Sewing a Dream: The Journey of Bringing My First Fabric Design to Life

January 22, 2024

I had an idea of designing fabric and bringing my unique vision to life. At first, it seemed like an impossible task. I needed to figure out where to start or how to go about it. However, I have always been passionate about sewing and creating clothing, so I decided to pursue my idea despite the obstacles.

I didn’t let anything stop me. I dove into researching everything I could about designing fabric. I learned about different printing techniques, color theory, and textile compositions. I also looked into the materials and tools necessary to create my design. Once I had finalized the graphic for the dragonfly, I scanned it to create a digital .png file. Many design and graphic tutorials use advanced software like Photoshop, but I found it too technical for my needs. Instead, I prefer using PicMonkey to create and edit my digital files.

The next step was finding a fabric printing company to help me turn my design into a reality. I searched high and low for a reliable company with experience printing custom fabrics. I choose to go with Spoonflower.com. The sewing pattern I used was by Simplicity 1449.

I immediately got to work sewing the garment with my custom fabric. It is a three-tiered ruffle dress with fun tiny white pom-pom trim, and it turned out beautifully. Eva wore it proudly, knowing I had created every aspect, from the fabric design to the finished product. Eva called it her “Poco Loco” dress because the movie Coco was one of her favorites at the time. I even made a matching outfit for her doll, Molly, as seen in the picture above.

I must admit that my drawing skills are basic and often require more symmetry. To compensate, I sometimes use free clipart or photographs to trace the basic outline, then add my own artistic style. I understand this can be a controversial practice, so I found an article on this topic that you might find interesting: Is It OK to Trace in Art?

Bringing my first fabric design to life was a challenging yet enriching experience, which taught me that anything is possible with dedication, hard work, and a little creativity. Eva and I are currently working on our third fabric design collaboration. She was about three years old when I made the “Poco Loco” dress.
Eva is very artistic, and she has already surpassed my drawing skills. Since then, I have used some of Eva’s original artwork for fabric, and we have made several different craft projects, which will be featured in an upcoming post soon. I look forward to sharing insights into the creative process and any challenges I face.

Cheers and Best Wishes!