Design Your Own Woven Fabric (Feb 2021)

Guide to Designing Your Own Woven
Sustainable Fabrics

We can guide you through the whole process, so that you get the look, structure, weight, drape & feel you need.
Designing for weave is a different process to designing for print, but the resulting cloth has a higher perceived value and quality.

Why design your own fabric?

The look, drape and feel of a garment is massively influenced by the fabric you select.
By working with John England to design your own fabric you are designing from the yarn upwards.
It’s the best way for you to create that truly unique style and design of garment, and stand out from the crowd.

How do we get started?

  1. Is this a ‘from scratch design’ or an adaptation of a John England design?
  2. What is the end use of the fabric?
    An indication of Weight / Density / Drape
  3. What fibre would you like to weave in?
    Linen, Recycled or responsibly sourced cotton, Hemp, Lambs wool etc
  4. What is your colour palette?
    Check out the yarn options we have available
  5. What is the scale of your design & how often does it repeat.
  6. What is the inspiration for your design?
  7. Can you send Photograph or artwork of design (tiff, Jpeg)
  8. How many metres?
  9. Your Contact Details – inc VAT no and Co Reg if available

Creating your mood board and design – the easy way

  • We have created over 3000 fabrics which you can use to form your own palette and fuel your creativity. (eg colour, fibres, texture, drape)
  • Think ‘painting by numbers’ and select 5 swatches that you would like to use on your mood board.
    • Add your inspirational images Method 1.
    • Add your design and repeat Method 2
  • Have a chat with our technical design, to receive help/instructions –

The minimum order quantity?

  1. The minimum order quantity is just 12 metres.*
  2. We always weave a sample of the design repeat for approval, this costs £40.00 for the first 25cm and £1.00 per centimetre after that. cost per design/colour*
  3. This means you can develop, show and sell your range Before you order the run on of fabric – only ordering the exact amount you need.
  4. To ensure that the fabric design is sold to no one else you must order a further 38 metres of fabric (so that your set up costs are covered)

* However, if for some reason you are not able to order the 38m run on within  three months, we reserve the right to sell on to cover our design and set up costs.

The cost

Costings are effected by the following;

  • Quantity ordered – There are price breaks approx. every 50m
  • Weave density (pick rate/thread count)
  • Yarn costs (eg colours cost more than naturals)
  • Finish: Loomstate > washed > mill pressed

We will work with you to keep the cost within your budget.

  • For Example, for sample length of 12m;
  • A linen warp yarn with a lambs wool weft – around the £30 mark
  • A recycled cotton weft with a linen warp could be under the £25
  • A Hemp or linen weft is around the £27.00 mark

Colours

We carry a large range of yarn colours.

Here are a few points worth remembering that will help you

  • The best option is always try to go for the nearest colour available and we will combine yarns where we can. However, to dye sample cone of yarn to your specification, it will cost approx. £95 per colour per cone (4 cone min)
  • Please have a look at the ‘Moral Fibre’ yarn document as this will give you a better indication of what a yarn looks like when it is woven
  • As each colour is woven has a direct effect on the colour woven next to it. The colour yarn also travels the entire width of the cloth. It can be hidden in the structure of the weave, but the finer the colour yarn inserted is, the more visible it is in the cloth.

Bespoke: Piece dyed

Want to have your own colour?

We can weave the griege / grey / loomstate

Base fabric if you wish to dye yourself.

If you would like us to dye for you;

Minimum order quantity  200 metres. Cost on request.

Time scale is usually around 10 weeks from sign off of lab dips

Customers will be asked for a 50% deposit, new customers may be asked for payment via Proforma.

Case study 1

STEP 1

  1. Inspired by nature
  2. Fir cones
  3. Repeat pattern supplied

STEP 2

The original brief was for a two colour pattern using a lambs wool weft.

Samples in two scales

Here you can see front and reverse sides, which as it is jacquard woven means it’s two fabrics in one!

STEP 3

Have you got the right

  • Scale
  • Colours
  • Fibres
  • Does it sit comfortably with the rest of your range?

STEP 4

Then we do our stuff, no need to worry about this bit

FRONT

REVERSE

STEP 5

Then you get to see your samples and discuss any finishing.

  • EG
  • 2 scales
  • 2  x100% linen
  • 2 x linen cotton union

The fabric was put through the Martindale Test at this Stage.

Results 20-25K (20K rubs on cotton / 25K rubs on linen)

STEP 6

Colour trials And wash trials were carried out

Per colour trial there is a Charge of £20 per stock colour For a 20cm section (loom state)

IF you want to see a full repeat of your design it is costed at £1 per cm over the 20cm initial section.

Case study 2

STEP 1

Designers Instructions

This is a very complicate hand made structure that can not be reproduced on a commercial scale

BUT……

All is not lost ….

Adjusting the leno (net)

Making it look hand stitched

STEP 2

Looks complicated?
Divide and Conquer

Making it look hand stitched

Developing the 2 layer structure

Adjusting the leno (net)

STEP 3

Take one of our designs and adjust it until its perfect for your look

Or just tell us – verbally – what you want, and leave the rest to us.  We called this one ‘morse code’

We want spotty denim…… that is a bit more interesting than just spotty