Tutorials

Tutorial 1 - Application of a pattern design to an object

With the vector software Adobe Illustrator you have two options:

After you have downloaded the vector ornament from Pattern Design to your desktop, please open your vectorfile-programm (here Adobe Illustrator). There are several ways to have the pattern design available for your chosen file:
 

► Option 1 - Application of a pattern to an object

Please open the chosen pattern design download file (svg-file). The file includes the vector ornament with seamless edges.
Now mark the entire pattern design and forward it per drag and drop to your swatches. Please apply the pattern design to your chosen fill (e.g. ellipse). Copy the corresponding plot directly by using „Edit“ in the „menu bar“ or per shortcut „Copy“.
After that you can insert the object in the file where to apply the vector ornament.
By inserting the object, the seamless pattern will be automatically kept in your
swatches. Simply apply the pattern to the chosen object.

► Option 2 - Application of a pattern to an object

Please open the chosen pattern design download file (svg-file).
The file includes the seamless pattern with seamless edges. Just mark the entire pattern design and forward it per drag and drop to your swatches. Now you can choose from the Popup-Menu of the panel „Save Swatch Library as AI“ and save the pattern design in your defined folder.
Now you are able to upload the saved „Swatch Library“ in other Illustrator files (.ai). Please open the file which you would like to use with the pattern design.
To upload a „Swatch Library“ please choose from the Popup-menu „Open Swatch Library“ the command „Other Swatch Library“.
Please choose the .ai vector file which you have saved before. Now you dispose of your pattern library which enables you to apply your vector ornament on your chosen object.

Tutorial 2 - Amendment of a pattern design regarding colour, elements and by integrating your own logo

With the vector software Adobe Illustrator please proceed as follows:

► Amendment of a pattern regarding colour, elements and by integrating your own logo

Please open your .svg file with a vectorfile-program (here Adobe Illustrator). Now just mark the elements of the pattern design which you want to have in a different colour.
Either by click on each element or by the command: „Select“ > „Same“ > „Fill Color“. (choose an element before)
Dye the chosen elements with the new colour directly by using the colour panel as shown on the slide.

NOTE: IN CASE YOU ERASE OR DYE THE ELEMENTS ON THE SEAMLESS PATTERN
EDGE PLEASE BE AWARE TO ALSO INCLUDE THE OPPOSITE EDGE, OTHERWISE THE REPEAT WILL NOT SHOW UP CORRECTLY.

ADD YOUR LOGO TO THE PATTERN DESIGN - Option 1:
You can erase elements within the vector ornament in a simple way and e.g. replace by your logo. (Note: you can abstract elements from a seamless pattern and consequently use them for placementprints.)
Add your logo to the pattern design file by „File“ > „Place“.
ADD YOUR LOGO TO THE PATTERN DESIGN - Option 2:
Start with adding your logo to the pattern file by „File“ > „Place“. Then „Mark All“ and add per drag and drop to the „Swatches“. Finally you select „Save Swatch Library as AI“.

Open a file/object where to apply the pattern design. Popup-menu „Open Swatch Libary“ > „Other Libary“. Please choose the .ai file which you have saved before. Now you are able to apply the seamless pattern with your logo on the chosen object.

Tutorial 3 - Create your own new pattern design out of other existing vector ornaments

With the vector software Adobe Illustrator please proceed as follows:

► Create your new pattern out of other patterns

At the beginning, please open the .svg file (with the vector ornament). Mark and further delete elements you want to replace. Open a further .svg file with another pattern design.
Mark the element you want to use and copy it. Now insert the element in the previous file/pattern and save it as a new .svg file when you think you finished your new design.
Last not least you have created your individual pattern design without any extra work for the repeat. Now you are able to apply the pattern design to any fill (e.g. dress) you would like to. 

Tutorial 4 - From vector ornament to woven textile design

In this tutorial we describe an optimal way to edit a vector pattern of Pattern Design for the use as a woven jacquard fabric design.

To start with, use the image-software GIMP to convert the original vector graphic file to a bitmap format. Opening the vector pattern you can choose any resolution. At this sample we pick twice the needed resolution to easily remove aliasing noises.
Open the pattern design with the software ArahPaint4 after saving the pattern design as a PNG File.
Reduce the number of colours to 4 and remove the aliasing noise by using filter tools.
Once the image is clean, you can further change it to the correct weaving size, adjust to the number of jacquard hooks (1200) and appropriate number of weft pixels (720).
Start the program ArahWeave, load the pattern design and assign one weave for each colour. At our sample textile design we use one warp and three wefts. Ground weave is plain with the other wefts attached in the back.
To make the textile design more interesting we protect some yarns and apply some additional colours to the weft yarns. We are able to colour the single blossoms on our sample differently because the flowers are not overlapping horizontally.
Thus we can use 5 weft colors in a 3 weft weave design.
This sample pattern design was created for upholstery, but using the same approach with different weaves and density, you can make designs for ties, tablewear, blankets or whatever woven fabric you like.

Special thanks to Arahne (www.arahne.si), producers of CAD/CAM Systems, for the good cooperation and for providing this video-tutorial.

Tutorial 5 - pattern design for extra weft fabric

In this tutorial we make an extra weft jacquard fabric with a seamless pattern from Pattern Design.

First we use the software Arah Paint to give the flowers of our example „ipomoea“ pattern design different colours. Afterwards we open the software Arah Weave to edit it for a jacquard fabric. Now we choose „extra weft“ as our decided jacquard-style and the system „3“. We use the number 3 because additional to the ground weft, we will use two other kinds of wefts. For every changing colour we select one ground weft, first and second extra weft. After confirming, the program initially makes the weave 3 times bigger, since it is multiplied by system 3. Next we get rid of unwanted additional wefts. The result is a weave with variable density. The program automatically writes the weft change and regulator.
We make one last check of the simulation, face and back of the fabric and save the jacquard cards in Stäubli JC5 format.
Finally the pattern design can be transfered to the production via FTP, e-mail or USB-Stick.

Special thanks to Arahne (www.arahne.si), producers of CAD/CAM Systems, for the good cooperation and for providing this video-tutorial.

Tutorial 6 - seamless pattern as a fil coupe fabric

In this tutorial we describe how to make a fil coupe fabric with one of our pattern designs.

A fil coupe fabric is made of long floats in extra wefts, which are cutted of by a shearing machine. This kind of fabric is mainly used for apparel and curtains, because of its light and transparent style. We use extra wefts to make the pattern design more colourful.
In this tutorial we use the „automatic pattern generator“ to create an interesting background. Don’t forget to protect the fil coupe wefts while doing that!
With Arah Weave you can take a look at a simulation of the final design and define the weight and the fibers of the fabric after shearing. The fabric has to be woven with the fil coupe floating threads on the top. To make an easy shearing possible, we therefore turn the fabric before weaving.