How to Create the Plaid or Check Pattern in Adobe Illustrator

Hello Everyone,

How many methods of creating check or plaid textile pattern do you know? What is the easiest one? Have you ever realized that the Rectangular Grid tool can be very helpful in performing that task?

Follow a few easy steps and create the plaid and 1/4-inch check pattern in Adobe Illustrator CC by using the Rectangular Grid tool.

At first, create a desired color palette for the pattern and move the new color swatches into the Swatches panel.

Create the repeat motif. Select the Rectangular Grid tool in the Toolbar (behind the Line Segment tool) and click somewhere on the Artboard.

Enter the desired values to the Rectangular Grid tool dialog box:

You can remove the grid stroke or change its color. Select the Live Paint Bucket tool and fill each square with the desired color.

Apply the Object > Expand command.

Select the entire object and use the following command: Object > Pattern > Make. Click on the OK button in the Adobe Illustrator dialog box.

Click on the Done button to save the new pattern into the Swatches panel.

The new pattern swatch appears in the Swatches panel.

You can add any additional line to the motif. That will change the final result. Add white dashed lines, for example.

And voila!

If you create a motif with 4 squares, you will get the 1/4-inch check.

If you Expand the grid before coloring, you can delete some lines with the Direct Selection tool and create various geometric plaids.

Experiment yourself!

Note: You can learn how to create custom color swatches and textile designs in chapters 9 and 10 of my e-textbook "The Craft of Garment Design with Adobe Illustrator".