Using Illustrator for repeats can sometimes be quicker and less labour intensive than using Photoshop, but it all comes down to the type of file you start with or the style of artwork you’re after. Stick to illustrator for vector files and images with a very “graphic” orientation, bearing in mind how the artwork was originally generated. Avoid using a jpg, tiff, psd or Photoshop eps you will lose the inherent quality of the original artwork.
Half Drop Repeat in Illustrator
To practise your fabric design skills you can use an existing illustrator artwork. Open up an existing illustrator artwork or create a new vector graphic to your specifications. Set up your art board to the repeat size that you’d prefer. Here I’m using a 64 cm repeat. Starting off with squares can be easier to work out half measurements at a late step.
When you are happy with your artwork, move it to the top left corner of your art board so it hangs off the edge. Double click on the move tool to duplicate (click copy) the object the exact repeat size vertically.
Now with all objects selected, use the move tool again. This time you will duplicate the objects across the full repeat width but down by HALF the repeat size, in this case 64 x 32 cm. Click copy.
At this stage you can adjust the scale of the original object or add in additional motifs. This is not always necessary and depends on your individual artwork but it has the potential to add variety and interest
in the overall design.
N.B. Don’t forget that what happens on the top ‘line’ of your artboard must happen on the bottom i.e. repeat
When you are happy with the layout for your half drop, delete any duplicated objects (across the right side and bottom of art board) so that you only have one group of objects.
Adjust the artboard dimension to to be a full print width, in this case 147cm and proceed to duplicate the objects so that it fills and over hangs the artboard. Remember that it is a half drop, so follow the previous steps for duplication.
A colour overlay was added purely for aesthetic purposes. Save as pdf as previous tutorial.
A maxi dress is a wardrobe staple that every woman needs. It’s feminine, easy to wear and DIY.
Ovoke shows us how you can DIY a maxi dress with Digital Fabrics. Our mission at Digital Fabrics is to help you to bring your creativity our amazing ideas to life! Shop this and more fabrics in our Fabric Shop
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.
Getting beautiful fabric is just the beginning because what will you make with it once you receive it? Eryn from Style Sew Me created a gorgeous DIY dress using Digital Fabrics Bold Rose Midnight Purple fabric. Our mission at Digital Fabrics is to help you to bring your creativity and your amazing ideas to life!
To sew the dress she used her Connie Dress pattern which you can purchase through her site. And shop the Bold Rose Midnight Purple fabric and more in the Digital Fabrics shop.
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!
Have you ever bought an item that you were excited about at first only to see it disappear in the back of your wardrobe a few weeks later? Buying new things is exciting but a lot of times we don’t wear it as much because we lack inspiration on how to wear it or don’t know how to style it with our existing wardrobe.
September marks a change of seasons. Some of us are transitioning into Fall while others are getting ready for Spring season. No matter what season it is, a scarf is one of those accessories you can use all year long and here at Digital Fabrics we have a cool workshop coming on September 17 that allows you to design your own scarf! It will be your design, your print, your colors, the ultimate expression of your personal style wrapped into a scarf. Sign up HERE
To get you inspired in the meanwhile we wanted to share 50 creative ways that you can wear your Digital Fabrics scarf!
In this video Wendy’s Lookbook shows you 25 ways to tie a scarf.
And if you also want to tie your scarf as a top, skirt or body wrap check out Pink Chocolate Break’s video with 25 styling tips.
Which look is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
“The fabric is so soft, and the print is bright and bold; really great quality! I love how unique my top feels in this fresh print.” – The Sara Project
The beauty about fabrics is seeing them come to life whether it becomes a pillow cover or a unique piece of clothing. Digital Fabrics recently teamed up with Sara from The Sara Project who loves to share her passion for sewing on her blog.
Sara used our Ethnic in Cornflower in micro fabric to create this unique top. It’s fresh, flown and this top can definitely be worn during all seasons. And we’re happy to read she was pleased with the fast shipping and quality of the Digital Fabrics she received
Whether it’s Summer or Winter, a scarf is a timeless wardrobe essential that can come in handy anytime. Whether you want to bundle up during Winter time, tie it as a beach cover up or create a fancy hair up do, there is no limit to the many ways you can wear and style a scarf.
So why not customize your own scarf and create a beautiful and unique design for it?
Our mission at Digital Fabrics is to help you to bring your creativity and your amazing ideas to life!
September 15 Digital Fabrics will teach you how to design your own scarf. During this full day design your own scarf workshop we 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 printed large chiffon scarf with your own design!
Click here to participate in this creative scarf workshop.
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.
