There’s something really wonderful happening all over the internet right now. People are sharing their knowledge and teaching their skill set to others for free. It’s a wave of generosity sweeping the world and it’s what we all need in this very challenging time! The givers and helpers are among us!
I thought I’d contribute some of my knowledge too. I started making patterns back in 2013 because it was something I’d always wanted to learn. I’ve never taken a graphic design class in Photoshop or Illustrator, I am completely self taught. I just wanted to be able to make my own fabrics with my own designs so I taught myself the tools through books and YouTube videos and I released a very basic collection of designs in 2013 and I’ve been doing it ever since.
Over the years I’ve posted about several collections I’ve designed and offered for sale in my Spoonflower shop. It’s not a huge source of income for me, but it’s a passion of mine and that’s why I keep doing it. There’s something so fulfilling being able to make my own patterns for home decor!
The sky’s the limit when you learn how to make your own patterns. You can print fabrics in any color you choose, make wallpaper, fabric, home decor and office products all of your own design!
Would you like to learn the basics to making seamless patterns?
If you’ve always wanted to decorate you home with prints that you made yourself, I’ll show you how. I’ll also show you how to upload patterns to print-on-demand sites like Zazzle and Society 6 so you can create products for friends and family or sell your designs!
I’ll be posting a four part series here on the blog! During this four week series we will be working in Photoshop. I use other programs when I make patterns (Illustrator, Corel Painter, etc.) but I’ll be using just the tools in Photoshop to show you my basics techniques for pattern making. 
Week One starts Tuesday March 24th! I’ll be talking about the basic tools to know. If you’re a beginner don’t worry, you’ll have a week to practice tools before moving into Week Two which is all about using brushes for making artwork and online sources you can use as well (free and for purchase).
Week Three is the all important technique for creating a seamless repeat! If you want to make your own fabrics and wallpapers, this is the technique to know so there are no interruptions in your pattern! Week Four I offer tips for uploading, printing, and selling on sites like Spoonflower, Zazzle, and Society 6.
Adobe offers a free 7 day trial of Photoshop and after that it’s $9.99 a month. If you have older versions of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, the tools I’ll be using will all be the same.
Note this is a very *basic* series and no doubt there will be questions that arise! If you have them, I’ll answer them in the comments week by week. Are you in? Do you want to learn how to make patterns so you can create your own products for personal use or for sale? Let’s do this!
Just meet me here every Tuesday for the next four weeks.
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Wow, Kate! Thanks! This is so very generous of you, and I am going to join in. I have some basic Photoshop knowledge for making design boards, but I would love to learn something new. This will be great!
yay Tracey, happy you’ll be here ! hope you’ll learn a few new things ! xo
Awesome!! Thank you, Kate! I
yay, you’re welcome!
Thank you, thank you. Looking forward to it. Bless you!
happy you’ll be joining!
Thank you! Looking forward to this course :)
thanks, me too, I’ve never assembled all my knowledge in one place so it’s exciting for me too!
I’ve never done anything like this before, but it sounds like fun! How do we do this? Just go to your email you have sent on the 24th any time of the day and watch? I have been getting your emails for years, and you are my favorite blogger. Thank you!
thanks Sarah! I will do a new post every Tuesday for the series, it will be all photos with explanations but I’m trying to include some video component too! it will come to your inbox as a regular subscriber.
stay tuned! xo