Detailed on Motif

Prepared by
Md. Sumon Miah
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Textile Engineering
Motif
 A decorative design or pattern.
 A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic
or literary composition.
 An ornament of lace, braid, etc sewn separately on
a garment.
 To increase the attractiveness of garments some
time a special accessories are attached on garments
is called Motif.
Classification of motif
Motif is the most basic unit with the help of which a
design or a composition is made.

The motifs of a textile design may be classified as

• Geometric

• Realistic or Natural

• Stylized
Geometric
These motifs include lines in various forms, such as
vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curved. They form
fabric designs, such as stripes, plaids, checks and
circles and their associated design. Basket, chevron
and herringbone weave designs;box;layout; check
board; diagonal stripes, diaper and ogee pattern,
plaids and polka dots.
Contd.
 Geometrical motifs may be created during the
weaving or knitting fabric construction process.
 If motifs are applied as prints after the fabric is
constructed, ensuring that lines are straight with the
yarns of the fabric is important; otherwise the
finished garment will be unsightly.
 A distinctive geometric design may dictate the
garment styling and limit the possibilities for using
the fabric.
Natural Motif
Natural motifs portray as direct replica of things as they exist
in nature, such as flowers on trees, animals in jungle, human
figure and other natural things.

Example : Animals, animal skins, fruit, games, toys,

mythological designs, vegetables, shells and jungle etc are all
form the natural or realistic designs
Stylish Motif
These are simplified
variations of natural or man-
made objects that are no
longer recognizable. These
motifs are full of creativity,
as they are the result of a
designer’s interpretation of
naturally existing things.