A note about print placement...

When buying a piece with a terrific print online, customers will sometimes express frustration about why the item they receive isn't exactly as pictured online. We thought we'd take the time to explain why this is, and why it's a FEATURE, rather than a bug! 

The "Cookie Cutter" Conundrum:

Imagine a fabric printed with large sunflowers spaced ten inches apart. If one person cuts a shirt starting from the far left of the fabric, they might get a giant sunflower right over the chest. If the next person cuts the same shirt just five inches to the right, that sunflower might end up cut in half at the side seam, or missing from the front entirely.

Efficiency and Fabric Waste:

In clothing production, the goal is often to fit as many pattern pieces as possible onto a roll of fabric to reduce waste. Because the pattern pieces are nestled together like Tetris blocks to save space, the "top" of a sleeve might land on a different part of the print than the "top" of the bodice.

Scale of the Print:

The more "open" or large-scale a print is, the more obvious the variation becomes.

  • Small Prints: On a tiny polka-dot or micro-floral shirt, the dots are so close together that you won't notice if the placement shifts by an inch.

  • Large Prints: On a bold abstract or large floral design, a shift of just an inch can completely change which colors or shapes are visible on the collar or pockets.

Why It’s Often a Good Thing

In many collections, this variation is actually a sign of character. It means:

  • Uniqueness: Your specific garment is a "one-of-a-kind" version of that design.

  • Artisanal Quality: It highlights that the fabric was used in its natural, continuous state rather than being mass-produced with a rigid, stamped-on look.

Something to keep in mind:

If you are ever eyeing a piece where the print placement feels make-or-break for you—like a specific flower you want near the face—it’s always worth asking us for photos of different sizes, as the "map" of the print changes as the garment pieces get larger or smaller.

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