My Design Process - Part 1

I thought it might be nice to share my design process here as it can be quite lengthy from start to finish and it might be interesting for you to hear about.
All patterns and kits start from some spark of inspiration which can strike at any time! For me that usually comes from something I see in nature or the materials and fabrics I love using. Sometimes it can also come from something I would like for my son or myself that I can't find in existence. I'm a bit of a planner so when these ideas come to me I jot them down in notebooks and make rough sketches. When I've chosen what I want to work on, I begin drawing on paper. I sometimes use large sheets of tracing paper because if I need to make changes this makes it easy to trace the original and make slight alterations. When I am happy with a design, I scan it into my computer and open it on my Ipad. I find my Apple Pencil to be an invaluable tool for digitising my designs and I use packages such as Graphic to work on my sketches in digital form. Working in this way allows me to alter the size and scale of a design easily. At this stage I do a lot of printing out to ensure that what I see on screen is what comes out on paper. Once I am happy with the design, I focus on the colour palette and materials that I want to make it from and I gather them together.​

Gathering materials is one of my favourite parts of the design process. I love trying different combinations of fabrics and trims to create the look I have in my head. Tomorrow I will share part two of my design process and I will talk a bit about photography and actual pattern writing.