toltec

If you click on the Layer Studio, then click on the button that looks like a stack of layers (2nd from left) , Rasterise is in there.

Not sure exactly why you want to do it this way but try this....
Select your black and white adjustment layer in the Layers panel
Click on the Channels panel
You should see an item called Black & White Adjustment Alpha
Right click on that and select Create Mask Layer
A new Mask Layer is created which you can use to mask other adjustment layers
 

You are in 2:1 isometric mode, so you need to adjust the spacing manually using the two buttons on the right (spacing and divisions). It won’t change automatically. Set to Auto (not 2:1 isometric) and the grid resizes as you zoom.
Turn the grid off with the Show Grid button (the eye on the left)
 

Well, now I know the process, it makes it easier for me, but harder for you  Forget what I said about Pantone spot colours, that won't happen with the Direct to Garment process.
Absolutely the first thing you need to do is sort out your viewing. I am not a fan of using laptops because the displays are not really designed for colour accuracy and the colours you see on screen can change depending on viewing angle and ambient lighting.  
However, assuming you don't want to buy a new computer and monitor just yet, you must calibrate what you have, Buy a Spyder (or similar)  calibration device  https://www.datacolor.com/photography-design/product-overview/spyder5-family/ they are not expensive and you can use it on any computer.
After calibrating, make sure that you always view your laptop at the same angle and under similar ambient lighting conditions. Obviously, you can design anywhere, but view the colours where you can assess them properly. (and consistently). Make sure that the laptop is always plugged in to the mains as most dim the display to save batteries when not plugged in.
Because of the type of printing process, you will need to do some work. First thing is to design a calibration page. Something with a stock photo and a range of colours on it.
Something like this from Adobe.

or use that, search for Adobe Calibration Image.
Get that printed by the different printers as a sample (ideally on a couple of different items as colours will vary a bit between materials). Now you will need to see how the print compares to the 'calibration image' on your newly calibrated screen 
If it is 'off colour', this is where Affinity's Soft Proofing might come in handy. See if any of the preset profiles get the colour close .Under no circumstance adjust your calibrated screen !!!
Design something you like, apply the soft proof layer temporarily and that should be pretty much what you will get. Some colours just wont look good, like oranges and greens because CMYK can't reproduce them. It is all about being able to design something that can be printed! Not the other way round.
Remember that the soft proof layer is only there to temporarily adjust you monitor for viewing. Make sure you delete it or turn it off before sending your design to be printed or it will mess up the whole process.
That's the best place to start.
 

Matching colours is such a tough subject. Made 10 times worse when you are printing on fabrics.
I spent a lot of time trying to do this for litho and silkscreen printing and it never works that well.
I must admit I don't know anything about printing on things like pillows but know something about tee-shirts, as long as you are talking about four-colour process and trying to match colours is very tough. The biggest problem is dot gain, which is where the dots of the printing enlarges when printed. This is a big problem on material, as ink soaks in and spreads. If you have ever spilt something on a new tee-shirt, you will be very familiar with the process . That is where using the correct printer profiles comes in.
Another problem is that the "white" of the fabric varies.
The last thing you want for matching is a computer that displays lots of RGB colours. Because no matter what is displays, the printer can't print. Printers use three colours plus black and can print only a fraction of normal RGB, let alone Adobe "full" RGB.
What you need is a monitor that is calibrated. Using something like a Spyder colour calibration device, it will try and match what you see to what you print. That will mean making your display look dull and muddy, because that is what your print will be.
Pretty much any computer screen can display CMYK colours but the screen will need to be calibrated. That means a proper monitor, a calibration device and proper software. So forget laptop screens and especially, forget iPads. Even then, I'm not sure how well this will work when printing on fabrics, but it will be a damn sight better than using an iPad.
However, what are you printing?
Are you trying to match something like a photo, or creating patterns.
If you are printing patterns, then I would normally expect that to be done using spot colours so that whatever colour you want can be printed, just make sure you select the "u" (uncoated) colours, not "c" (coated) colours. Choose a colour from a swatch (Pantone) then you printer can match that because that is the colour of the ink. Trying to match it on the computer does not apply. Just design using spot colours from the swatch but again, forget iPad because Affinity Designer does not support creating in spot colours.
Unless there is something physically wrong with you Mac, you would be better off to buy a separate monitor and a calibration device. I am not sure how this works with Macs but it works on a PC laptop.
Or, if practical buy a Pantone swatch and use spot colours instead.

Edit > Defaults > Revert.
Bear in mind that you can save almost any style you want as a default style (Edit > Defaults > Save), so if you used it to save something odd, that is what you will get. 
 
 

Sigh!
Where has all the trust gone 

If you put some text on a path,  click on the Pen Tool and then the extended Context Toolbar arrow (to the right of the Toolbar) and there is a "Reverse Text Path" button in there.
P,S I believe you need to have On-screen modifier keys switched on (Preferences > Interface) to access the extended Context Toolbar option. If you don't have them on already.

Not true. You just have to select the text frame with the Node tool to edit its shape. The text will reflow as needed. This modified version of the text around a circle.afdesign file is the same as the original, except that it doesn't use filler text so it is easier to see how the text reflows (& funnier, too):

The ‘Preferences > Fonts’ route in AD or APh only installs the font for use in that app. The ‘Install on iPad’ option offered by Font Squirrel creates a configuration profile, making the font available to any app (but you’ll need to restart AD to make the newly installed font show up there).
If you want to install a large number of fonts, treat yourself to a copy of AnyFont by Florian Schimanke.

Something has definitely gone wrong.
Quit Photo then restart it with Control held down, until you get this. I am pretty sure it is Control too on a Mac, i.e. not Command.

Click Clear
If that doesn't work try again, click Select All then click Clear, but you will lose custom brushes, user settings etc.
 

Long press with one finger and choose Invert Selection.
 

Hi @G-Ramps,
Welcome to the forums. 
Affinity Photo and Designer iPad overlap for a good amount and we have decided to keep them together, just like we keep Photo and Designer for desktop together. 
Thanks,
Gabe. 

I haven't painted for years, which might explain a few things

I'm confused 
I thought you wanted a transparent background? If you put a white layer behind it, and export it as a PNG it will have your white background, so will not be transparent.
Have a look at the attached .afppoto file. Note, it would need a little bit of hand retouching for the final version as a few bits of the background remain due to uneven lighting. A more evenly lit photo, or a good scan would help, if possible but if not.it could be retouched.
If you hide my red layer and export it (showing the transparent chequerboard background) as a PNG it will have a transparent background. If you show the red layer, it will have a red background. What You See Is What You Get.


ckm.afphoto
 

With the Pen tool selected, this will appear on the Context Toolbar.

Click it to select it.

You can also use the Affine filter.
Make a selection, select the Affine filter, select Mirror in the Extend Mode and drag on the X offset.
It is no better than than the method suggested by @stokerg but it's something else to play with 

You have the document in outline view, turn outline view off.
Outline view is good for being able to select individual elements within groups or a lot of overlaid objects but no good for selecting groups.

You must save the document in a format that supports transparency, like PNG or TIFF. JPEGs don't support transparency, so the background will be white.

Without seeing the image, a bit hard because there are lots of methods, each one depending on what is there.
It might be possible to get away with using a Shadows and Highlight Adjustment and just adjust the highlights, Failing that, an easy method to try. . .
Select the wall and refine the edges as necessary. Select > Refine Edges
Go Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and simply adjust the White Level slider. The selection will mask the Adjustment to the selected area only. i.e. the Wall


I selected the sky and used that to simulate a wall.

 
 
 

Without seeing the image, a bit hard because there are lots of methods, each one depending on what is there.
It might be possible to get away with using a Shadows and Highlight Adjustment and just adjust the highlights, Failing that, an easy method to try. . .
Select the wall and refine the edges as necessary. Select > Refine Edges
Go Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and simply adjust the White Level slider. The selection will mask the Adjustment to the selected area only. i.e. the Wall


I selected the sky and used that to simulate a wall.

 
 
 

Click on this button for aligning objects (including Artistic text)

Opens this box with lots of alignment options. Currently set to Selection bounds.

 
You can set these as keyboard shortcuts in preferences

 
Edit > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts 
Choose Layer from the second menu

 
As for frame text, that can be aligned vertically in it's frame

 
You can also set shortcuts.

 
Choose Text from the second menu.
 

It doesn't change the actual document, but only affects what displays. As such, it's affecting your View, and thus it's a View Mode

If you select the Layer that the image is on, Then use the Artboard Tool and in the context menu just below the main menu choose Size: Selection

OK someone else