Fabric design patterns: Inspiration and tips for design fabrics

Fabric design is an exciting, creative, diverse industry. If you’re reading this, you're most likely involved in fabric design. And as experts in the fabric field, we have plenty to discuss.

We've put together a comprehensive guide on fabric designs. Here you'll find out what fabric designing entails and how you can design magnificent designs on fabrics for sewing. We also give you plenty of fabric inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.

What is a design you put on fabric?

In fabric design, we create patterns that we then print onto fabrics or weave or knit together using fabric fibres before the fabrics are made. The most common way to do this is by printing on fabric, something we specialise in at maake. (We also print a minimum fabric order if you need it, but that’s another story!)

Many artists create these two-dimensional fabric patterns digitally (on computer). Others do this by first painting or sketching them and then scanning them into Adobe Design computer software products. Some use fabric patterns that were created by independent artists. In this case, you need to obtain the copyright to do this, unless the images are free of copyright.

Fabric creators produce their fabric patterns for two industries – fashion clothing as well as fabric accessories like footwear, handbags and scarves; and interior design fabric such as upholstery, floor coverings and soft furnishings.

The 2 types of textile designers

There are 2 different types of fabric designer, those who create surface textiles and fabric designers.

·       Surface designer: This type of creator produces a motif to print on a selection of products, including fabric. Aside from fabric, media that can be printed on include wallpaper, paper packaging, plastic, mobile phone cases, paper etc. This type of textile designer creates plenty of fabric patterns for both the fashion and interior design industries.

·       Fabric designer: Creates fabric patterns specifically to print, weave or knit onto fabric for sewing. Different fabric products may have special characteristics. For example, if you’re designing a motif for an upholstery fabric, the fabric has to be extremely hard-wearing. If you're upholstering outdoor furniture, the fabric needs to be waterproof and able to withstand the sun without fading.

Different styles of patterns used on fabric

·      When designing fabric, creatives usually create either individual (exclusive) designs, or repetitive designs. The latter are a lot less expensive than exclusive ones, as the motif can be repeated. 

·      Of course, if you design a specific motif for your brand, you will stand out. In this case, you have to consider the rights of the motif that has been created. This is divided into:

-       Exclusive use (copyright): Fashion brands use this method a lot so that they have exclusive ownership of a particular design. Exclusive fabric patterns aren't cheap, as the brand has to pay for having the motif created and for the copyright of the fabric design. Copyright ensures that nobody else can use the fabric design.

-       Licence to use the fabric design: You can purchase a licence to use a fabric pattern without having to pay for creating one. The copyright for this fabric pattern belongs to the creator. They permit you to use their design, at a fee. The independent artists whose work is featured in our library retain the copyright to their designs; but they allow us to print them on fabric for customers, at a fee. 

How to create custom designs 

The process involved in the design of fabrics includes:

1.     The knowledge of your industry, and the skills to execute these skills on a computer to produce a design on fabric.

2.     Coming up with a custom fabric design, taking the brand and your audience into account. We cover this in detail separately, below.

3.     Creating a sketch of the design either by hand or digitally on a computer.

4.     Using specialist computer software to make the fabric decoration ready for print.

5.     Sourcing and selecting the right fabric to print on. 

6.     You need to know a lot about different fabrics in order to choose the right fabric print method for each particular fabric. You also need to find a specialist printer to print the design on the fabric for you. It makes sense: reproducing on cotton fabric, for instance, will be completely different from reproducing on leather or velvet fabrics.

The creative process 

Creating patterns for base materials

The creative process for one who designs fabric is complicated, as you need to consider a lot. You need to consider the colours you will be using and the fabric you print on. You should also consider which fabric print process you use; this depends on whether the fabric is natural or man-made.

If you're not printing on fabric, you need to think about what's necessary to weave or knit with the fabric.

Here at maake, we use two very different fabric print methods to print on man-made and synthetic fabrics or a blend of both. Both print methods are sustainable.

A note on design fabric repeats

A fabric pattern can be exclusive, or it can be repetitive in different ways. Try not to make the fabric pattern too repetitive and ensure it's the right scale to fit the fabric product.  Let’s take a look at the 4 different fabric pattern repeats available:

1. Full drop repeat patterns

This is the simplest type of repeat, where the fabric pattern is copied horizontally and vertically. It’s meant to be repetitive.

2.   Half drop repeat patterns

This type of fabric pattern is less repetitive than the one above. It's created by repeating itself horizontally and aligning it with the repeated design on the first line.

3.   Mirror repeat patterns

These fabric patterns can look really exciting. A designer produces a mirror repeat by duplicating the fabric decoration horizontally and then, on the next line, mirroring the first line. If created in Adobe Illustrator, the user would select ‘Transform’, then use ‘Flip Vertically’ and ‘Flip Horizontally’. When you repeat the process vertically, the effect is mirrored.

4.   Half-Brick repeat patterns

This is the most difficult repeat design to execute, but often worth the extra effort. To create this fabric pattern, you make a rectangular area and place the design to overlap at one edge of the rectangle. For the ideal effect, it should sit half inside and half outside the rectangle.

You then copy this motif and place it in the exact same position on the opposite side of the rectangle. This repeat fabric pattern is continued until the outer edges of the fabric have been filled in. You would then fill in the middle of the rectangle with the design, however you wish.

Crop your file to the exact size of the rectangle, discarding the elements sitting outside of it. Make sure the repeated area matches horizontally and vertically when you align the patterns together.

What your creation looks like

It's very difficult to imagine what a fabric will look like when it’s printed fabric, so we recommend that you print a sample before you print your fabric order. This way, you will have a good idea of exactly what the design will look like when you print it on the fabric. You can order a fabric sample, or purchase our fabric sample book to get an idea of how fabric patterns print on several different fabrics and products.

If you’re happy with the result, you can give the OK for the printer to print your fabric order for you.

 What to consider before printing on material

1.   Scale

Make sure you print the design to the right scale. The design shouldn't overpower the product. If you’re using a floral design on a dress, for instance, it needs to fit the garment – the flowers can’t be too big on the fabric, or they will be out of place.

If you already have an existing design made of fabric you can scale the design to fit the product. This applies to fabric clothing and homeware. 

2.   Colours and colour matching

Fabric colours are also very important. You must make sure you consider the end product when you choose a colour palette. Baby’s clothing, accessories and soft fabric homeware items are always in pastels or fun, happy shades. One would never use black, grey or navy blue for these fabric products.

So think about how you want the fabric product to look, whether you want the colour to pop or blend in. A good rule is to choose no more than 3 colours for a fabric product. One is for the base or the background, and the other 2 are for the fabric motif itself. Of course, certain patterns, such as florals, often require more colours, but keep this rule in mind.

You can create a kaleidoscope of gorgeous colours for your design by colour matching on the fabric, a service we offer on all fabric here at maake.

3.   The fabric

You need to choose fabrics carefully, depending on your product. As we mentioned earlier, think about what you will use the fabric product for and whether it needs to be particularly hard-wearing.

If you’re designing clothing, there's a lot you need to think about. Consider the drape of the fabric and whether the fabric needs to stretch.

Is the fabric breathable? Is it waterproof? If the fabric is for winter, is it warm enough? Or is the fabric cool enough for the warmer months?

Consider all these facts before you choose the right designer fabric to work with.

Don’t forget to think about the washing instructions and care required for the fabric.

For example, kids clothing needs to be easy to wash, while fabric upholstery and cushions may need dry cleaning, as these fabric items need to withstand wear and tear.

Don’t forget to look into the safety standards for fabric products (eg is the fabric flame resistant? Is the fabric safe to use for children? Can people with allergies use the fabric?)

Printing on material

At maake we use sublimation or digital fabric printing to print on fabrics of all types including designer fabrics. Different fabric print processes will give different results; it depends when you order fabric to use. So make sure you print using the right fabric print process to create the desired effect on your fabric of choice.

·      Reproduction on natural or organic fabric: In our North London factory, our natural fabrics (cotton, linen etc) are sustainably digitally printed fabrics. We work this print process using Digital Pigment inks. We use no water in this fabric print process and approximately 95% less energy than other fabric print methods, including traditional screen fabric prints.

·      Printing on synthetic fabrics: We use no water when we work in the sublimation reproduction process for printing on fabric. 

Read all about the fabric print process with maake. And check out our simple guide to digital fabric printing, too!

And now the fun begins!

We’ve added 2 very important designer tools for you to order before you start your work. These are ideal for everybody, from a professional Etsy seller who spends days designing to someone who is creating a home project that will take a few hours:

The Designer Pro Bundle

At just £21, plus a £5 credit towards your next fabric purchase

This comprises:

·      A fabric sample book

·      Colour atlas for polyester fabrics 140x100cm

·      Colour atlas for cotton fabrics 140x100cm

·      Reproduction digital printing design booklet

·      5 large fabric samples with your designs

·      Free fabric delivery.

There's also The Designer Starter Bundle

At just £12 - plus a £5 credit towards your next fabric purchase

It features:

·      Fabric Sample book

·      Mini polyester fabric colour atlas 65x48cm

·      Mini cotton fabric colour atlas 65x48cm

·      Reproduction digital printing design booklet

·      5 large fabric samples with your designs

·      Free fabric delivery. The fabric product ships in a matter of days.

Ready, set, it's time for sewing!

Now it’s time to take the inspiration we’ve given you and create your own designs for fabric.

Shop your base fabrics here

View products in our extensive fabric pattern directory

Design your very own fabric