Designing our hanks is not as simple as picking out a cool-looking fabric and cutting to size. There is a lot more that goes into each fabric we choose.
The specific material is a big aspect as all fabrics are not created equal. There are lots of differences between them and picking the best is always important. There are also fabrics that are harder to work with which increases the time to make them. To keep the hanks at $10 we really need to be able to crank them out. A thin, strong, cotton tends to work the best and what we lean towards.
Next comes the actual design itself. There are some patterns we pick where just about 100% of the fabric we purchase can be used. These tend to be repeating patterns without a major focal point (stripes, polka dots, etc). These are great for yield and allows us to be efficient with our fabric. There are other designs that have a specific pattern that works better to center the hank on (for example our Harry Potter Hank). These must be sized just right in order to work. They make a great hank, but not all the fabric gets to be used.
Finally, there are custom hanks. We design and print our own fabric (TI, Cu, and Chloroform hanks are examples). This involves really putting all the pieces together on material and sizes while driving the design we are looking for. These are the most creative hanks we make but the fabric is also some of the most expensive. Worth it in our eyes to have extremely unique designs (like the bill hank).
We are always trying new things to see what works and what doesn’t. We also love ideas so comment below or shoot us an email (gondekedc@gmail.com).