Very few fabric designs exude a sense of charm and fun as those designed with ditsy prints. Whether spotting floral patterns or bold color contrasts, these prints are making a comeback, fast becoming a trend among some celebrities.
Despite its renewed popularity, there are still many misconceptions about ditsy prints and how to use them properly. This article will address these questions.
You will also learn a little about the history of the ditsy Print and how they are produced. Lastly, you will learn the best way to care for your ditsy patterned fabric if and when you get one.
What is a Ditsy Print?
Ditsy prints are tiny scale motifs that appear randomly all over an entire fabric. These designs do not have a linear or geometric pattern. Also, they do not have any particular orientation, nor do they have a regular symmetry.
Some ditsy prints have motifs so close together that they might be mistaken for whole blocks of color. The flow is random and multi-directional. The motifs’ color always sharply contrasts with its base material, allowing the design to pop out even more.
Contrary to popular belief, ditsy prints are not always floral. Some motifs range from tiny birds to leaves; one popular design even had motifs of many tiny bowler hats.
Due to the random, almost chaotic nature of ditsy design, it tends to confer a sense of carefree or fun-loving persona on its owners. When designers use good color balance, it could represent a feeling of bold audacity.
It is possible to print ditsy patterns on many textiles. Cotton fabric is a popular choice because cotton is breathable, and people prefer ditsy patterns for casual summer wear.
A Brief History of Ditsy Print
Most ditsy prints are floral designs, and they have been around as early as the twelfth century when Chinese textile workers first used them. The designs spread through the Middle East and Asia and entered Europe, thanks to trading via The Silk Road.
Floral patterns were already popular in many European cities by the fifteen and sixteenth centuries. Despite its vast popularity, floral designs would take nearly four hundred years to get smaller and finally become the ditsy prints we know of today.
Records show that ditsy prints became popular in the 19th-20th century when textile manufacturers began printing them because they were cheap and popular among many people.
Production of Ditsy Print
There are many ways to print designs on fabric, but digital printing has recently become increasingly popular. A widely used digital printing method is Inkjet printing.
The process begins with the graphic designer who designs the motif and scales it to the correct size. He then sends the file to the textile printers, who prepare the design by formatting its algorithm to the suitable fabric and making a RIP file that the digital printer can read and work with.
Before printing can take place, they have to pre-treat the fabric with a liquid solution composed of thickeners, alkali, and urea. The pre-treating process makes the fabric absorb color better. After pre-treating, the workers carefully feed the fabric into the printing machine and lay it flat on the printer belt.
Dye specialists select the appropriate dye to use on each fabric. Pigment ink and reactive dyes are primarily used on cotton; polyester works well with dispersed dyes, while acid dyes create better results on silk and nylon.
Once the dyes, ditsy design, and fabric are ready, printing can commence. An inkjet printer makes use of a series of tiny ink droplets carefully guided by printer software to create the random minute patterns of the ditsy Print.
A print head driver controls the printing process by referring to the print design. With the guidance of the digital design file, the head decides which color to print and when. The print head driver causes the print head to move back and forth over the fabric until it recreates the digital design.
Once the printing is complete, the printer passes the fabric to a heater attached to it, where it is dried. After which, textile workers steam and wash the fabric to check for color fastness. Different fabrics will require different steaming and washing processes.
If the Print passes the steaming and washing tests, the workers will usually dry and iron them. The ditsy patterned fabric is ready for shipping.
Types of Ditsy Prints
Ditsy Prints refer to the design pattern of tiny scattered motifs on fabrics; this means that ditsy prints can appear on any fabric with the proper printing method. Common fabrics used for ditsy prints are cotton, polyester, and silk.
Cotton Ditsy Print
Many designers and manufacturers prefer cotton because it is easy to make and print on; this makes it one of the most commonly used fabrics in the world. Cotton is produced from the fibers of cotton plants and doesn’t contain any synthetic products.
It is highly absorbent, a property that makes it ideal for ditsy prints. It is also breathable and used mainly in summer, a quality that goes with the casual flippant feel of ditsy prints. Many fashion designs have used different motifs on cotton to remarkable effect, and it remains a popular choice.
Polyester Ditsy Print
Unlike cotton, polyester is a synthetic fabric usually derived from petroleum. The most common types of polyester come from melted PET plastic, and the fabric is one of the world’s cheapest and most popular fabrics.
Like many synthetic fabrics, polyester does well with digital printing, although it requires a special dye. Textile printers apply ditsy patterns on the fabric with an insoluble dye called a dispersion dye. The insoluble dye makes polyester Ditsy prints more vibrant and less likely to fade than other fabric types.
Silk Ditsy Print
Silk is reputed to be the most potent natural textile in the world. Unlike cotton from a plant, silk is derived from the Bombyx mori larvae, also called the silkworm.
Like its counterparts, it is easy to print on silk fabric. However, textile printers take special precautions with silk. They have to pre-test the silk fabric as too much ink can cause silk to lose its crispness, while two little ink will make for a poor ditsy print. The dye used is also different from that of cotton and polyester.
Their normally shimmering look makes ditsy prints pop out even more, especially if the color mixture is clever.
Uses of Ditsy Prints
Fashion designers use Ditsy extensively to design blouses, dresses, and skirts. Wearing ditsy prints carefully with either plain fabrics or other patterns gives the wearer a chic sense.
Textile manufacturers also use ditsy prints on quilts and beddings.
Home decors use the tiny motifs of ditsy prints to design upholsteries, curtains, and wallpapers. Most ditsy prints are floral designs, and they can add a feeling of freshness or beauty to any room.
Caring for Ditsy Print
Ditsy motifs are printed on many fabrics, so caring for ditsy prints would be based on the fabric used to make the prints. Reading the fabric care label on the cloth will usually be your best source of information. Each fabric has different ways to care for them, so you may want to practice the following suggestions:
For Cotton Ditsy Fabrics
- Always wash cotton in cold water (30°c and below). Washing can be done by hand or in a washing machine. Use a front loading machine if possible.
- Air dry cotton cloths as much as possible rather than using a dryer.
- Iron cotton cloths with a steam iron or when they are slightly damp. Sprinkle some water on the fabric if they are dry and you don’t have a steam iron.
- Store in a cool, dry location.
For Silk Ditsy Fabrics
- Follow the manufacturer’s label to know how best to wash your fabric. Most fabric care experts strongly recommend dry cleaning and hand washing with cold water.
- Always air dry silk as the heat from the dryer causes the fabric to shrink.
- Color taste the fabric before washing to prevent the prints from bleeding off the fabric. If the Print bleeds off, always dry clean.
- Always iron silk with a specific silk setting. You can try steaming it after air drying.
- Store silk in a cool, dry location with good air circulation. Keep away from light.
For Polyester Ditsy Fabrics
- You can dry clean, hand wash, or even wash polyester fabric in a washing machine. Check the fabric care label for the best option.
- You can either air dry the fabric or place it in a dryer.
- Use low heat when ironing polyester fabric to prevent burning or shrinking.
- Store in a cool, dry environment.
Conclusion
Ditsy prints are tiny motifs with a random, unorganized look. Yet, this lack of respect for order and symmetry makes ditsy prints fascinating and famous. They are a popular fashion and home decorator choice, and floral motifs are usually the most common ditsy pattern.
Ditsy Print can work on any fabric, but cotton, polyester, and silk are the most commonly used fabrics. These fabrics enhance the ditsy prints’ vibrance and color.