Design Process: Making of the Balloons at Dawn Print

The final post in our series going behind the scenes of our Kapadokya collection we’re looking at the design and print process of our hot air balloon print, Balloons at Dawn, which pairs with a Blue version of the Stone Symbol print which we wrote about in our post last week.

Inspired by Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia

Aside from the stunning landscape and amazing historical sites, Cappadocia is a well known location for hot air ballooning. At sunrise hundreds of balloons floating up into the sky, taking tourists on a panoramic tour of the scenery. It’s a magical sight, and one that inspired our Balloons at Dawn design.

Design Process

These are the initial sketches of the design, experimenting with different colourways. We wanted to make sure it was distinctly ‘Cappadocia’ and not a generic hot air balloon print, so layered in a landscape silhouette in the background, which we developed with more details.

Sampling the Design

Once the design was ready we separated the colours into different layers for printing. We selected a Pantone for each colour and worked to mix up the inks until we got the right combination of shades. Sometimes this meant changing from the original Pantone. The whole design printed together is always different from a selection of paper colour swatches. 

Hand Screen Printing Balloons at Dawn Fabric

When the colours were correct and the design aligning and repeating properly we went ahead to print the full run of fabric. The Balloons at Dawn print has 4 colours, a bright blue, orange, pale pink and yellow. Each colour is printed separately to slowly build up the design.

The Balloons at Dawn print was paired with a one-colour version of the Stone Symbol design, the inverse of the original. We love how vibrant and bold the blue looks in this pattern!

From Fabric to Product

Once we have all our fabric printed we take it back to our studio to select threads and trimmings for each product.

For the Balloons at Dawn cushion we wanted to invoke a soft, dreamy feeling. We decided to print on light cotton, layer with cotton batting and quilt around the edges of the balloon motifs. We love how it came out; the subtle stitching reminding us of light, fluffy clouds!

The Final Product

A bright, colourful bedroom styled with the Balloons at Dawn Quilt, pillowcase, and cushion. Upholstered in Blue Stone Symbol Fabric, the headboard looks great, too!

Shop the Kapadokya Collection on our website and follow us on instagram to see more of our design process, making and behind the scenes.