The New Home Workshop – The Next Stage: Home Fabric Printing

From Ideas to Wearable Reality

The home workshop is evolving again…

What started with a few tools, a bit of curiosity, and perhaps a slightly over-optimistic belief that “this will be simple” has now moved into the world of fabric printing.

And suddenly, everything changes.

We’re no longer just making things…
We’re branding them, wearing them, selling them, and occasionally ruining perfectly good T-shirts in the process.

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The Big Five of Home Fabric Printing

After a fair bit of experimentation (and a few “learning opportunities”), here are the main contenders in the workshop:

Dye Sublimation Printing

• Ideal for polyester fabrics
• Produces vibrant, permanent prints
• Requires:
  • Sublimation printer
  • Heat press
• Downsides:
  • Doesn’t work well on cotton
  • White or light fabrics only

💡 Perfect for branded sportswear, sailing tops, and anything that needs to survive the Thames… repeatedly.

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Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)

• Cut designs using a vinyl cutter, then press onto fabric
• Works on cotton and polyester
• Great for:
  • Names
  • Numbers
  • Logos

💡 This is the “quick win” method — fast, reliable, and surprisingly professional.

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Screen Printing

• The traditional method
• Ink pushed through a stencil (screen)

Pros:

• Excellent for bulk production
• Proper “shop-bought” feel

Cons:

• Setup time
• Mess (lots of it… everywhere…)

💡 Best attempted when you’re feeling patient… and not wearing your favourite clothes.

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Direct Fabric Printing – A New Player in the Workshop

Another exciting addition to the home workshop is the Brother HL-JF1 PrintModa Studio Fabric Printer — a bit of a game changer. Unlike sublimation or vinyl, this printer allows you to print directly onto fabric sheets, much like printing onto paper. That means no weeding vinyl, no heat transfer alignment stress, and far more freedom with complex, full-colour designs. It works particularly well with cotton fabrics, opening up options that sublimation simply can’t handle. The real beauty is in the simplicity: design on the computer, press print, and out comes your custom fabric ready to sew. It feels like stepping into the future of home production — less “industrial process” and more “desktop creativity” — although, like all new toys in the workshop, I suspect there will still be a few “experimental outcomes” along the way!

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Computer Embroidery

• The premium option
• Uses a machine to stitch designs directly into fabric

Pros:

• Extremely durable
• Professional finish

Cons:

• Slower
• Digitising designs takes time

💡 Nothing says “serious business” like embroidered logos.

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The Real Challenge (It’s Not the Printing…)

The technology is the easy part.

The real challenge?

Getting the design right in the first place

• Colours don’t behave as expected
• Sizes look perfect on screen… then ridiculous on fabric
• Alignment is never quite where you think it is

And then there’s the classic:

“That looked much better in my head…”

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Workshop Reality Check

You will:

• Melt something you shouldn’t
• Press a design on upside down
• Forget to mirror the image (at least once… probably more)
• Wonder why nothing worked… then realise the heat press wasn’t on

But when it does work…

It’s brilliant.

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Why This Matters

For a business like Philip M Russell Ltd and Hemel Private Tuition, this opens up huge opportunities:

• Branded clothing for videos
• Custom merchandise for students
• Sailing gear for pmrsailing.uk and A-Raters
• Even experimental teaching aids (printed diagrams on fabric!)

And, of course…

A never-ending supply of “prototype” T-shirts.

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What’s Next?

• Combining laser cutting + printing + embroidery
• Producing full branded kits
• Possibly even small-scale production runs

Or… just making slightly better T-shirts than last time.

 

Charging All the Cameras When You’re Away From Home

If there’s one thing guaranteed to ruin a perfect sailing shot, it’s this:

“Battery exhausted.”

Usually just as something exciting happens… a perfect tack, a near miss, or your crew doing something you’ll never be allowed to film again.

After a few trips (and a few missed shots), I’ve learned that charging cameras away from home isn’t just about plugging things in — it’s about planning, systems, and a little bit of paranoia.

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The Reality – Everything Needs Charging

On a typical trip I might have:

• DSLR or mirrorless camera
• Action cameras (and usually more than one)
• 360 camera
• Drone (on a good day!)
• iPad or laptop
• Microphones and audio gear

Each with:

• Different batteries
• Different chargers
• Different cables (of course…)

It quickly turns into a spaghetti junction of wires.

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Rule 1: Standardise Everything (If You Can)

The golden rule:
Move towards USB charging wherever possible

Modern cameras and devices increasingly support USB-C charging, which is a lifesaver.

• One charger
• One cable type
• Less clutter
• Less to forget

If a device still needs a dedicated charger, I try to carry just one per system, not multiples.

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Rule 2: Power Banks Are Your Best Friend

A decent power bank changes everything:

• Charge cameras on the move
• Top up devices between shoots
• Keep things running when there are no sockets (very common on boats!)

On a yacht or small boat, plug sockets can be:

• Limited
• Already in use
• Or only available when the engine is running

A power bank quietly solves all of that.

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🔌 le 3: One Plug, Many Devices

Bring a multi-port USB charger.

This lets you:

• Charge 4–6 devices from one socket
• Avoid fighting over plug space
• Keep everything in one place

Even better:

• Use a short extension lead if you’re in a hotel or marina with awkward sockets

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Rule 4: Create a Charging Routine

This is the bit that really matters.

Every evening:

• Batteries out
• Everything plugged in
• Memory cards backed up (if possible)
• Kit reset for the next day

Because in the morning:
You won’t have time
You won’t remember

And something will be flat

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⛵ Boats Add Extra “Fun”

On a boat (especially during your upcoming Croatia adventure):

• Power may be 12V only
• Charging may depend on:
  • Engine running
  • Solar panels
• Space is tight
• Things move (a lot!)

So:

• Keep kit in a single charging bag or box
• Use short cables (less tangling)
• Label things if others are using the system

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Final Thought

You can have:

• The best camera
• The perfect shot lined up
• Hollywood-level planning

…but if the battery is dead…

You’re just watching it happen.

Charging isn’t glamorous, but it’s the difference between:

• “I wish I’d filmed that…”
  and
• “Wait until you see this!”

 

“How Do You Plan a Video Series When You Don’t Know What’s Going to Happen?”

There’s a moment before every trip where the grand plan meets reality…

You sit there thinking:

• I don’t know what boat I’ll be on
• I don’t know what the weather will do
• I don’t even know what I’ll actually be doing

…and yet somehow, I want to produce a polished video series out of it.

Welcome to filming on the water.

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The Myth of the Perfect Plan

In a studio, you control everything.
On a boat… the boat controls you.

Wind changes
Plans change
People change
And occasionally… direction changes too (usually at the worst moment)

So instead of trying to plan everything, you need to plan something much smarter:

A flexible structure

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Step 1 – Plan the Story, Not the Shots

Don’t plan what you will film
Plan what story you want to tell

For example, my upcoming series isn’t about:

“Filming a yacht in Croatia”

It’s about:

“Learning to become a competent crew”

That gives you a backbone:

• Arrival and first impressions
• Getting on the boat
• Learning the ropes (literally)
• Mistakes and progress
• Final reflections

No matter what happens, the story still works

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Step 2 – Use Repeatable Shot Types

You don’t know where you’ll be… but you do know what types of shots you’ll need.

Build a simple mental checklist:

• Wide establishing shots (where are we?)
• Talking to camera (what’s happening?)
• Action shots (doing the task)
• Reaction shots (how did that go?)
• Cutaways (ropes, sails, instruments, feet slipping on deck…)

These can be filmed anywhere, in any conditions.

The location changes
The structure doesn’t

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Step 3 – Let the Weather Become the Content

Bad weather isn’t a problem…

It’s an episode.

• No wind? → “The frustration of calm sailing”
• Too much wind? → “Holding on for dear life”
• Rain? → “What it’s really like when it all goes wrong”

Some of the best footage comes from the days that don’t go to plan.

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Step 4 – Film in “Moments”, Not Episodes

Don’t try to film Episode 1, then Episode 2, then Episode 3.

Instead, collect moments:

• A tricky knot
• A bad manoeuvre
• A great view
• A conversation
• A mistake (always useful…)

Later, you build episodes from these.

Think LEGO bricks, not finished models

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Step 5 – Narrate Afterwards

When everything is unpredictable, your best friend is:

Voiceover

You can fix:

• Missing explanations
• Unclear sequences
• Even slightly embarrassing moments…

With a calm, reflective commentary afterwards.

(Preferably once you’ve recovered your dignity.)

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Step 6 – Always Film the Beginning and the End

No matter how chaotic things get, make sure you capture:

Start of the day:

• What’s the plan?
• What are you expecting?

End of the day:

• What actually happened?
• What went wrong (be honest…)
• What did you learn?

These two anchors hold the whole episode together.

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Final Thought

Planning a video series like this isn’t about control…

It’s about prepared flexibility.

You don’t control:

• The boat
• The weather
• The day

But you can control:

• The story
• The structure
• The way you tell it

And often, the best videos come from the bits you never planned.

 Planned vs Spontaneous Photography – Which Is Best?

One of the great debates in photography (right up there with “JPEG vs RAW” and “Do I really need another lens?”) is this:

Do you go out and take photographs as they happen… or do you plan every shot in advance?

Having spent many hours with a camera—on boats, in fields, at events, and occasionally wondering why I brought three lenses and used only one—I can safely say…

Both approaches are right. And both can go very wrong.

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The Planned Photographer

This is the photographer who:

• Knows where they’re going
• Knows what they want
• Checks the weather, sun position, and tide tables (very important on the Thames!)
• Turns up at exactly the right time

Typical examples:

• Landscape photography at sunrise/sunset
• Milky Way or astrophotography
• Time-lapse work
• Carefully staged portraits

Advantages

• You get technically better images
• Lighting is controlled (or at least predicted!)
• Less luck required

Disadvantages

• You can miss unexpected moments
• Weather has a habit of ignoring your plans
• Can become a bit… clinical

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The “See What Happens” Photographer

This is much more my style when out sailing or wandering about with a camera.

You:

• Take the camera everywhere
• React to what’s in front of you
• Capture moments as they unfold

Typical examples:

• Street photography
• Action shots on a boat
• Wildlife (when it suddenly appears and disappears again!)
• Family and travel photography

Advantages

• You capture genuine, unrepeatable moments
• More creative and spontaneous
• Often more interesting images

Disadvantages

• You miss shots because you weren’t ready
• Lighting can be terrible
• Results can be inconsistent

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A Real Example (From the River Thames)

When I go sailing, I never quite know what I’ll get:

• A perfect gybe with spray flying everywhere
• Someone falling in (always entertaining… from a safe distance!)
• Beautiful reflections at sunset

If I tried to plan those shots, I’d miss them.

But equally…

If I don’t think ahead about:

• Camera placement
• Waterproofing
• Battery life

Then I miss everything anyway!

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So Which Is Best?

The honest answer: The best photographers do both.

A good approach is:

1. Have a Plan

• Know your location
• Think about light and timing
• Have an idea of the shots you’d like

2. Be Ready to Ignore It

• If something better happens—take it!
• Don’t be so focused on the plan that you miss the moment

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A Simple Rule I Use

“Plan enough to be ready… but not so much that you stop seeing.”

 

Learning – Ways to Actually Remember Things (Not Just Read Them!)

We’ve all been there…

You read a page.
You nod wisely.
You turn the page…
…and instantly forget everything you just “learnt”.

That’s not learning. That’s polite page turning.

Real learning means getting information into your brain so that it actually stays there long enough to use in an exam—or better still, in real life.

So here are some methods that genuinely work.

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1. Spaced Repetition – The “Don’t Cram Like a Maniac” Method

Your brain forgets things on a curve (thanks, science).

Instead of cramming:

• Learn it today
• Review tomorrow
• Review in 3 days
• Then a week later

Each time you revisit it, the memory gets stronger.

This is why flashcards work so well—especially when used properly.

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2. Active Recall – The “Test Yourself First” Trick

Don’t just read notes.

Close the book and ask:

• “What do I remember?”
• “Can I explain this out loud?”

If you can’t recall it, you don’t know it.

This is uncomfortable… but incredibly effective.

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3. The Leitner Flashcard System

This is a clever upgrade on flashcards:

• Get it right → card moves to a less frequent box
• Get it wrong → back to the start

You spend more time on what you don’t know.

👉 Efficient and slightly ruthless—just like a good teacher.

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4. Mnemonics – Silly Works

Your brain loves nonsense.

Examples:

• “OIL RIG” → Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain
• “Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain” → colours of the rainbow

The sillier, the better.

If it makes you laugh, you’ll remember it.

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5. Mind Maps – See the Big Picture

Instead of pages of notes:

• Put the topic in the centre
• Branch out ideas
• Link concepts together

Great for:

• Essays
• Big topics (Biology, Psychology, Sociology)

Helps students like Nia who understand ideas but need structure.

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6. Write It Out (Yes, Really)

Typing is fast.
Writing is powerful.

When you write:

• Your brain processes information more deeply
• You remember more Old-fashioned… but it works.

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7. Teach Someone Else

The ultimate test:

“Explain it to someone who knows nothing.”

If you can:

• You understand it
  If you can’t:
• You’ve found your weak spot

Even teaching the dog works (they’re excellent listeners). I know they are waiting for the word walkies but ...

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8. Mix It Up (Interleaving)

Don’t do:

• 20 identical maths questions in a row

Instead:

• Mix topics together

This forces your brain to choose the right method, not just repeat a pattern.

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9. Short Bursts Beat Long Slogs

Try:

• 20 minutes learning
• 5 minutes break

(You’ve even tested this with juggling!)

 Your brain needs rest to store information.

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Final Thought

Learning isn’t about time spent…

It’s about what your brain actually keeps.

If you:

• Test yourself
• Space it out
• Use active methods

You’ll remember far more—and feel far less stressed.