Popular Fabric Patterns

Starting from the old conventional printing methods to the new digital printing methods, textile printing has evolved over the years. Fabric manufacturers usually use a combination of two or more repeats to create a design using textile printing methods. Some patterns that have always been well known are given below.

Block Repeat

The block repeat pattern is the simplest form of repeat pattern. This pattern is formed by stacking the original repeat pattern in a basic grid and it looks good with simpler and geometric motifs.

Brick/Half-Brick Repeat

The brick/half-brick repeats are often used in fabric designs. As the name suggests, the motifs are arranged here like bricks on a wall, in a horizontal row, and the next row is offset to form a staggered look.

Drop/Half-Drop Repeat

The drop/half-drop repeat pattern is another one of the frequently used pattern in surface design and is very similar to the brick/half-brick pattern except for the fact that instead of horizontal offset, these motifs are set vertically.

Diamond Repeat

In this pattern, the motifs are set in a repeat of diamond shape. The motifs can either be as simple as one diamond put in a half-brick or half-drop repeat or just each diamond as a combination of smaller motifs.

Ogee Repeat

This pattern is more like the diamond repeat in shape, but ogee has two sides coming to points while the other two sides are more rounded. This pattern can be either complex with overlaps or a simple repeat in half-brick or half-drop.

Toss/Random Repeat

This repeat pattern has a random arrangement of many motifs to create a non-linear and a very organic design. This pattern is very popularly used for floral patterns.

Stripe Repeat

The stripe repeat pattern can have a complex and interesting execution. It can either have simple stripes in a single or multi-color or have single motifs with stripes to give a different look.

Dot Repeat

The dot repeat pattern is as simple as the stripe pattern. As the name sounds, this pattern does not always have dots; instead, it is the arrangement of motifs with a little bit of space between them to imitate dots.

Plaid/Check Repeat

The plaid/check/gingham repeats are very commonly used print in the fabric wholesale market. They provide a variety of designs, with patterns consisting of crossed vertical and horizontal bands in two or more colors.

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Textile printing is a process used right from the ancient times. In fact, some of the ancient methods of fabric printing are still being used in textiles. Nevertheless, there are different printing methods used for textile printing. Each of these methods varies depending on the application techniques and quality of the print. These methods are responsible for the thousands of complex patterns and impressive colors seen in textiles today.

Nowadays, the printing technology has progressed greatly, as current fabric printing relies on computers and advanced printing machines that can deliver patterns and colors into the fabric with astounding accuracy. Below are three basic fabric printing methods used in textile industries.

Block Printing

Block printing is one of the oldest techniques used for fabric printing. This type of printing uses a wooden block where the design is engraved. It is then transferred on to the fabric by dipping it in ink and pressing it onto the fabric surface. This process is repeated for covering the selected regions of the textile. Mostly done manually, it is one of the simplest forms of fabric printing techniques used today.

Roller Printing

Roller printing is similar to block printing, but this method uses a large copper cylinder engraved with the design needed to print on the fabric instead of a wooden block. The textile is then fed into these rollers where it is pressed against the cylinder surface, which will imprint the designs on the fabric. Roller printing can produce repeated prints quickly, and thus, it is used for high-speed fabric printing.

Screen Printing

Screen printing is one of the most commonly used methods for printing designs or patterns onto any fabric. It is a highly versatile method of fabric printing and uses flat or cylindrical screens made from materials like silk, nylon, polyester, etc. The screen has several unblocked areas in it corresponding to the design. Once the printing ink is applied on the screen, it is pressed either manually or automatically to the textile. This forces the ink through the unblocked areas to get imprinted on the fabric surface.

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Gives you Warmth

The cotton cum polyester blend will not be drenched in sweat when you work out and provide warmth underneath the fabric, especially in the winter season. Choosing a mixture of cotton and polyester would ensure the comfort that you are looking for, round the year. It can offer ventilation to keep your skin cool and comfortable.

Ideal for Forever Athletes

Polyester does not absorb much moisture and that allow the fabric to dry up more quickly when you stay engaged in some physical activities. This is one of the prime reasons why many of the sporting jerseys are made from cotton cum polyester material. While cotton gives you the feel of wearing a fabric that breathes, synthetic polyester gives more comfort.

Ideal for Printing Patterns

Screen printing process refers to the printing of logos or pictures on materials. In outfits logos and patterns are print using colors, and pigments placed to precision in screen printing applications. The knitting mills make use of fabrics having equal parts polyester cum cotton to print patterns making the outfit aesthetically appealing. Screen printings are mostly seen on T-Shirts and jerseys that are used as everyday wear.

Durable Material

The synthetic fiber content in the polyester would help the material to hold the applied color intact. However, the outfits for children would require frequent washing and the blended material would maintain the color.

If you need an outfit that would stand the test of time, you can certainly go for those having 50 percent cotton and polyester. If you are planning to wear the outfit daily, the blend of cotton and polyester can be your best bet, as it is durable and long lasting.

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Alpaca Fabric Guide

We know that a variety of fabrics is available across the world and alpaca is one among them. Alpaca wool is a rarest animal fiber material and is one of the highly demanded fabrics in the textile industry. It is a luxurious, soft, silky, and durable natural fiber that comes in 22 natural colors from black and brown to grey and ivory. One good thing about alpaca fabric is that it can be easily mixed or dyed with one another in order to get various color combinations, which is finally knit in a textile company to give a custom knit fabric as the end product.

An alpaca produces only ten pounds of fiber with a diameter of 18 to 25 microns. The thinner the fiber, the more luxurious the fabric, hence the wool of the youngest alpacas are considered to be the most valuable. The processes used to make alpaca wool are very similar to the ones used in wools.

Characteristics of the Alpaca Fiber

Alpaca belongs to camel family and there are two varieties of it, the one with silky and lustrous long hair known as the Suri, and the one with soft and spongy full hair known as the Huacaya. Regardless of which variety produced the fiber, the alpaca fabric will have some common characteristics such as:

• 100% natural
• Free of lanolin
• Soft
• Hypoallergenic
• Dyes well
• Not prickly
• No pilling

What Can Be Made with Alpaca Wool?

Alpaca wool definitely gives protection against wind and cold. These wools are often used to make coats, jackets, ponchos, vests, etc. Below are the top 4 garments you can make with Alpaca wool.

Poncho – Alpaca ponchos are versatile and can match with any kind of clothing, such as jeans, short dresses, leggings, etc. You can create different looks using alpaca wool as well, be it elegant or casual.

Coat – Alpaca wool does not itch and it easily wards off the cold, which is why alpaca coats have become the new trend in colder regions. You can try a short cut-away style or long swing coat; it will give a classy look for sure.

Dress – Lightweight alpaca would be an ideal choice for a dress. Be it sleeveless straight cut style or A-line design with round neck, alpaca wool would be the best fabric choice.

Sweater – Alpaca sweaters are as warm and as soft as cashmere fabric. You can even try a V-neck sweater with elegant ruching or side splits for special occasions.

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Two of the most popular printing technologies involve the use of reactive dyes and pigment inks. Unlike traditional screen printing applications that incorporate the thick ink fixer into the pigment, the fixer shall be applied on the fabric prior to printing the pattern in order to avoid it from clogging up the ink head of the printer. It is often referred to as pretreatment or padding, which is done using a fabric finisher.

Each of the pretreated fabric will be tested after padding and the printer will be calibrated to a volume of ink the fabric can adhere in order to produce a bright and crisp pattern on its surface. While using very little ink for digital fabric printing will lead to a loss of accurate colors or brightness, excessive amount of ink to print a pattern will not give crisp results. That is why test printing is important after pretreatment in order to calibrate the ink levels the fabric can adhere.

Based on the test results, printing applicants calculate an average shrinkage and give an ink ‘profile’, which the print will use each time the device prints a given pattern on the fabric. To print the design, the applicants place the fabric flat on a printer belt, sets the ink head to a right height in line with the fabric. Since there is little clearance over the fabric, the ink head height for upholstery weight linen will be different to the height one can adjust for a silk.

It is important to set the ink head height correctly, since it affects the crispness level of the printing and to protect the ink head. The patterns emerge just as the print head makes a pass from right to left, back and forth across the fabric, laying colorants onto the fabric in several layers, and over numerous passes. This is the most volatile phase for a fabric in digital fabric printing since the print is yet to be fixed.

Note that it is important to steam the fabric for the ink to clear any excess ink on the cloth’s fibers, and then wash and iron it as a quality control measurement.

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Chemical Treatment Processes

These days a lot of people overlook the fact that the clothes on their backs went through drawn-out, resource-intensive production processes just to reach them. Even widely hailed natural fibers such as wool and cotton could at some point have been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides and other undesirable-killers.

Treatment Processes

There is also the fact that most cloth needs to be dyed before it hits the market, as well as treated with compounds which make it resistant to odor, fire, stains, water, and wrinkling. Not to mention petroleum-based fibers such as nylon and polyester, which pull in even more chemicals to the mix by the time that they hit shelves, thanks to textile printing and other similar processes.

Lax Regulations

Unfortunately, just like in the home-cleaning industry, the standards and regulations in the textile and fashion industries too are notoriously lax. Clothing retailers are required today by the FTC to share little more than country of origin, fiber content, and identity of manufacturer. There is nothing that forces companies to reveal the chemicals used during production, although an estimated minimum of 250 “restricted substances” get used in that area.

The Greenpeace DETOX Campaign

Other than The BtL “F”ed Up Fashion 5, there is a list of chemicals which consumers need to avoid when they buy clothing, or at least be aware of. The Greenpeace DETOX campaign lays out several more that designers and manufacturers should steer clear of when they source and produce fabrics.

• Phthalates
• Short-chain chlorinated paraffin
• Chlorinated and brominated flame retardants
• Alkylphenols
• Perfluorinated chemicals
• Chlorophenols
• Azo dyes
• Chlorobenzenes
• Chlorinated solvents
• Organotin compounds
• Heavy metals like chromium, cadmium, mercury, and lead

Heavy metals often find use in fabric-making, where they act as adhesives which ease dyes sticking to fabrics. When retail or wholesale fabrics made in this way is worn, the heavy metals can seep in the skin pores and cause issues with the wearer’s endocrine system, which covers the functioning of the adrenal and endocrine glands. This can often lead to cancer, as well as behavioral and neurological disorders.

Kirsten Brodde of the Detox my Fashion initiative by Greenpeace opines that detoxification is a new baseline in the industry, “…because forerunners of the textile sector went from total denial and opacity of their supply chain to transparency and the banning of all hazardous chemicals…the rest of the industry that’s using hazardous chemicals is not an option anymore.”

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Clothing Brand Tips

Creating a clothing brand that can attract a number of customers are a challenging task for sure, especially in this competitive environment. Many shopping sites have raised their bar so high when it comes to the convenience of their customers. The user-friendliness of the site as well is of utmost importance. Currently, the high-end shopping site like Amazon has completely changed the perspective of consumers on the capabilities and services of shopping brands. So, buck up and design a customer-oriented brand to succeed in the field. Some of the important points that you must keep in mind to achieve your objective are given below.

The Bottom Line of your Clothing Brand Must Be Customer Service

The best way to drive your clothing brand to success is by listening to the feedbacks of your consumers with an open heart. Try to respond to every customer feedback. However, never make them feel that you are pushing a sale. Note that you must be able to alter things according to the needs of your customers. Otherwise, they will rely on some other clothing brands that cater to their requirements. Needless to mention, the competition in the field is quite high these days.

Reliable Customer Service and Product Delivery

Unlike olden days, buyers are not ready to waste their time waiting for their purchased products for a week or more. On top of that, the prime services of shopping sites deliver the products to its customers within two days or less. This surely has an impact on the current shopping culture of consumers. Hence, make sure that you can keep up with the current product delivery speed rate. Plus, be available in case of any technical issues. Then only, you will be able to achieve a reliable and trustworthy position amongst the shoppers.

Stay a Step Ahead of the Current Marketing Trends

The main reason that people choose to shop from online clothing stores is the availability of latest apparels and discount deals. Further, the way you interact with your customers is also important. Stay a step ahead of the current marketing trends and make your shopping site engaging by including different features. For instance, some clothing brands let their customers order the clothes and pay only after trying them on. Likewise, some clothing brands employ software with which customers can envision how they look in various attires. Trying something innovative and creative like these will surely do wonders when it comes to your overall sales.

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