Book Review: A Field Guide to Fabric Design

I am a fabric lover. I used to buy a lot of fabric, both for sewing clothes and for quilting. Something happened though. About 15 years ago, I became really tired of the fabrics out there. Quality declined and nothing looked or felt good. For quilting, I turned to my own hand-dyes and now focus entirely on recycled clothing. For sewing, I either recycle or only use solid colors. Lots of solids.

In these heady of days of online assisted DIY, fabriholics now have the option of designing their own fabrics. Why wait for what you want to become fashionable? No need to sift through websites or drive all over town. Just make what you want.

I touched my toe into the pool when I used Spoonflower to create my booth backdrops (see this post for more info). I was so pleased by the result (quality and appearance), that I am now designing fabrics that I want to wear.

For those who are curious, A Field Guide to Fabric Design by Kimberly Kight is a great place to start. She provides plenty of information for people doing things entirely by hand (pen&ink, screenprinting, etc) and those who work with computers. Also covered are good explanations of copyright issues, color theory and types of digital printing. In each chapter there are short interviews of fabric designers from all parts of the industry. The explanations of types of design repeats will give helpful insight to anyone who sews with prints.

My process is to have images (drawings, photos, watercolors) and collage and alter them in Photoshop. Once in that program, I can create files that are ready to upload right to the website. It really is pretty simple and straight-forward. Even if you are doing all your designing by hand, info from the book, plus that from your chosen online printing service will answer just about any question you might have with the technical aspects of the process.

The most difficult part of designing fabric is creating an image you like and that looks good. Design and color basics are explained with plenty of step-by-step tutorials and examples. The book does have a strong emphasis on computer skills and the author assumes that you know how to use Photoshop and Illustrator. Realistically, use of a scanner and photo-editing program is pretty much essential for proofing and editing designs and setting up correct file sizes and resolutions.

This book is recommended for anyone who sews and thinks about prints in fabrics or paper. If you are thinking about trying your hand at design, this is a good place to start. And don't be limited to the textile world. All of the principles discussed here apply to any 2-D design and most online printing bureaus offer paper products as well.