Why do you want to design your own fabric?

There are lots of reasons why people choose to design their own fabric, but I think it boils down to two main reasons – either to get a design and / or a colour scheme which they can't buy, or because they enjoy the process.

If it's the former, it's probably best to stick to a simple design.  If you design for fun, you will probably, at some point, try more adventurous designs. 

Creating a design , especially if you opt for a simple design to start with, is a fairly straight-forward process. There are, however, a few details which you need to get right, mainly connected with the way you set up your canvas when you upload your design into design software, or before you start designing if you're doing your designing using the software.

Most of these practicalities have been covered in previous blog posts. Check these out if you need a bit of help with:

 Getting started

 Repeats

Colour

Size  and more about size

Then the fun part: creating your design. However, this may also be a sticking point. Maybe you're not the world's best artist or perhaps you're just short of ideas at the moment.

If you can't draw, there are lots of other ways you can create your design. Here are a few of them:

 Using a computer  (using software you already have)

Copying a painting

Using a scanner

Using photos

Using sun-print paper

 Using rubber stamps

Or use words - either hand-drawn or typed

Scanned design

If you're short of inspiration, perhaps you need something to give you a little spark. Our monthly design challenge / competition is one place you can find inspiration. Our next competition launches next week, on March 8^th.  Look out for the blog post then.

 We also have a challenge you can sign up to. Complete your details below and we'll send you the first part of the challenge via email, with the next part a few days later.

Remember to keep your eyes open!