TDD202 Unit 1_Q9

Layouts
Textile design types may be categorized by layout as well as by motif or style of pattern.
The term layout refers to the arrangement of motifs in the framework of the design plane.
Unlike a painting or drawing, which is designed in relation to its boundaries or edges, the
elements in a textile design are designed in relation only to each other. There are no
boundaries; when the pattern is printed, it will continue over yards and yards of cloth. For
a textile design to be reproduced on fabric, it must eventually be developed into one
standard unit containing a specific arrangement of the desired motifs. This one unit,
called a repeat, will be repeated across the width and length of the fabric in a continuous
manner.

Designs are sometimes done in repeat from

the start but are often designed in balance and put in
repeat later. A balanced design called a croquis (the
French word, pronounced kro-'ke, means sketch),
must give the feeling that would be evoked if a frame
were placed at random over any one section of the
finished length of cloth.

Figure 1 The dashed lines in the drawing show

unintentional lines formed by the edges of certain
motifs within a croquis

Figure 2 The dashed lines in the drawing show

unintentional lines formed by the negative spaces
within a croquis

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The same feeling should be evoked if the frame were placed on any section even
though the sections were not identical. Although not in repeat, a croquis will have the
feeling of being in repeat; the motifs and colours are
arranged with no "line-ups" (unintentional lines formed
with motifs, as shown in figure 1), "alleyways"
(unintentional lines formed by negative spaces, as shown in
figure 2), or "holes" (uneven gaps between motifs, as shown
in figure 3).

Figure 3 (Left) If a design featuring motifs positioned as

shown in this drawing were repeated on fabric, the
irregular space with no motif would seem to be a flaw in
the fabric.

Any specific motif will recur on the fabric at measured intervals because each
motif holds a specific location within the repeat unit, and the entire unit is printed over
and over again above itself, below itself, and beside itself, thus covering the fabric.
Within the repeat unit itself, however, the motifs
may be of any density; and a variety of density is
both more natural and more dynamic. Within the
repeat unit, motifs do not need to be evenly
spaced. Whether close together or far apart, they
must have a consistent relationship to each other.
When the design
unit is continued
over the fabric, one
motif or space
viewed as distinct from all the others will look like a
mistake. It is the subtle differences in motifs and spacing
that will make a design interesting.
Figure 4 conversational designs in tossed layout, one-
colour print on cotton

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Figure 5 Floral design in packed layout, print on cotton/viscose.

A Pattern composed of motifs that do not recur at regular, measured intervals within one
repeat unit of the design is referred to as a tossed
pattern. These elements may be spaced with
ground area between motifs, as in figure 4 or
packed so that motifs touch, as in figure 5 but are
separated by ground area. Similarly, an all-over
layout has balanced motifs that recur irregularly
within the repeat unit; the difference is that the
motifs are connected in

Figure 6 Floral design in an all-over layout, print on cotton.

some way, forming a network that covers the entire design plane, as shown in figures 6
and 7,

Figure 7 Organic shapes in all-over layout,

gouache on Paper.

a Tree of Life,
shown in figure 8, is a type of all-over layout (also
called a meander). These designs feature elaborate,
embellished floral-like motifs that seem to grow and
wander across the design plane.

Figure 8 Tree o1 life design (meander), all- over

layout, print on cotton.

A pattern in which all motifs repeat directly

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under and directly across from one another at measured intervals is called a set or tailored
pattern. Small patterns of this type are Organic shapes
in all-over layout, also called foulards, which is the
French word for the silk or rayon fabrics for neckties and
scarves often printed with these patterns, as shown in
figures 9 and 10. Polka dots, for example, are a set
pattern.
Figure 9 Foulard design (set layout), print on
cotton/viscose.

Flowers or plants can be arranged in what is called a bouquet layout, with

identical or varying bouquets usually repeating at regular intervals, as in figure 11. A
five-point bouquet is a layout arranged so that, when the fabric is cut to cover a sofa
cushion, one bouquet is in the centre and a quarter of a bouquet shows at each corner of
the cushion

Figure 10 foulard design (set

layout), Jacquard woven

Figure 11 Floral in bouquet layout, monotone print

on cotton.

Figure 12 Mari guan Damask, design in ogee layout,

rayon/cotton Jacquard fabric.

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A once popular format rarely used

today except in wallpaper and traditional
damask patterns, is the ogee layout, which
utilizes onion-shaped motifs. The textile
illustrated in figure 12 shows how the
"points" of the onions fit together to form the
structure of the design. This type of pattern
almost always feature floral forms on urns or
vases as well as birds as motifs; the damask
and wallpaper designs in this layout are
almost always of a single colour on a contrasting ground.

A horizontal stripe layout is called a bayadere

(pronounced bi-a-di[a]r). As the design in figure 13
shows, this need not be simply a geometric stripe
composed of straight lines, but may feature any type of
motif arranged in a horizontal format. While a bayadere
is possible with any type of printing, vertical stripe
layouts are not possible in flatbed screen printing due to
the difficulty of matching up the stripes from one screen
to another during printing.

Figure 13 bayadere layout, print on cotton velvet.

Diagonal stripes, common in home

furnishings, are almost always at a 45° angle, not only
for ease in matching the design at the seams, but also
for use either horizontally or vertically. The diagonal
usually runs from lower left to upper right.

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Figure 14 Geometric design in border layout, tjanting and water- colour on masa
paper.

A border pattern, as in figure 14, is focused

along one selvedge with a ground extending to
the other selvedge. A border fabric is used for
garments (or draperies) with a border around
the hem; therefore, enough space must be
allowed in the design for the hem of the skirt or
dress to be turned under without distorting the design.

Figure 15 Imberland (patterned typified by

damask- like motifs woven into a fabric of a
coloured warp stripe), rayon/ cotton Jacquard
woven fabric.

Figure 16 Conversational design in engineered

layout (Scarf), print on cotton.
Some home furnishings fabrics are designed so that
there is a border along each selvedge with the ground in between, forming in essence a
double border. When one screen makes the entire,
completely self-contained pattern, it is referred to
as an engineered pattern. Designed almost like a
drawing or painting, engineered patterns are
striking in pillowcases, towels, area rugs, and
scarves (as shown in figure 16).

Figure-17 Design in one-way layout, marker on

masa paper.

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In any type of layout, whether it is engineered, ogee, bouquet, etc., the direction of the
motifs must be considered. In a one-way pattern figure 17 all the motifs face upright in
the same direction.

Figure-18 Design in two-way layout, marker on

masa paper.

In a two-way pattern (figure 18) half the motifs

face upright and half are upside down so that the
pattern gives the same feeling in either vertical
direction Fabrics printed with one-way or two-way
patterns, however, must always be utilized in a
consistent direction. That is, fabrics so printed must
always be cut with respect to the "top" and "bottom" of the pattern so that a piece of
fabric showing upside-down motifs is not placed next to a piece showing right side-up
motifs. Because direction of motifs is a consideration in the utilization of these patterns,
they are referred to as directional.

Figure-19 Design in multidirectional layout, marker

on masa paper

By contrast, in a multidirectional pattern Figure 19,

where motifs face all directions, the pattern looks correct
from any angle, pieces of fabric can be used together in
any way, and therefore the pattern is essentially non-
directional.

One-way patterns (either vertical or horizontal)

are easily utilized for upholstery fabric and are therefore common in designs for this area.
Horizontal patterns, when used for upholstery fabric, are usually "railroaded"; that is, the

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fabric is turned sideways so that the direction of the pattern runs vertically on the
furniture. Vertical one-way or two-way patterns are likewise convenient formats for
drapery fabrics, but most drapery manufacturers are unwilling to spend the extra time and
care required to line up horizontally positioned
patterns at the seams called "side matching" the
pattern. Therefore, horizontal drapery patterns are
uncommon unless the shapes are unspecific enough
that precise side matching is not required. European
drapery manufacturers are more willing to handle this
extra labour, and horizontal stripes are more
common.

For clothing, however, because the shapes and

sizes of pieces of fabric making up a garment vary more than the standard rectangles
making up furniture and windows, more fabric and more careful planning are needed in
order to use a directional pattern wisely. Apparel customers may therefore shy away from
patterns that look correct from only one direction.

In a figurative two-way or multidirectional

pattern for any end use, the images must be logical.
For example, if there are houses next to trees, the
trees and the house are flipped together, not just the
trees or just the houses figure 20.

Figure 20 Although the spacing of motifs in the

layout on the left seems reasonable, the design is
confusing because houses are next to upside-down trees. The arrangement on the right
solves this layout problem.