Tag Archives: designing fabric

Gouri Babshet – The Designer Project

It’s been so wonderful having the delightful designer Gouri Bashet, as our current feature artist of The Designer Project and have adored sharing her absolutely lovely textile designs. Gouri has put together a guest blog for you all, which shares a bit of background info on herself, some behind the scenes of her creative process and as well as what inspires her and this collection.

Keep on reading to find out more about Gouri Babshet and her creative style!

‘Gouri Babshet’

I’m a surface pattern designer and illustrator from India who is based in Melbourne, Australia with my husband and two kids. Being in Melbourne and surrounded by beautiful nature has become the source of my inspiration. My patterns and designs are known to be bright, cute yet delicate that are inspired from my love for nature and colours.

‘Delightful Roses – Olive Design’

I’m a former techie who is a creative soul since childhood. I am also a self-taught artist with an absolute love for drawing, crafting, scrapbooking and quilling…just to name a few! I like to think I have a keen eye for colours and just love to bring in bright, detailed and colourful aesthetics with a modern and feminine touch to all of my designs.

‘Work in Progress Design’

‘Morning Melodies Textile Collection’

Nature is my biggest inspiration. I take long walks in the nearby walking trails, creeks and wetlands and capture beautiful images of birds, animals and foliage that serve as a starting point for my design process. I put together a mood board with the images from my inspiration and color palettes that go with the current theme. Then I start by sketching loosely in procreate app on my iPad Pro which is such a versatile tool in art making.

‘Design Inspiration Moodboard’

‘Rough Bird Sketches’

These sketches are refined and transferred to Adobe illustrator to create vector motifs using colour palettes I create using adobe colour tool. The final motifs are tossed in a repeat pattern that can been transformed into beautiful fabric, home decor, stationery and other products.

‘Rough Bird and Floral Sketches’

‘Chirping Birds Design’

If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!

Ideas for your leftover Fabric Scraps

Whether you have been making your own garments for years, or are just starting out, there is nothing better than sitting back and admiring your finished works. Our brains get a kick out of engaging our artistic side, and getting creative helps release those feel-good endorphins. But, with any work of art there is always the clean-up part which can be a bit of a drag. And, if you’re anything like us you are probably wondering what you can re-use as opposed to throwing your custom fabrics straight into the bin. As proud supporters of the slow-fashion movement, we are big fans of limiting our carbon footprint in any way possible and fabric wastage is no different.

So instead of putting those fabric scraps into the bin, here is how you can re-use your fabrics to not only make some funky new creations, but also do your part to help break the wastage cycle.

Mesh Beach Bag

Summer is here and that means plenty of beach days, and this creation from Sew Simple Home not only looks great but also keeps that pesky sand where it belongs. All you need is your spare fabrics, some matching thread and mesh fabric which you can buy online or at stores like Spotlight. The mesh allows you to store your items and simultaneously acts as a sift for any sand or dirt.

Scrap Busting Shorts

We hate to harp on but summer really is the DIY designer’s dream when it comes to quick and easy clothing and accessories. These shorts are a great project made by our friend & creator, Carly B using her leftover Digital Fabric Scraps (scroll to the bottom to read how)! and are perfect company with the mesh beach bag to go over any bikini bottom or one-piece.

HalfSoyBean has a terrific YouTube channel and with some matching thread you will be on your way to busting out some brand new, sustainably-made bottoms for those warmer months.

Scrap Key-Fobs

Keys – we all have them and we all easily lose them. How many minutes have you wasted trying to find the house keys, that letterbox key or your spare car key? Those days are long gone with Lo and Behold Stitchery’s scrap key-fob.

You can wave goodbye to tacky key rings or uninspiring lanyards and those smaller fabric scraps with some basic sewing supplies, clips and a basic key ring. Be careful though, you may start getting requests from loved ones for one of their own, or better yet, they make a perfect present for that special someone who needs their keys permanently hung around their necks.

Homemade Heat Packs

Hoosier HomeMade are on the money with their homemade heat pack.

The beauty of this project is they have multiple uses outside of keeping warm in the colder months – where it be for nursing injuries, treating blocked pores or those time-of-the-month cramps. All you need for this little gem is your spare fabrics, matching thread and some long-grain rice and in no time you will have a funky little gift idea for the upcoming festive season.

And there you have it! Four quick and easy projects that utilise your spare fabrics, just in time for Christmas. Happy creating.

Emilie Otto – The Designer Project

We have absolutely loved sharing these fun loving designs by creative Emilie Otto and hope you’ve loved her designs as much as we have! To coincide with Emilie’s ‘Life of the Party’ collection being made available to all of our customers through our Fabric Shop online, the artist herself has put together a guest blog which further explains her one of a kind creative process and what inspires her work.

Keep reading to find out more about Emilie Otto and her unique design process!

‘Emilie Otto’

Hi, I’m Emilie Otto (aka Em).

Let’s get creative friends, I’m so excited to share these fun filled fabric prints with you all! It has been one of my wildest dreams since I can remember to create bold, eccentric and joy filled designs to inspire people to create and feel authentically themselves. I am never someone who likes to blend into a crowd or follow the leader and I wanted these designs to reflect this.

‘Emilie painting in her studio’

This a slice of my first collection “Life of the Party” an eccentric mix of colourful coordinates. Curated for fun lovers, sun-seekers, and most importantly good times! These designs are created from hand carved stamps, which have been elevated using a variety of digital techniques. The bright colour palettes embody my favourite parts of summer. These designs where made to suit fashion and accessories projects, but the sky’s the limit.

‘Carving design stamps’

These designs didn’t come about in a conventional way, in fact it woke me up at 2am! I couldn’t stop thinking about carving little stamps and creating little still life artworks. It all happened within a matter of hours, I was listening to my favourite playlist hand carving wine bottles, crabs, lemons, and a range of flowers. I fell in love instantly and after finishing the carvings I could head back to bed for some more sleep.

‘Emilie using her handmade stamps’

Most of the designs are inspired by items I have in my studio, which spark happiness. Items have been collected from thrift stores, gifted, and saved to remind me of special moments. I love bright colours and love high contrast patterns, so these colour combinations feel very true to my style as a designer.

‘Emilie painting in her studio’

All of the designs I create are something that I would love wearing, most of the time they don’t start out with a purpose in mind. I focus on enjoying the making process and more often that not they turn into whatever they were meant to be, these stamps started as card designs but evolved into statement fabric designs.

‘Clothing Mockups of Designs’

Here are a few clothing examples that really get me excited, they have an element of comfort, are carefree and also let people’s personalities shine through. Any of the fabrics in this collection would work well on their own, they can also be mixed and match to really turn up the fun.

‘Emilie Otto’

My studio space is full of dancing lights, disco balls and prims hanging from the windows along with artwork from other designers who inspire me. It’s a chaotic space, but I always feel so inspired when I sit down at my desk and start painting.

I hope that these designs bring some energy and fun into your next DIY project.

Em xo

‘Life of the Party’ Textile Collection by Emilie Otto

We couldn’t be more excited to announce that our next featured artist from The Designer Project will be none other than the amazing Emilie Otto!

Her ‘Life of the Party’ collection is an eccentric mix of colourful coordinates. Curated for fun lovers, sun-seekers, and most importantly good times! These designs are created from hand carved stamps, which have been elevated using a variety of digital techniques. The bright colour palettes embody the best part of the Australian Summer.

Keep reading to find out more about Emilie Otto and her fun loving designs!

Play Time Ocean Blues is a feel-good vibrant print, featuring a few items that you would find at a celebration with friends. The colours are inspired by warm sunny days and sparkling blue oceans.

We think this is the perfect print for some funky swimwear, can’t you picture it as some board-shorts or a bikini?

Picnic Rug Candy is a vibrant gingham print, inspired by picnic catchups with friends. The colours are warm and are like those you can enjoy during a candy-coloured sunset.

This print would look fantastic for fashion garments and homewares! We love this colourway for a super fun picnic blanket or perhaps a summer dress.

Picnic Rug Dawn is a vibrant gingham print, inspired by picnic catchups with friends. The colours are cool and soft like those you can enjoy during a dreamy early morning.

Another amazing print for a range of fashion and home and interior projects, think flowing pants or cushions!

Stripey Bubblegum is a bold geometric print; it is a statement and fun take on traditional tartan. The colour combination is what make this print POP, which was inspired by watermelon flavoured candy.

This design is perfect for some summer accessories such as bucket hats or tote bags/beach bags!

Stripey Violet is a bold geometric print; it is a statement and fun take on traditional tartan. The colour combination is what make this print POP, which was inspired by wildflowers.

We think this print would work so well for a statement beach towel or even a new onepiece.

Sunday Sesh Mint is a hand carved print inspired by long days in the sun with friends, sipping on your favourite drinks. The colour combination is what make this print POP, which was inspired by Mint & Pink Gin cocktails.

This design is so perfect for beachy/pool attire, think a loose over shirt with matching shorts!

Sunday Sesh Violet is a hand carved print inspired by long days in the sun with friends, sipping on your favourite drinks. The colour combination is what make this print POP, which was inspired by Lemons & blueberries.

We love this print for a fun kaftan to throw on at the beach!

All of our project ideas above are suggestions only as the sky’s truly the limit with Emilie’s super fun collection! Each of Emilie’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop, so head on over to be inspired for your next DIY project!

Brianna Pawlik – The Designer Project

We have absolutely loved sharing these beautiful designs by designer Brianna Pawlik and hope you’ve loved her designs as much as we have! To coincide with Brianna’s “Sink and Sun” collection being made available to all of our customers through our Fabric Shop online, the artist herself has put together a guest blog which further explains her one of a kind approach to creating surface patterns and what inspires her work.

Keep reading to find out more about Brianna Pawlik and her stunning designs!

‘Brianna Pawlik’

Hello! I am Brianna, Owner/Surface Pattern Designer of Lulu Pawlik Collections and Mumma of three cheeky cherubs. My nickname is Lulu and my designs are the perfect combination of all things kitsch and coastal. My treasured hand drawn and hand-crafted designs and patterns can be printed on any surface such as beautiful fabrics, clothing, homewares, accessories, stationary, wallpaper, even footwear. They are crafted for beautiful brands and businesses to license and use on their products, to stand out from the crowd and offer something unique for their customers!

‘Brianna’s Studio’

My patterns are playful with a retro vibe and my love for the sea and surf are key elements. I find wonder and inspiration from the ocean and a lifestyle growing up on the east coast of Australia. Family surf holidays and travel adventures run through my designs, in combination with my love for vintage coastal treasures and retro eras.

‘Design sketches’

Before I became a Surface Pattern Designer, I created a women’s clothing label called Miss Lulu which I designed and manufactured myself successfully for many years. After my first baby, I found little to no time to pattern make, source fabric, sample, sew, press and sell my clothing collections. At this new point in my life, homewares and mumma accessories danced around in my mind.

‘Sewing printed Linen Deluxe fabric’

I went on to create a small slow made accessories label, The Sailor Siren & Co. after my second baby which took on a similar design aesthetic to my clothing label. I create retro coastal inspired accessories for mummas and bubs, with natural fibres and sustainability in mind. It was always a struggle to find the fabric prints that I desired for my style and creations. This is what naturally lead me into the world of surface pattern design.

‘Brianna’s workspace’

Now as a busy Mumma of three, I can dream and create beautiful, playful, coastal, kitschy patterns that I want to see in the world and I hope other brands will love too. Lulu Pawlik surface pattern design collections are just for you to purchase and print on your beautiful products for your adoring customers. They are sure to stand out and make a wow statement!

‘Brianna and 2 of her children’

Follow me and my journey on Instagram or get in touch via email to connect about exclusive custom pattern designs or collaborations for your brand or business. I have a beautiful pattern library of ready to go patterns, that are exclusive to your selected product categories and yours forever after purchase.

Here is a little insight into my design process. Each design element or motif begins as individual hand drawn pencil sketches that are then inked in a bold felt tip pen. I also love watercolour paints for a more imperfect playful vibe. My motifs are then scanned and vectorized in Illustrator. Beautiful pattern repeats are then created with intention, time, and magic! Colours will vary depending on the surface and texture of the selected fabric, paper, or product, so test prints and samples are then a must to confirm the final desired looks. As a sewer I like the hands-on feel and authenticity of sewing up my mock-ups for shoots and display.

‘Palm tree illustration’

Want to get your hands on some gorgeous Lulu Pawlik pattern designs printed on your choice of beautiful fabrics?! The Designer Project at Digital Fabrics displays a selected range from my Sink & Sun collection that you can have printed on any fabric you choose, for your own textile products. You can order by the metre to create magic and please share what you make with me!

Amy Jessup – The Designer Project

It’s been so exciting having the delightful designer Amy Jessup, as our current feature artist of The Designer Project and have adored sharing her absolutely divine textile designs. Amy has put together a guest blog for you all, which shares a bit of background info on herself, some behind the scenes of her creative process and as well as what inspires her and her ‘House of Vintage’ collection. Keep on reading to find out more about Amy Jessup and her creative style!

‘Amy Jessup’

Hi, I’m Amy from Midnight Rise Design. I’m a Textile and Surface Designer based on the beautiful Gold Coast. I love exploring Australia in our van. Life on the road, immersing in our stunning landscape and living simply is most definitely for me.

Oh, and I’m obsessed with my Whippet Luna! My sleepy, sassy gal is in the studio with me daily!

‘Original Illustrations and Paintings’

I’m super excited to join the Digital Fabrics team with my collection now available in their fabric store! When I first saw Digital Fabrics, I was instantly drawn to the beautiful idea. Allowing artists, small business owners and creative minds to connect on a platform full of unique designs, high quality fabrics and no limitations. Ahhmazing!

‘Zephyr – Rust’

This collection is inspired by everything and anything vintage. I have always been drawn to vintage homes, swimwear and furniture. I would say my style is a modern twist on vintage concepts. My studio is my favourite room in the house! It’s my inspiration and motivation every day. I truly believe having a space which makes you feel light and excited to take on the day is so important.

‘Wild Daisie in progress’

Every collection starts with a mood board. My most exciting ideas are sparked when I’m completely relaxed and present. Whether that be when we’ve been traveling around in our van, laying by the beach or it could have been something I’ve seen on my morning walk. I am an organised, list writing, non-clutter kind of gal – Haha! So, Pinterest boards are my go-to (I’m obsessed!). This is one of my latest boards. A mix of colour inspiration, textures, travel pics. Let your mind run wild when creating your next mood board. Anything that feels good, add it!

‘Wild Daisie’

I’m a little bit of a creative mixer, I love all styles! Sometimes I design starting with sketches, other times I’ll dive straight into digital and even explore with watercolour and acrylic paint.

Whichever way I begin a design. The original artwork is scanned into Photoshop or Illustrator. I love that the options are endless and you can work so freely here. Original artwork is fine turned, colour pallets are explored and a seamless pattern is created.

‘Amy in her studio’

While my designs are created in different forms of art. They are suitable for fashion, baby wear and homewares.

Check out Amy’s creations via Instagram @mightnightrisedesign or her website: https://www.midnightrisedesignandfilm.com.au/DESIGN/

Amanda Laing – The Designer Project

We have absolutely loved sharing these beautiful floral designs by Brisbane-based designer Amanda Laing and hope you’ve loved her designs as much as we have! To coincide with Amanda’s “Garden of Memories” collection being made available to all of our customers through our Fabric Shop online, the artist herself has put together a guest blog which further explains her one of a kind approach to creating surface patterns and what inspires her work.

Keep reading to find out more about Amanda Laing and her stunning designs!

Amanda Laing

I’m Amanda Laing, a surface pattern designer from Brisbane, Qld. My inspiration comes from my surroundings whether they be the natural world or the built environment. I am always finding things that catch my eye and love to express it visually through colour, form and pattern.

“Rosie – Watercolour Painting”

With a background in Interior Design and Art teaching I design surface patterns for both paper and fabric. Paprly is my small business designing for wrapping paper, gift cards and tea towels.

“Eloide + Pink Petal Gouache Paintings”

I teach art workshops in primary schools and just completed a graduate certificate in visual arts. I also have a background in commercial Interior Design and Art Teaching. When it comes to surface pattern design, I’m pretty much self-taught and constantly being driven by the need to design and make things.

“Daisy Drop – Fabric Design”

Personally, I prefer hand drawing to digital and use a wide range of media from pen, watercolour, gouache and paint. Experimenting with textures and layering is also something that I love, as well as experimenting with different mediums. As a result, my style is wide and varied. My designs are both naïve and realistic prints but always with the aim of trying to create unique and original work.

You can check out more of Amanda’s work via her Instagram @mandalouau or view all of her lovely products on her website https://www.paprly.com.au/

“Lace Mimosa – Fabric Design”

Custom Fabric Printing for Summer Beach Essentials

We thought we’d try something different and put together a guide that’s sure to get you beach ready. Let’s talk Summer essentials! Think durable tote bags, deluxe beach throws, quirky board shorts, divine kaftans and fun swimwear of course. Whether you’re an expert with a sewing machine or just getting a feel for custom textiles, the end of year holidays are the perfect time to start a DIY project. There’s nothing more satisfying than using your art to create something that’s both unique and practical to enjoy. In this article we go through our stock fabric top picks for the season and the popular beach products they’re perfect for so keep reading!

Image via Pinterest

COTTON LINEN – 97% Cotton / 3% Linen & 250gsm

Let start simple! Have you seen Turkish Towels or gorgeous Beach Throws? They’re trending Summer essentials and we think our Cotton Linen is the perfect fabric to use.

Cotton Linen is a wonderfully textured natural fibre blend with a durable weave. The fabric has a warm off-white base colour and a matte finish. To use this fabric for a beach throw simply print your custom design and then cut & hem the edges – easy!

Image via Pinterest

COTTON VOILE – 100% Cotton & 75gsm

Want to make your own kaftan or sarong for the warm weather? We think this is another simple project with our Cotton Voile being the perfect fabric for the job!

Cotton Voile is light-weight and super soft and can be compared to muslin, especially after washing as this fabric will only get softer over time! It has an off-white base colour, is semi-sheer and has a matte finish. This fabric is light and airy to wear making it perfect for poolside wraps and ultra-chic kaftans.

Image via Pinterest

CANVAS – 100% Polyester & 300gsm

Interested in custom beach totes? Look no further! Our Polyester Canvas is just what you need to create a sturdy tote bag!

Our Polyester Canvas is a first choice canvas fabric which is highly durable and softens over time the more you use it. This is a plain weave fabric with a bright white base which ensures vibrant printing results ideal for beach accessories. This fabric is also easy to clean and is water resistant making this the ideal choice for beach bags.

Image via Pinterest

VESNA (ECO-LYCRA) – 85% Recycled Polyester / 15% Spandex & 230gsm

For swimwear garments we recommend checking out our Vesna (Eco Lycra)! It’s an absolute must have fabric to rock an eco-friendly bikini this summer!

Vesna (Eco-Lycra) is an innovative fabric made using recycled plastic bottles! It has an off-white base, a smooth surface and moisture wicking properties. The fabric produces vibrant print results and the surface’s slight sheen will make your artwork pop! The Vesna has an even four-way stretch, a chlorine rating between 4-5 and a UPF rating of 50+ making it the perfect choice for your custom swimwear.

Image via Pinterest

AEROCORP – 100% Polyester & 125gsm

Ever considered creating your own board shorts? We think our Aerocorp fabric is an excellent choice to bring a custom pair of boardies to life!

Aerocorp is a light-weight, microfiber fabric with a smooth and fine texture. It has a bright white base and a matte finish and has excellent colour reproduction when printed. It also provides moisture management and breathability, making it super comfortable to wear – perfect for lounging by the pool.

Image via Pinterest

Ready to start your creative summer project? Order your custom fabric today! If you’re still unsure which of our fabrics will suit your project best, please get in touch!

How to test your fabric design idea on a budget

Digital fabric printing is a truly amazing process and one of the perks (among many others) is that you don’t have to print many meters of your design to test an idea.

You can even print small swatches and variations of your design/s to check colours and quality before ordering a larger print run. Our printers can handle printing small jobs and multiple images at the same time. It’s digital printing after all!

We have put together this great tutorial demonstrating how you can bring multiple designs onto the one file using Adobe Photoshop. Once you have this file set-up simply upload it on our website using our Online Uploader, choose your fabric and order!

It’s a fun and economical way to test run your idea!

First, create a new canvas in Adobe Photoshop. For the width, use the printable width of the fabric you would like to print on. The length is entirely up to you. Keep in mind the printable width of each of our stock fabrics is different and varies between 135 -147cm. Your new document resolution is determined by the image quality of the images that are being collated into the one file. TIP: If you think you’re using low quality images keep the new file resolution low as well; 72DPI -150 DPI. Select RGB for Colour Mode.

Drag and drop required files onto newly created canvas.

Arrange files within canvas space as needed. Use Free Transform option, located EDIT > FREE TRANSFORM, to change the size of each image or simply type the size required in the dimension options.

Once sizes have been determined, use the Move Tool to arrange the images to your liking within the canvas space.

Save file as JPEG at high quality and you are ready to test all those wonderful creative ideas!

Simply upload your newly created file onto our Fabric Uploader, choose your fabric and order. Our Fabric Uploader is available 24/7 which means you can order anytime! Plus there are no set-up fees! Our Online Uploader also features multiple preview options which lets you see how your design would look on a range of products.

New Vesna Eco Lycra Fabric

You asked, we listened! After receiving plenty of interest in recycled lycra fabrics we’re very excited to announce that we have introduced one to the Digital Fabrics Fabric Range! Introducing our NEW Vesna Recycled Eco Lycra.

Vesna is an innovative 85% Recycled Polyester / 15% Spandex fabric made using recycled plastic bottles and has a maximum printable width of 147cm.

Vesna has an off-white base and a smooth surface with a slight sheen – not too matte and not too shiny! Vesna’s composition and finish provides really vibrant printing results, making this fabric ideal for designs with bright and deep colours.

Vesna is 230 GSM with an even four-way stretch and moisture wicking properties. It also has a chlorine rating between 4-5 and a UPF rating of 50 making it perfect for swimwear and active-wear garments. We think the Vesna will also be a great choice for fashion leggings, dresses, skirts, dancewear and costumes.

Image via Pinterest

Sample swatches of Vesna are available through our Sample Pack Order Form. Get in touch with any upcoming projects that you think our Vesna might be great for!

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Tag Archives: designing fabric

Gouri Babshet – The Designer Project

Ideas for your leftover Fabric Scraps

Emilie Otto – The Designer Project

‘Life of the Party’ Textile Collection by Emilie Otto

Brianna Pawlik – The Designer Project

Amy Jessup – The Designer Project

Amanda Laing – The Designer Project

Custom Fabric Printing for Summer Beach Essentials

How to test your fabric design idea on a budget

New Vesna Eco Lycra Fabric

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