstoexpressthedesignersideas.(Iuse
thetermcolor storyforthislatterapplica-
tion.)Colorwaysarediscussedfurtherin
ColorwaysandCollections(page80).
z
UsingColorTheory
Thoughcolortheoryisofenperceivedasdryandintimidating,
justafewbasicswillgiveyouaccesstoalimitlesssupplyof
harmoniouscolorpaletes.Themorewellversedyouarein
colortheory,themorepoweryouhavetotellthestoryyou
wanttotellwithyourdesigns.Colortheoryalsoofersastruc-
turedapproachtocolor,whichhelpsfghtthedreadedoption
paralysis(seeDevelopingYourDesignStyle,page26).
THLCOLOWHLLL
Youhaveprobablyencounteredthecolorwheelbefore.Thewheel
featurestwelvepurecolors,calledhues.Theprimary colorsred,
blue,andyellowarearrangedequidistantfromoneanother.The
spacesbetweenthemareflledwithsecondary colors(green,
orange,andviolet,theresultsofmixingequalportionsoftwopri-
marycolors)andsometimeswithtertiarycolorsaswell.Tertiary
colorsresultfrommixingequalproportionsofaprimarycolorand
asecondarycolor.Thesixbasictertiarycolorsareyellow-orange,
red-orange,red-violet,blue-violet,blue-green,andyellow-green.
Tobuildyourfrstcolorschemesusingthecolorwheel,Irecom-
mendusinggoodold-fashionedpaint.Watercolors,acrylics,or
gouache(anopaquewatercolor)willdo.Ofcourse,computers
makethisprocessasnap,andyoulllearnlaterinthechapter
howtobuildharmoniouscolorschemesdigitally.Butforunder-
standingthebasics,paintisideal.
Thetwelvepurecolorsshowninthebasiccolorwheelarereferred
toashues.Alteringthesehuesbyaddingwhite,black,orgraypro-
ducestints,shades,andtones,respectively.Tintsarecommonly
referredtoaspastels.
Valuereferstothedarknessorlightnessofahue.Addingwhite
orblackgivesahuealighterordarkervalue,respectively.
Saturation orchromareferstothepurityandintensityofahue.
Addingwhite,black,orgraydecreasesthechroma.
Temperaturereferstowarmandcoolcolors.Reds,oranges,and
yellowsareconsideredthewarmsideofthecolorwheel;greens,
blues,andvioletsarethecoolside.
know vour cotor

Basiccolorwheel
Yellow
Yellow-orange
Orange
Yellow-green
Green
Blue-green
Blue
Blue-violet
Red
Red-orange
Red-violet
Violet
Colorwheelshowingpurehues,tints,shades,andtones
Pure hues
Tints
Tones
Shades
You may encounter different

types of color wheels based
on different primary colors (for
example: cyan, magenta, and
yellow) or on fewer or more
colors, but similar principles
and rules underlie them all.
fi

NoarComp|omont:Onc
hueincombinationwiththe
neighborofitscomplement,
suchasbluewithred-orange
BasicColorSchemes
Harmoniouscolorschemesarecreatedbycombininghuesthat
lieinalogicalrelationshiptooneanotheronthecolorwheel.
Examplesofsomebasicschemesareillustratedonthesepages.
Sp||tComp|omont:Onc
hueincombinationwiththe
huesoneithersideofits
complement,suchasredwith
yellow-greenandblue-green
Tr|ad:Acombinationofthree
huesspacedevenlyonthecolor
wheel;forexample,green,violet,
andorange.Thisisapopular
choiceformulticoloredfabrics.
Monocbromat|c:Tints,
shades,andtonesofa
singlehuesuchasviolet
Comp|omont:Twohuessuch
asyellow-greenandred-violet
thatlieacrossfromeachother
onthecolorwheel.Injuxta-
position,thesecolorsmake
eachotherappearbrighter,
andtheboundarieswhere
theymeetappeartovibrate.
Totrad:Acombinationoffour
huesspacedevenlyonthecolor
wheel;forexample,blue,red-
violet,orange,andyellow-green.
know vour cotor

octangu|arTotrad:^alr
ofcomplementstogether
withthehuestwospots
over,suchasyellowand
violetwithredandgreen.
Though grays and browns are called

ncutrals, they do not necessarily
harmonize with every color palette
because they often contain undertones
of other colors. The best way to achieve
a harmonious gray is to mix a speck of
your schemes dominant color with a
true gray (a gray made only with black
and white). For a harmonious brown,
mix together two complementary
colors used in your scheme in equal
proportions. Add white or black to the
gray or brown to lighten or darken it.
oesicuen fi ueufntLs
Someofthecolorcombinationssuggestedbythesebasic
schemesmightnotappealtoyou.(Blueandorange?Purple,
orange,andgreen?Ewww!)Butdontletthatstopyoufrom
usingtherealpowerofthecolorwheel.Taketheseschemes
asfoundations;themagichappenswhenyoustartmixing
thecolorsintheschemetogetherinvariousproportions.
Trychoosingonecolorfromthebasicschemeasadomi-
nantormaincolor,andaddjustatinyspecktoeachofthe
othercolorsinthescheme.Theresultisanewpaleteof
toned-down,complex,andalwaysharmoniouscolors.You
canfurtherextendtheschemebyaddingtints,shades,
andtonesofthebasichuesandthemixturesthereof.
Ana|ogous:Threeormorehues
thatareadjacentonthecolor
wheel,suchasyellow-orange,
orange,red-orange,andred
Ana|ogousComp|omont:Three
analogoushuestogetherwith
thecomplementofthecenter
hue,suchasred-violet,red,
andred-orangewithgreen
PaletePlay
Evenifyouchoosetoavoid
colortheory,youcansimplyplay
withcolortofndpaletesthat
speaktoyou.Becomeacolor
collectorandcreateahome-
madecolorswatchlibrary.Save
scrapsofsolidfabricwhenever
youcan.Paintchips,yarns,and
anythingelsewithasolidcolor
arenicetoo,butfabricisideal.
Amassingacolorswatchcollectioncanyieldseveraladvantages.
Yourcolorlibrarywillbecomeagreatsourceofinspiration(and
willlookpretyondisplay!).Fabricswatchesalsogiveyouacloser
approximationofhowcolorswilllookwhentheyareprintedonto
fabricthandocomputerscreenorpaintcolors.Yourswatches
willalsocomeinhandyifyouareworkingwithafabricmanu-
facturerandneedtoprovidephysicalsamplesofyourcolors.
Youcanusesourcematerial(seeBorrowingColorfromSource
Material,page60)asajumping-ofpointforchoosingswatches
ratherthantryingtomatchyoursourcescolorsexactly.For
example,IwasntcompletelysatisfedwiththedigitalcolorpaleteI
extractedfromthisphotoofblueberries,soIpulledfabricswatches
thatbeterrepresentedmyideaofthecolorsandextendedthe
paletewithacoupleofcomplementaryaccentsandneutrals.
Working with Digital Color
Manymodernfabricdesignersnevertouchpaint;alltheircolor
workisdoneviathecomputer.Whetheryouareplanningtoincor-
poratecomputersintoyourdesignworkorusethemasyouronly
designtool,hereisaprimerthatwillhelpyounavigatethecom-
plexworldofdigitalcoloranditsrelationshiptofabricprinting.
Inanutshell,digitalcolorhaslimitedusefulnessinthefabric
designprocess,andnomaterwhichdesignorprinting
methodyoureusing,thebestpracticeistorefertophys-
icalcolorswatchesforyourcolorinformation.Youlllearn
moreaboutwhyandhowtousetheminthissection.
Homemadecolorswatchlibrary
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ColorModels
Youwillencounterseveraldiferentcolor models
(sometimescalledcolor spaces)whendesigning
onthecomputer.Thesearetheoreticalmodels
thatquantitativelydefnecolorsbasedondiferent
components.Herearethemostcommonlyused
colormodelsexplainedinlaymansterms.
G:Thisisamodelbasedonemitedlight
intheprimarycolorsofred(R),green(G),and
blue(B).Coloredlightactsdiferentlythanpaint
orink.Red,green,andbluelightcombinedin
equalproportionsmakeswhite;whileanequal
mixtureofred,green,andbluepigmentscre-
atesblack.Computerscreens,TVs,andother
electronicdevicesusetheRGBmodel.Hexcolor
codesareRGBcolorsinacodethatisread-
ablebywebbrowsers.Therearenoabsolute
standardsforthesecolors;themodelmerely
tellsthedevicehowtomakethecolors,butthey
enduplookingabitdiferentoneveryscreen.
CMYk:Alsoknownasprocesscolor,this
modelisbasedontheapplicationofmixtures
ofinkscyan(C),magenta(M),yellow(Y),and
black(K)toawhitesurface.Italsoreferstothe
printingprocessthatusesthismodel.Tinydots
ofeachcolorarelaidonthepaperinvarious
proportions,andtheeyereadsthemassolid
colors.YoucanworkwithCMYKcolorsona
computer,butwhatyouseeareapproxima-
tionsofCMYKcolorsrenderedviaRGB.
HSV,HSL,andHS:Thesemodelsdefnecolors
bytheirrelativehue(H),saturation(S),andvalue
(V)orlightness(L)orbrightness(B).Theyare
derivedfromtheRGBmodelbutbasedonmore
familiarandintuitivecolor-mixingconcepts.
Lab,a|soknownasL*,a*,b*andCILLA:These
modelsaredesignedtoapproximateallcolors
perceptibletothehumaneye.Theyarebasedon
lightness(L)andontwocolor-opponentdimen-
sions(red-greenandyellow-blue),labeledaandb
respectively.
In Adobe Photoshop, the
ColorPicker allows you to
supply codes for HSB, RGB, CMYK, Lab, and hex
colors. In Adobe Illustrator, the SwatchOptions
dialog does the same thing. (Colors untranslatable
from one model to another will be indicated as
out of gamut.) More budget-conscious software
(such as Photoshop Elements) and free, open-
source image editing programs (such as GIMP)
typically support only HSB, RGB, and hex colors.
oesicuen fi
Therangeofcolorsthatispossibletoachieve
giventheingredientsofthemodeliscalled
ltsgamut,anditisdiferentforeachmodel.
Rememberthateachmodelistheoretical,
though.Asyoumightimagine,reallifeis
lessperfect.Anygivencomputermonitoror
printerhasitsownvariables,whichlimitand
altertheinputofthecolormodel.Theachiev-
ableoutputofagivendevice,givenacertain
colormodelasinput,isalsocalledagamut.
Thechoiceofcolormodelyouworkwithisreally
onlyaconcernifyouareprintingdigitally(see
DigitalPrinting,page134).Askyourprintbureau
(digitalprintingservice)whichcolormodelthey
recommendRGB,CMYK,orLabforpreparing
yourfle.Youcanuseadiferentmodelfromthe
onetheyrecommend,butthebureausprinter
sofwarewillconvertyourimagetothatrecom-
mendedmodelbeforeprinting,andacolorshif
mightoccurasaresult.
8
Mostdigitalprintingbureaussupplycolorcharts
thatshowhowasetofcolorslooksprintedby
theirprintersontotheirfabric.Youwillread
moreaboutthesechartsandhowtousethemin
ColorinDigitalPrinting(page138).Thecolors
inthesechartsmightberenderedfromanyof
themodelswevediscussed.Youinputthecode
ofyourchosencolorfromthechartintothe
colorpickerinyourimageeditingprogram.
ColorStandards
Whendesigningonthecomputerforanyprint
method,thinkofthecolorsyouseeonyourscreen
asplaceholdersonly;therealcolorinformation
hastocomefromaphysicalreference,orstan-
dard.Thecolorsonyourdigitalprintbureaus
colorchartserveasstandards.Yourhomemade
swatchlibrarycanbeastandard,too;youcan
sendswatchestoamanufacturerormilltocom-
municatetheexactcolorsyouwant,orusethem
asreferencesformixingblock-printingorscreen-
printinginksbyeye.IfyouhaveaccesstoPantone
MatchingSystemswatchesawidelyusedcolor
standardssystemyoucanusetheminconjunc-
tionwithorinplaceofyourhomemadeswatch
library.OnlythemoreexpensivePantonesetsfea-
turelarge,detachable,mix-and-matchswatches.
Themoreafordablesetsarenotasconduciveto
developingschemesandpaletesviacolorplay.
Many designers who license their work to fabric

manufacturers or agents submit their work on
paper, and their color printouts or painted swatches
serve as standards. Because fabric has a different
texture, opacity, and absorption than paper, these
paper standards are not ideal for designs to be
printed on fabric, but they usually do the job.
oesicuen fi
USINGTHLANTONLMATCHINGSYSTLM
ThePantoneMatchingSystem(PMS)isaspot-
colorstandardssystemthatiswidelyused
throughoutthegraphicsandtextileindustries.
Itisacolorspacelikethosediscussedunder
ColorModels(page67)withitsowngamut,but
itisproprietarytothecompany.Theideabehind
thePantoneMatchingSystem,whichisbased
onformulasformixinginksanddyes,istoallow
everyoneinthechainofdesignandproduc-
tiontomatchspecifccolorsamongdiferent
ColorchartfromSpoonfowerdigitalprintingservice
IfyouareprintingwithDIYmethodssuchasblock
printingorscreenprinting,oryouarelicensing
yourdesignsforvolumeprinting,yourchoiceof
colormodelisnotcrucial.Theseprintingmethods
alluscspot colorsinks/dyesthatarepremixed,
oneforeachcolorintheprint,before applying
themtothebasecloth.Spotcolorsareeither
mixedbyeyewithuseofthecolorwheel,justlike
paints,orwiththeuseofastandardsystem,such
asthePantoneMatchingSystem(seeUsingthe
PantoneMatchingSystem,atright,formoreon
Pantone).ThePantoneMatchingSystemincludes
formulasformixinginks.Thisnotonlytakesaway
guessworkbutalsomakesiteasiertoachieve
colorconsistencyoverlongormultipleprintruns.
Spotcolorsystemsalsohavetheirowngamuts,
andthereisnoone-to-onecorrespondencewith
anyofthecolormodelspreviouslydiscussed.
y
know vour cotor
devices,equipment,andsubstrates.Sincemost
manufacturersandmillsalsousethissystem,
youcansimplyprovidethecolornumbersyou
areusingratherthansendingphysicalswatches.
(Iftheydontusethesystem,youcanpurchase
individualchipsorswatchesfromPantoneto
send,ratherthangoingthroughthetrouble
ofpaintingorprintingyourownorassembling
yourownfabricswatches,inwhichcaseyou
mightnotbeabletofndaspecifccolor.)
ThebasicPantoneFormulaGuidepaperfans,
whichprovideformulasformixinginks(including
screen-printinginks),retailatalitleover$100
atthiswriting.PantonesFashion+Homesystem
ofersPantonecolorsasalibraryofcoton
swatchesinvarioussizesandconfgurations.Its
theidealstandardtouseinfabricdesign,butits
considerablymoreexpensive.Mostdesignersfnd
thatthepaperfansservetheirneedsadequately.
Pantonehasanever-expandingrangeof
productsthatcanbeveryconfusingtothe
uninitiated.Whetheryourehandprintingor
licensingyourdesignsforcommercialprinting,
thepaperFormulaGuide(uncoated)isagreat
all-purposechoice.ThepaperFashion+Home
ColorGuideprovidesabeterrepresentation
ofhowthecolorstranslatetofabric,butthe
cotonproducts,ofcourse,aretheideal.Of
allthecotonproducts,theCotonPassport
istheleastexpensive,buttheswatchesare
tinyandcannotberemovedfromthepages.
NomaterwhichPantonesystemproductsyou
use,youcancross-referencethecolornumbersfor
freeontheirwebsite(seeResources,page158).
AdobePhotoshopandIllustratoruserscanalso
workon-screenwithrepresentationsofPantone
colors.SeveralPantonedigitalswatchlibraries
comepackagedwiththesedesignprograms.
IllustratorsColorGuide(seeitinactioninthe
ApplyingColorSchemesinIllustratortutorial,
page72)workswiththeselibraries,generating
harmoniousschemesfromsinglePantonecolors.
Pantonehasitsownfreesofware,myPantone
(www.pantone.com/pages/MYP_myPantone/
mypantone.aspx),forgeneratingschemesand
sharingthemonline;butthedigitalcolorswatch
libraries,suchastheFashion+Homecolors,that
drivetheprogramcost$10$20each.
PantoneCotonPassport
/o
D|g|ta|Co|ora|ottoSoftwaro
andosourcos
Thesestand-alonesoftwareprograms,onlinetools,andblogsallow
youtoborroworbuildbeautiful,harmoniouscolorschemeseasily.
Kuler
kuler.adobe.com
Adobesfreeonlineapplicationbringscolorinspirationtogether
withsocialnetworking.Userscreateandsharecolorschemesgener-
atedfromdigitalphotosorthecolorwheel,andexploreandsave
otherspalettes.SupportsHSV,RGB/hex,CMYK,andLabmodels.
AdobeCS4anduphavebuilt-inKulerinteractivity.Palettesarelim-
itedtofivecolors.
ColourLovers
colourlovers.com
Thisisacolorschemecreationandsharingcommunitysitethat
isfreetojoinanduse.Theiradvancedcolorpalettegeneration
tool,COPASO,supportsRGB,HSV,andCMYKmodelsandlets
youbuildschemesbasedonfivedifferentharmonicrelationships
(complementary,triadic,andsoon).Schemesarelimitedtofive
colors,though.ColourLoversalsohasacoolpatterngenerationand
coloringfeatureandaninformativeandinspirationalblog.Theyre
partneredwithdigitaltextileprintingbureauSpoonflower(see
Resources,page158),soyoucanbuyfabricprintedwithyourdesign.
ColorSchemerStudio
colorschemer.com
Thispaidsoftware(MacandPCavailable)buildsharmoniouscolor
schemesfromsinglecolorsorfromscratch.Itcanalsopullcolor
fromdigitalimages.Ifyouareaccustomedtomixingpaint,thisisa
greattool.Youtellitwhichcolorstomixandhowmanyintermediary
mixturesyouwant,anditdoestheworkforyou.Schemescanbe
importedandexportedinavarietyofformats.SupportsCMYK,
RGB/hex,andHSBmodels.
Blogs
knisfiut kLtniu
kristinaklarin.blogspot.com
Onthisblog,designerKristina
Klarinpaintsupcolorpalettes
frominspirationalimages.
coLon coLLecfive
color-collective.blogspot.com
Five-colorpalettespulledfrom
theworkofvariousdesigners,
artists,andphotographersare
showninthisblog.
wetn tLeffes
blog.wearpalettes.com
Five-colorpalettespulledfrom
everydayandcelebrityfashions
arefeaturedhere.
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know vour cotor
Applying Color
Nowthatyouhavetheabilitytoworkupbeautiful
colorpaletesandschemesinavarietyofways,
itstimetoapplythecolorstoyourdesigns.
HandPaintingDesigns
Handpaintingyourdesignisstraightforward.
Whetheryouusepaint,ink,marker,oranother
medium,transferyourhand-drawndesigntothe
appropriatesubstrate,andthenstartpainting.
Youcanalsoprintoutlinesfromadigitallycreated
designontopaper(orontothesturdierpaint-
readysubstrate,ifyourprinterisabletohandleit).
Thisprocesscanbelabor-intensive,especiallyif
youaretestingvariouscolorpaletes.Tomake
thisjobeasier,startbycoloringacroquis,which
isasnippetoraquickandsketchymock-upof
adesignidea.Designersusuallyusecroquisin
theinitialstagestoworkoutmotifsandcolors
beforethedesignisputintorepeat.Some
designersworkexclusivelywithcroquisand
leavethecreationofrepeatstootherprofes-
sionals.Ofcourse,ifyouareprintingwithaDIY
methodorsendingyourdesignstoadigitalprint
bureau,youdonthavethisluxury.Butyoucan
stillusecroquistoworkoutyourcolorpaletes.
Thepaintofchoiceforhandcoloringdesignsis
gouache,whichisatypeofpigmentpaintthat
isthinnedandcleanedupwithwaterbutdries
opaque.Comparedwithothertypesofpaint,the
matesurfaceofdriedgouacheismostlikethat
offabric.
Someprofessionaldesignerssubmithand-painted
designs(inrepeatorcroquisform)tofabric
companiesandotheragents,thoughmanyprofes-
sionalsIspoketosaidthathandpaintingrepeats
isfastbecomingalostart.Swatchesofthecolors
inthedesignarealsopaintedadjacenttothe
designforreference.Ifyouarehand-painting
adesignfordigitalprinting,youwouldneedto
editthedesigninarastereditingprogramlike
AdobePhotoshoptorepairtheseamsbetween
therepeatsbeforeuploadingyourdesign.
UsingSwatches
Youcanalsousephysicalswatchesasastarting
pointforcolorstoapplytoadesign.Ifyouare
handpaintingadesignorhandmixingyourblock-
printingorscreen-printinginks,youcansimply
usetheswatchesforreferenceandmixcolors
inanatempttomatchthem.Theswatchescan
alsobeusedtochoosecolorsfromadigitalprint
bureauscolorchart.Ifyouarecreatingdesigns
onthecomputertosendoftoamanufacturer,
youcanscantheswatches,extractthecolors,and
applythemaccordingtothetutorialsthatfollow.
Youcanalsouseinexpensivesmartphoneapplica-
tions(suchascolorIDbyWinfeld&Co.LLCfor
theiPhone)tophotographswatches.Theapptells
youthecolorscodeforRGB/hex,CMYK,and
othermodels.Ifyoudonthavethisdevice,simply
choosingcolorson-screenthatapproximateyour
swatchcolorsisokay.Asdiscussedearlier,screen
colorsaremoreorlessmeaningless;thephysical
standardiswhatisusedforcolorinformation.
fufonitL
APPLYINGCOLOR
SCHEMESIN
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owarotboWb|to
ackgroundI
White-backgroundprintstack
Iamasuckerforprintsonwhitebackgrounds,
especiallynovelties.Whiletherestofmystash
getsusedandreplenished,though,thispart
remainsrelativelystatic.Why?Inmyexperience,
theirattractivenessisoutofproportionwiththeir
usefulness.Theyshowdirt,andthehighcontrast
meanstroublegettingalongwithotherfabrics.If
youdochooseawhitebackgroundforadesign,do
somindfully.Whenputtingtogethercollections,
makesurehigh-contrastprintsarebalancedwith
otherlower-contrastones.DIYprintingisusually
andmosteasilydoneonawhiteornaturalfabric(I
prefernaturalofcourse),butIdiscussinthehand-
printingtutorials(seeStep-by-StepHandPrinting,
page110)howyoucanprintwithpigmentsonany
colorbackground.Withothermethods(digital,
massproduction)youhavethechoiceofback-
groundcolor.
WithversionCS3,Illustratorintroduced
twopowerfulcolortools:theColor Guide
andLive Color(renamedRecolor Artwork
inlaterversions).TheColor Guideallows
theusertogenerateaninfinitevarietyof
harmoniouscolorwheelbasedschemes
automaticallyfromacolorofchoice.Its
likethedigitalcolortools(seeDigitalColor
PaletteSoftwareandResources,page70),
butwithoutlimitsonthenumberofcolors.
TheLive Color / Recolor Artworktoolallows
theusertoquicklyreplaceonecolorscheme
withanother.
1.Aferopeningorcreatingyourdesign,open
aswatchlibrary.OpentheSwatches ancl
(Window > Swatches).ClickonitsOptions mcnu
(arrow+listiconinthetoprightcorner),and
thenchooseOpen Swatch Libraryfromthe
menu.Fromthere,youcanchoosefromseveral
librariesthatcomepackagedwithIllustratoror
chooseOther Library (Figure1).Thiswillallow
youtofndlibrariesthatyousavedas.asefles
(meaningAdobeSwatchExchange)throughany
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ofthedigitalcolortoolslisted(seeDigitalColor
PaleteSofwareandResources,page70).Here,
Ihavepreloadedseveral5-colorpaletesand
schemesdrawnfromvariousonlinesources.
llgurc1
2.Selectthepaleteyouwishtowork
withbyclickingonthefoldericon
nexttotheswatches(Figure2).
llgurc2
3.OpentheColor Guide(WindowColor Guide)
toviewtheselectedswatchlibrary.Shadesand
tintsoftheoriginalcolorsaredisplayedinaddition
totheoriginalswatches.ViatheOptions mcnu
situatedintheupperrightcorneroftheColor
Guide,youcanalsochoosetodisplayothervaria-
tionsoftheoriginalswatchessuchasWarm/Cool
andVivid/Mutedandtodisplaymoreorfewer
variants(Figure3).Youcanalsoclickonallor
someofthevariantstoselectthem,andthensave
themasswatchesfromtheOptions menu.They
willthenappearbackintheSwatches panel.
llgurc3
4.Workingfromtheexpandedlibraryofharmo-
niouscolorswatches,startchoosingcolorsasfll
andstrokecolorsforyourmotifs.Here,thedesign
isshownaferIchosetheinitialcolors(Figure4).
llgurc4
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Us|ngtbooco|orArtworkToo||nI||ustrator
thecolorwheelchangesthesaturationofthe
wheelasawholeforanewsetofoptions.
Figure2:Smoothcolorwheel
Figure3:Segmentedcolorwheel
Figure4:Designisrecoloredbylinkingharmonycolorsandpushing
themtowardthecenterofthewheel,resultinginlightervalues.
WiththeSelection Arrowtool,selectallobjects
toberecolored.OpentheRecolor Artwork
ancl (Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork)
(Figure1).Youcanalsorecolorapatternfill
insideanobjectiftheobjectisselected.The
Recolor Artwork panelprovidesaccesstothe
Color Picker,whichallowsyoutoselectacur-
rentcolorandtheninputdesiredcolornumber
codesforanewcolor(say,fromadigitalprinting
bureauscolorchart,orfromyourPantonebook
ofchoice).
llgurc1
ChoosetheEditbuttonintheRecolor Artwork
panel.Youllseeacolorwheel,whichyoucan
choosetodisplayassmooth(Figure2,withthe
huesgraduallyblendedtogether)orsegmented
(Figure3,likethefamiliarcolorwheelpresented
earlierinthechapter).Currentcolorsusedin
theartworkarecircled.Choosethelowerright
Link Harmony Colors buttontopreservethe
relationshipbetweenthecolors,ifdesired.This
ishelpfulforpreservingacolorschemetype
(e.g.,atriadicorsplitcomplementaryscheme)
whilechangingthehuesvaluesorthehues
themselves.Dragoneofthecirclestowardor
awayfromthecenter(Figures4,5,and6)to
changetotintsorshadesofthesamecolors.
Youcanalsorotatearoundthewheelfora
newsetofhuesthatpreservestherelationship
betweentheoriginalcolors.Thesliderbelow
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Figure5:Thedesignisrecoloredbylinkingharmonycolors
androtatingthecolorsaroundthewheelafewspacesover,
butkeepingthesamevaluesastheoriginalcolors.
Figure6:Thedesignisrecoloredbylinkingharmony
colors,rotatingthecolorsaroundthewheel,and
pullingthemouttowardthedarkervalues.
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ClickingtheAssign buttonintheRecolor
Artwork panelopensupoptionsforrecoloring.
Currentartworkcolorsareshownintheleft-
handcolumn,andnewcolorsareshownto
theirright.DragthecolorsintheNewcolumn
toswapthemwithanothercurrentcolor.Click
thebuttonsbelowtheNewcolumntorandomly
rearrangethecolorsorrandomlychangetheir
saturationandbrightness(Figure7).
Youcanalsoassigncolorsfromapreviously
savedswatchgroup.ClicktheAssign button,
ifyouhaventalready.Thelistofsavedswatch
groupsisintheright-handcolumn.Ifyoudont
seeit,clickthearrowontherightsideofthe
paneltoexpandthewindow.Clickonanew
swatchgroup.Notethatifmorecolorsareinthe
originalartworkthaninthenewpalette,twoor
moreoriginalcolorswillbemappedtoonenew
color(Figure8).Fromthere,thenewlyassigned
colorscanbeswitchedaroundoreditedin
amyriadofwaysjuststartplayingwiththe
numerousoptions.Editedswatchgroupscanbe
savedanewbyclickingonthefoldericonatthe
topofthepanel.
With Illustrators Recolor
Artwork function, audi-
tioning new colorways is amazingly fast and
easy. When you hit upon a colorway you like, be
sure to save the design as a new file, or else you
might not be able to re-create the colors later!
oesicuen fi
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ThoughPhotoshopisnotasfeature-rich
asIllustratorinregardtocolor,applying
colorinPhotoshoptolineartisjustas
straightforward.
1.Openyourdesign.Here,Iamusing
un-anti-aliasedlineart(drawnbymyhusband)
alreadyinrepeat,scannedandprepared
accordingtotheinstructionsinScanningLine
ArtforFabricDesign(page40).
Uncoloreddesign
2.OpentheSwatches panel.Youcantorganize
diferentswatchgroupsinfoldersasyoucanin
Illustrator,soitsbesttoworkwithonegroupata
time.Emptyoutthedefaultswatchesbyholding
downtheOption keyasyouclickoneachswatch.
Thecursorwillturnintoscissors.Then,usethe
Color Pickertoinputcolorvaluesfromadigital
colorblanket,Pantonebook,orotherstandards,
andsaveeachcolorbyclickingAdd to Swatches.
Loadswatches
Note:
Alternatively,importsavedswatchgroups
(.asefiles)fromIllustratororanyofthefree
sources(seeDigitalColorPaletteSoftware
andResourcessidebar,page70)bychoosing
Load Swatchesfromthe Swatch Palettes
Otlonsmenu.
3.Createalayerunderneaththemotifs
layer(Layer New Layer)andfllitwitha
backgroundcolororasimplepatern.
4.Returntothelayercontainingyourmotifs,
andusethePaint Bucket tool.Ifyoudliketo
changetheoutlinecolorsallatonce,uncheck
theContiguousoptioninthetoptoolbar,pick
thenewcolorfromtheSwatch Palete,andclick
onanyoftheoutlines.Tochangeeachmotifs
outlineindividually,checktheContiguousotlon,
pickanewcolorfromtheSwatch Palete,and
thenclickontheoutlineyouwishtocolor.
fufonitL
APPLYINGCOLORSCHEMES
INPHOTOSHOP
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know vour cotor
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Backgroundandoutlinecolorschanged
5.Tofllinthemotifs,clicktocheckthe
Contiguous optionifitisnotalreadychecked.
Fillinblankareasandoutlinesasdesired.You
maydecidetofllinamotifwiththesamecoloras
itsoutline;ifso,thosecolorswillformonesolid
areaandyouwontbeabletochangetheoutline
coloranymore.Savingacopyofthelayerwiththe
originalmotifswillprovideabackupshouldyou
wishtoswitchbacktotheoutlines.Hint: Holding
downtheOption keyturnsthePaint Buckettool
intotheEyedropper.Ifyouhavelotsofareasto
color,asIdohere,thisshortcutcomesinhandy.
Finally,dontforgettocolorbothportionsofa
motifthatissplitintwobytherepeatboundaries.
Hereisthefnisheddesign.Tocreateanewcol-
orway,usetheMagic Wand toolwithContiguous
checkedtoselectallareasofasinglecolorin
thedesign,andthenusethePaint Buckettofll
inalltheseareasatoncewiththenewcolor.
Finished,coloreddesign
Co|or|ngAnt|-A||asod
L|noArt
Topreservethesmoothedgesofanti-aliased
artworkasyoucolor,firstselectthemotiflayer
orlayersintheLayers Palette.Clickthelittle
checkerboardiconasshowntolockthetranspar-
ency.Thenyoucancolortheoutlineswiththe
Paint BucketasinSteps4and5(atleft).Tocolor
insidethelines,createanewlayerunderneath
themotifs,andworkingonthatnewlayer,usethe
Paintbrush tool tocolorin.Torecolor,lockthe
transparencyofthislayer,anddropincolorsthe
easywaywiththePaint Bucket.
Locktransparency.
Paintingunderthemotifs
/8
Coloriswhatmybrandisallabout,soIneverreuse
palettesfromonefabriccollectiontothenext.
Figuringoutthenewcolorpaletteisoneofmy
favoritepartsofthedesignprocess!ForeachyearIcreate
newpalettesforthefabricsandotherproductsImworking
on.Certainlysomecolorsmakerepeatappearances,but
itsnotintentional.Mycurrentcolorpaletteconsistsof
182colorsIneedtogetimmersedinallthecolorsbeforeI
settleonthepalettesforspecificcollections.tiv suftrr
/y
Yes,Iliketouseacoresetofcolors
andspringboardoffthatinone
directionoranother,dependingon
theseason.Ivebeenconsistentwithmycolor
preferencesformanyyears;Imhappytostay
withintheconfinesofcertainbasicsthatI
alwaysfeelworkwellformeandwitheach
other.Thisisnotunlikemostapparelbrands;
thereistypicallyacoreset(thisisournavy,
thisisourred)andallthefashioncolors
varyfromseasontoseason.Ithelpstounify
thebrandandkeepsthingsflowingfromone
collectiontothenext.Plus,shouldashopbe
leftwithaparticularprintfromanoldercol-
lection,itwontlookhugelyoutofplaceina
morecurrentcollection,thusextendingits
shelflife.iicnrttr rncrt srncsko
Wealllivewithinourownpersonalpal-
ette;itslikehavingpersonalstyleora
specificbrandofhumor.Youarewhat
youare.Everyoneseescolorinherorhisown
uniqueway.SometimesIwillseeapaletteina
magazineandthink,ThatsgorgeousIwanna
dothat!Igohome,pullcolorchips,mockitup,
andtakeastepbackonlytodiscoverthatIhave
managedtomakeitlookexactlylikesomethingI
havealreadydone.futt rink
I switch it up, but I do tend to go for
bright pastels.stri a tckrritn
Idon thaveago-topaletteperse,
butIdofindmyselfconstantlygoing
backtogreen/orangecombinations.
Thatssortofmydefaultpalette,Iguess!
AlthoughIvarythegreensandorangesalot.
ButIdoswitchitup,too,andIliketochal-
lengemyselftousecolorsthatdon tcomeas
easilytomepurple,forinstance.Iloveplaying
aroundwithcoloritsmyfavoritepartofbeing
anartist.arssict swirf
oesicuen nouuofteLe
Branding with Color
Doyouhaveapaletteofgo-to/
brandcolors,ordoyoupreferto
switchitupcompletelybetween
collections?(Orsomewherein
between?)Why?
Iusuallyswitchmypalettesupcom-
pletelybetweencollections,though
Idofindthatthecoral-redcolorthat
Iuseformylogomanagestoslipinthereoften.
Ilikeexploringwithcolor,andIfindthatdif-
ferentpalettessuitdifferentcollections.
However,whenIlicensemyarttootherfabric
manufacturers,Ioftendonotgettochoosethe
finalcolorways.arnnirrr ioorr
Probablysomethinginbetween,
thoughIthinkIhaveaverystrong
colorsensibilitythatcomesthroughin
allthatIdo.Itendtopreferawarmerpalette
overall,andIlikeoddcombos.ornvsr scniiof
DuringtheprocessIstickwithmy
owngo-tocolorscolorsIloveand
thatIamcomfortablewith.WhileI
amdesigningtheprints,Idontwanttobedis-
tractedbycolor,soIkeepitfamiliar.OnceIam
set,thenIplaywithcolor,whichcanreallymake
orbreakaprint.io srortt
8o
8
cotorwtvs tno cottrcfions
Colorways and Collections
Everytypeoffabricproducerfromhobbyisttomajormanu-
facturerproducessingle,stand-aloneprints,calledoneos,
eitherinonecolorwayorinseveral.Creatingstand-alone
printsallowsexperimentation:lotsoflitleideasthatmight
otherwisegetscrappedcanmaketheirwayontofabric.
However,ifthefabricisintendedforthemassmarket,itslikelythat
thefabricdesignswillbepartofacollection,orgroupofcoordi-
natingfabrics.Mostfabricbuyersshoppingwithacertainproject
inmindseekoutcoordinates,sowhynotbetheonetodesign
themandsellthem?Usersmaycombinecoordinatestosewinto
asingleitemlikeaquiltorapurse.Ortheymayusecoordinates
tomakeseparatebutmatchingitemsablouseandaskirt;orpil-
lows,drapes,andupholsterytodecorateasingleroom.Toplease
thewidestrangeofconsumertastes,collectionstypicallybring
togethervariouskindsofmotifsthatcomeinafewdiferentcolor
storiescolorgroupsthatformcollectionswithinthecollection.
Whilecollectionsandcolorstoriesarepartiallymarketdriven,
theyalsoprovidethedesignerwithfurtheropportunitytoexpress
him-orherself,toexpandasimplevisionintoafullstory.Puting
togethercollectionsandcolorstoriesisanartwithinfnitepos-
sibilities,butaswithotheraspectsoffabricdesign,itsnotwithout
someconstraints.Thissectionexaminesjustsomeoftheways
inwhichdesignerscombineconventionsofendusewiththeir
artisticvisiontocreateamazingfabriccollections.Italsoprovides
startingpointsandguidanceforcreatingyourowncollections.
8z
8z
Afabriccollectionwithpastelandbrightcolorstories.TheJunebugcollection
forAlexanderHenryFabricshasamuted,pastelcolorstory(top row)andabright
colorstory(botom row).
ColorinCollections
Colorschemesandpaletes,onceappliedtofabric,arecalledcol-
orways.Youllhearthistermappliedbothtocolorvariationsofthe
sameprintandtogroupsofprintsthatrelateviacolortoforma
distinctgroupwithinalargercollection.Forclarityssake,however,
Illusethetermcolor storytorefertothelater.Somecolorstories
standontheirownascollectionswithinthecollection,yettheyalso
interconnectsothatsomeoralltheprintsinthewidercollection
coordinate.Ofenthecolorstoriesinacollectionwillopposein
somewaywarmversuscool,orbrightversuspastel,forexample.
8
Collections and Applications
Ausefulwaytoseehowdesignparameters(seeDesign
Parameters,page10)worktoserveafabricsenduseisto
lookatfabriccollectionsproducedforretailfabricsthree
biggestmarketsquilting,homedcor,andfashion.
QuiltingCotonCollections
Collectionsofcotonquiltingfabricscanbecompact,with
onlyafewprints,orsprawling,withadozenormoreprints
inseveralcolorwaysapiece.Theyareprinted,usuallywith
dyes,onto45-wideplaincotonsheeting,andsometimes
ontopoplinorsateen.(Forinformationaboutfabrics,see
KnowYourSurface:FabricBasics,page98).Widthsupto
110aresometimesprintedforuseasquiltbackings.
Quiltingfabricdesignstendtobemorewhimsical,trendy,col-
orful,andthematicthanfabricsinothertypesofcollections.
Manyquiltersmakethematicquilts,forexample,forholi-
daysorinhonorofalovedoneshobby,sonoveltyprintsare
embracedthemosthere.However,manycollectionsalsofea-
tureforalsandgeometricsinthestarringroles.Noveltyprints
ofenserveasfocus prints (or main prints),sonamedbecause
theydrawthemostatentionandestablishthemoodofthe
collection.Focusprintstypicallyusenoveltymotifs,higher
contrastcolors,multiplecolors,thejuxtapositionofseveral
motifsusedthroughoutthecollection,and/oralargerscale.
Scaleoveralltendstowardthesmallerendofthespectrum,
sincetheyhavetolookjustasgoodcutupintosmallpiecesas
theydocomingoftheboltorroll.Thatbeingsaid,manymodern
quiltersenjoycutinguplarge-scaleprintsforspecialefects.
Itsimportantforquiltingcollectionstooferabalanceofsmall-
andlarge-scaleprints,highercontrastandtonalprints,motif
types,andfow.Thesecontrastsareallusedstrategicallywithin
thepatchworkcompositionofaquiltorothersimilarprojects.
Nondirectionalprintsarefavored,thoughone-andtwo-way
printscanalsoworktomovetheeyearound(seeDirectionality
andOrientation,page10).Sincesewistsusequiltingcot-
tonsforawidevarietyofapplications,todayscollectionsare
becominglessformulaic,withlessrelianceonthefocus/support
printhierarchyandwithawiderrangeofmotifsandstyles.
Qu||torsCo|ors
Despitetheplethoraofcolorscheme
possibilitiesoutlinedinKnowYour
Color(page58),quiltersusually
havefewerdividinglineswhenthey
describefabriccolorways.Eachof
thefollowingthreecolorwaytypes
tonal,analogous,andmulticolorhas
itsownfunctioninthepatchwork
composition.
Tona|rlntsuscmonotonalcolor
schemes,usuallytwoorthreeshades
ortintsofthesamehuethatareclose
invalue.Tonalprintsserveasaresting
placefortheeye,anddependingon
valuecontrastandscaleofthemotifs,
canreadassolidsfromadistance.
Ana|ogousrlntsuscanalogous
colorschemes,suchasacombina-
tionofred,orange,andyellow.These
fabricsattracttheeyewithoutbeing
overwhelming.
Mu|t|co|orprintsarehighercontrast,
energetic,andattentiongetting.A
multicolorprintcanrangefroman
analogouscomplementaryscheme
toafull-on,every-color-of-the-
rainbowaffair.
Tona|pr|nt.lrom
NatureElements
byPatricia
BravoforArt
GalleryFabrics
Ana|ogousco|or
pr|nt.lromJust
WingItbyMoMo
forModaFabrics
Mu|t|co|orpr|nt.
TwilightPond
fromParadise
byPatricia
BravoforArt
GalleryFabrics
8
Weekends,byErinMcMorrisforFreeSpiritFabrics,isanexample
ofamoreeclectic,modernquiltingcotoncollection.Floralsarethe
star,featuredineveryprint(theyreeveninthebasketsinthebike
print).Thelackofgeometricsandthesupportingroleofthesingle
noveltyprint(thebikes)makethiscollectionatypical,butgeometric
paternsdofndtheirwayinasforegroundandbackgroundflls,
andsomeoftheforalsdodoubledutyasstripes,dots,andchecks.
Thebicyclesevenreadasdotsfromadistance.Weekendsstillhas
amasterfulbalanceofairyandpacked,largeandsmallscale,and
graphicandorganiclinesforwhichbothtraditionalandmodern
designersstrive.
Overall,Weekendsiscomposedmainlyofpurehuesandtintsof
fourtertiarycolors:yellow-green,yellow-orange,red-orange,and
red-violet(seeKnowYourColor,page58).Thereisevenapopof
blue-green.Warmbrownsandtans(basicallyshadesoforange)
andgrayareusedasneutrals.Thereisalotofinterchangeability
betweenthecolorways.
Nicebalanceoflarge,medium,andsmallscalemotifs.
Themoregraphicforalsplay
theroleofgeometrics,asdo
thesimplegeometricpatern
fllsintheforalprints.
Overallthepaleteoftertiarycolorsis
harmonious,withlightfuschiatyingall
threecolorwaystogether.
8
Mostdesignspacked;the
spaceddesignsarelayered
overabackgroundpaternfor
addedtextureandinterestin
patchworkprojects.
Amajorityoftheprintsare
nondirectional,theothersare
two-way.
Smaller-scalenoveltyprint
takesabackseattothe
forals-unusualbutclever.
8
WhilethestyleofJustWingIt,byMoMoforModaFabrics,isgraphic
andmodern,itrepresentsatimelessassemblageofprinttypesfor
aquiltingcollection.Itsfocusprintbringstogetherjustaboutevery
motiffoundthroughoutthecollection,onlyatalargerscale.Itis
slightlyatypicalinthatfewgeometricsareused.Theoneclassicgeo-
metricprintisthepinstripe,whichalsoservesasatonal(infactitis
asneartoasolidasyoucangetwithoutbeingatruesolid).Thehalf-
droppaternsoftreesandfour-leafcloversprovidestrongerlinesin
contrasttothemorefowingdesigns,andassuchtheyservetherole
usuallyplayedbygeometrics.Directionality,spacing,andscaleare
allinperfectbalance.Supportingprintshavemostlymonochromatic
oranalogouscolorschemes,somewithaccentsofacomplementary
color.Inapatchworkcompositionthiswouldserveasabackdrop
thatmakesthemulticolorfocusandsecondaryprintsreallypop.
Thoughbuterfiesareconsideredanoveltymotif,theyareaclassicone,
whichmakesJustWingItaveryversatilecollectionwithwideappeal.
Chartreuseunitesthebright,
multicolorpalete.
Near-solids
(fnepinstripes)
8/
Scalerangesfrom
tinytosuperscale
witheverything
inbetween.
Balanceofpacked
andspacedprints,
directionalandnon-
directional,fowy
andsetpaterns.
Continuous
rlnt
Multicolor,large-scale
focusprintsrelate
tomultiplesetsof
supportingprints.
FreetoGrow,byNancyMimsforRobertKaufman
Fabrics,istypicalofquiltingcotoncollectionsin
thatithasapleasingbalanceofsmall-,medium-,
andlarge-scaleprints;offoralandgeometric
prints;andofregimentedstripesandundulating,
curvylines.Tonalprintsanchorthemulticolor
prints.Eventhemulticolorprintsarecomposed
mainlyofmonotoneoranalogouscolorcombina-
tionswithlitlepopsofcontrast,sonoatention
hogsstealthelimelightinapatchworkproject.The
threecolorstoriesaredistinctiveyethavesome
interrelationship,sothereareplentyofchoices
topleasebothwarm-andcool-leaningtastes.
Thiscollectionisatypicalinthatithasnonovelty
printsandnosinglefocusprint,andithasmore
directionalprintsthanusual.ThisrefectsMims
backgroundasahomedcorfabricdesigner;
infact,someoftheFreetoGrowprintsare
adaptationsofdesignsoriginallycreatedfor
herorganichomedcorcompany,ModGreen
Pod.However,inaquilt,thetwo-wayprints
wouldworkcutlengthwiseorcrosswise,and
theone-wayforalwouldworkrightsideupand
upsidedown.Mostoftheprintshavesimilar
spacingonsolidbackgrounds,butthatsanaes-
theticchoicebythedesignerthatdoesntafect
functionality.(Itsalsoanatypicalcollectionin
thatitwastheveryfrst100%organiccoton
printcollectionfromamajormanufacturer.)
summer
colorwayisbright
andwarm,domi-
natedwithpink
withpopsofyellow.
Medium-scale,multicolorforals(together
withlarge-scaleforal)serveasfocusprints,
aroleofenplayedbynoveltyprints.
Colorwaysstandapartwithdistinctlookandfeel,yetareinterrelated,
sobuyerscanmixandmatchandavoidmatchy-matchysyndrome.
88
gardencolorway
isalsobrightand
warmoverall;green
(whichissometimes
saidtobeneither
coolnorwarm)
actsasaneutral.
springcolorway
iscoolandearthy,
infusedwithhints
ofwarmthfrom
theyellow.
Largescaleforalechoedonasmallerscale
andlayeredoverscrollworkgeometricprint
Large-scaleforal
Mixtureofornate/fuidand
regimentedgeometrics
Slmlcstrlcscanbrlng
togetherallcolorsused
inthecolorway.
8y
Stripeiscleverlyechoed
inafowyforal.
yo
HomeDcorCollections
Traditionalhomedcorcollectionsaresoldinspecialtyinterior
designstores(sometimesto-the-tradeonly)andinchainfabric
stores.Atraditionalcollectionincludesseveraldiferentfabricsof
varyingweightsincoordinatingcolorsforspecifcendusessuch
assheersforcurtains;heavy,textured,wovensolidsandjacquards
forupholstery;andmultipurposeprintsforupholsteryandpillows.
Butrecentlytherehasbeenatrendtowardmodernhomedcorcol-
lectionscomposedentirelyofprints.Thesecollectionsareusually
producedbysmaller,independentcompaniesandquiltingcoton
manufacturers.Thesefabrics,printedonwide(60+),heavier-weight
cotons,laminates,andothernaturalfbers,aresometimestoolight-
weightforupholstery.Butbysacrifcingthisoneapplication,several
othersaregained,includingaccessories,quilts,andevenapparel.
Generally,scaleinhomedecfabricdesignsislargerand
showierthanthatusedforquiltingorapparelfabrics.
Becausepeopleusuallylivewiththeirhomedcorfabric
choicesforalongtime,motifsandcolorstendtowardthe
classicandtimeless.(Infact,mosthomedcorfabricshave
alongershelflifethantypicalquiltandfashionprints.)
PaulaSmailcreatesallthefabricsforHenryRoad,herdesignstudio
andstorebasedinLosAngeles.Thepredominanceofforaland
geometricmotifsinhercollectionsistypicalforhomedec,but
Smailsdesignstyleismuchmoreexpressiveandlivelythanthatof
traditionalhomedcorpaterns.Mostofthedesignsarespaced,
ratherthancloselypacked,onboldlycoloredbackgrounds.
Thecolorpaleteisnotstrictlycoordinatedbetweenprints,but
Smailmixesandmatchescolorsandprintsinalineofaccessories
andfnishedhomedcoritemsthatshealsocreates.Mostprintsare
nondirectional,thoughofallapplications,homedecistheeasiest
realminwhichtousedirectionalprints.(Drapesandfurniturehave
afxedtopandbotom,soone-andtwo-wayprintsareanaturalft.)
HenryRoadfabricsareatypicalofhomedcorcollec-
tionsinseveralways.Theyareofasmallerscalethantypical
homedecstorefare(thoughthescaleismuchlargerthanthe
averagefashionorquiltingprint).Thereisnostrictlinedividing
mainprintsfromcoordinates.Theircolorsaremuchbolder
thanthoseofmosthomedecfabrics.Takenasacollec-
tion,theyareunitedmorebystylethanbyanythingelse.
Printsoferedinvariousscales,
refectingversatileenduses
Baseclothisaheavycotoncanvas.
y
rtortts
Daisy(asmallerscaleforal)andGloria(abold,graphic,stylizedforal)
comeinneutralsandarangeofcolorstosuitanydecor.
ThoughFishandBlossomare
technicallynovelties,themotifsare
classicandorganic.Treesandbut-
terfiesarealmostforals,andthe
fshisrenderedsosimplyandboldly,
itborderlinesonageometric.
Motifsaremediumtolargescale;
thebuterfyisthesmallestat
about1squareinch.
croirfrics
Aclassic,simplestripeorsomethingassimpleasadotcan
stillrefectthedesignersdistinctivestyle.
yz
FashionCollections
Althoughfashionfabricshavealwaysbeenafxtureinretailfabric
stores,theyhavenotusuallybeenmarketedasbrand-namecoor-
dinatingcollections.Recently,however,brand-name,designer
fashionfabriccollectionshavebeguntoemergeontheretailmarket.
Thesemoderncollectionsofertopweights(suchasvoile,lawn,and
knits)andbotomweights(suchastwill,corduroy,andvelveteen)
andavarietyofprints,solids,andtexturesallofwhichcanbe
assembledintoacomplete,coordinatedlook.Fabricsareusually
45or60wide.Motifandstylediferencesdependontheend
useofthefabricforwomenswear,childrenswear,ormenswear.
Womonswoaristhebiggestmarketforfashionfabrics.Florals,
small-scalegeometrics,andclassicnoveltymotifssuchas
birdsandbuterfiesarealwayspopular;othernoveltymotifs
aremoresubjecttotrends,andtheirappealmaybelimitedto
nichemarkets.Keepingthescalesmalltomediumandcolor
paletessubduedensuresthewidestappeal.Butifyoulookon
thefashionrunways,youwillseeamind-blowingarrayofinven-
tiveprintsthatrunthegamutofcolor,scale,motif,andstyle.
Womensfashionoferstheopportunitytoreallygowild.
Cb||dronsandtoonswoar.Sewingmoms(anddads!)areagrowing
market,sokidsapparelprintsarebeginningtorival,ifnotovertake,
womenswearprintsinpopularity.Noveltyprintssitbeterwith
youngerfashions.Classicboysmotifsincludesports,transporta-
tion,dinosaurs,andouterspace.Classicgirlsmotifs(outsideof
forals)includeballerinas,dolls,andhearts.However,moderncol-
lectionsaretrendingtowardmoregender-neutralthemes(such
asanimals)andedgier,morerebelliousmotifs(suchastatoosand
skulls).Thoughpastelsandpinkforgirlsandblueandgreenforboys
continuetodominatefabricdesign,thereisalsoatrendtoward
moregender-neutralschemesbasedonred,orange,orgreenand
moreage-neutralmotifsandstylesthatcangrowwiththechild.
Monswoar.Themarketforhomesewingmensclothingisnt
huge,andsolids,tweeds,pinstripes,stripes,andplaidsdomi-
natewhatmarketthereis.However,thatsnottosayyou
cantdesignversatileprintsthataremenswear-suitable.
y
L|bortyofLondon.Thisisonecompanythathasbeenproducing
coordinating,brand-namefashionfabriccollectionsfordecades.
Theirfabricsareknownfortheirqualityanddistinctive,classic,yet
fashion-forward,designs.Libertyproducessprawlingcollections
ofnewprintsontheirsignatureTanaLawnfabrictwiceyearlyand
alsorereleasesclassicprintsinnewcolorways.Collectionsinclude
diferentcolorstories,thoughwithalotofinterrelatedness.
LibertysAutumn2010collection,onlyaportionofwhichispictured
here,wasinspiredbyJapanandincludesfabricsbyinternation-
allyrenownedguestdesignersMinPerhonenandAngieLewin.It
wouldntbeLibertywithoutforals,andthiscollectionisnoexcep-
tion.Bigger,showier,andmoreexpressivedesignsjointheclassic
Libertysmall-scale,packedforals.Thedarkercolorwaysofthe
noveltyprintsforcetheviewertolooktwicetodiscernanimechar-
actersoraTokyocityscape.Despitetheweighty,cold-weather
palete,adistinctthemeofairinessrunsthroughthecollection
tossedprints;feathery,delicatelines;andwindblownmotifs.
Thereisnotreallysuchathingastypicalwhenitcomestofashion
ingeneral,buttheseprintsneverstrayfromthesmall-to-medium
scale.Mostoftheprintsarealsopackedorhavepaternedback-
grounds,addingatexturalquality,especiallywhenviewedfrom
afar.Thiscollectionincludesseveralone-andtwo-wayprints,
whichisunusual,butheretheartistrydefnitelytakesprecedence
overthefexibilitythattossedprintswouldofer.Besides,Liberty
fabricsarerelativelyexpensive,whichgearsthemtowardexpe-
riencedsewistswhoknowhowtohandledirectionalprints.
Unliketypicalquiltingandhomedcorfabriccollections,and
unlikethemodernfashioncollectionsoftop-andbotomweights
(page102),theseprintsarerelatedmorebystyle;coordinationis
notagreatconcern.Certainly,morethanoneprintcanbeusedin
agarment(e.g.,amainprintwithcontrastingtrim),butnostrong
hierarchyoffocusandsupportingprintsisfoundhereasitisin
othertypesofcollections.Theprintsareequalplayers,refecting
fashionsewiststendenciestopurchaseoneprintpergarment.
y
A
C
D
L
I
G
H
I
J
k
L
M
N
croirfric swtfcnrsAB
rtortt swtfcnrsCI
novrtfv rrinf swtfcnrsJN
croirfric rrinfs Thesegeometricswould
workformensandwomenswear.(A,B)
small-scalefloral:Libertyisbestknown
fortheirpacked,colorful,small-scale
forals,sonoseasonalcollectionwould
becompletewithoutthem.(C,D)
soutrr rrrrtf srf rtffrrnUnusualfor
fashionprintsbutthescale,color,andtex-
turalbackgroundofthisprintbyguestartist
AngieLewinmakesthisprintwork.(E)
tirv orctnic orsicns Theseairy,organic
designssuitthelight,drapeyTanaLawn
baseclothandthefowyfashionsfor
whichtheyaresuited.(F,G,H,I,J,N)
oirrcfiontt rrinfsMostaretwo-way
ornondirectional.(G,H,J,K,L)
wniisictt novrtfv rrinfsWilder,more
whimsicalnoveltyprintsinLibertysseasonal
collectionscouldworkforkidsclothing
anduniquewomenswear.(K,L,M)
LibertyofLondon
fabrics
y
Designing Your First Collection
fnished,youmightconsiderasmaller-scalegeo-
metricasastartingpointforyournextprint.
Forsupportingprints,startwiththesetdesign
typesdescribedinDesignParameters(page10)
andtrytocomeupwithcreativevariations
thatftintoyourcollection.Envisionenduses
foryourfabrics-to-be,anddesigntowardthat
productsdiferentcomponents.Forexample,
ifyourforalwasmadeintoacushion,what
fabricwouldlookgoodaspiping?Ifitwasmade
intoabag,whatshouldthelininglooklike?
Finally,alwayskeepinmindthatsuccessful
collectionsdonotresultfromcheckingofchar-
acteristicsfromalist.(DoIhavealarge-scale
designandasmall-scaledesign?Check.DoIhave
aspaceddesignandapackeddesign?Check.)
Instead,theycomefromstrikingabalanceso
thatyourprintsworktogetherandexpressyour
creativevisioninawaythatssatisfyingtoyou.
CreatingColorStories
Mostdesignersstartwithasinglecolorstory,
whichevolvessimultaneouslywiththeirdesigns.
Sometimesthestartingpointforcolorcomes
fromthethemeofthecollection,butothertimes,
colordecisionsareindependentofthetheme.
Perhapsthedesignerestablishesamulticolor
focusprintfrst,andthendrawsafewcolorsfrom
ittouseinsupportingprints.Sometimesanew
designwillcallforadditionalcolorsthatarent
partoftheworkingschemeorpalete,sothe
designerexpandsthecolorschemeaccordingly.
Asyougainexperiencewithdesigningindi-
vidualfabrics,youmayfeelinspiredtomove
ontodesigninganentirecollection.Thecol-
lectionspresentedinthesepagesaremeant
toserveasguidelines,notformulas.Inthis
neweraoffabricdesign,Iexpectyoutocre-
ativelyandstrategicallyfouttheconventions!
Onceyouhavedecidedonthemarketfor
yourproposedcollection,theseedforthe
designofthefabriccollectioncancomefrom
severalsources.Atheme,aphrase,afeeling,
oraconceptmightcomefrst.Oryoumight
startwithamoretangibleinspiration,likea
songorflm,ahistoricalfgure,alovedone,a
painting,orakeepsake.Somedesignersseek
toevokedesignstylesofaparticularcultureor
era.Whateveritis,useittoprovideastarting
pointforthemotifsandcolors.Brainstormby
yourselfandwithothers,jotingdownthings
thatareassociatedwithyourcentralinspira-
tion.Gathervisualinspirationandreferences
intheformofclippings,photos,andsketches.
Youmightfndyourselfwithseveralideasfor
prints,butevenifyouhavejustone,getstarted.
Asyouwork,newprintshaveawayofsuggesting
themselves.Motifsthatdontworkinoneprint
mightbranchofintotheperfectcoordinate.
Usetheguidelinesforthediferenttypesof
collections(seeCollectionsandApplications,
pages8394),alwayskeepingcontrastandbal-
anceinmind,asyoudecidewheretostart.For
example,ifyouhavealarge-scaleforalprint
y
Onceasinglecolorstoryiscomplete,itcan
betransformedintonewones(perhapsusing
theIllustratorcolortoolsfeaturedonpage72).
Sometimesthesenewcolorstoriesharmonize
withtheoriginal,buttheycertainlydonthaveto.
Developingmultiple,expansive,andharmo-
niouscolorschemesthatworksuccessfully
withyourdesignsespeciallyifyouhaveto
keepspotcolorsconsistentforvolumeprinting
methods(seepage145)isoneofthebig-
gestchallengesoffabricdesign.Infact,some
fabriccompaniestaketheleadoncolor,even
stafngcolorspecialists.Inadditiontotheability
todevelopandapplycomplexcolorpaletes,
coloristsalsounderstandmarkettrendsand
thetechnicalitiesoftheprintingprocess,so
theycanworkwithyoutomakechoicesthat
bestensurethesuccessofyourcollection.
Foryourfrstforayintomultiplecolorstories,it
maybebesttostartdesigningyourcollection
witharestrictedpaleteinmind(say,onetofve
colors)andlimityourselftotwocolorstories.
Tryreversingtheproportionsofeachcolor
forthenewcolorstory,orusetints,shades,or
tonesoftheoriginalpalete.Or,letcolortheory
beyourguide.Forexample,ifyouhaveapink-
dominantcolorstory,startwithitscomplement
(green)asthedominantcolorinthenewcolor
story.(Youmightdecidetomakeacomplemen-
tarytriadbyaddingayellow-orangedominant
colorstory,orasquaretetradbyaddinga
blue-violetdominantstory,andsoon.)
WheretoTakeYourCollections
Ifyouareseekingtolicenseyourdesignswith
afabricmanufacturertoproducearetailfabric
collection,yourbestbet(atthiswriting)istostruc-
tureyourcollectionforquiltingapplications.More
quiltingcollectionsareproducedannuallythanany
othertypeoffabriccollection.Quiltingcompanies
havestartedproducingfashionandhomedcor
collections,andtheyhavenotbeenmarket-proven
likequiltingcotons,sotheirfutureisuncertain.To
furtherensuretheirsuccessinthisexperimental
phase,thesenonquiltingcollectionsfromquilting
manufacturersareusuallycreatedbyestablished
designerswithabuilt-infollowing.Atthistime,
theresachancethatapproachingaquilting
companywith,say,acotonknitcollectionor
large-scalehomedcorprintwouldhelpyoustand
outfavorably,butmorelikelyyourworkwouldbe
viewedasbeingtoonarrowlyfocused.Formore
onlicensingyourcollectionstomoreexclusively
fashion-andhomedcorfocusedmanufacturers,
seeOtherLicensingAvenues(page150).
Alotofuntestedwatersremainwithinthedigital
printingroute(seeDigitalPrinting,page134).
Somedigitaltextileprintingservicesoferthe
abilitytoselldesignsdirectlythroughtheir
websites.(Thisallowsthedesignertoearn
acommissionorcreditsthatcanbeapplied
towardtheirownfabricpurchases.When
yourdesignssell,youcangetcash,orcredit
tobuyfabricfromtheprinter.)Alternatively,
thedesignercansellthemonhisorherown.
Thevarietyofdiferentbaseclothsoferedby
theseprintersprovidesagreatopportunityfor
theindividualdesignertocreateeithernar-
rowlyfocusedormultipurposecollections.
y/
rrinfinc
RIN1ING
SLC1ION1WO
FabricOverview
rlntlngOtlons
DIYPrinting
Dlgltalrlntlng
y8
yy
know vour surrtcr rtsric stsics
YouunderstandfromtheDesignandColorsectionofthisbook
howtocreatepaterns,butbeforeyoudelveintoprintingtech-
niques,itsimportanttounderstandandappreciatefabricthe
surfacethatinspiresandguidesthefabricdesignerswork.
Thischapterisdevotedtothebasicsoffabricconstruction,the
typesoffbersfromwhichfabricismade,andthemorefne-
graineddistinctionsamongcommonlyprintedfabrics.
Familiaritywiththecharacteristicsandqualitiesofbasecloths(thebase
uponwhichyouprint)willhelptoensurethatyouhaveasuccessful
printingventure.Thisistruewhetheryouareprintingdigitallyorusing
DIYtechniques,orwhetheryouarelicensingyourdesigns(andarein
theenviablepositionofhavinginputonthechoiceofbasecloth).The
intendedenduse,togetherwiththecostandavailability,willnarrow
downyourfeldoffabriccandidatessignifcantly.Printingmethodsalso
governyourchoice:Digitalprinterstendtoworkwithcertaintypes
offabric;andforDIYmethods,somefabricsaremoresuitablethan
others.Fromthere,itsmostlyaboutpreferenceinregardtotexture
andabouthowyourprintsworkinconjunctionwiththecloth(which
can,forbeterorworse,onlybediscoveredthroughexperimentation).
A Look at Fabric Construction
Fabricsareconstructedinthreebasicways:
Theycanbewoven,knit,ornonwoven.
know vour surrtcr
Fabric Basics
Warp or straight
grain
Selvage
Selvage
F
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,

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u
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Wovenfabric Knitfabric Nonwovenfabric
oo
WovenFabrics
Whenyouthinkoffabric,youusuallypicturea
wovenfabric,whichisconstructedonaloom.
Theloomisfrstloadedwithwarp yarns (theyre
calledyarns,eventhoughtheyreusuallythinner
thansewingthread).Theseyarnsbecomethe
lengthwisegrain(straightgrain)ofthefabric.
Theyhavetobestrongenoughtowithstand
beingstretchedandpulledbackandforth.Then
wef,orlling,yarnsarewovenoverandunder
thewarpyarns.Theseyarnsformthecrossgrain
ofthefabric.Theyaretypicallynotasstrongas
thewarpyarnsandhavealitlestretchtothem.
Nomaterwhatprintingmethodyoureusing,you
wanttomakesuretheprintison grain,notskewed
relativetothewarporwefthreads.Whensew-
istscutoutfabric,especiallyforgarments,they
arecarefultocutfabricsongrain;otherwise,the
garmentdoesnthangcorrectlyonthewearers
body.Grainisalsoimportantforknitfabrics,
eventhoughtheydonthaveawarpandwef.
Thebiasisanimaginedlinethatrunsdiago-
nallyacrossthefabric.Fabriccutonthe
bias(thetruebiasis45)isverystretchy.
Cutingonthebiascanbeusefulformaking
trimthatgoesaroundcornersandcurvesor
formakinggarmentsthatdrapeandswirl.
Theselvageisformedalongtheedgesofthe
fabric,wherethewefyarnsturntotravelback
acrossthewarp.Thisareaiswovenmoretightly
thanthemainbodyofthefabricforstability
throughoutthemanufacturingprocess.(When
sewing,youusuallycutoftheselvages.)Afab-
ricsidentifyinginformationisprintedonthe
selvage.Lately,quiltershavehadfunusingsel-
vagestripsinscrappypatchworkprojects,and
designershaverespondedbymakingthesel-
vagesjustasbeautifulasthefabricsmainprint.
Informationprintedontheselvagewasoncepurelyfunc-
tional.Nowdesignersarestartingtogetcreative,adding
theirlogosandusingmotifsfromthedesignascolorspots.
o
ASICWLAVLS
Understandingthethreebasicweavesandtheirvaria-
tionsisthekeytounderstandingthediferencesamong
fabrics.Theweavedeterminessurfacetextureandsheen
andcontributestostrength,drape,andotherfactors.
|a|nwoavoisthemostbasictype.Eachwefyarntravels
overandthenunderadjacentwarpyarns.Thisfabrictearsand
wrinkleseasily,butitprovidesanexcellentbaseforprinting.
Tw|||woavoreferstoanyofanumberofvariationsinwhich
eachwefyarntravelsovertwoormorewarpyarnsandthen
passesunderthewarpyarns.Thepaternisstaggeredfor
eachwefyarn,creatingdistinctdiagonallinesonthefnished
fabric.Herringboneandhoundstootharevariationsofthe
basictwillweave.Twillsareverystronganddifculttorip.
Sat|nwoavoisatypeinwhicheitherthewarporwefyarns
aretheface,foatingoverfourormoreoftheopposite
yarnsbeforepassingunderone,andthenfoatingoverfour
ormoreandthenunderoneagain.Unliketwills,theintersec-
tionsdonotformadiagonalpatern.Thesatinweaveyields
averylustroussurfaceandisalsohighlytear-resistant.
Plain weave

Twill weave

Satin weave
||ofabr|csaremadebyloopinganextrasetofyarnthrougha
wovenorknitbase.Theloopsarethencut(astheyarewithvelvet,
velveteen,andcorduroy)orcanremainuncut(asinterrycloth).
Knits
Knitsareconstructedfromonecontinuouspieceofyarnthatis
interlooped.Thereareseveraltypesofknitfabrics,dependingon
howtheyarestitched.Columnsofstitchesarecalledwales,and
rowsarecalledcourses.Typically,knitfabricsaremorestretchy
anddrapeythanwovens.Thoughknitsareacommonbasecloth
fortraditionalmassproductionanddigitalprinting,andprintingon
knitT-shirtsisabigindustry,knityardageisnotagreatcandidate
forDIYprintingmethodsbecauseofitsstretchiness.Withknits,
likewovens,youwanttomake
surethatyourdirectionalprints
areongrainwiththewales
andcourses.
Nonwovens
Nonwovensareformedfrom
loosefbersthatarenaturally
mated(suchaswoolfelt)or
chemicallyadheredtogether
(suchassyntheticfelt).You
dontofenseemass-produced
printedfelt,andIvenotyet
seenitasabaseclothfordigital
printing,buttheresnoreason
nottouseitwithhand-printing
methods.Sincethisfabrichasno
grainanddoesnotravelorroll
upwhencut,youdonthaveto
worryaboutprintingongrain.
Ground
weave
Ground
weave
Looppile,cutpile,andnonwovenstructures
oz
FiberTypes
Fabricsaremadeofplant,animal,
orsyntheticfbers.
CoRonisthemostpopularandwidespreadof
allfbers.Itsversatile,strong,cool,absorbent,
andeasytocareforandworkwith.Itsalsoavail-
ableinawidevarietyofweavesandtextures.
Otborp|ant-basodborsincludelinen,which
ismadefromthefaxplant;hemp,madefroma
similarplantwhosefbersarerougherthanlinen
unlessfurtherprocessed;andrayon,whichsits
onthefencebetweenanaturalandasynthetic
fber.Itsfbersarederivedfromthecellulose
ofwoodorplants(includingbamboo)andthen
processed.Rayonisalsoknownasviscoseand
Modal(aversiontrademarkedbyLenzingAG).
Theseplant-basedfabricsaremoreexpensive
thancotonbutlessexpensivethananimalfbers.
An|ma|borsincludesilk,whichisaflament
(asingle,fnethread)harvestedfromunreeled
cocoonsofthesilkworm.Silkismostlyassociated
withwomenswearandaccessorieslikescarves
andties,butheavier,frmersilkscanalsobe
madeintobags,homedcoritems,andquilts.
Woolandotheranimalhairfberslike
camelhairandcashmerearerarelyprinted.
Theoretically,youcouldprintontowool
usingfber-reactiveoraciddyes(thickened
ifscreen-printing)orpigments,thoughthe
latermaynotsurviveabrasionorwashing.
Syntbot|cs,whether100%syntheticorsynthetic-
blendfabricsincludingpolyester,acrylic,nylon,
andspandex,aremadebyusingseveraltypes
ofmanufacturedfbers.Retailsyntheticfabrics
usuallydonothavetheirownnomenclaturebut
aremarketedasinexpensiveversionsoffamiliar
naturalfabrics;forexample,charmeuse,sateen,
orbroadcloth.However,somespecialsynthetic
fabricsarefeaturedlaterinthischapter.
Thoughsyntheticfabricsaretheleastexpensive
ontheretailmarket,asadigitalprintingbasecloth
theyaretypicallymoreexpensivethancoton.
FabricWeight
Enduseandfabricweightgohandinhand.
Themostdelicateprojectscallforlightweight
fabrics;projectsthatwillundergolotsofuse,
cleaning,andwearneedtough,heavyfabrics.
Betweenthoseendsofthespectrumarea
myriadofprojecttypes,eachwithitsownrange
ofsuitableweights.Followingisaguidetothe
terminologyusedindescribingfabricweight.
Withtheexceptionofsilk,whichhasitsown
system,fabricweightisusuallyexpressed
asouncespersquareyard(orgramsper
squaremeter).Note:Be aware that some-
times the weight is measured per linear
yard or meter, which can be misleading.
Sometimesafabricsuppliermayonlydescribe
theweightinsubjectivetermsaslight-orhand-
kerchiefweight(lessthan4oz.),mediumweight
(approximately46oz.),orheavyweight(more
than6oz.).Sometimesthesuppliermightnot
knowtheweightatall.Forapparelfabrics,top-
weight,botomweight,andcoatingweightare
alsousedtosubjectivelydescribefabrics.
Ingeneral,themostlightweightfabrics(top-
weights)aretypicallyusedforapparel(blouses,
scarves,andsometimesskirts).Medium-to
heavyweights(alsoknownasbotomweights)
arealsousedforpantsandskirts.Medium
weightsarebestforquilts,accessories,and
crafs.Heavyweightsareusedinhomedcor,
especiallyforupholstery,sinceupholstered
furnituremuststanduptothegreatestwear.
Silkismeasuredinmomme,whichisabbreviated
asmmandIwontblameyouifyoucontinue
toconfusetheabbreviationwithmillimeter
o
o
evenaferlearningthisfact.Eightmomme
equals1ounce,sodividethemommeweightby
8toconvertittothemorefamiliarouncesper
squareyard.Lightweightsilkisapproximately
20mmandbelow;mediumweightis2028mm,
andheavyweightisgreaterthan28mm.
YarnWeightandQuality
Forwovenfabrics,weightisdeterminedbythe
yarnweightanddensityoftheweave.Ifyou
sourcebasefabricswholesale,youmayencounter
termsrelatedtothesecharacteristics,aswellas
termsrelatedtoyarnquality.Youareprobably
familiarwiththread countfrombuyingbedsheets.
Althoughsheetthreadcountsasadvertised
aresometimespurposelymisleading,itistrue
thathighercountsequalhigherquality.Countis
expressedasthenumberofwarpyarnsandwef
yarnspersquareinch;forinstance,6868isa
standardcountforhigh-qualityquiltingcotons.
Yarn size(forspunfberslikecotonand
wool)ordenier(forflamentfberslikesilk
andsynthetics)describesthethicknessofthe
yarn;highernumbersindicatefneryarns.
Undorstand|ngIDIabr|cs
andpreprintedfabricsofanyfibertype,assuming
thereisnocoatingsuchaslamination.Tohavethe
bestchanceatacolorfastprint,though,prewash
allfabricsinhotwaterandmildlaundrysoap
(donotusedetergentswithopticalbrighteners,
scents,orothersuchadditives).
Ifyourehandprinting(seeStep-by-StepHand
Printing,page110),agoodguidelinetofollow
isthatifitstrickytosew,itsalsotrickytoprint.
Avoidlooseweaves,sheers,andverydrapey
orshiftyfabricsuntilyoureallyknowwhat
youredoing.
DonotconfusegreigefabricswithPFD/PFP.
Greigefabricsarethoseintheirpredyedorpre-
printedstate,butgreigegoodscomestraightoff
theloomandhavenothadthesizingorimpurities
removedsotheyhavelowdyeaffinity,andpig-
mentsinksmaynotadhereproperly.However,
bleached fabricsandmercerizedfabricshave
improveddyeaffinityandarefineforprintingtoo.
Mercerizationisaprocessofapplyingachemical
finishappliedtocottonfabricthatincreasesits
strengthandshine.
Theidealfabricstouseforhand-printingmethods
arelabeledprepared for dye(PFD)orprepared
for printing(PFP).
Whenweavingallkindsoffabric,anaturalor
syntheticchemicalcalledsizingisappliedtothe
warpyarnstohelpthemwithstandtherigorsof
theloom.Beforethesefabricscanbeprinted,the
sizinghastoberemovedfordyestoproperlyreact
tothefibersorforpigmentinkstobestadhere.
ThisremovalprocessyieldsPFDfabrics.
Technically,PFPfabricisevencleanerandthere-
foreyieldshigherqualityprints,butitsdifficultto
findretail.PFDfabricshoulddojustfineforhobby
andcottageindustryprinting.PFDandPFPfabrics
areanaturalbeigeorwhite.
Unlikedyes,whichchemicallyreactwithfibers
andbecomepartoftheirstructure,pigmentsarc
coloredparticlesthatadhereonthesurfaceto
fibersthroughbindingagents.SowhilePFD/PFP
fabricsprovidetheidealbaseforprinting,youre
innowaylimitedtothemifprintingwithpigments.
Pigmentinkscanadheretoalmostanypredyed
o
Lawn
Ilannol
QuilIingcoon
Muslin
Voilo
Gauzo
roadcloIh
ID
ID
ID
ID
I

ID
I

ID
I
ID
I
Cotton
Note: Fabrics are shown roughly in order of average weight.
Sheerplain-weavefabricwovenfromtightlytwisted,fine
yarns.Mostsuitableforapparel.
Semisheertoopaque,high-countplain-weavefabricusu-
allymadewithcombedyarns.Idealforapparel;alsoused
forquiltsandaccessories.
Vo||o
Lawn
Gauzo
roadc|otb
Qu||t|ng
cotton
Mus||n
I|anno|
o
Someofthefabricsincludedhere
areusuallyonlyprintedwithmass
productionmethods,butmostof
themareavailableasbaseclothsfor
digitalprintingorcanbepurchased
forhandprinting.
Verylooselywoven,sheerplain-weavefabric.Double
gauzetwolayersattachedwithtiny,intermittent
stitchesisapopularbaseclothamongJapanesemanu-
facturers.Thislight,drapey,andsoftyetopaquefabricis
suitableforapparel,crafts,andquilting.
Tightlywovenplain-weaveshirtingfabricwithtiny
crosswiseribs.
Plain-weave,medium-weightfabric.Availableinahuge
varietyofprints,solids,andyarn-dyes(theyarnsare
dyedbeforetheyarewovenontheloom).Lookfor
cotton sheetingwhichisanothertermforplain-weave
cotton,nottobeconfusedwithcottonbedsheetsfor
handanddigitalprinting.
Unbleached,undyed,andunprintedplain-weavefabric.
Availableinavarietyofqualities,weights,andwidths.
Oftenusedformoreutilitarianpurposeslikegarment
mock-upsandfoundationsforpatchwork.
Plain-weavecotton(sometimestwill)withsoft,loftytex-
tureachievedbyabrushingprocess.Usedforshirting
andbedding.
Commonly Printed Fabrics
= availableforprintingfrom
digitalprintingbureaus
= recommendedfor
hand-printingmethods
=widelyavailablePFD*
= commonlyprintedvia
volume-production
methods
*FabricslistedasPFDbutlackinga
I
arebettersuitedforfree-formdesigntech-
niques,suchaspaintingordyeing,orfor
printingbyexperiencedprinters.
I
ID
Leceuo
o
JorsoykniI
InIorlockkniI
SaIoon/saIin
SwoaIshirIooco
1will
VolvoIoon
Canvasandduck
olin
Corduroy
o
o/
ID
ID
ID
I

ID
I

ID
I
ID
I

ID
I

ID
I
JorsoykniI
InIorlockkniI
olin
SaIoon/saIin
Corduroy
VolvoIoon
1will
Canvas
andduck
SwoaIshirI
Ilooco
Hand-knittingequivalentisknitstockinettestitch(knit
stitchesonthefront,purlsonthebacksothereisa
rightandawrongside).Hasacrosswisestretch.Usedfor
apparel.
Closesthand-knittingequivalentisribbedstitch;does
nothavearightorwrongside(unlessprinted).Usually
thickerandbetterqualitythanjersey.Hasacrosswise
stretch.Usedforapparel.
Tight,strongribweaveusingthickerormultiplewarp
yarns.Closetobroadclothbutabitheavier.Usedforall
kindsofapparel;agoodall-purposefabric.
Fine,high-countfabric;itsdistinctiveshinecomesfrom
thesatinweave.Sateenhasweftfloats,andsatinhas
warpfloats.Usedforapparel,homedcor,andcrafts.
Plainpileweaveconstructedwithanextrasetofweft
yarns,whicharecutandbrushedintodistinctivewales.
Printedcorduroysareoftenfinewale.Weightvaries;
applicationsrangefromshirtingtoupholstery.
Thecottonversionofvelvetisanothertypeofpile
weave(thoughclosercutandnotaslushasvelvet).
Multipurposecanbeusedforapparel,crafts,and
homedcor.
Variouskindsoffabricwovenwithatwillweave.Strong,
durable,doesnotrip.Usesrangefrompantsandskirtsto
upholstery,dependingonweight.Denim,gabardine,and
chinoaretwills.
Heavyweight,relativelystiffplainweave,usedforbags,
upholstery,andotherheavy-dutyapplications.Duck
tendstobecoarserandmorelooselywoventhancanvas.
Thismedium-weightfabrichasajerseyknitfaceanda
nappedback.Thenappedsidelendssturdiness,which
makesthisfabriceasiertohandprintthanotherknits.
o8
Hom
Silk
charmouso/saIin
Crinklorayon
WoolIolI
Chinasilk/haboIai
Rayonchallis
Linon
Silkcroo
Nylon-Lycra
Silkchion/goorgoo
Duionisilk
olyosIorooco
oy
Plain-weave,verylightweight,sheer
fabricswovenwithcrepe(tightly
twisted)yarnsforarough-yet-
pleasanttexture.Georgetteisslightly
heavierthanchiffon.Difficulttosew;
usedforwomenswearandscarves.
Strong,absorbent,cool,lint-free
fabric;hasnostretch.Takesdyeand
printingeasily;naturalcoloralsohas
manyfans.Weightrangesfromlight/
handkerchiefuptoupholstery,with
anattendantrangeofuses.
ID
ID
ID
I

ID
ID
ID
ID
I
ID
I
ID
olyosIor
Ilooco
Nylon-Lycra
Crinklorayon
Rayonchallis Linon
SilkchiIIon/
goorgoIIo
Chinasilk/
haboIai
Silkcroo
Duionisilk
WoolIolI
Silkcharmouso/
saIin
Silky,gauzyfabricwithacharac-
teristicwrinklytexture.Usedfor
apparel.
Afine,plain-woven,silky,light-to
medium-weightfabric.Usedfor
apparel.
Synthetics
Otherplant-basedfibers
ID
I
Hom Commonlyblendedwithother
fibers;agoodeco-friendlychoice.
Animalfibers
ID
I

Lightweight,smoothfabric,witha
lustrousplainweave.
Heavy,opaqueplainweaveusing
crepeyarns,whichyieldadistinct
rough-yet-softtexture.
Opaque,shiny;theultimatedrapey
fabric,distinguishedbyasatin
weave.
Medium-toheavyweight,firm,
plain-weavefabricmadewiththick,
irregular,slubbyweftyarns.Lighter
weightscanbeusedforapparel;
heavierweightsareoftenusedin
homedcorandcrafts.
Anonwoven,sturdyfabricthatis
greatforstuffedtoysandothercrafts
andforhomedcoritemssuchas
coastersandplacemats.Hasnograin
anddoesnotravel.Availableinsev-
eralthicknesses;alsoavailableinless
expensivewool/rayonblends.
Thicklynappedyetlightweight
knittedorwovenpolyesterfabric.
Usedforblankets,hats,jackets,cloth
diapers.Bewareoflower-quality
fleece,whichispronetopilling.
Four-waystretchfabricusedfor
athleticwearandmostwomens
swimwear.Lycraisatrademarked
versionofspandexfilamentyarn.
eco-couscious cnoices
Unfortunately, cotton is environmentally unfriendly

when conventionally farmedit requires heavy
fertilizer and pesticide use. Furthermore, the
cotton industry has always been controver-
sial from an economic and labor standpoint.
However, the demand for organic and fair-trade
cotton is on the rise, and the industry worldwide
is showing signs of improvement. Linen, which is
made from the multipurpose flax plant, is rela-
tively gentle on the environment compared with
cotton, as is hemp. Also, the processing that
wood cellulose fibers undergo to become rayon
fabric may be polluting to the environment.
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o

Step-by-Step Hand Printing
Though this chapter focuses on block

and screen printing, I encourage you
to explore less regimented methods
such as paper stencils, resist dyeing,
direct painting, and needleworkon
their own and in combination with
other techniques. If you want to use
more colors, which tends to equal
more headaches with block and
screen printing, try coloring your
prints freestyle with fabric paints or
adding a textural layer with embroi-
dery. Lately, interest has surged
in altering preprinted fabric with
bleaching, overdyeing, and appliqu;
why not print over it too? You can use
fabric in an infinite variety of ways to
express your point of view just fine.
ofnen efnoos fo fnv
Foryourfrstprintsonfabric,DIYmethodsarefun,Luddite-
friendly,andprovidethemostinstantgratifcation.Though
therearemanywaystodecoratethesurfaceofcloth,thedesign
stylesthatspeaktomemostarecreatedwiththeregular,
repeatable,durable,graphicprintingmethods:blockprinting
andscreenprinting.Evenwithasmalltemporarystudiosetup
atyourkitchentable,youcanproduceseveralyardsatatime
withthesemethods.
|ockpr|nt|ngisbyfarthecheapestandeasiestentrypointinto
fabricprinting.Usingablockoflinoleumorrubber,youcarve
awaythenonprintingareasofyourdesign.Thenyourollink
ontotheblockandpresstheinkeddesignontoyourfabric.
Scroonpr|nt|ngisaformofstencilingusingafne-meshfabric
stretchedontoaframe.Youcanadherelow-techstencils
madeofpapertoscreens,butthegoldstandardfordurability
anddetailisthephoto emulsion stencil.Theseareburned
ontothescreenusingtechniquesdescribedintheScreen
Printingtutorial(page119).Withthismethod,inkispressed
throughtheopenareasofthedesignontothefabric.
Bothblock-andscreen-printingmethodshavetheirownlearning
curves.Ittakesexperiencetoachieveclean,consistentimpres-
sions,soexpectsomeinitialfailuresandjusthavefun.Thetutorials
inthischapterareforprintingrepeats,buttobeterensureasuc-
cessfulprintrun,beginnersmaywishtoscalebackandprintfree
formusingblocksorscreenscontainingsinglemotifs,perhapson
smallerpiecesofclothratherthanonrunningyardage.
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Almostanythingcanbeusedforstampinga
designontoasurface.Onthelowerendofdura-
bilityarecutvegetables,leaves,andfoam;and
onthehigherendareblocksofwood,rubber,
andlinoleum.Inthisbook,wellconcentrateon
rubberandlinoleum(lino)blocks,whichareboth
readilyavailableinmostartandgraphicssupply
stores.Linoleumcomesprecutinrectangles
rangingfromacoupleofsquareinchestoacouple
ofsquarefeet,bothmountedontowoodand
unmounted,andisalsoavailableinrolls.Rubber
blockscomeinsizesuptoaboutonesquarefoot.
ubborb|ocksareseriouslyfuntoworkwith.
Cutingissmoothandeasy.ThoughIpreferto
cutdesignsusingalinoleumblockcuterand
blades,manypeopleuseasimplecrafknifeor
scalpel.Sincetheblockisfexible,itcouldbreak
intopiecesiffoldedorcuttoodeeply.Also,the
surfaceismorepronetonicksthanlinoleum.
Block-printingtools
andsupplies
fufonitL
BLOCKPRINTING
MountthecarvedblocksonthickPlexiglasusing
E6000adhesive.BuyPlexiglassheetsfromahome
improvementstore,ideallyonethatwillcutitto
sizeforyouforfree.Manufacturersrecommend
usingonlywater-basedinksforrubberblocks,but
Ihaveusedoil-basedinkswithoutaproblem.
L|nob|ocksaremoredifculttocut,thoughsome
typesaresoferthanothers.Skilledcarverscan
getmuchmoredetailedanddelicatecutswithlino
thanwithrubber,andtherelativedurabilitymay
maketheaddedworkworthwhile.Thematerial
mustbepresandedandsecuredtoatablebya
clamporbenchhookforcuting.(Abenchhookis
asturdymetalplatewithmetallipsontwosidesto
wraparoundthetableandtouseasastopwhen
carvingthelinoblock.Speedballsbenchhook
candoubleasaplateforrollingink.)Warmingthe
linointhesunorwithahouseholdironmakesfor
smoothercuting;rewarmitperiodicallyasyou
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MA1LRIALS
This list includes what you need for
both rubber and lino block printing.
Rubber or linoleum block
large enough to contain one
full repeat of your design
Block of wood or Plexiglas on which
to mount carved block (optional)
Sharp utility knife if motifs will be
cut from the rubber or lino and
adhered to wood or Plexiglas
Bone folder or old buter knife
for transferring pencil drawing
Cellophane tape
Vcllum
Sof pencil
Marker
Linoleum cuter handle and blades
Brayer
Small piece of glass, Plexiglas,
or metal sheet for rolling ink
Fabric for printing
Fabric pen with disappearing or water-
soluble ink, available in quilting stores
Transparent quilting ruler, also
available in quilting stores
Inks (see Choosing Ink, at lef)
Vegetable oil and degreasing
cleaner for nontoxic cleanup,
if using oil-based ink
FORLINOONLY
Sandpaper
C-clamps or bench hook
Graphite transfer paper (optional)

cut.Linoleummaybepurchasedunmountedorpremountedto
woodblocks.Unmountedlinohasanadvantageforfabricprinting
becauseyoucancutoutthemotifsindividuallyandthenplaceand
adherethemtotransparentPlexiglasthathasbeenmarkedonits
undersidewiththerepeatboundaries.
Linoisthinnerthanrubberblocks,sothegougemarkslef
whenyoucarveawaythenonprintingareastendtoshow
upintheprint(especiallywhenyoureprintingonapadded
surface,wheretheblocksinksintothebasecloth).Ifyou
dontlikethislook,usecut-outpiecesmountedonPlexiglas,
orchooserubber,whichcanbecutmoredeeply.
Ifthisisyourfrsttimeworkingwithlinocuting,practiceona
smallpiecetogetthehangofhowthevariousgougesandlinecut-
terswork(hereafercalledblades).Practicecutingalongcurved
andintersectinglinesandcutingoutsmallareas.Keepyourtools
sharp,alwayscutawayfromyourbody,andusesafetygoggles.
Thistutorialshowshowtoprintadesignwithmotifs
thatoverlaptherepeatboundaries.Printingisdone
onapaddedsurfacethatyoucanprepareyourself,as
describedinCreatingaWorkSurface(page131).
Block-printinginkshaveahighviscosity,sotheysticktothesur-
faceoftheblockwithoutdrippingintothenonprintingareas.
Oil-basedblock-printinginksarethebestforprintingonfabric.
Water-basedblock-printinginksarenotwash-fast.However,once
printed,oil-basedinksmustbeair-curedforweeksbeforewashing.
Itispossibletousescreen-printinginks,butittakesexperimenta-
tionwithdifferentbrandsandthickeningagentstoachievethe
necessaryviscosity.
Ifworkingwithoil-basedinks,
makesureyouhavegoodventila-
tionintheroom.Asanalternative
toturcntlncormlncralslrlts,
cleanequipmentwithvegetableoil
followedbyanontoxicdegreaser.
Ifthecoloryouwantisnotavail-
ablepremixed,purchaseprimary
colorsandmixthemtogetherby
hand,usingacolorwheel(see
UsingColorTheory,page62).
Cboos|ngInk
Oil-basedinks

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Instructions
PreparingtheBlock
1.Drawafullsinglerepeatofyourdesignor
printitfromthecomputerontoasheetof
vellum,includingtherectangleindicatingthe
repeatboundaries.Thisrectanglewillserve
asaguidetoregisterthedesignontheblock
andtotransfertherepeatboundarymarksto
thesidesoftheblock.Thetransparencyofthe
vellumallowsyoutoplacethedesignoverthe
block,wrongsideup,andstillseethedesign
forthetransferprocessinthenextstep.
2.Ifusinglino,sandthesurfaceoftheblock;this
helpsittoholdtheink.Transferthedesignto
theblockbyplacingasheetofgraphitetransfer
paperontheblock,placingthedesignoverthe
graphitepaper,thentracingoverthedesignwith
apencil.Ivefoundthatthegraphitetransfer
paperdoesnotworkwiththesofersurfaceof
rubberblocks,though,soyoumustcolorinthe
printingareaswithasofpencil.Youcanalso
drawdirectlyontheblock,butkeepinmindthat
theimagewillbereversedinprinting.(FigureA)
3.Registerthevellum,designsidedown,to
theblock.Usethetransparentrulertoensure
thatthesidesoftherepeatboundaryrect-
angleareparalleltotheedgesoftheblock.
Tapethepapertotheblock.(FigureB)
4.Forrubberblocks,transferthedesignby
rubbingthebackofthevellumwiththebone
folderorthetipofabuterknife.Ifusing
graphitepaperandlino,tracethedesign.Lif
thepaperfromthebotomedgetocheckthat
thedesignistransferringthoroughly.Donot
yetremovethepaper.(FiguresCandD)
Registerdesigntotheblockandtransferrepeatboundaries.
C
Transferthedesign. D
Fillinprintingareastotransfertoblock. A

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Transferrepeatboundaries.
Inkingovertheblock
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I
Carveawaylargeareas.
Detailedcarving Whichwayisup?
G
H I
5.Iftherepeatboundariesaresmallerthan
theblock,placearuleragainsteachofthe
4sidesoftherectangle,indicatingtherepeat
boundarylines.Makemarksonthesidesofthe
blocktoindicatewheretheseboundarylines
willlie.Youshouldendupwith2markson
eachedgeoftheblock.Otherwise,therepeat
boundariesaretheblockcorners.(FigureE)
.Whenyouarefnished,removethedesign.
Iftherearelightorincompletelytrans-
ferredareas,darkenthemotifsoutlineson
theblockwithapenorpencil.(FigureF)
7.Ifyouareusinglino,secureittoatabletop
withaclamporbenchhookbeforecarving(no
needtodothisforrubber).Usethelinoleum
blockcarverwiththecutingbladeofchoice.
Carveawaythenonprinting/backgroundareas
ofthedesignwithgouges,andthentacklethe
moredetailedareas,curves,andedgeswith
fnerline-cutingblades.(FiguresGandH)
8.Ifdesired,mountthecarvedblocktoPlexiglas
(ifrubber)orwood(iflino).Whetherornotyou
aremountingtheblock,labelthenonprinting
sidetoindicatewhichedgeisthetop.(FigureI)

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Rolltheinkontotheblock. C
Coatthebrayer.
PrintingtheFabric
Inthisprocess,youwillbeprintingrepeats
inrowsacrossthewidthofyourfabric.
Make test prints on scrap fabric first! Areas

for troubleshooting may include an uneven
printing surface, the design itself, the fabric
texture, or the amount or consistency of pres-
sure you apply to the block.
The fabric marker you use to mark the repeat
boundaries is crucialif it is a disappearing
ink marker, make sure the marks stay vis-
ible through the print run. If you are using a
water-soluble marker, test it first to make sure
it washes out of your fabric adequately. Also,
make marks on dried ink applied to your base
cloth to ensure those marks will wash out too.
fi
1. Cutorripthefabriccrosswisetoensurea
straightandsquareedge.Ironthefabricandplace
itontheprintingsurface.Printcrosswise,across
thefabric,ratherthanlengthwisewiththesel-
vages.(FigureA)
2.Spreadtheinkontotheglass,Plexiglas,
orotherfatsurfacewiththebrayer.This
helpsyoutogetanevenlayerofinkfor
rollingandprinting.Thebrayershouldbe
coatedwithathin,evenlayer.(FigureB)
3.Withthebrayer,rolltheinkontotheblock
inseveralcrosswisecoats.(FigureC)
Preparingforprintingrepeats A
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Printsubsequent
repeats.Botomlef
markonblockaligned
withfabricmarkmade
duringpreviousrepeat.
I
G
Printfrstrepeat. D
Transfermarksagain
aferprintingbut
beforelifingblock.
4.Placetheblockonthelowerlefcornerofthe
fabricandapplystrong,evenpressurewithyour
palms.Morepressureisneededforlinoleum
blocksthanforrubberblocks.Beforelifingthe
block,placemarksonthefabriccorresponding
tothetoplefandbotomrightmarks(onthe
sidesoftheblock)usingthedisappearingor
water-solublefabricmarker.(FiguresDandE)
If your repeat size equals the block size, your

job is a bit simpler. You only need to make marks
on the fabric at the corners of the block for a
square repeat. This would eliminate the need for
a ruler to align the block each time you print.
fi
5.Liftheblock,startingononeedgeandholding
thefabricdown.Reapplyinktotheblockforthe
nextimpression.Alignthebotomlefrepeat
markontheprintingblockwiththeprevious
botomright-handmarkonthefabric.Repeat
thisprocessacrossthewidthofthefabric.Use
thetransparentrulerasaguideforvertical
alignmentlaythetopoftheruleragainstthe
toprepeatboundarymarksonthefabricas
shown.Ifinkgetsontheruler,wipeitofbefore
printingthenextrepeat.(FiguresF,G,andH)
L
Transfermarksonfabriccorrespondingtoupper
lefandlowerrightmarksonblock.
Repeatproceduredowntherow.
H
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.Toprintthesecondrow,you
alignthelowerrepeatmarkon
thelefedgeoftheprinting
blockwiththeverticalrepeat
markonthefabric,asshown.
Usetherulertoalignthemarks
onthebotomoftheblockwith
thecorrespondingmarksfrom
thepreviousrow.Repeatthis
processforsubsequentrows.
Ifyourblockwillprintofthe
fabricinthefnalrow,place
scrappaperunderneaththe
fabricsothattheblockwill
printonit.(FiguresI,J,andK)
7.Whenfnishedprinting,
cleanallequipmentwith
vegetableoilanddegreaser
(foroil-basedinks)orwater
(ifusingthickened,water-
basedscreen-printinginks.
Printsubsequentrows.
I J
k
Makingmarksaferthefrst
printinthesecondrow
Makingthesecondprint
inthesecondrow
LFinishedfabric
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y
Somewaysofprintingonfabricarefareasier,but
noneareassatisfyingasthetime-testedtechnique
ofscreenprintingbyhand.Itsaprocessfullof
trialanderror(evenforexperts),butwhenyou
fnallygetitright,thehand-renderedqualityofthe
printandthetextureoftheinkarewonderful.
Thescreen-printingprocessdescribedhereuses
thephotoemulsionmethodtocreateastencil
onthescreen.Liquidemulsionisappliedtoa
screen,whichisafnepolyestermeshstretched
ontoaframe.Adesignpositiveisplacedagainst
thedriedemulsionandexposedtoultraviolet
(UV)light.EmulsionexposedtoUVlighthardens,
butwashesoutinareasblockedbytheopaque
areasofthedesignpositive.Thiscreatesastencil
forprinting.Toprint,inkisforcedthroughthe
openareasofthescreenwithasqueegee.
fufonitL
SCREENPRINTING
Veryfnedetailcanbeachievedwiththephoto
emulsionmethod.Aswithblockprinting,screen
printingcanbedoneusinglower-techways
(forexample,acardstockstenciltapedtothe
screen),butdurabilityisthekeyhere,especially
whenitcomestoprintingrepeats.Foradurable
alternativetoliquidemulsionthatdoesnot
requireUVlightexposure,seekouthand-cut
stencilflms.Youcantachieveasgreatalevel
ofdetailwiththistypeofstencil,butitisfaster
andsimplerthanthephotoemulsionmethod.
Thistutorialwillshowyouhowtoprinta
basicrepeatontoahalf-widthof45-wide
fabric(whichcouldbecutintoandsoldasfat
quarters).Thisisamanageablesetupfora
makeshifhomeprintingstudio.Printingonto
fabricrequiresaspecialpaddedsurface.Ive
includedinstructionsforbuildingsuchasur-
faceinCreatingaWorkSurface(page131).
Screen-printing
suppliesandmaterials
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FORSCREENPREP
Screen (Prepare 1 for a test
screen; then either reclaim it
or prepare a second screen
for your fnal printing.)
Screen degreaser
Positive printout of the design
C-clamp (optional)
Scoop coater (a couple of inches
narrower than your screens
internal height or width)
lastlcorrubbcrsatulas
Metal T-square
cncll
Cellophane tape
Rags or paper towels
Photo emulsion made for water-
based inks, premixed according
to manufacturers instructions
Light source (sun can be used)
Safelight
Timer
MA1LRIALS
Glass, cut either slightly smaller
than the internal dimensions
of the screen or slightly larger
than the external dimensions of
the screen, depending on expo-
sure setup (see exposure setup
option diagrams, page123)
Upholstery foam cut to either the
internal dimensions of the screen
or larger than the external dimen-
sions of the screen, depending
on exposure setup (see exposure
setup option diagrams, page123)
Dark area for drying (cabinet,
closet, or cardboard box)
Pressure washer or a hose
with a sprayer nozzle
Tub for washout
Blockout pen or small paintbrush
Emulsion remover
Gloves
Scrub brush
Ventilation mask
Safety goggles
Cboos|ngaScroon
Sincewereallfabricgeekshere,youmightappreciateknowingthatscreen-printingmeshisaplain-
weavefabricwovenfrompolyestermonofilamentthread.Thescreenmeshcountreferstothenumber
ofthreadscrossingpersquareinch.Thehigherthenumber,thefinerthemesh,andthefinerdetailyou
canachieve.Themeshcountyouneeddependsbothontheinkyoureusingandthesurfaceontowhich
youreprinting.Forwater-basedpigmentinksandsmooth,medium-toheavyweightfabrics,startinthe
low-to-mid100s.Gocoarser(below100)ifusingnoveltyinksorwhenprintingontexturedfabric.Go
higher(high100sto200s)ifprintingonverylightweightfabrics.Chooseameshcountbetween110
and155forsmooth,tightlywovenfabrics,lowerfortexturedfabricsandhigherforlightweightorsheer
fabrics.Meshcomesinwhiteandyellowcolors;yellowisbetterforfinedetailathighermeshcounts.
Aluminumframesaresuperiortowood,especiallyforprintingwithwater-basedinks.
FORPRINTING
T-pins
Scrccntac
Squeegee (width must be between
design width and screen width)
Water-based inks (see All
About Inks, page130)
Plastic containers with lids
Retarder
Roll of paper or test fabric
PFD fabric
Apron to protect clothes
Printing surface (see Creating
a Work Surface, page131)
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Preparing the Design Positive
ondor|ngopoatsfor
Handr|nt|ng
Bothblock-printingandscreen-printingtechniquesrequireyou
tocreateapositiveofyourdesign.Ifyourrepeatissmallandyour
blockorscreenislarge,youmaywishtoincludeseveralrepeats
onthepositivetomakeprintingmoreefficient.Donotcutmotifs
offattherepeatboundariesthatwillmakeregistration(aligning
thesubsequentprintimpressions)anightmare.Whenever
possible,zigzagtheseamsasshowntominimizetheimpactof
registrationerrors.
Edge of 20 24
transparency
Top edge of repeat
Registration
mark (even
with repeat
edge)
Registration
mark (even
with repeat
edge)
Repeat
boundaries
(16 22)
(imaginary
line, not
printed)
Zigzagged edge
(imaginary line, not
printed)
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o
f

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Selvage
information
(optional)
Forthistutorial,Iamprinting
alongthewidthof221/2fabric
(45widthoffabriccutinhalf
lengthwise).Iusedascreen
withexternaldimensionsof
3040fora1622
repeat,whichmeasured
191/222aferzigzaggingthe
joins(seeatright).Yourscreen
sizewilldependonyourdesign
andfabricwidth,andyoucan
calculatethesizesyouneedby
referringtothechart(page131).
Foryourfrstouting,aone-color,
spaceddesignwithboldlines
ormotifsisideal.Itcangetcon-
fusingtotalkaboutlengthsand
widthsandedges,sorefertothe
diagramtogetyourbearings.
SinceIamprintingacrossthe
fullwidthofmyfabric(22),my
designonlyrepeatsatthetop
andbotomedges;itwasntnec-
essarytorepeatalongthesides.
Includeselvageinformation
ontherightedgeofyour
designifdesired.Alsoinclude
1/4registrationmarksacross
withinacircleintheselvage
atthetopandbotomedges
oftherepeat.Youcanuse
blockoutfuidtocoverthem
latersotheydontprint.The
printmustbeasopaqueas
possibleontransparentflm,
vellum,ormateMylar(Iusedthelaterinthistutorial).Inquire
withlocalscreen-printshops,blueprintservices,orarchitec-
turalprinterstoprintlargepositivesonthesesubstrates.
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PreparingtheScreen
Degreasethescreenbysprayingthedegreaser
ontothedryscreenandbrushingwithascrub
brush.Followthescreendegreasermanufacturers
recommendationsonsafehandlinganddisposal.
Rinse,andthenletthescreendrythoroughly.
COATTHLSCLLN
Coatthescreenwithphotoemulsioninaroom
withambientartifciallightonly(adarkroom
withsafelightisideal,butnotrequired).
1.Leanthedegreased,dryscreenagainsta
doorframeandplaceaC-clampabovethe
frame,orhaveapartnerholditinplace.
2.Fillthescoopcoaterhalf to three-quarters
fullofemulsion.Holdthescoopcoaternear
thebotomofthescreenandtipittowardthe
screen.Startingoneithersideofthescreen,pull
alayerofemulsionuptonearthetopedgeof
thescreen.Atthetop,tipthescoopcoaterback,
andshakeitsidetosidetogetasmoothfnish
tothepull.Youwantalltheemulsiontofallback
inthetroughofthecoaterandnotdripoverthe
edge,becausethatwillmakeamessasyouadd
morecoats.Evenoutanyblobswithasqueegee,
scrapingexcessbackintotheemulsioncontainer
witheachpass.Repeatforanothercoatandalso
put2coatsontheothersideofthescreen.
3.Inacompletelydarkroom,closet,cabinet,or
box,laythescreentodryfat,squeegee/wellside
up,proppedonblocks,sothatthephotoemulsion
doesnttouchanythingwhileitdries.Theemul-
sionisdrywhenitisnolongertackytothetouch.
LGISTLTHLOSITIVLTOTHLSCLLN
Completethisstepinadarkroomwithasafelight,
anddontrush,asevenslightmisalignmentscan
ruinyourprinting.Aclosetorabedroomwith
blackoutshadeswillalsowork.
Placeyourpositiveonthesideofthescreen
thatwillbefacingthelightsource(seephoto
below).Itmustberight-readingfromthe
squeegeeside.WiththemetalT-square,align
thepositivesregistrationmarkssothattheyare
perfectlyparalleltotheoutsidebotomedgeof
theframeandtapethepositivedownsecurely
withtransparentcellophanetape(checkalign-
mentagainafertapingtomakesurenoshifing
occurred).Exacthorizontalorverticalcen-
teringontothescreenisnotcriticalonlythat
theregistrationmarksarecorrectlyaligned.
Registerpositivetoscreen.
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LXOSLATLSTSCLLN
Createoneofthesetupsshown(below)andexposeatestscreen.Be
extremely careful handlingglasssheets.Forscreenslargerthanacouple
offeetinwidthorlength,aprofessionalexposureunitisrecommended.
Chairs
Positive, right side down
Screen,
squeegee
side up
Black fabric
Upholstery foam
Weights
glass
Approx. 6
Sun
Aluminum
pendant lamp
ed with
plant grow light
or 500-wa
photo ood bulb
Glass, cut slightly smaller than
internal screen dimensions
Positive, right side up
Screen,
squeegee
side up
Black fabric
wrapped
around
upholstery
foam block
OR
Twosetupsforexposingscreens
Toomanyvariables,includingemulsionbrandand
thickness,screensize,designpositivetype,and
lightsource,preventgivingevenaballparkesti-
mateofexposuretime;soconsultwithyourlocal
supplyshoporemulsionmanufacturer,orcheck
ontheInternettodetermineastartingrangeof
exposuretime.Usetheresultsfortheexposure
timeofyourfnalscreenlater.
Forthetest,youcanuseyourdesignpositiveora
specialexposurecalculator,availablefromscreen-
printingsupplyshops.Followthemanufacturers
instructionsforusingtheexposurecalculator,or
ifyouareusingyourdesignpositive,covermost
oftheimagewithanopaquepieceofpaper.At
equaltimeintervals,suchas10,30,or60sec-
onds,movethepaperdowntouncovermoreof
thedesign.Jotdownhowmuchexposureeach
areareceived.Immediatelyafertheexposure,
removethedesignpositive.Avoidingfurtherexpo-
suretolight,movethescreentoatubandwash
thescreenwithapowerwasherorstrongnozzle
atachedtoahose.Unexposedareasshouldwash
outcleanly,whiletheexposedareasremain.Too
muchwashout(ordelamination)usuallymeans
thatyouunderexposedthearea,usedoldemul-
sion,didnotdegreasethescreenproperly,orthat
theemulsionwaslayeredtoothickly.Notenough
washoutmeansoverexposureatsomepointin
theprocess.Aperfectlyexposedscreenhascom-
pletewashoutintheprintingareas,sharpedgesto
themotifs,andnowashoutinnonprintingareas.
However,thelaterissuecansometimesbefxed
withablockoutpenorbyapplyingasmallamount
ofemulsionwithapaintbrush,andthendryingand
re-exposingthescreen.
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ofthedesigntothescreen.
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UNTHLSCLLN
Prepareandthenexposeyourfnalscreenfortheamountoftime
indicatedbytheresultsofthetestexposure.Aferyouwashit
outanditisdry,inspectthescreenagainstbacklighting,covering
anypinholeswithintheopaquedesignareaswithblockoutfuid
oremulsion(remembertoreexposethescreenifyoudothis).
Removetestphotoemulsionstencilsandfailedstencilswith
screenreclaimersolvent,followingthemanufacturerssafetyand
disposalrecommendations(alsoseeEnvironmentalandSafety
Considerations,page130).
Frame
Screen
Emulsion
minimum
between frame and
edge of artwork
minimum
Orientation of one-way designs
Repeat boundaries are
staggered to minimize
conspicuousness of
any registration errors.
Registration marks
indicating repeat
boundaries transferred
to outside edge of frame
Top of screen
3 minimum
3 minimum
Screen, ready to
tape and print
46
46
Iabr|cCbo|co
androparat|on
Prepared-for-dye(PFD)and
prepared-for-printing(PFP)
fabricsaretheidealchoicefor
homeprinting.Theyarefree
ofsizingandotherprocessing
agentsthatdecreasetheinks
bindingagentsfromadhering
tothefabricsurface.Start
yourprintingadventureswitha
smooth,tightlywoven,nonstretch,
medium-toheavyweightcellu-
losefiberfabric,suchascotton,
linen,hemp,orablendofthese.
Predyedorpreprintedfabric
canalsobeusedforprinting,
butkeepinmindthatinksvary
inopacityandthebasecolorwill
probablyaffecttheinkcolors.
Prewashingonhotwithmild
laundrysoapisrecommendedno
matterwhatkindofbasecloth
youreusing;evenPFD/PFPfab-
ricspickupdirtandoilsontheir
journeytoyou,andthissoiling
canaffectprintquality.Always
test-print,cure,andlaunderon
yourbaseclothofchoicebefore
attemptinglongerprintruns.
Formoreaboutfabrics,see
KnowYourSurface:Fabric
Basics(page98).
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rlntlng
Setup
1.Usingscreentape,covertheedgesofthescreenonthe
squeegee/wellsidethatarenotflledwithhardenedemul-
sion.WiththemetalT-square,makelinesontheouteredgeof
theframeonthesidecorrespondingwiththefabricselvage,
alignedwiththeregistrationmarksindicatingyourrepeat.
Transferregistrationmarkstoscreenframe.
Test your screen, ink, and squeegee skills by

printing first onto inexpensive paper. Once you
can achieve a consistent print, do a test repeat
run on fabric, using inexpensive muslin.
fi
Tapingthescreen
Tapingcompleted
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2.AgainusingtheT-square,measurefromthe
edgeoftheframetotheedgeoftheprint.This
measurementdetermineswhereonthetable
youwillplacetheedgeofthefabric.Place
piecesofmaskingtapealongthelengthofthe
tablethisdistanceawayfromthetopedge
oftheprintingsurfaceruler.Thefabricsel-
vagewillbealignedalongthemaskingtape.
Measurefromframeedgetoprintedge.
Measurefromthetopedgeoftheprintingsurfacerulerto
determinewheretolaytheedgeofthefabric,andplacetape.
3.Spreadthefabricontotheprintingsur-
face.Todeterminewhereyouwillbeplacing
thescreenforprintingeachrepeat,multiply
therepeatheightby2,3,4,5,andsoforth.
Jotdownwhereyourrepeatboundaries
willlie.Forexample,formy16repeat:
RooaI
Loh
rogisIraIionmark
RighI
rogisIraIionmark
O
2 2
2 o
o
oO
4.Laytheuninkedscreenontothefabricwhere
youwillbeprintingyourfrstrepeat.Usingthe
T-pins,securethefabrictotheprintsurface
justoutsidetheedgesofthescreenframe.
Repeatattheremainingodd-numberedrepeats.
Thiswillkeepthefabricfromlifinganddis-
tortingwhenyoulifthescreenaferprinting.
Pinningfabrictosurface
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PrintingProcedure
1.Ifdesired,mixyourinkwithretarderaccordingtothemanufac-
turersinstructions.Thiswillhelppreventthewater-basedinkfrom
dryinginthescreen,whichcanruinbothyourprintandyourscreen.
2.Forthefrstprintonly,youmustfrstood thescreen,meaning
youpushinkintotheprintingareaswhilethescreenisraisedof
thesubstrate.Propuponeedgeofthescreenwithacleanjaror
block.(Dontbetemptedtouseyourdrippyinkjar!)Pouraline
ofinkabovetheprintingarea.Allowafewinchesofspacefor
theinktositbetweentherestingsqueegeeandthetopofthe
printingarea.Pulltheinkacrossthescreenwiththesqueegee
ata60angle.Pushtheinkbacktothetopofthescreen.
Floodthescreen. Floodingthescreenpushinginkbackuptotopofscreen
Partnerholdsuptopedgeofscreenwhile
youaligntheregistrationmarks.
3.Haveapartnerremovethepropand
holdthetopofthescreenofthefabric
asyoualigntheregistrationmarkson
thescreenframeaccordingtothemea-
surementsyoudeterminedinSetup,
Step2(previouspage).Whenthescreen
isproperlyaligned,haveyourpartner
gentlylaythescreendownonthefabric.
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4.Testaprintonpaperlyingatopthefabricfrst.
Printthefrstrepeatbypullinginkoverthescreen
withthesqueegeeata60angleandthenpushing
inkbacktothetopofthescreen(seediagrams
below).Youwilllikelyneedtomake2or3printing
passesforaclearprint.Ittakespracticetogetthis
proceduredownwithevensqueegeepressure,
speed,andinkcoverage.Makesureyougetcon-
sistentprintsonpaperbeforemovingtofabric.
5.Printtheodd-numberedrepeatsdownthe
entirelengthofyourfabric,eachtimehaving
yourpartnerholdthetopedgeofthescreen
upwhileyoualignthemarksatthebotom.You
mustallowinktodrytothetouchonthefabric
beforeprintingtheeven-numberedrepeats.
Unfortunately,thiscreatesthedangeroftheink
dryinginthescreen.Usingretarderandfooding
thescreen(Step2,page127)betweensessions
willpreventthescreenfromdrying.Whenever
youpauseaprintingsession,makeatestprinton
paperbeforeresumingprintingonyourgood
fabric.Iftheinkisnotpassingthroughthescreen
wellyoucantellbecauseyourprintwillbelight
andblotchywashoutthescreenimmediately
withwaterandletitdrybeforeresuming.Also,
priortoprintingtheeven-numberedrepeats,
repeatSetup,Step4(page126),movingtheT-pins
tosecurethefabrictotheprintingsurface.
Theprintprocedure(postscreen
food)andsqueegeeangle
Pull ink toward you.
Push ink back.
Always end with ink on top.
3+
3+
4
LAST: Li and move screen to next alternating repeat.

1
2
3
4
5
6
I
f

n
e
e
d
e
d
Ink
Screen fabric
Vertical
axis
Pull
squeegee
at 60
angle.
45
Printingrepeats.Fabricwasrelocatedtoshow
allodd-numberedrepeatsinphoto.
rlntlngrccatslnactlon
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CleanupandCuring
Useaspatulatoscoopunusedinkfromthescreenbackinto
itsjar.Thoroughlywashthescreen(removescreentapeasyou
go),thesqueegee,andthespatulawithwater(andadiluted
cleaningagent,ifrecommendedbytheinkmanufacturer).
Aferairdrying,water-basedinksrequireheatsetingtocure.
Themanufacturerusuallyspecifesthetimeandtemperature
needed(lookfortechnicalspecsonthemanufacturersweb-
siteifnotincludedwiththeink).Forhomeprinting,curingcan
beachievedbyironing(alwaysuseapressingcloth)ortumble
drying.Heatsetwhentheinkisnolongertackytothetouch.
I|n|sbodfabr|c
AdvancodTocbn|quos
Scroonpr|nt|ngfu||-w|dtbfabr|csisalmostthesameprocessas
theoneoutlinedinthissection,onlyonalargerscale.Screensthat
covertheentirefabricwidthareexpensiveandunwieldy,butyou
canusesmallerscreenswithdesignsthatrepeatonallfouredges
andprintwidthwiseaswellaslengthwise.Orforegorepeatsalto-
getherandprintamocktossedprintwithindividualmotifs.Either
way,becarefulnottolaythescreeninwetink.
Forfull-widthprinting,twopeople(oroneverytallperson)are
neededtopullthesqueegeeacrossthescreen,whichtakespractice
toachieveanevenprint.Professionalhand-screen-printingtables
canruntheentirelengthoftheirwarehousesorstudios.Theseare
typicallyoutfittedwitharailandadjustablestoppers,whichare
presettomovethescreenquicklydownthefabriclength.
Iormu|t|co|orpr|nt|ng,youmustcreateseparatescreensfor
eachcolorandregisterthembothintheexactsameplaceontheir
screens,bothhorizontallyandvertically.Useregistrationmarks
liberallyandcoverupmarksyoudontwantprintedpostexposure.
Printlighttodark.Whensettinguppositivesforthebottomcolor
orcolors,growortrap(slightlyenlargingallaround)thecolorareas
thatunderliesubsequentprintinglayerssothatregistrationisalittle
moreforgiving.Remember:Neverlayyourscreenontowetink!
Cut the usable portions of mistake pieces and use

them in scrappy projects or sell in remnant packs.
fi
o
All About Inks
Screenprintingontofabricyardageisusuallydone
withwater-basedpigmentinks.Manufacturers
stockinkcolorsaretypicallyquitelimited.You
canmixyourownfreestyle(acolorwheelishandy
here),orderPantone-color-matchedpremixedinks
(forapremium),ormixyourownaccordingtoa
formulaguide.Thelaterisgreatifyouareprinting
fabrictosellandwanttokeeptheinkcoloras
consistentaspossible.
ThePantoneFormulaGuideforsoliduncoated
inks(onpaper)providesinkformulaslistedin
parts:forexample,10partsPantoneYellow,
6partsPantoneProcessBlue,1/2partPantone
Black.(FormoreaboutthePantonesystems,see
UsingthePantoneMatchingSystem,page68.)
Useagood-qualitydigitalscalewithatarefea-
ture,whichresetsthedisplaytozerowithweight
alreadyonthescale,andmultiplemeasuringunit
modes.Placeyourmixingcontaineronthescale;
zeroout(tare);addthespecifedamountofone
color;zerooutagain;addthespecifedamount
ofthenextcolor;zerooutcontinueuntilallthe
colorsareadded,andthenmixthoroughlyand
labelthecontainer.Matsuioferswater-based
inksinbasicPantonecolorsandfreeink-mixing
sofware.Thesofwarecalculatesformulasfor
Pantonecolorsusingthesebaseinks,basedon
howmuchtotalinkyouwanttomake.Nomater
whichPantoneguideyouworkwith,youcancross-
referencecolorsusingmyPantoneX-Ref,available
forusefreeonline(seeResources,page158).
BeyondPigmentInk
Gliterinksamples
Water-basedpigmentinksaremostcommonly
usedfortextilescreenprinting,buttheylimityou
tousinglight-coloredfabrics.Alternativesinclude
thefollowing:
D|scbargo|nksbleachoutthebackgroundcolor
ofdarkerfabricsandcanbeusedontheirownor
asabaseforoverprinting.
Tb|ckonodroact|vodyosyieldasoferhandto
thefabricandaremorewash-fastthanwater-
basedinksbecausetheybecomepartofthe
fabricsstructure.Justbeawarethatthedye-
setingprocessaddsextrastepstoanalready
labor-intensiveprocess.
Novo|ty|nksfuorescents,metallics,gliteradd
pizzazztoyourprinting.Theyareavailablein
water-basedandplastisolformulations.
|ast|so||nksareeasierthanwater-basedinks
toprintwithandcure,buttheyhaveanoticeable
hand,emitunpleasantvolatileorganiccompounds
(VOCs),andrequiresolventsforcleanup.For
thesereasons,theyrenottypicallyusedfor
printingfabricyardage.
Lnv|ronmonta|andSafoty
Cons|dorat|ons
Usebiodegradable,noncaustic,andnontoxicinks,screen
cleaners,reclaimers,anddegreaserswheneverpossible.
Thewater-basedinksusedforfabricprintinggetfairlyhigh
marksintermsofsafetyandenvironmentalfriendliness.
Theycleanupwithwater,buttheymightcontainothersol-
ventsandpigmentsthatmakewashingthemdownthedrain
irresponsible.Inquirewiththeretailerormanufacturerto
choosedrain-safeinks.
Conventionalreclaimingsolvents,whicharesprayedona
stenciltoremovestencilsfromthescreen,areverytoxic,
soweargloves,arespirator,andgoggleswhenusingthese
solvents.Contactlocalscreen-printingshopstoseeifthey
offerascreenreclaimingservice.Letthemworryabout
safetyequipmentandproperwastewaterdisposalsoyou
donthaveto.

Creating a Work Surface
fabric.Todeterminethescreenwidthyouneed,
addatleast6toyourdesign(for3ofclearance
tothelefandrightofthesqueegee)plus 3for
theframefora total of 9.(Checkwithyoursup-
plierforexactframeproflemeasurements.)
Then,todeterminethetable widthyouneed,fnd
thefabricwidthyouplanonprintingmostinthe
lef-handcolumnofthechart,andaddatleast
6totheScreen+Framemeasurementlisted
inthethirdcolumn(orusethestandardscreen
sizesinthefourthcolumnifyouthinkyoullbe
limitedtostocksizesfromscreen-printingsupply
houses).Buildthetableaslongasisfeasiblefor
yourspacethelongerthetable,thelongerthe
lengthoffabricyouwillbeabletoprintatatime.
Worksurfacesforhandprintingfabricareeasy
andinexpensivetobuildfrommaterialsavail-
ablefromhomeimprovementstores.These
surfacesarepaddedsothattheinkordyecan
beterpenetratethefabrictheclothsurface
alsohelpspreventthebaseclothfromslipping.
Forblockprinting,yourworksurfaceneedsonly
tobethewidthofthefabricplusafewinches,
buteventhatsnotcritical.Youcanuseasmaller
surfaceandmovethefabricaroundasyouwork.
Ifthesurfacewillbeprimarilyusedforscreen
printing,buildthewidestandlongestworksurface
youcanftintoyourspacewithenoughroomto
maneuverarounditcomfortably.Thechartbelow
willhelpyoudeterminetheminimumscreen
heightyouneedtoprinttheentirewidthofthe
Scarr-a1o rrrarcr Cnta1Scarr Szrs
IabricwidIh
MinimuminIornal
scroonhoighI
( ooo c|ccc ocvc c
oc|c cc, c c| c o)
Scroon+IramohoighI
moasuromonI,oroxIornal
scroondimonsions
(o '.cc oc)
ClososIsIandardscroonsizos
22(|| c| c
cc
oc c ;
cc)
O 2 *,
27(|| c| c
cc oc)
o OO
50(|| c| c
Occ oc)
o o
5 / o
45 /2o
54 2 /2o
0 o / /2o
CusIom() ; o ; ,
*FromPoconoMountainScreenSupply
FromVictoryFactory
Note:PoconoMountainScreenSupplyalsoofferscustom-sized
framesupto6060(seeResources,page158).
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MA1LRIALS
BasicTable
Theplansprovidedhereshowhowtobuilda40-wide8-long
surfaceforprinting22-widefabric,unatachedtolegssothat
youcanfipthesurfaceonitssideforstorage(butneverdothat
alonethistabletopisquiteheavy).Ifyouareluckyenoughto
haveadedicatedspaceforprinting,itspreferabletoafxtable
legspermanentlyforstability.
Assembletheframewithahammerand16d31/2nailsaccording
totheillustration.Ensurealljoinsare90.UsingtheTitebondglue,
adherethe4096plywoodsheettotheframeaccordingto
thediagrambelow,andthensecurewithfnishingnails.Ensure
thatthesurfaceislevel.Lightlysandedgesandnailholes.
4
8
4
0
3
0
:
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3
8
Plansforprintingsurface
1sheetof481/2hardwoodply-
wood(lighter)orMDF(heavier/sturdier)
2premium-grade2438frplanks
2premium-grade2427frplanks
10lengthofpineorhardwood23
69rollofcarpetpadding,or2layers
ofsyntheticquiltbating,eachcoveringa
48areaplusextratostapleunder-
neath,or23layersof72-wideacrylic
craffelt(about6yardsfor2layersor
9yardsfor3layers)
45-or60-widetightly
woven,smoothcanvas*
Clothtapemeasure
Hotglue
Powersaw,unlesswoodis
cuttosizeatthestore
Hammcr
Nailgun(optionalbutnice)
16d31/2nails
18-gaugefnishingnails
Sandpaper
T-square
Level
Measuringtape
cncll
Titebondglue
Staplegunandstaples
If using sawhorses as temporary table legs:
4sawhorse brackets (to make
2 sawhorses)
3 premium-grade 24s, cut into
8pieces 28 each for sawhorse legs
6d 2 common nails
*Ifyourebuildingawidertable,rosebrand.com
supplieswider-widthcanvasbytheyard.
Stretchlayersofpadding(felt,bating,orcarpet
pad)overthetablesurfaceandtackintoplace
withastaplegun.Double-checkthatthepad-
dingissmoothandtaut.Alongwithapartner,fip
thetablesurfaceover,staplethepaddingdown
completelytotheundersideoftheplywood,and
trimtheexcess.Snipfabricfromthecornersof
thepaddingtoreducethebulkwhenstapling
thecornersdown.Flipthesurfacebackover,
andrepeattheprocesswiththecanvaslayer.
Assemble2sawhorses,setthetablesurfaceon
topofthem,andgentlyshakethetabletomake
sureitisreasonablysturdy(therewillbesome
give).Adheretheclothtapemeasuretoonelong
edgeofthetabletopwiththegluegun,ensuring
itisperfectlystraight.
(Bigger)fnishedprintingsurfacewithafxedtapemeasure
oesicuen nouuofteLe
Why Do You Screen-Print?
Whydidyouchoosehandscreen-
printing?Whataboutitappeals
toyouamongtheotheroptions?
Whatarethedrawbacks?
It is such a satisfying medium,
with an immediacy and tactile
quality that sending our designs
to someone else to print wouldnt have for us. There
are usually minimum quantities that you have to
order when having fabric printed commercially, and
doing it ourselves allows us to keep our production
run small and change things as often as we like. Also,
it is tremendously fun.
Istartedoutscreenprintingeverythingby
handmyself,andthenhandedoverthejobto
someonewithmuchstrongerhandsand
shoulders!Iliketheideaofeachprintbeingsqueezed
outbyapairofhands,butIvefoundthefailurerateof
handscreen-printingveryhigh.Theromanceofit
doesn tjustifywastingfabriconunusableprints,soIve
switchedtorotaryprinting.Bothecologicallyandeco-
nomically,rotarymakesmoresense.nrtfnrr ioorr
Weareabunchofbattlersreally,
andlikedoingthingsthehardway!
Youcanscreen-printonasmall
scaleorrightuptoquitealargescale,soitisvery
adaptableforgrowthwithoutahugeoutlay.There
isntalotofindustryinAustraliaforothertypesof
printing.Welovemachinestoo,buthandmadehasa
qualitymoredirectlysuitedtorepresentourworkas
artists.Welovelayeringandcustomizingcolors,which
isnotpossiblewithlarge-scaleproduction.
tiv rrior tno ctrtv scnwrrof
oiciftt rrinfinc
Dlgltalrlntlng
Indigitaltextileprinting,fabricisfedfromaroll
throughalarge-formatinkjetprinterbasicallya
supersizedversionofthefamiliardesktopprinter.
Thetechnologyhasbeenaroundformorethan
adecademostlyinprintbureausthatserve
thetextileandfashionindustries.Recently,
however,ithasbecomeaccessibletoandaford-
ableforindependentandamateurdesigners,
thankstolower-costbureausgearedmainly
towardhobbyistsandcotageindustrialists.
Thetechnologyiscompletelychangingtheface
ofthetextileandfashionindustries.Traditional
volumeprintingmethodsrequireseveralweeks
tomonths,andhundredsofdollarsataminimum,
justtoproducestrike-ofs(testprints).Goinginto
productionrequiresseveralmoremonthsand
minimumpurchasesof1,0003,000yards.In
contrast,digitaltextileprintingallowsyardageto
beprintedinstantly,somanufacturerscanbring
sampleproductstomarketatamuchfasterpace.
Becauseofthecostsandvolumeinvolvedin
traditionalprinting,afabricmanufacturermust
becertainthatdesignsarecommerciallyviable.
Theneedtoappealtothemassesdiscourages
experimentation.Now,withdigitalprinting,
anyonecanprintanydesignheorshedesires.
Forthedesignerproducingretailfabrics,the
print-on-demandaspectisaboon;theonlything
lostwhenadesignfailsisthetimeandrelatively
modestexpenseittooktocreatethedesign.
Digitalprintingalsolifstheconstraintsofrepeats
andlimitedcolor.Thesizeofadigitalfabricdesign
islimitedonlybythewidthofthefabric,but
itcouldtheoreticallyspanendlesslyalongthe
lengthofthefabric(ofcourse,thiswouldrequire
alargefle,whichatsomepointwouldoverload
theprocessingcapabilitiesofthecomputerrun-
ningtheprintersofware).Gonearescreensetup
feesandspotcolors;digitalprinterscanproduce
millionsofcolorsaseasilyastheycantwoor
three.Digitaltextileprintingalsohappenstobe
signifcantlymoreeco-friendlythantraditional
methodsthereisverylitlewasteinkordye.
Whileturnaroundisrelativelyfast,theactual
printingspeedofmostdigitalprintersispain-
fullyslow.Thesemachinesproducefewerthan
20yardsperhour(usuallyfewerthan10),com-
paredwithtraditionalrotaryorrollermachines,
whichprinthundredsoreventhousandsofyards
perhour.Fasterdigitalprintersareonthemarket
butare,ofcourse,signifcantlymoreexpensive.
Partiallyduetospeed,andpartiallyduetoequip-
ment,supplies,andlaborcosts,digitalprinting
alsoremainsrelativelycostlyfortheconsumer
orcotageindustrialistwishingtoproducehis
orherownfabricforsale.Theseproblemsare
likelytodiminish,however,asthetechnology
evolvesoverthenextcoupleofdecades.
Digitalprintingusesspecialsofwaretoprint
thebasicdesignasasquare,half-drop,brick,or
otherrepeattypeandtocontrolcolor.Other
thanthat,itsnotmuchmoremysteriousthan
youraveragedesktopprinter.However,diferent
digitalprintbureausworkwitheitherwater-
basedpigmentinkprinting,dyeprinting,ora
processcalleddyesublimationsometimesall
threeanditsimportanttoknowthediference.
DetailfromSpoonfowercolorchart(page68)

Pigment, Dye, and
Dye Sublimation Printing
Digitaltextileprinterscanprintwithwater-basedpigmentinks,withdyes,
orbyusingdyesublimationmethods.Asummaryofeachmethodfollows.
Modium-woighIcoonwiIh
waIor-basodigmonIink Modium-woighIcoonwiIhroacIivodyos olyosIorsaIinwiIhdyosublimaIion
/
oiciftt rrinfinc
Wator-basodp|gmont|nksusebinderstoadheretothesurface
ofthefber.Thecostoftheinksiscomparabletothatofdyes,but
thebaseclothsdonotrequirepretreatmentandtheinkscurewith
heat,sotheprocessislesscostlyoverallandlow-impactenviron-
mentally.Dark,saturatedcolorsaredifculttoachieve,andadjacent
areasofsimilardarkcolorsmayturnoutwithinsufcientcontrast.
Theseinkscanfadeifthebindingagentbreaksdownbecauseof
light,abrasion,orlaundering.Topreservecolorinpigment-printed
fabrics,useamild,phosphate-freedetergentordry-cleanthem.
oact|voorac|ddyoscanalsobeusedbydigitalprinters.Reactive
dyesareusedmainlyforcellulosefbers(cotonandlinen),nylon,
andproteinfbers(silkandwool);aciddyesaremainlyusedfor
proteinfbers(silkandwool)andnylon.Dyescanachievebrighter,
moresaturatedcolorthanpigmentinks(especiallywithdarkcolors)
andaremorecolorfastbecausethedyemoleculesbecomepart
ofthefbersstructure.Fabricsmustbepretreatedsothatthey
arereceptivetodye,andonceprintedthedyesmustbesteamset
andthenlaundered.Pretreatmentchemicals,energyconsump-
tion,andwastewaterfromlaunderingmakedigitalprintingwith
dyeslessenvironmentallyfriendlythanpigmentprinting.However,
reactivedyesarenontoxic,andverylitledyeendsupinthe
wastewateronlyatinyfractionofefuentcomparedwiththatof
traditionalrotary-printing(andevenhandscreen-printing)methods.
Dyosub||mat|onpr|nt|ngisaprocessreservedforsyn-
theticfabrics.Thedesignisprintedontoarollofspecialized
transferpaper,whichisthentransferredtothesurfaceofthe
fabricwithheat.ItissimilartoT-shirtiron-ons,exceptitisa
large-format,continuousprocess.Dyesublimationprinting
canachieveverybold,brightcolorsandfnedetail.
TwoprintsbyBritishdesigner
LydiaMeiying,eachprintedwith
thethreebasicdigitalprinting
processes.Medium-weightcoton
withwater-basedpigmentink
(lef),medium-weightcoton
withreactivedyes(center),and
polyestersatinwithdyesublima-
tion(right).Thereactivedye
printisthesharpestofthethree.
Thecolorsarealsothemost
saturated,especiallynoticeable
withthedarkbackgroundcolor.
8
Dlgltalrlntlng
Services
Currentlytherearehundredsofdigitaltextile
printingbureausworldwide,butonlyahandful
arepricedforusebyhobbyistsandsmall-scale
fabricproducers(asopposedtotextileand
fashionindustryprofessionals).Higher-end
printersprovidealotmoreone-on-oneguid-
ance,aswellasfne-tuningofdesignandcolors.
Theytypicallyusereactivedyes,whicharemore
vibrantanddurablethanpigmentinks.Hobby-
orientedprintingservicessuchasSpoonfower
relyonvolume,sotheyprintyourfleswithlitle
ornointerventionormodifcationontheirend.
Theyaregearedtowardcustomerswhoaretech-
savvyenoughtopreparetheirdigitalflesfor
optimalprintingresultsontheirown,andwho
considerthelackofhand-holdinganexcellent
trade-offorthelowerprices.Theyalsotend
tousepigmentinks,whichinvolvelessequip-
mentandlabor.However,afewhobby-oriented
printingservicesoferreactivedyeprinting.

Allbureauscanprintyourdigitalfleunrepeated
orasasquare,half-drop,brick,ormirroredrepeat.
Youuploadatiletherepeatcontainedinarect-
angle.(Notethatyoustillhavetosetupthedesign
flesothatitwillfowasyourrepeatofchoice;
theprinterssofwarewillnotdothatforyou.)
Whenchoosingadigitalprintingservice,frst
considerthefabriconwhichyouwishtoprint,
andshoparoundtoseewhichservicesoferit.
Ifyoupreferreactivedyeprinting,yourchoices
arefurtherrestricted.Whetheryouchoosepig-
mentprintingordyes,makesurethebureau
standsbythecolorfastnessofitsproductsandwill
reprintfabricsorprovidearefundifyourfabric
fadessignifcantly.Ihavehadpositiveexperi-
enceswithallthebureauslistedintheResources
section(seeDigitalTextilePrintBureaus,
page159).Finally,askabouttheircurrentturn-
aroundtimesifyoureworkingonadeadline.
Color in Digital
rlntlng
InKnowYourColor(page59),youlearned
aboutthechallengeofmatchingcolorsfrom
hand-renderedordigitallycreateddesigns
toinksordyesprintedonfabric.Ifyoure
printingfabricwithoneoftheafordabledigital
printingservices,youaloneareresponsible
forsetingupthecolorsinyourdesign.
Ifcolorfdelityisimportanttoyou,itsvitalthat
youreferencephysicalcolorstandardsinthe
digitalsetupofyourpatern.Duetovariations
betweenbureausandhowdiferentbasecloths
absorbtheinkordye,theonlyreliablestandard
isacolorchart(sometimescalledacolorblanket)
fromtheprintbureauwithwhichyouintendto
dobusiness,printedontotheirbaseclothofyour
choice.Tobeusefultoyouinthedesignprocess,
thecolorswillbelabeledwithcodes.Thecolors
mightbederivedfromawell-knowncolorspace
(RGB/Hex,CMYK,CIELAB)supportedbyapop-
ularimageeditingprogramofchoice,ortheymight
befromtheprintersownsystem,inwhichcasea
digitalcolor-spacefleisalsosupplied.Yousimply
pickyourdesiredcolorsfromthecolorblanket,
inputthecodeintoyourprogramscolorpicker,
andfllthecolorsintoyourdesign.Asyoulearned
inColorModels,page67,thecolorgamutofany
ofthesecommonlyusedcolorspacesisquite
y
oiciftt rrinfinc
diferentfromthatofthesystemusedbydigital
printers,butthatisirrelevantinthiscase.Aslong
asyouhavethephysicalstandards,youknowhow
thecoloron-screenwilllookprintedontofabric.
However,evenifyouhavesetupthefleprop-
erlyusingthecolorblanket,youstillhavenot
seenthecolorsappliedtoyourdesignand
printedontofabric.Keepinmindthatthe
colorblanketcontainslitlesquaresofcolor,all
equalinsizetooneanother.Theproportionof
colorsinyourdesignandtheirproximitytoone
anotherafectthefnaloutcome.Evenifthey
lookedfneon-screen,yourchosencolorsmight
notworkexactlyasyouexpectedonfabric.
Thatswhyitsalsovitaltoprintaswatchof
yourdesigntodoafnalcolorcheckbeforeyou
committoyardage.Thiscostsabitoftimeand
money,butitsasmallpricetopaycompared
withthepriceofyardagethatyoucantuse.
ColorchartfromFabriconDemanddigitaltextileprintingservice
Qua||tyContro|w|tb
D|g|ta||yr|ntodIabr|cs
Thoughallreputableprintersinspecttheirfabricsbeforeshipping,occasionally
someonemightmissanoff-grainorblurryprint,sobesuretodoyourowninspec-
tionuponyourfabricsarrivalsothaterrorscanberesolvedimmediately.
First,checktheentirelengthofthefabricforstrayblotchesormarks.Next,ifyou
sentyourfileinattherecommendeddpi,theprintshouldappearsharpandwell
defined.Finally,checkthattheprintison-grain.Eyeballhowtheprintisoriented
relativetotheselvage.Ifyourestillnotsure,youcantryrippingwovenfabrics
widthwise(selvagetoselvage).Theripwillbetruetothecross-grain.Somefabrics
canberippedlengthwisetoo.Amoregentlemethodistoclipintotheselvage,
thengrabaweftyarnortwoandpullthemout.Thiswillcreateanoticeable,
on-grainguideline.Istheprintsignificantlyskewedrelativetothelineoredge?
Ifso,returnyourfabricforarefundorreplacement.
o
Idecidedtogowithdigitalprinting
becauseofthelowstartupcostsand
thepracticallylimitlesscolorpalette.
Idlovetolicensemyfuturecollections,butfor
nowImreallyenjoyingproducingmyownfabric
becauseofthefreedomIhavetomakechanges.
atsonot orsiono
Theopportunitytolicensemydesigns
hasnotcomeupyet,butifitdid,Iwould
definitelylookintoit.Idolovethedigital
printingbecauseitisaveryquickprocessandyou
areincontrolofallthedecisions. nrioi krnnrv
Iwouldlovetohavethetimeand
equipmenttohandprint,although
theconvenienceofdigitalprinting
allowsmetocreateimagesalmostinstantly
(withoutthemessandlackofspacetoscreen
print!).Spoonflowerisagreatsourceforsur-
facedesignerstogetstarted,whetheritsfor
personaluseortoberecognizedintheindustry.
ThisisanotherreasonIchosedigitaldesign
theimagescanbeuploadedandtweaked,if
needed,inaninstant.tticr surrows
oesicuen nouuofteLe
Why Digital?
Whydidyoudecideonprinting
digitallyinsteadofhandprinting
orlicensingyourdesigns?
Haveyoubeenhappywith
thecolorsaturationand
wash-fastness?
Sometimesthecolorscanbeachal-
lenge,mostespeciallyformebecause
alotofmydesignsaremadeusing
scannedcutpaper.Itisnotaseasytocontrol
thecolors.MostlyIhavebeenhappy.
nrioi krnnrv
Thesaturationissoimportanttome,
becauseIlovetousebright,con-
trastingcolorways.SofarIhavebeen
reallysatisfiedwiththeresults,andIalwaysget
soexcitedbyaddingnewdesignsandwaitingto
seetheresultsonfabric.tticr surrows
Myfirstcollectionwasdesignedto
workwiththelimitationsofdigital
printingrightfromthebeginning.Iwas
especiallyconcernedthatthecolorswouldnot
comeoutcorrectly,soIwascarefultocreate
thedesignssothattheycouldeasilybe
changed.Luckily,theycameoutperfectlyandI
couldntbehappier.Thewash-fastnesshas
beengreat.Iwouldnthesitatetousedigitally
printedfabricforanyproject.
atsonot orsiono
fnr worto or rtsric orsicn

1HL
WORLD
OIIARIC
DLSIGN
SLC1ION1HRLL
DesigningforFun
DesigningasaBusiness
MeettheRoundtableDesigners
z
orsicninc ror run tno rrorif

Designing for Fun and Profit
Doyouwanttodesignandprinttextilesasahobbyorasa
businessventure?Thischapterwillexplorethesediferent
routessoyoucandecidewhichisthebestforyou.
Customtoxt||osfortbobomo.Whennothing
commercialwilldo,printyourownfabricfor
upholsteringfurnitureorforcurtains,pillows,tea
towels,bedsheets,placemats,coasters,napkins,
duvetcovers,roomdividers,orlampshades.
C|otb|ng.Buildawholewardrobefrom
thefabricprintofyourdreams.
Costumos.YourkidwantstobeaSleestakfor
Halloween,butyourlocalfabricshopisfreshout
ofsnakeskin-printLycra.Printyourowninstead!
Wodd|ngtoxt||os.Customizetablecloths,
napkins,handkerchiefs,tablerunners,place
cards,andfavorswiththecouplesnames,wed-
dingdate,andotherthematicelements.
Toambu||dors.ThinkbeyondtheT-shirt
makefabricforscarves,PJpants,or
totebagsforfamilyreunions,summer
campers,andcommunitygroups.
romot|ons.Makeunforgetablepromo-
tionalitemsusingyoursmallbusinesslogo.
ARont|ongoRors.Printyourownbanners,
fags,orsignsforacause,ashow,orasale.
Art.Incorporatecustom-printedfabricinto
quiltsandothertextilesormixed-mediawork.
Short-Run Designing
for Fun
Fabricdesignis fun,sotheresnothingwrong
withwantingtodoitjustforkicks.Thevolume
fabricprintingprocessesthatImperson-
allymostinterestedinresultinaconsistent
product,andalotofit.Therefore,theyre
usuallymoresuitedforbusiness.Butblock
printingisveryafordable;screenprintingcan
be;anddigitalprinting,whilenotexactlycheap,
requiresnosetupcostsifyoualreadyhavea
computer.Theseshort-runprintingprocesses
aredescribedinStep-by-StepHandPrinting
(page111)andDigitalPrinting(page135).
Ifyousimplywishtoembellishsmallpieces
offabricuptoafewyards,considerlow-tech
methodslikedirectpaintingordrawingonfabric,
stencilsandstamps,orinkjettransfers.These
methodsareevenlesscostlythanblockand
screenprinting,andtheyrequirefewtonospecial-
izedsupplies.Myfavoritebooksthatdemonstrate
thesemethodsarelistedinResources(page158).
Here,Ivelistedsomeprojectideasthatmight
launchyourfrstshort-runprintingadventure.
G|Rs.Maketeatowels,pillows,dollsfor
thewholefamily,aclassatschool,oryour
colleaguesatwork.Incorporatekidsart-
workforawonderfulkeepsake.

Designing for Proft
Self-productionandlicensingarethetwomain
routestoconsiderifyouwanttodesignfabric
tosell.Eachhasitsadvantages,disadvan-
tages,andbest-suitedproductionmethods.
AsenthusiasticasIamaboutdesigningfabricfor
theretailmarket,Ihavetostateamajordisclaimer
upfront:Itsnotabig-moneyventure.Unlessyou
areafull-timetextiledesignerforacompany,it is
very rare to live o retail fabric design alone.Ive
hearddesignerssayoverandoverthattheydo
whattheydobecausetheyloveit,notbecause
itpaysallthebills.Thegoodnewsis,youcan
haveafull-timecreativecareerinthefabric
business,oratleastgetclosertoit,bybuilding
yourbrandandsellingotherrelatedproducts.
Self-Production
Beingbothadesignerandaproduceroffabric
isanincreasinglypopularroute.Nomater
whichproductionmethodyouuse,youenjoy
fullcontroloveryourdesignsandcanwork
onyourowntimetables.Themostaccessible
printingmethodshandprintinganddigital
printingarebestforshortruns,whichinturn
allowyoutobemoreexperimentalandfor-
ward-thinkingwithyourdesigns.Anexample
issmallSouthAfricanproducerShineShine,
whichproduceswhimsical,artisticfabrics
inspiredbyAfricancommemorativecloths.
Butwithcontrolcomesresponsibility.You
notonlyhavetohaveyourhandsinand
payforeveryaspectofproduction,butyou
arealsoresponsibleformarketing,shipping,
bookkeeping,andalltheotherless-than-
thrillingaspectsofrunningabusiness.
Thatdoesntfazeyou?Thentheonlythingto
decideiswhatyouregoingtoprint,howyoure
goingtoprintit,andhowyouregoingtosellit.
Thehow-tosofdesigningandprintingarecov-
eredearlierinthisbook,butthetableChoosing
aPrintingMethod(page146)willhelpyou
decidewhichprintingmethodtopursuebased
onstartupandproductioncosts,thetypesof
designsyoureenvisioning,andotherfactors.
JackieSobyHeidiChisholmforShineShine

Vo|umor|nt|ngMotbods
thetextilesprintedtoday.Itisaformofintaglio
printingthatallowsforextremelyfinedetail,but
printssmallerrepeats.Itallowsfewercolorsthan
rotaryprinting.Therollersareexpensiveandthe
etchingrequiresskilledartisans,sominimumsare
veryhigh.
Forallthreemethods,eachcolorinthedesign
requiresaseparatescreenorroller,andeach
additionalcolormeansadditionalexpense.Ifyou
workdirectlywithamillorlicenseyourdesignsto
aconverter(afabricmanufacturer),theywilllet
youknowwhatkindofequipmenttheyworkwith
andtherepeatandcolorspecsyoumustfollow.If
yourecreatingdesignsinanticipationofvolume
printingbutdonthavespecifics,justkeepin
mindthatscreensandrollersrequireyoutokeep
areasofcolorconsistentbetweencolorways.For
example,ifaprintwithfruithasaredappleand
aredstrawberry,inmostcasesyoucantmake
thestrawberryblueandtheapplegreenina
secondcolorway.
Anotherthingtokeepinmindisthatmulticolor
printsareusuallybuiltupfromlightesttodarkest
colors.Inaprocesscalledtrapping,areasof
underlying,lightercolorsthatabutotherdarker
colors(suchasthefillcolorofanoutlinedflower)
areenlargedslightly.Ifthereareerrorsinregistra-
tion,trappingminimizesoreliminatesgaps.Soif
thebackgroundisthelightestcolorinyourdesign,
asageneralrule,itmustalsobethelightestcolor
inyourothercolorways.
Traditionally,fabricisprintedinmillsusingoneof
threebasicmethods:automatedflatbedscreen
printing,rotaryscreenprinting,orcopperroller
printing.
Automatodf|atbodscroonpr|nt|ngusesflat
screensjustlikethoseusedforscreenprinting
byhand.Astencilischemicallyadheredtoafine
mesh,andtheprintpaste(containingpigment
ordye)ispressedthroughitandontothefabric.
Becausetheprocessiscontrolledbymachine,it
isfarmoreefficientthanscreenprintingbyhand.
Automatedflatbedprintingallowslargerrepeats
(upto24high),butfewercolorsthanrotary
screenprinting.Itiseconomicalforshorterprint
runs.Thedesignrepeatscanbeanysizethatis
evenlydivisibleintothemainmeasurementof
thescreen.
Inrotaryscroonpr|nt|ng,thescreensarerolled
intotheformofacylinder,andtheprintpasteis
fedtotheinsideoftherollerandpressedonto
thefabric,whichisfedcontinuouslyunderneath.
Mostrollersare251/4incircumference,sothat
isthemaximumheightoftherepeat.Rollers
rangeinwidthandcanbeusedtoprintverywide
goods.Someprintingequipmentcanaccommo-
datedozensofcolors,butmostaremorelimited.
Minimumordersforrotaryscreenprintingtypi-
callystartat1,0003,000yardsperdesign.
Copporro||orpr|nt|ngusedtobecommon-
placebutnowrepresentsonlyasmallfractionof

Choosing a Printing Method
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OutsourcingProduction
Mostindividuals,especiallyifcomingfrom
outsidethetextileindustry,willfnditahuge
challengetosourcevolumeprintingservices
(alsocalledtextile converters),especiallyifyou
wishtoproduceshortrunsof1,000yardsor
lessperprint.Andevenifyoucanestablisha
source,itsahugeundertakingtogothisroute.
MosttextileprintproductionisdoneinAsia.
Whileitsgetingeasiertofndconverters
online,itsdifculttoknowwhethertheyare
reputable.(Alwaysaskforreferences.)
Justahandfuloftextileprintingmillsarelefin
theUnitedStates,butdomesticprintingofen
meanshigherminimumsandcostperyard.Still,
thereareamyriadofreasonseconomic,environ-
mental,ethicaltochoosedomesticoverforeign
production,andthereisasmall(buthopefully
growing)andloyalmarketthatiswillingtopay
apremiumforproductsMadeinAmerica.
Thebestwaytosourceconvertersistheold
waybywordofmouth.Becausethiskindof
informationissohardearned,though,itshighly
unlikelythatestablisheddesignersandproducers
willsharetheirsourceswithyou.Youremore
likelytoburnabridgethanbuildonebyasking.
Butconsiderthis:Massproductionrequires
thatyouhaveknowledgeineverythingfrom
baseclothsourcing,toprintdesign,tocolor
correction,tofnishes,tointernationalship-
pingandcustoms.Ifyoudonthavethatlevel
ofexpertise,worktobuildit.Andwithitmight
comethebusinessnetworkingthatcouldlead
toprintingsources.Inthemeantime,hereare
someotherwaysyoumightfndaconverter.
Some U.S.-based quilting fabric manu-
facturers ofer custom production runs
(typically produced overseas), but mini-
mums are typically 3,000 yards per print.
Digital printers and hand screen printers
might be willing and able to refer you
to sources for larger print runs.
Converters exhibit at the big textile
and fashion trade shows, such as Magic,
GlobalTex, Texworld, and Premiere Vision;
but again, fnding converters willing to print
small minimums can be a challenge.
Hand screen-printing services are easier
to fnd, but be prepared for a much higher
price bracket.
So|||ngota||vorsusWbo|osa|o
startseeingaprofitmorequickly.Yourretailers
becomeabuilt-inmarketingmachine,increasing
yourbrandrecognitionand,ideally,demandfor
yourproduct.Somedesignersorproducerswant
thebestofbothworlds,andtheysellbothwhole-
saleandretail.Justbeawarethatsomeproblems
areinherentinmakingyourcustomersyour
competition.Ifyoudochoosetosellbothways,
thenumberoneruleisnevertoundercutother
retailerssellingyourproduct.
Asaself-produceryouwillhavetodecidewhether
youwanttosellwholesale,retail,orboth.Retail
pricesaretypically400%ofproductioncosts
(dontforgettoincludelaborcostsaswellasmate-
rials),anditsnaturaltowanttokeepallthatprofit
marginof300%foryourself.Butdependingon
howmuchfabricyouhavetomove,itcantakea
significantamountoftimeandeffort.Wholesale
willtypicallyonlynet100%ofyourinitialinvest-
ment,butyouaresellingmuchlargerquantities
andcanthereforerecoupyourinvestmentand
8
Licensing
Ifyouarewillingtotradeabitofcontroland
profttohavesomeoneelsetakeonthebur-
densofproductionandmarketing,thenthe
worldoflicensingisforyou.Largefabriccom-
panieslikeRobertKaufmanandFreeSpirit
printfabricdesignsthatareeitherproduced
in-houseorlicensedfromfreelancedesigners.
THLQUILTINGIAICMAkLT
Thebiggestsegmentoftheretailfabricmarket
isquiltingcoton.Quiltingisahugeindustry.
AccordingtotheQuiltinginAmerica2010
survey,16.38millionU.S.householdshave
aquilter,andtheaverageannualexpendi-
tureofthemillionorsodedicatedquilters
(thosewhospend$600+/year)is$2,442.
Fabricproducedbybig-namemanufacturersisof
veryhighquality,andthismedium-weight,100%
cotonclothissuitableformanyapplications
otherthanquilting.Inrecentyears,theindustry
hasrespondedtothenewgenerationofsewists
interestedinsewingapparelandothercrafs.
Now,alongsidequiltingcoton,itsnotunusualto
seecollectionsincotonvoile,cotonlawn,rayon,
polyesterfeece,laminatedcoton,andheavy
homedcorweightcanvas.(Onetrendseting
company,WestminsterFibers,recentlyandappro-
priatelyrebrandeditselffromaquiltingcotontoa
lifestylefabricsmanufacturer.)
Licensingyourdesignstoalargefabriccompany
isanatractiverouteforseveralreasons.First
andforemost,yougetyournamepublishedas
adesigner,whichisrareintheindustryatlarge.
Moreover,youhaveacompanybehindyoutohelp
fne-tuneyourcollectionsoithasthebestchance
atbeingahit.Somecompaniesalsotakecareofall
themarketing.Theypayforprintandonlineadver-
tising,hirepeopletodesignandsewsamples,and
footthebillforyoutoatendandexhibitatthe
hugesemiannualInternationalQuiltMarket.Other
companiesleavesomeorallofthatuptoyou.
Signyouup?Well,alotofothersfeelthatwaytoo.
KyleSanchezofRobertKaufmanFabricsreports
thattheyreceiveapproximately20portfoliosub-
missionsaweekandthattheyvehadtosetup
adedicateddepartmenttoprocessandreview
submissions.Thecompanyproducesacoupleof
dozencollectionsperseason,onlyapartofwhich
arebynewartists,sothatgivesyouanideaofthe
competition.
SUMITTINGDLSIGNS
Howcanyoustandoutinsuchacompetitivearea?
Itshelpfultohaveabasicunderstandingofend
use(thoughyoudontneedtobeanexperienced
sewistorquilteryourself),andtounderstandwhat
buyerslookforinprintsandcollections.Getto
knowthediferentmanufacturersbyvisitingtheir
websites.Forahandyoverview,lookfortheFabric
ManufacturerGuideonmyblog,TrueUp
(trueup.net/fabric-manufacturer-guide/).
Narrowyourfocustocompaniesthatactually
workwithfreelancers(acoupleworkexclu-
sivelywithin-housedesigners).Evaluatetheir
rangeofoferings.Dotheyhavecollectionsin
asimilarstyletoyours,orwouldyoursstand
outlikeasorethumb?Dotheyseemtobe
Thetradeshowfooratthe
InternationalQuiltMarket,is
heldannuallyinHouston,Texas,
eachfallandinadiferent
Americancityeachspring.
y
targetingthetypeofpersontowhomyourdesignsappeal?Are
theircollectionsputtogetherinastandardway(withafocusprint,
secondaryprint,supportingprints),oraretheymoreeclectic?
Youdontnecessarilyneedafullydevelopedportfolioofprint-
readydesignstostartapproachingquiltingmanufacturers.Some
prefertoseejusttheseedofacollection,afewrelateddesigns
orsketches.They don t even have to be in repeat.(Thesemock-
us,orcroquis [page71],enableartiststoworkoutdesign
ideaswithoutgetingtooboggeddowninthetechnicalitiesof
repeats.)Infact,somemanufacturerspreferthatsubmissions
notbeinrepeat,becauseitseasiertosetthemupthemselves
accordingtotheirmillsrequirements.Otherspreferlayered
vectorartinrepeat.Everycompanyisabitdiferent,socontact
thedesigndirectortoaskabouttheirsubmissionguidelines.
Whoyouarecanbeasimportantaswhatyouaredesigning;com-
paniesloveitwhenyoucomewithabuilt-infollowing.Ingeneral,
ifyoureafantasticartistwithgreatideas,andyourejustwhat
theywerelookingfortoexpandtheircatalog,theyllfndawayto
makeitworknomaterwhatyourtechnicalskilllevelis.Thatsaid,
awell-thought-outpresentationshowingthatyouunderstandhow
printsandcolorwaysworktogether,plussomemock-upsoractual
projectsusingyourdigitallyprinteddesigns,willneverhurt.
Onefnalpointofetiquete:Letcompaniesknowifyouresubmiting
yourdesignstomultipleplaces.Somecompaniesmeetonafxed
scheduletoreviewsubmissions,butiftheyloveyourwork,they
wanttoknowiftheyhavetoactquickly.
Wbats|na
Namo?Nam|ng
Co||oct|ons,
r|nts,and
Co|orways
Somethingassimpleasthenameof
aprintorcolorwaycanmakepeople
takeasecondlookandreconsider
fabricstheywouldnormallypassover.
Somecollectionshavemademeturn
upmynoseatfirst,butafterbeing
hookedinbythenames,Ivelearned
abouttheideabehindthecollection
andhavecometoappreciatehowthe
designerexpressedthatidea.Then
Iveturnedaroundandboughtthe
fabricsafterall.
Namesarehooks,sousethem!Think
ofthemasanotherdesignlayerthat
helpstellthestorybehindthecol-
lection;expresstheidea;orpay
tributetoaperson,time,orevent.In
fact,sometimesadesignercomesup
withanamebeforethedesignitself,
whichisagreatwayofsettingthose
self-imposedconstraintswehavedis-
cussedthroughoutthisbook.
o
OTHLLICLNSINGAVLNULS
Manyfreelancetextiledesignerslicensetheir
workthroughagents.Theseagentsrangefrom
theverynarrowlyspecialized(printsforwomens
swimwear)toverybroad(graphicsandillustra-
tionforallkindsofmarkets).Youmightworkon
anassignmentbasis,orsimplysubmitaportfolio
ofprintsthataresoldindividually.Ofen,you
havelitleornocontrolovertheendproduct,
andyourcontributiongoesuncredited.But
again,thisvariesdependingonthesituation.
Still,ifdesigningprintsistheonlypartyoucare
about,itsagreat,andpossiblylucrative,routeto
take.Sohowdoyoufndanagent?Likesourcing
converters,thisisbestdonewithold-schoolnet-
working.Surtex,Printsource,andtheLicensing
Expoarethreelargetradeshowsdevotedto
artlicensing.Plentyofinformationandadvice
foratendingandexhibitingattheseshowscan
befoundonline(seeResources,page158).
Anotheroptionistocutoutthemiddleman
andworkdirectlywithclients.Itslikebeing
aclassicfreelancegraphicdesigner,onlyyou
happentospecializeintextiledesign.Ofcourse,
thisrouterequiresyoutobuildabrandand
toestablishandmaintainrelationshipswith
clientsonyourown(again,tradeshowsare
yourfriends).Butthesedirectrelationships
tendtoleadtomorecollaborationandinput
regardingthefnaloutcomeofyourwork.
Imstillinthebeginningofmyfabric
designcareer,soitdoesntplaya
hugeroleatthispointitsjustone
ofmanythingsthatImdoing.Idothinkits
helpingtobuildmybrand,though.Ialso
createsurfacedesignsthatIsellandlicense
tocompaniesforotherproductsbesides
fabric;Ipaintandillustrateandsellworkon
myonlineshop;Idosomegraphicdesign
work(creatinglogos,custompatternsfor
websites,brandingpackages,etc.)forclients;
andIsellmyworkinboutiquesandshops
aroundthecountry.arssict trviff
Designingfabricfallsintomy
licensingincomecategory,whichis
about2035percentofmyoverall
incometodate.Otherlicensingincome
includespublishing(books,stationery)and
quilts.Mostofmyincomecomesfromquilts
thatwemakeinthestudio.Wevealsojust
startedprintingandsellingourown
patternline.ornvsr scniiof
oesicuen nouuofteLe
Fabric Design and
the Big Picture
Howbigaroledoes
fabricdesignplayinyour
workorbrand?Whatelse
helpspaythebills?

Withthereleaseofmyself-produced
Monacocollection,fabricdesignand
promotionhasdefinitelybeenmy
mainfocus.WhenImnotdesigning,Iampack-
agingupordersorcommunicatingwith
customers,figuringshippingrates,ordering
supplies,developingadvertisingandPR,or
workingonprojectsandpostingthemonmy
blog.However,Ihavealsodonesomeworkwith
stationerycompaniestousemyprintsonpaper
products,andIstillfitinoccasionalfreelance
workwhenIcan.arnnirrr ioorr
Ialsoteach,andIwritebooksandsewing
patterns.Butfabricdesignsetsthestage
forallofit.stri a tckrritn
AsidefromdesigningfabricforDotty
Logic,Idoprivate-labelfabricdesign.
Itsgreattocollaboratewithmyclients
andhelpthemcreatetheirownone-of-a-kind
fabric.Imalsoacustomerserviceandtechnical
supportrepresentativeforanelectricalproducts
manufacturer.Fabricdesignisntafull-timejob
formeyet,anditmaynotbeformanyyears
startinganewbusinesstakesalotoftime,
energy,andbraincells!atsonot orsiono
Fabricdesignplaysoneofthelargest
rolesinmycreativelife,butIloveall
aspectsofsurfacedesignandIalsolove
topaint.InadditiontoworkingwithFreeSpirit,I
workwithothermanufacturerstocreatescrap-
bookingproducts,stationery,rugs,andmore.Ialso
selloriginalpaintingsandprintsofmyworkinmy
onlineshop.Ilookforeverypossiblewaytousemy
skillsandcreativitytobringinenoughmoneyto
keepdoingwhatIlove.Asfaraspayingthebills
goes,oneofthebiggestearnersformehasbeen
placementofmypaintingsincorporatesettingsby
fine-artconsultingfirms. arnrtn iorrison
FabricdesigniswhatIsetouttodo.
Everythingthatcomesafteritisahappy
accident.Ihaveapatterncompany,but
again,itsreallyjustanecessitytofacilitatethe
fabricaspectofmybusiness.Imaketheproducts
toshowcasethefabrics;whenenoughpeople
askedforthem,itjustbecamesillytoignorethat
demand.futt rink
Fabricdesignisreallythekeynoteofmy
brand.Mysewingpatternsarewhatini-
tiallystartedmeintheindustry,andthe
fabricwasveryclosebehind.Thesetwopiecesstill
remainthecoreofAmyButlerDesigntodayand
supporteachotherbeautifully.Myfabricdesigns
arethefoundationforotheraspectsofmywork,
suchasmybags,bedding,rugs,stationery,and
wallpapercollectionssotheinitialartactsasa
designhubformyentirebrand. tiv suftrr
Fabricdesignsaresoimportantinmy
work.ImpickyaboutthefabricsIlike,
andmyowndesignsarenecessaryin
representingmybrand,becausesurfacepattern
ismytruepassion.However,fabricdesignisntmy
mainsourceofincome.Ialsosellmyhandmade
toysandaccessoriesonlineusingthefabricsIlove
alongwithsomeofmyowndesigns.AndIsubmita
lotofmyworktovariousgreetingcardandstatio-
nerycompanies.tticr surrows
Weeachhaveotherbusi-
nessesthatincorporate
screenprintingintoobjects
rangingfromchildrensclothingtohousewares
andaccessories.Also,webothteachcourseson
designorfiberatlocalcolleges.
z
Building Your Brand
Tobuildyourbrand,youneedtogetyourname
outthereandtopresentyourdesignsandprod-
uctsinthemostenticing,diversewayspossible.
WorkingtheRoom:
PersonalBrandBuilding
Manyfabricdesignerscomeintothefeldby
virtueoftheirfameinotherarenas,suchasJay
McCarroll(Project Runwaysfrst-seasonwinner),
Extreme Home MakeoverhostTyPennington,
and70siconMarieOsmond.Somedesigners
enterthefabricworldaferbuildinganamefor
themselvesinotherartisticareas,suchasquilting,
papergoods,fashion,interiordesign,orfneart.
Unlessyoureoneofthesepeople,youhaveto
buildandpromoteyourbrandfromthegroundup.
Big-namefabricandtextiledesignershavebeen
aroundsinceWilliamMorrisinthelate1800s,
butAmyButlerreallylaunchedthemoderneraof
celebritydesigners.Herfabricsandpaternswere
abreathoffreshairattheturnofthetwenty-
frstcenturyandflledadesignvoidforanew
generationofsewers.Today,nearlyeverynew
designerfollowsherbusinessmodel.Sheregularly
producesbeautifulfabriccollections,sewingpat-
terns,books,fnishedtextileproducts,wallpaper,
stationery,andmore.Mostimportantly,shes
awonderful,warm,engagingpersonforwhom
givingbacktohercommunityisatoppriority.
Simplyhavingyournameoutthereandleting
peoplegettoknowyouishalfthebatle.You
notyourprofessionallydesignedlogoorline
ofproductsarethebrand.Yourenotforming
relationshipswithpeoplejustsotheyllbuyyour
fabrics.Fabricisnotahugelylucrativebusiness
formostdesigners,butconnectingwithsomany
friendly,inspiringpeoplemorethanmakesupfor
it.Simplyputingyoursmilingfaceoutthereinthe
communitymakespeoplesitupandtakenotice
whenyournameisatachedtosomething.When
peopleknowyouorareacquaintedwithanaspect
ofyourlife,theybegintoseeyourproductsona
deeperlevel,morepersonally.Yourdesignsarean
extensionofyou,yourpersonality,youridentity,
yourstory.
Fortunately,theInternetmakesitacinchtotell
yourstory.Itsunusualthesedaysforadesigner
nottohaveawebsiteorblog,ortobeactiveon
thelatestsocialnetworkingsite.Infact,several
newrisingstarsinthefabricdesignworldfrstbuilt
afollowingthroughtheirblogs.Soifyoudont
alreadyhaveablog,get one now.Writeaboutyour
inspiration,yourcreativeprocess,yourdailytri-
umphsandtribulations.Itcanbepersonaloryou
cankeepitstrictlyprofessional.
Conventionalwisdomonbuildingblogreadership
usedtobetocommentfrequentlyontheblogs
ofbiggerfshandtocold-emailtosuggestlink
exchanges.Now,somanymicrocommunitiesare
onthewebthatitsmucheasiertofndyourniche
andgroworganicallytobefamousfor15min-
utes,asthemoderntwistonAndyWarhols
quotegoes.ThenewwayistochatonTwiter;
leadorparticipateinswaps,sew-alongs,and
competitions;tradeadviceonforums;andshare
interestinglinks.And,ofcourse,tohaveablogthat
peoplelovetoread.Youronlinelifeshouldbeits
ownreward,notthemeanstoanend.
Theresstillnosubstituteformeetingpeoplein
person.Join(orstart!)localquiltguildsandcraf
groups.Teachyourskillstoothers.Atendtrade
shows.Intheretailfabricmarket,thebiggesttrade
showistheInternationalQuiltMarket,whichthe
companyQuiltsInc.holdsinHouston,Texas,each
fallandinadiferentAmericancityeachspring.
Toobtainadmissionasaprospectivedesigner,
contactQuiltsInc.forspecifcrequirements.

Marketing:BeyondYardage
Avenuestosuccessfulmarketingofyourfabric
designsincludeadditionalproducts,stellar
presentationthroughsamplesandgreatpho-
tography,andcreatingabuzzwithpublicity.
SAMLLS
Asidefrompersonalbrandbuilding,thebestway
toincreaseinterestinandsalesofyourfabricis
toshow people how to use it.Howmanytimes
haveyoushruggedyourshouldersuponseeing
acertainfabricontheboltorina2swatchon
theInternet,onlytobetotallysmitenbyitupon
seeingitinaquiltorgarment?
Showingsampleproductsthatincorporateyour
fabricisamust.Manydesignersandmanufac-
turersroutinelyoferfreepaternsfortheseitems.
Ifyoucantdesignorsewordonthavefriendsor
familytopitchintohelp,consideroutsourcing.
Manyquiltandsewingpaterndesignersoutthere
lookforwaystopromotetheirbrand.Castyour
netforpeoplewhosewforhire.
Anotheroptionistofakeitwithatechniquecalled
photodraping.Imageeditingprogramshavetools
thatallowyoutooverlayadigitalfabricswatch
ontoanexistingimage(say,ofamodelinadress,
orofanicelystyledcouchwithpillows),thenwarp
andaddperspectivesothatthetextilesinthe
originalphotolookliketheyremadeofthefabric.
ATTLNSANDODUCTS
Manyfabricdesigners,especiallyinthequilting
world,alsoproducesewingorquiltpaterns.This
providesanotherincomestream,andthefabric
andpaternshelpselloneanother.
Butnoteveryonesews.Oferingproductsforsale
thataremadewithyourfabrics,eveniftheyre
simplesuchastotebagsorpillowsopensup
yourmarkettomorepotentialcustomers.
Again,ifyoucanttakeontheproduction
yourself,consideroutsourcing.Agreatsource
ofinformationonmanufacturingisthebook
The Entrepreneurs Guide to Sewn Product
Manufacturing, byKathleenFasanella,andher
website,fashion-incubator.com(seeResources,
page158).Remember,though,thatsomebuyers
willuseyourfabricstoselltheirowngoods.Some
designersthinkthatthisdilutestheirbrand;others
embraceitasabrandexpander.Ifyouprefer
havingtotalcontroloverhowyourfabricsarepre-
sentedtotheworld,thendontsellyourfabricsat
allbutfocusonsewnproducts.
THLATOIHOTOGAHINGIAIC
Anothermustisbeautifulproductphotography.
Digitalsingle-lensrefex(DSLR)camerasarevery
afordablethesedaysandallowyoutochange
lensesfordiferenttypesofshots.Youcancreate
astudioforlow-lightsituationswithwhitepaper
orfabricbackdropsandafewlights.Close-up
(macro)shotsofyourfabricshowpotentialcus-
tomersitsweaveandtextureeveniftheycant
touchit.IfyouresellingviatheInternetorbymail,
itsvitaltoprovideagoodrepresentationofthe
printscolorsandscale.Thestandardforrepre-
sentingaprintsscaleisashotorscanwitharuler
orcoin,butIfndsewnproductshotsorimages
ofstackedboltsorrollsfarmorehelpful.Whynot
includethemallinyourpromotionalmaterials?
Paternsfromvariousdesigners
Themoreviews,thebeter.Ifyoudontknow
muchaboutphotography,readuponthesubject,
takeaclass,orscourtheInternetforinstruction.
ULICITY
Ifyoufollowthepersonalbrand-buildingadvice
inthissection,youmaybeluckytofndthatviral
marketingsendsyouasmuch(ormore!)business
thanyoucanhandle.Butmoreofenthannot,its
benefcialtopromoteyourselfandyourproducts
theold-fashionedway,throughpressreleasesor
presskits.Submityourbiographicalinformation,
andinformationaboutyourcompanyandyour
latestfabrics,tomagazines,newspapers,blogs,
podcasts,andevendesign-orientedcableTV
stations.Followeachmediaoutletssubmission
guidelines.Includeswatchesandcopiesofany
freeorpaidsewingpaterns.Then,makeiteasy
forinterestedoutletstocoveryou.Createapress
centeronyourwebsitewithavarietyofbeautiful,
print-resolutionphotosthateditorscandownload
anduseintheirpublications.
Go|ngro:Sbou|dYouGotoScboo|?
Iamoccasionallyaskedwhetheritsnecessary
tohaveadegreeintextiledesigntodesign
fabricprints.Theanswerisaresoundingno:
Infact,Iwrotethisbooksothatanyonecan
learnthebasics.Thatsaid,Iwouldstrongly
encourageanyonetoenrollinatextiledesign
program.Youwillbementoredateverystage
byinstructorswhohaveextensiveexperi-
enceintheindustry,youllbesurroundedby
inspiration,andyoullhaveaccesstoresources
andarchivesthattherestofusonlydreamof.
Youllgainin-depthtechnicalknowledgeofthe
printingprocessandhoneyourpointofviewas
anartist.(Foralistofprestigioustextiledesign
programs,seeResources,page158.)
Keepinmindthatfabricprintingisonlyasubset
ofthetextileindustry.Adegreeprogramwillalso
exposeyoutomanyotherareas.Itsdifficultto
learnaboutsubjectssuchaswoventextiledesign
andtextileengineeringoutsideofuniversities.
CareerPaths
Professionaltextiledesignersmayworkforaretail
fabriccompanyor,morelikely,foracompanythat
producesspecifictypesofapparelorhomedcor
products.Manyworkonafreelancebasisfor
severalcompanies.Day-to-dayworkmightinvolve
designinguniquepatternsorsettinguprepeats
fororcoloringothersdesigns.Somedesigners
workdirectlywithmillsonqualityassurance,
evenvisitingmillsinpersontooverseeproduc-
tion.Workmayfocusonthesurfacepatternor
mayalsoincludedesign,styling,ormarketingof
thefinishedgoods.Becausesomuchofproduc-
tionincludingagoodportionofdesignjobshas
movedoverseas,thecurrentlandscapeishighly
competitive.Asinanyfield,however,talentrises
tothetop,especiallyifitispairedwithstrong
technicalknowledge.
irrf fnr rounoftstr orsicnrrs

Meet the Roundtable Designers
PhotobyBariJ.
Ackerman
ar|J.Ackormanstarted
herBariJ.brandofhandbags
andaccessoriesin2004and
turnedthefocustofabricand
sewingpaterndesignfve
yearslateraferthedebutof
herfrstfabriccollectionfor
WindhamFabrics.Shecur-
rentlydesignsfabricforLecien
andisalsotheauthorofthe
bookInspired to Sew byBariJ.
barijonline.com
PhotobyStaceyHedman
Mo||ssaAvor|nosdesignswild,
funky,graphiccollectionsfor
AndoverFabrics.Sheisalso
anauthor(Small Stash Sewing:
24 Projects Using Designer Fat
Quarters),painter,andowner
oftheshopYummyGoodsin
CapeCod,Massachusets.
www.yummygoods.com
PhotobyDavidBedell
Moodo||isafreelance
graphicandappareldesigner.
HerfabriccollectionsforBlue
HillFabricsarepretyand
femininewithamodernedge.
limegardenias.blogspot.com
<Michelle_
Engel_
Bencsko.tif>>
PhotobyAndrew
BencskoIII
M|cbo||oLngo|oncsko
workedformorethana
decadeasadesigndirector
intheapparelindustrybefore
launchingherfreelance
careerasafabricdesigner.
In2009,alongwithpartner
GinaPantastico,shelaunched
Cloud9Fabrics,acompany
producingcolorful,modern
organicprintcollectionsfor
thequiltingandcrafsmarket.
cloud9fabrics.com
PhotobyAliceBurrows
A||courrowscreateshand-
madetoysfrom1960s70s
vintagefabricandfromher
ownfabricsinspiredbythat
era,whichsheprintsdigi-
tally.ShelivesontheSouth
DevoncoastintheU.K.
aliceapple.co.uk

PhotobyJasonda
Desmond
JasondaDosmondlsan
illustratorandfreelancetex-
tiledesignerwhofounded
herorganicfabricandhome
accessoriesbrand,Doty
Logic,in2010.Sheprintsher
fresh,moderngraphiccol-
lectionsdigitallyandofers
themforsalethroughEtsy.
jasonda.com
PhotobyHeidiKenney
Ho|d|konnoyisaPennsylvania-
basedartistandcrafer-at-large
bestknownforherwhimsical
plushtoys.Shehasbroughther
characterstofabricthrough
digitalprinting;shesalsothe
authorofEvery Days a Holiday:
Year-Round Crafing With Kids.
mypapercrane.com
PhotobyNatalie
Grummer
Josopb|nok|mbor||nglsa
licensing artist who has worked
extensively in the fashion and sta-
tionery industries. Her keen eye
for fashion and color is evident in
her several fabric collections for
Robert Kaufman Fabrics.
josephinekimberling.com
PhotobyHeatherMoore
HoatborMooroisatextile
designerfromSouthAfrica.
Underherbrand,Skinny
LaMinx,shecreatestextiles,
ceramics,andfabricsforthe
home,ofenbasedonher
Scandinavian-modern-inspired
papercutdesigns.Shealso
designsorganicquilting-weight
collectionsforCloud9Fabrics.
skinnylaminx.com
PhotobyJessicaLevitt
Joss|caLov|Rhasdesigned
severallinesoffabricfor
WindhamFabrics.Youcansee
herlatestprojectsandcatch
uponherlifeatherblog.
juicy-bits.typepad.com
PhotobyDavid
Miguelucci
Jonn|forMoorofoundedher
company,Monaluna,in2005.
Shehasdesignedcollectionsfor
RobertKaufmanFabricsandBirch
Fabrics.Shealsoself-produces
organiccotonfabricsunderthe
Monalunaname.Simpledots,juve-
nilenovelties,andsophisticated
foralsletherfresh,retro-modern
designvoiceshinesthrough.
monaluna.com
PhotobyDavidButler
Amyut|orusheredinanew
eraofcontemporaryfabric
designwhenshereleasedher
frstcollectionsinthefrstfew
yearsofthetwenty-frstcen-
tury.Sheisknownforblending
awidevarietyofinfuences
tocreatelush,beautiful,and
distinctivedesigns.Sheisalso
aprolifcdesignerofsewing
paternsandauthorofseveral
sewingandlifestylebooks.In
addition,shelicensesdesigns
fortextiles,accessories,and
stationery,andevenlaunched
alineofyarnandknitingpat-
ternswithRowanin2010.
amybutlerdesign.com
/
irrf fnr rounoftstr orsicnrrs
PhotobyTulaPink
PhotobyRyanSwift
PhotobyJoelT.Rose
JonoanMorr|sonisasurface
designerandpainterfrom
Memphis,Tennessee.Shehas
licensedherworkforstatio-
nery,rugs,andkitchenware,and
shedesignsfabriccollections
forFreeSpiritFabrics.Sheis
knownforhercomplex,layered,
graphic,yetbohemian,style.
jeneanmorrison.net
Tu|a|nksfabricsarefamous
forcausingviewerstodo
doubletakes.Herfabriccollec-
tionsforModaandFreeSpirit
Fabricsareeachlush,colorful,
alternateuniversesuntotheir
own,flledwithfantasticcrea-
turesandhiddenpictures.
tulapink.com
PhotobyJohnBooth
PhotobyRoisinFagan
opoatStud|olsacollabo-
rationbetweenCanadians
ArounnaKhounnorajand
RoisinFagan.Theirhand-
screen-printedfabricsfeature
sparse,beautifulmotifs.
Faganisatextiledesignerand
teacherwhoalsoownsthetex-
tilestudioBespokeUprising.
Khournnoraj,alongwithher
husband,JohnBooth,runsa
multidisciplinarystudioand
brick-and-mortarshopcalled
Bookhou,locatedinToronto.
repeatstudio.com
PhotobyLaneduPont
DonysoScbm|dtisaquilter
knownforblendingthetradi-
tionalandmodern,resulting
inquiltsthatareofeatyet
sparseandsophisticated.
Sheisalsoanauthor(Denyse
Schmidt Quilts: 30 Colorful
Quilt and Patchwork Projects),
teacher,andquiltpatern
designer.Hervintage-inspired
fabriccollectionsarepro-
ducedbyFreeSpiritFabrics.
dsquilts.com
Joss|caSw|Risasurface
paterndesigner,artist,
anddesigner.Inaddition
tolicensingworktoclients,
shealsoofersprints,cards,
andmorethroughherown
onlineshop.Hermodern,
fashion-forwardfabriccol-
lectionsareproducedby
RedRoosterFabrics.
jessicaswif.com
Photoprovidedby
designer
Photoprovidedby
designer
Umbro||ar|ntsisahand-
screen-printedfabricdesign
labelfoundedbyAustralians
AmyPriorandCarlySchwerdt.
Theyproduceamixofgraphic
andorganichand-drawnprints
inafresh,compellingpalete.
ThetwoalsorunNestStudio,
ashop/studiothatofers
artclassesforchildren.
umbrellaprints.com.au
8
Resources
Further Reading
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book
andAdobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book
byAdobeCreativeTeam(AdobePress,2010)
Adobe Photoshop for Textile Design
(forAdobePhotoshopCS5)
byFrederickL.Chipkin(self-published,2010)
Agreatsourceforlearninghowtoworkwith
scannedcolorartwork(forexample,paintingsor
vintagetextiles).Theauthoralsohasbooksontex-
tiledesigninPhotoshopElementsandGIMP.
All About Silk: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook
All About Coton: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook
All About Wool: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook
byJulieParkersFabricReferenceSeries(RainCity
Publishing;1991,1993,1996respectively)
Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric
byJaneDunnewold(InterweavePress,2010)
Thebibleforprintingwithdyesandformany
otherfree-formsurfacedesigntechniques.
Bend the Rules with Fabric: Fun Sewing Projects with
Stencils, Stamps, Dye, Photo Transfers, Silk Screening,
and MorebyAmyKarol(PoterCraf,2009)
Color: A Course in Mastering the Art of Mixing
ColorsbyBetyEdwards(Tarcher,2004)
Confessions of a First TimerbyKhristianA.Howell
(self-publishedebook,2010)
AllaboutexhibitingatSurtex,oneofthepremier
tradeshowsforlicensingsurfacepaterndesigns.
(khristianahowell.com/shop/ebooks/confessions)
Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 18001960byEileen
JahnkeTrestain(AmericanQuiltersSociety,1998)
Dating Fabrics 2: A Color Guide 19502000
byEileenJahnkeTrestain(American
QuiltersSociety,2005)
Digital Textile DesignbyMelanieBowlesand
CeriIsaac(LaurenceKingPublishers,2009)
The Entrepreneurs Guide to Sewn Product
ManufacturingbyKathleenFasanella
(ApparelTechnicalServices,1998)
From Fiber to Fabric: The Essential Guide to
Quiltmaking TextilesbyHarrietHargrave
(C&TPublishing,1997;availableasebookor
PrintonDemandonly)
Patern Design and Beyond: An Insiders Guide to
Creating and Managing Your Own Surface Design
CareerbyClaudiaBrownandJessieWhippleVickery
ofPaternPeople(self-publishedebook,2011)
Agreatsourceforlearningaboutlicensing,
designedforagentsandprintstudios.
(patternpeople.com/ebook)
Principles of Patern DesignbyRichardM.
Proctor(DoverPublications,1990)
Surface Patern Design: A Handbook of How
to Create Decorative and Repeat Paterns for
Designers and StudentsbyV.AnnWaterman
(HastingsHousePublishers,1984)
Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European
and American Paterns Organized by Motif,
Style, Color, Layout, and PeriodbySusanMeller
andJoostElfers(HarryN.Abrams,2002)
Twentieth-Century Patern DesignbyLesley
Jackson(PrincetonArchitecturalPress,2007)
y
rrsourcrs
Sullcs
DbarmaTrad|ngCompany
dharmatrading.com
Textileprintinganddyeing
supplysuperstore;hasthewebs
largestselectionofPFDfabrics.
D|ck||ck
dickblick.com
Artsupplysuperstore;has
awideselectionofblock-
printingsupplies.
G&SDyo
gsdye.com
Toronto-basedtextiledesign
supplyhousetheyknow
theirstufwhenitcomes
totextileprinting.
JacquardS||kConnoct|on
silkconnection.com
PFDfabrics
McC|a|nsr|ntmak|ngSupp||os
imcclains.com
Printmakingsupplyspecialtystore
oconoMt.ScroonSupp|y
poconoscreen.com
Screen-printingsupplies.
Themostafordableplace
Ivefoundforcustom-sized
screens(upto6060).
yonot
ryonet.com
Screen-printingsuppliesand
tonsofhow-tovideos
Scroonr|nt|ngSuporstoro
screenprintingsupplies.com
Fullselectionofsupplies;will
mixinksaccordingtoyour
chosenPantonecolor.
Tba|S||ks
thaisilks.com
PFDsilksandblankclothing
andaccessories
V|ctoryIactory
victoryfactory.com
Screen-printingsupplies,including
water-basedtextileinks
Sofware
AdobobotosbopandI||ustrator
adobe.com
Art|and|aSymmotryWorks
andSymmotrySbop
(pluginsforAdobePhotoshop
andIllustrator)
artlandia.com
Iabr|cStud|o
thefabstudio.com
Iasb|onToo|box
fashiontoolbox.com
GIM(theGNUImage
ManipulationProgram)
gimp.org
Inkscapo
inkscape.org
Digital Textile Print Bureaus
Spoonowor
spoonfower.com
Firstandlargestafordablypriced
digitaltextileprintingservice.
Ofersever-wideningvarietyof
basecloths,aswellasweeklycon-
testsandathrivingmarketplace
inwhichyoucansellyourfabrics.
Ston
stofn.de
BasedinGermany,thisservice
shipsthroughoutEurope.
(German-languagebased)
Sto-Scbm|o.do
stof-schmie.de
BasedinGermanyand
shipsthroughoutEurope,
printswithreactivedyes.
(German-languagebased)
Iabr|conDomand
fabricondemand.com
Variouscotons,linenblends,
andsynthetics,likespandex
I|rst2r|nt
frst2print.com
Higher-enddigitaltextileprinting
bureau.Itofersacid,reactive,and
dispersedyesondozensoffabrics.
karmakraR
karmakraf.com
Oneofthefewafordably
pricedprintersthatusesreac-
tivedyes,whicharemore
wash-fastthanpigmentinks.
S.C.Iabr|cr|nt|ng
scfabricprinting.com
Pigmentandreactivedye
printingstartingat$25/yard
o
Trade Shows
Intornat|ona|Qu||t
Iost|va|(Qu||ts,Inc.)
quilts.com
L|cons|ngIntornat|ona|Lxpo
licensingexpo.com
r|ntsourcoNowYork
printsourcenewyork.com
Surtox
surtex.com
Websites
ArtL|cons|ng|og
artlicensingblog.com
Howtobreakintoandsur-
vivetheartlicensingworld,
writenbyTaraReed.
Co|orTboory
worqx.com/color/index.htm
Anaccessibleover-
viewofcolortheory.
G|gostors
gigposters.com
Ascreen-printingcommu-
nitysite,focusedonrock
postersandT-shirts;forumhas
screen-printinginformation.
antono
pantone.com
Notonlytheplacetopurchase
Pantoneproducts,buttojoin
theircommunityofdesignersfor
technicalsupportandinspiration.
Undergraduate
Textile Design
Dcgrccrograms
Ca||forn|aScboo|ofrofoss|ona|
Iabr|cDos|gn(Berkeley,CA)
fabricschool.com
Iasb|onInst|tutoof
Dos|gn&Morcband|s|ng
(fourcampusesinCalifornia)
fdm.edu/majors/textile-design
Iasb|onInst|tutoofTocbno|ogy
(NewYork,NY)
ftnyc.edu
NortbCaro||naStatoUn|vors|ty
(Raleigh,NC)
www.tx.ncsu.edu
b||ado|pb|aUn|vors|ty
philau.edu/designandmedia;click
DesignPrograms>TextileDesign
bodoIs|andScboo|ofDos|gn
(Providence,RI)
risd.edu
SavannabCo||ogoofArt&Dos|gn
(Savannah,GA,andothercampuses)
scad.edu
AbouttboAutbor
PhotobyJenniferRamos
KimKighthasbeenobsessedwith
fabric,andespeciallyfabricprint
design,sincereceivingasewing
machineasagiffromhermother-
in-lawin2000.Sheestablishedthe
blogTrueUpin2008tosharethat
obsessionwiththeworld.Alongthe
way,shetaughtherselffabricdesign,
andnowteachesclassesonthesub-
jectinAustin,Texas,whereshelives
withherhusbandandtwosons.
SurfacoDos|gnAssoc|at|on
surfacedesign.org
TorontoIasb|onIncubator
fashionincubator.com
Atreasuretroveofinformation
forthoseseekingtogetinto
sewnproductmanufacturing.
TruoUpsIabr|cr|nt|ngIorum
trueup.net/forum
Acompanionforum/community
tothisbook.Askquestions,share
tipsandinspiration,andconnect
withothertalenteddesigners.
WotCanvas
wetcanvas.com
Ahugeartistsforumwith
thrivingprintmakingand
fberartscommunities.
A Field Guide to Fabric Design Download
Copyright 2011 by C&T Publishing, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-60705-618-8
Published by C&T Publishing, Inc.,
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Pattern Note: This digital le contains patterns that may not print true to size and may require sizing
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Qu||tmak|ng
Sew|ng
I|bet Atts 8
M|xed Med|a
Need|e Atts
apetctats
Cteate 8 1teasute
Not|ons 8
Intetac|ng
OVOs
C|ts
On||ne toducts
wra www.ctpub.com n 1651 Challenge Drive, Concord, CA 94520
u.s. vott rarr 800.284.1114 n :nvt 925.677.0377 n rnx 925.677.0373
from C&T Publishing
C&T PUBLISHING is proud to oer you innovative
books and products to inspire your creativity. Look for our products
at local quilt shops, craft and art supply stores, or ne book-sellers.
GOING GREEN
We have been working hard for the last several years to make
our operations friendlier to the environment. We were certied
as a California Bay Area Green Business in 2007. Since then, we
have taken other major steps to green our operations, most notably
by printing our catalogs and other sales materials on recycled
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Quiltmaking
Sewing
Fiber Arts &
Mixed Media
Needle Arts
Papercrafts
Create & Treasure
Tools, Notions &
Interfacing
DVDs
Gifts
Digital Products
Qu||tmak|ng
Sew|ng
I|bet Atts 8
M|xed Med|a
Need|e Atts
apetctats
Cteate 8 1teasute
Not|ons 8
Intetac|ng
OVOs
C|ts
On||ne toducts
wra www.ctpub.com n 1651 Challenge Drive, Concord, CA 94520
u.s. vott rarr 800.284.1114 n :nvt 925.677.0377 n rnx 925.677.0373
from C&T Publishing
C&T PUBLISHING is proud to oer you innovative
books and products to inspire your creativity. Look for our products
at local quilt shops, craft and art supply stores, or ne book-sellers.
GOING GREEN
We have been working hard for the last several years to make
our operations friendlier to the environment. We were certied
as a California Bay Area Green Business in 2007. Since then, we
have taken other major steps to green our operations, most notably
by printing our catalogs and other sales materials on recycled
paper. Our catalogs and many of our most popular books are
now available as downloads that you can view online. Tis is an
important part of our eorts to save natural resources and reduce
our carbon footprint.
INTERESTED IN PUBLISHING A BOOK?
Have an idea for a new product?
We are always looking for original ideas for books, DVDs, and
related products. Visit our website and click on Submissions
to submit your proposal.
for purchasing an eProduct from C&T Publishing!
We appreciate your business!
1ank you
1
0
2
2
9
3
Kimberly
Kight
For Quilting,
Home Dec
& Apparel
Design, Print & Sell Your Own Fabric Traditional & Digital Techniques
A Field Guide to
ISBN 978-1-60705-355-2
9 7 8 1 6 0 7 0 5 3 5 5 2
5 2 4 9 5
US $24.95
DESIGN/Textile
Also available as an eBook
10813
Make your fabric dreams
come true
A comprehensive resource for fabric
design and printing, including tips from
todays premier fabric designers
Design and color basics are explained
with step-by-step tutorials for creating
repeat paterns with your computer
or by hand
Explore diferent ways to transfer your
designs to fabric, from screen printing to
geting licensed with a fabric company
Kims passion for fabric is thoughtful and comprehensive.
With every post on her blog, you can tell that her aection for
fabric runs very deep and she is truly commited to treating
the most popular and obscure fabric releases with equal zeal.
JAY MCCARROLL, Designer
Kims passion for the world of textiles not only
makes it deliciously accessible to us, but also
makes that world a beter one to inhabit.
ANNA MARIA HORNER, Designer
K
i
m
b
e
r
l
y
K
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g
h
t
F
i
e
l
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G
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i
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o
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know vour rtffrrns rtsric orsicn runotirnftts

t rirto cuior fo rtsric orsicn

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know vour rtffrrns rtsric orsicn runotirnftts

t rirto cuior fo rtsric orsicn

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know vour cotor

know vour cotor

You may encounter different

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know vour cotor

Though grays and browns are called

Many designers who license their work to fabric

Unfortunately, cotton is environmentally unfriendly

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Though this chapter focuses on block

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Make test prints on scrap fabric first! Areas

If your repeat size equals the block size, your

Test your screen, ink, and squeegee skills by

LAST: Li and move screen to next alternating repeat.

Cut the usable portions of mistake pieces and use

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