From the Bookcase: Print, Make, Wear by Melanie Bowles

 

The dawn of the digital age has made it possible for us to turn our very own pattern designs into unique, one-of-a-kind fabric ranges that nobody else owns.

Textile designer and researcher Melanie Bowles show us to how to turn our pattern ideas into a tangible reality that we can transform into any of 14 projects in her new book Print, Make, Wear: Creative Projects for Digital Textile Design.

Published by Laurence King, the book begins with an introduction into digital design with a series of tutorials. Each tutorial takes the reader through the process of creating a motif, scanning and transferring them into digital software such as Photoshop, adding, changing and amending the details and more. In fact, every tutorial covers the design process clearly and with accompanying images in an easy to understand, step-by-step process.

The book focuses mainly on the pattern design process which is simple enough for even the most unfamiliar beginner to follow. Whilst each project provides an example of what the prints can be used for; a skirt or shirt for example, it doesn’t provide any patterns to follow to create the finished product, instead listing a number of pattern designers within the ‘Resources’ section that you can hire.

Print, Make, Wear: Creative Projects for Digital Textile Design by Melanie Bowles is available from all good book sellers now (rrp. £19.95)