Get your math skills ready for this fabric repeat pattern tutorial in Illustrator. We would recommend to start with repeating simple objects first to understand the concept of repeating pattern in Illustrator, once it is understood nothing will stop you to create!
Full Drop Repeat in Illustrator
Either open up an existing illustrator file or begin by developing your vector image that you desire to repeat. We have started with a basic spot, varying the size and colour to add variety and this will form the base of the repeat.
Set up your art board to your desired repeat size. This depends on your end product, but to start off with, work with squares to help with calculations. We have set up my repeat to be 32 x 32 cm. For interested sake, this is a standard rotary repeat set up. Place your initial artwork to the top left corner of the art board, letting it hang over the edge.
Select all objects (sometimes helpful to group them so you don’t miss any when duplicating). Double click on the black selection tool in the tools panel and a dialogue box will appear.
This is how you can move objects an exact amount i.e. the repeat size and know that all objects within that repeat will align perfectly.
First duplicate the selected objects the repeat size down or vertically. This repeat is 32 cm, so they are moved 32 cm vertically.
Make sure the horizontal value is 0. Click COPY.
Now repeat horizontally by selecting both groups of objects along the left side. When in the move dialogue box make sure the horizontal value is the repeat size and the vertical value is 0. Click COPY.
Now is the time to fill in the blank space in the middle with additional objects.
Tip: Lock the three extra sides of the repeat or put them on a separate locked layer so they can be easily deleted in a following step. This may require some more advance knowledge of illustrator, but don’t let this deter you if you are new, it could be helpful in mastering the program! The level of difficulty here will greatly depend on the style and type of original artwork you are using and will call into play several design elements and principles such as space, balance and unity. Watch out for anything that forms a definite line or track mark through your design. You may need to shift or adjust parts of your original artwork to make the repeat work, in which case is can be a good idea to work in layers (with a copy of the original locked) in case you want to jump back to the beginning.
Work towards filling in the edges, duplicating them down/across to the repeat edges, till all you have is the middle to fill.
Continue until you are happy with the flow and feel of the design.
Now delete the three extra sides that were locked or moved to another layer. Then repeat the duplicating sequence with all the added areas/dots of the design. This will help you check anything that may have doubled up or just doesn’t look right in the repeat.
When you are satisfied with your repeat tile, you can set it up for digital fabric printing. Position two repeat tiles (vertically) so they hang over the left side of the art board. Increase the artwork WIDTH to the width of the fabric (in this case 147cm), keep the height of the art board as the repeat size.
Duplicate the selected objects across the width of the art board so it is covered completely. Tip: Once you have used the move tool to move the exact repeat size and clicked copy, ctrl D to duplicate the exact last action.
Save As a PDF. Even though there are objects hanging off the edge of the art board, because they have been moved the exact repeat size, they will all meet up when printed seamlessly. This is now your Full Width Repeat Tile which repeats top and bottom you can use it for digital custom fabric printing.
For this tutorial we have choose Full Drop pattern repeat. It is not an advanced technic, mostly for those who is not very proficient in Photoshop yet like to be creative and play. This fabric pattern repeat tutorial mainly suitable for photographic and abstract images.
Full Drop repeat in Photoshop
Full Drop Repeats can also be referred to as Square repeat.
Open your artwork file in Photoshop. It’s always a good idea to check the resolution quality before beginning, a minimum of 150 dpi is recommended. Crop/alter the image as desired till you are happy with an artwork that will be tiled to repeat seamlessly.
Original image – all four corners of image are relatively different and this is what will need to be fixed to create a seamless repeat.
Original image with no fixing of the seams, looks mismatched.
Take note of the pixel size of your image (Image – Image Size)
As well as HALF this amount. An easy way to do this is let the computer decide, halve the resolution amount (150 dpi in this case), and re-note the new pixel dimensions. Click cancel as you don’t want to actually change the resolution, just take note of it.
Now cut (OFFSET) the image in half both length and width ways. This will give the edges or seams that need to be fixed for seamless repeating. It is ideal to do this step with a flattened layer. (Filter – Other – Offset) Now put in the HALVED horizontal and vertical values determined in step 2 and make sure that Wrap Around is selected. Click OK.
It is clear to see where the image needs to be fixed to create a seamless repeat, where no harsh contrasting lines can be seen as in the above image. There are several tools to use in photoshop that you can use to do this including (but not limited to) stamp, blur, patch, clone…enjoy the play!
It is a good idea to offset the now fixed image, just to check the four points that you haven’t missed anything and nothing is looking odd.
This now forms your Repeat Tile and this is the tile/image that is required when sending artwork to a printer or uploading it for fabric printing online.
SAVE! Save file as (Artwork Name)_Repeat Tile
You must now check your repeat and to see it duplicated across the width and down the length of your fabric. An easy way to do so is to define your reworked artwork as a pattern. Menu>Edit>Define Pattern>Save as preferred name.
Open a new blank document with a set up reflecting something similar to a roll of fabric i.e. 145 x 100 cm depending on you repeat tile dimensions.
Menu>Edit>Fill>Select your saved pattern from the drop down box>OK
Mirror repeat technic is one of the easiest way to make a repeat pattern with any digital image, photographs, graphic artwork or painting. Mirror repeat creates an interesting effect, simple and quick, doesn’t require great Photoshop skills. To design your own fabric you can either use our Photoshop tutorial or Fabric Uploader with an instant Mirror repeat option.
Mirror Repeat Tutorial in Photoshop
Open your artwork in Photoshop, make any adjustments to the dimensions (width/height) at this stage.
Double click (press OK) the background layer in your layers panel so it is no longer locked.
Increase your artboard size, go to Menu > Image > Canvas Size > double the width of the canvas size making sure to click the left arrow so the increase only happens to one side.
Now duplicate the original layer by clicking and dragging it to the second from the right icon at the base of the layers panel.
With the duplicated layer selected go to Menu>Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontally>OK. Drag the flipped layer across (holding down SHIFT key) so the layer slots into place in line with the original layer. Make sure to zoom into mirroed join beetwin the images to double check that no pixels are out. Merge layers by sellecting them both, right click and choose Merger Layers option.
Repeat this step again, but mirroring the length/height of the image. When you transform the duplicated layer, make sure to flip VERTICALLY before dragging into place.
Flatten the layers, right click on one of the layers, select Flatten Image option. This is now your mirrored repeat tile that repeats
seamlessly on all four sides! Now you can use your design for digital custom fabric printing.
Katy Dee from Letter 11 recently printed custom fleece fabric with us to make comfy baby blanket for her little nephew and shared her creative process with us. Get creative, make your own fleece blanket, its super easy!
You will need:
Custom printed fleece fabric, the beauty of this fabric is that you can make a blanket without using filling or backing fabric. One layer of fabric is enough to get comfy and snuggly. You can order your custom fabric here!
A sewing machine.
Bias Binding, you will need enough to go around the entire blanket. For this a 1.5m x 1m fleece blanket used just over 5m.
Dressmaking pins and scissors.
Cut your custom fleece fabric to the size and shape you want, in tutorial the blanket is 1.5m by 1m which is big and snuggly! A square would also be cute.
Find a spot around half way down the longest length of blanket to start pinning the bias. To pin you fold it naturally in half with the flaps on the inside and wrap it around the blanket pinning all 3 layers together like a sandwich. Carry on pinning the binding all the way to the corner.
Now it’s time to begin sewing…. Using running stitch and the colour thread of your choice, pop the blanket in under the machine foot and do a few back stitches first to secure the bias. Then continue sewing on the inside edge of the binding and down towards the corner following and removing the pins as you sew….
To wrap the bias binding around that corner nice and neatly, fold the corners down to create a diagonal fold and pin this into place. At this point, also pin the binding along the length towards the next corner. Sew slightly into the diagonal fold, stop to rotate the blanket so you can sew another side of the blanket bias and continue to sew all around the fleece blanket.
When you are nearly at the point where you began sewing, do a few backstitches and remove the blanket. Cut the binding neatly so there is just a 4-5 cm length left. Fold this in on itself and pin down into place creating a neat hidden pocket. Now you can pop the blanket back in and sew that last little bit up! Don’t forget to finish with a few backstitches for safety!
And there you go, a super cute baby fleece blanket!
If you’re looking to give a bright make over to your home, this DIY project is for you! Curtains are a great way to add color and pattern to your home and they are so easy to make.
Elba from Live Colorful shows us how, with her easy DIY curtains tutorial, which she made using the Lemonade fabric she created with Digital Fabrics!
A couple months ago she moved into her new home, but if you’ve ever been through it you know how hectic a move can be. She had her eye on the ugly gray-green curtains that she wanted to change and now, thanks to the Lemonade fabric she created with Digital Fabrics, she had the perfect DIY opportunity to give this space a bright and personal touch.
Elba hasn’t been able to find prints that she loves, so inspired by that, she created the LIVE COLORFUL collection which features bright and happy prints that are perfect for many DIY home decor projects.
You can also win 2 meters of one of her designs so make sure you go check it out.
The beauty with fabrics is what you can make with them. Creative DIY talent Oaishe created a gorgeous DIY pleated bodice and circle skirt dress using the TEA ROSE cotton sateen fabric
In her tutorial she shows us how to beautiful details of how she creates the pleats in the bodice and then how you can create and attach the circle skirt to create a unique dress. For this DIY project you need about 2-3 yards/meters of fabric.
Did you know that printing fabrics with us is super easy? Create your design, Upload and pay, Receive your fabric! Our minimum order is just 1 m.
Our first workshop happened a few weekends ago at the Digital Fabrics School and it was a great day!
There were 4 students ranging in experience and knowledge and it was a fun day learning, sharing and exploring the digital process of designing a scarf from creating a collage to the digital process.
An early start on a winter’s day meant plenty of snacks and cups of tea for fuel while learning about Textile design from our expert teacher Liz Godkin. Liz has extensive industry experience including working at a fashion house in New York and freelance design across Australia and she shared tricks of the trade and useful tips for designing textile products for both personal and commercial projects.
Students were getting back to basics and making flat lays which were to be the base of the scarf designs with flowers, leaves, lace, poms poms and even their own artwork. One student loved using her professional photography skills to capture the design! It’s great to work with your hands before turning it digital as it gives you a wider understanding of the process and how designs can come from anywhere.
After a much needed break for some delicious sushi, more tea and it was time to take the collage into Photoshop. Few hours were spent learning how to use the manipulation tools, layers, filters and blending tools amongst many other aspects in PS. Liz was constantly offering information , shortcuts and in depth knowledge. As it was a very small class, she always had time to help students one on one which is great and definitely makes a difference.
The feedback that we received is great and are excited about the upcoming workshops and the future of the Digital Fabrics School. If you have been thinking about attending one, DO IT! You will learn some great new skills and make new friends along the way. What’s better than that?
We have lots of ideas and are thinking about lots of potential fun things to learn and make together!
Digital Fabrics School is kicking off with DESIGN YOUR OWN SCARF WORKSHOP on July the 16th. Come and join us for fun creative day.
Full day workshop style class will provide you with knowledge of digital textile design for placement printing. You will be photographing floral inspired collage/layout and transferring your photography to a scarf! After the workshop you will receive finished large chiffon scarf printed with your created design!
On the day you will be creating and photographing collages to further manipulate them in Photoshop. This procces is fun creative and there is no wrong or write! This woark shop alose will give you the knowlage to come up with your own designs later and set them up for printing as required by fabric printing industrie. You will learn to understand scale, image size and the template, how print design can be developed, manipulate photographic digital images in different ways, design your own placement prints and change colours!
Interested? Book Design Your Own Scarf workshop now and get your early bird 10% discount. Hurry, spaces in our workshops are limited. Use EARLYBIRD promo code on checkout. Don’t wait too long this offer is limited!
We have been working on developing a new easy system to design and print custom cushions.
Now you can Design, Create, Print beautiful cushions for your home, business or event.
With our DIY online cushion cover uploader option, its super easy! With a few clicks you can upload the design, preview the results and get your order under way. This is the quickest and most cost-effective way to turn your digital designs into a cushion!
Have you ever wanted to design your own textile prints but are unsure where to start? Would you like to emerge into the world of textiles, creative processes and digital repeats?
Digital Fabrics has put together a new education program for all textile design enthusiast. With DIGITAL FABRICS SCHOOL industry experts on hand we can teach you fundamental textile design methods and help you to design prints and patterns for fabrics.
Who is our school for?
Graphic designers who wish to move to textile design market and expand their skills.
Fashion students and designers who aiming to create point of difference from other labels and stay on trend through fabric design prints.
And all creatives, sewers, makers, artists and photographers who want to design they own product using their art and ideas, but don’t know where to start!
Hands on experience and knowledge of digital textile design. Work on your own projects as well as theme structured workshops. Evening and weekend time is available. Small size classes, almost private!
