Repeat, Repeat, Repeat! The Magic of Pattern

Look at your clothes, your bag, or the floor beneath you. Can you see any shapes that keep coming back again and again? That repeating arrangement is called a pattern. Patterns are everywhere — on wallpaper, fabric, tiles, and even nature. Artists use patterns on purpose to make surfaces look beautiful and organised.

A repeating pattern is made when the same shape, colour, or image — called a motif — is placed over and over in a regular order. The motif is the single unit that gets repeated. Think of it like a stamp: you press the same stamp again and again across the page. The space between each motif also matters. If the gaps are equal, the pattern looks neat and regular. Artists and designers plan this carefully before they start. Patterns can repeat in different ways: • In a row — motifs line up left to right, like beads on a string. • In a grid — motifs are placed in rows AND columns, like tiles on a floor. • Alternating — two different motifs take turns, such as circle, star, circle, star. A famous example is William Morris, a 19th-century British designer who created beautiful wallpaper and fabric with repeating leaf and flower motifs. His patterns are still used today! To make your own pattern, follow these steps: 1. Choose your motif — a simple shape works best (a leaf, a star, a fish). 2. Decide how it will repeat — in a row, a grid, or alternating. 3. Keep the spacing equal each time you draw it. 4. Add colour consistently — the same colours in the same places every time.