Spoonflower Blog | Design, Sell, & Shop Fabric, Wallpaper, & Gift Wrap

8 Seamless Repeat Tutorials for Designing Custom Fabric

August 17, 2018

Surface pattern design is not just for the professionals! If you’ve ever browsed our Marketplace for llamas, rainbows or even motorcycle fabric, there’s a good chance you’ve been curious to know how designers have created their seamless repeats. From traditional tools like a pen and paper to design programs like Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator®, we’re showing you eight seamless repeat tutorials to help you find your tried and true resource for creating seamless repeats. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be ready to enter one of our upcoming design challenges!

Announcing the 1920s Design Challenge Winners

August 16, 2018

From the luxurious and modern style of Art Deco to the glitz and glam of the movie industry, there was no shortage of elegance in this week’s 1920s Design Challenge. A roaring congratulations is in order for katerhees, who soared into the top spot (her third time this year!) and earned a $200 Spoonflower credit with her entry, Art Deco Cranes. Rounding out the winners’ circle are svetlana_prikhnenko (second place) and dunnspun (third place) who will be receiving a $100 and $50 Spoonflower credit respectively. Charleston your way over to the top 10 to find a jazzy design for your next DIY project.

Art Deco Cranes by katerhees is the 1920s Design Challenge winner

1. 420 votes for Art Deco Cranes by katerhees
2. 413 votes for Art deco by svetlana_prikhnenko
3. 299 votes for Flapper Dress Inspired by dunnspun
4. 293 votes for Deco Gazelles Garden // white background navy animals and rose metal textured decorative elements by selmacardoso
5. 267 votes for Red Iris Nouveau by pond_ripple
6. 266 votes for Geometric Crane by heyjunge
7. 263 votes for 1920s Beading by megdig_design
8. 253 votes for Emerald City by sowilofir
9. 248 votes for Purple Tail by torysevas
10. 245 votes for art deco diamond scales by beesocks [Read more…] about Announcing the 1920s Design Challenge Winners

Make an Adorable DIY Onesie with This Free Pattern

August 14, 2018

What’s cuter than a baby wearing handmade leggings? A baby wearing handmade leggings with a coordinating handmade onesie! We’ve grown to love making clothes for the littles ones in our lives because they’re perfect stash busters and most projects can be easily made in under an hour. Using just one yard of your favorite knit fabric and our free pattern, you’ll be able to sew two onesies in no time! Bonus: these make great baby shower gifts!

Make an Adorable DIY Onesie with This Free Pattern | Spoonflower Blog

Featured design: Bunny Races by ewa_brzozowska

How to Create a Seamless Repeat on Your iPad with Pixelmator

August 10, 2018

If you’ve been following the blog, by now you’ve learned how to turn your drawings into a seamless repeat in eight easy steps, seen how to design a seamless repeat in Procreate with Anda, and how to take your drawings from paper to pixel with Photoshop. So what else could there be to learn? We’re so glad you asked! Today we’re welcoming Liz Brown, one member of the dynamic duo better known as Thin Line Textiles in the Marketplace, and Spoonflower team member, to share how to create a seamless repeat on your iPad with Pixelmator. This design tool is your one-stop-shop for creating, editing and enhancing your images.

Announcing the Tacos and Burritos Design Challenge Winners

August 9, 2018

Can we taco ’bout the colorful entries that found their way into this week’s Tacos and Burritos Design Challenge? One look at the top 50 and you can see why we’re looking for any excuse to throw a party at the Spoonflower HQ. We’ve got all the fiesta fixins we need thanks to the winning design, Mexican Taco Fiesta by helenpdesigns! This is Helen’s first time taking home the design challenge grand-prize, a $200 Spoondollar credit. Joining Helen in the winners’ circle are camcreative (second place) and oliveandruby (third place) who will be receiving a $100 and $50 Spoonflower credit respectively. Hungry for more? Get your second helping of tacos and burritos with the entire top 10!

Mexican Taco Fiesta by helenpdesigns is the Tacos and Burritos Design Challenge winner!

1. 397 votes for Mexican Taco Fiesta (black) by helenpdesigns
2. 351 votes for Spicy taco by camcreative
3. 333 votes for Taco Tuesday by oliveandruby
4. 298 votes for Happy Taco Garden by nanshizzle
5. 252 votes for Viva La Taco by dorinus_illustrations
6. 252 votes for Mexican food calaveras tacos burritos2 by kostolom3000
7. 249 votes for Taco fiesta by roofdog_designs
8. 246 votes for Viva El Taco! by julesmooredesign
9. 232 votes for I’m taco kind of gal by livwan
10. 213 votes for veggie tacos-01 by laura_may_designs [Read more…] about Announcing the Tacos and Burritos Design Challenge Winners

7 Tips for Designing a Cut-and-Sew Project

August 8, 2018

Have you ever wondered how designers in the Spoonflower community create the adorable cut-and-sew projects you’ve been eyeing in the Marketplace? From the purrrfect zipper pouch (see the how-to here) to a giftable hedgehog plushie, the only limit to creating your very own cut-and-sew project is your imagination. To help you get started, Spoonflower designer Ceri Staziker–cerigwen in the Marketplace–is sharing seven design tips for successfully creating a cut-and-sew project. By the time you’re done, you’ll never underestimate the power of a fat quarter!

7 Tips for Designing a Cut-and-Sew Project | Spoonflower Blog

Spoonflower designer cerigwen knows a thing or two about cut-and-sew projects!

Wide Leg Pants for a Handmade Wardrobe

August 7, 2018

The perfect pants for summer don’t exist, you say? Here to prove you wrong are these wide leg pants made with Spoonflower’s Lightweight Cotton Twill and Burda Style Pattern 6966. We can’t get enough of the flowy and relaxed fit. Customize with your favorite Spoonflower pattern and get to sewing with our video and step-by-step tutorial below.

Featured designs

Meet the Designer: Crystal Walen

August 6, 2018

Mod Triangles Navy Mint Pink by crystal_walen

This week in our Meet the Designer series we’re highlighting one of our community favorites; Crystal Walen of crystal_walen. Over the last seven years, this Southern California-based artist has built a following in the Spoonflower Marketplace for her gorgeous watercolors. Within her shop of over 640 designs, you’ll find geometrics such as chevrons and ikats softened with hand-painted stripes, and roses and cacti composed in dreamy, romantic color palettes. Love that old-world meets new-world aesthetic too? This is one designer you won’t want to miss: her design style is both eternally timeless, yet unequivocally modern. Keep reading for a glimpse into how Crystal has built a successful career around surface pattern design.

When did you get started designing?

“I started designing patterns in high school which prompted me to study textile design in college. I have always been drawn to prints especially in terms of fashion. Growing up thrift shopping with my grandma for clothing and other vintage wares, I was often attracted to rich colors, prints and soft unique textiles.”

https://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/7012884-vintage-blush-floral-on-soft-sage-by-crystal_walen

Photography by Jes Hoyda at @dotdot_baby | Vintage Blush Floral on Soft Sage by crystal_walen

Meet the Designer: Crystal Walen | Spoonflower Blog

Crystal working on Sparking Rosé Flora

Announcing September’s Design Challenge Themes

August 3, 2018

Did you know that tea towels originated in 18th-century England? We’re celebrating this classic kitchen accessory–and Marketplace favorite–with a Spoonflower tradition: tea towel design challenges! For five weeks, we’re challenging you to design a tea towel that you’d proudly put on display in your kitchen, gift to a friend or use to kick off the new year. Our friends at Roostery are helping us celebrate this Spoonflower tradition with the Special Edition Spoonflower Tea Towel.

Like previous years, all tea towel entries will automatically be previewed on a Special Edition Spoonflower Tea Towel during voting. Jump ahead to learn more about the ins and outs of formatting your entry to ensure a picture-perfect preview!

Announcing September's Design Challenge Themes | Spoonflower Blog

Featured designs

Announcing the Food Frenzy Lake Coloring Book Design Challenge Winners

August 2, 2018

The second Lake design challenge ended in a frenzy of delicious designs! Congratulations to this week’s winner, heatherdutton, who took home the grand prize with her entry Pizza Night. In addition to a $200 Spoonflower credit prize, Heather was hand-selected by Lake to be featured in the Spoonflower coloring pack on the Lake app, available August 23. Joining her in the winners’ circle and coloring pack are baileyknudsen (second place) and pinkowlet (third place) who have received a $100 and $50 Spoonflower credit respectively. But that’s not all! Our friends at Lake loved the entries so much that instead of featuring the top eight winning designs in the Spoonflower pack as originally planned, they’ve chosen a top nine! See how you’ll be able to bring these designs to life on the Lake app here and don’t miss the entire tasty top 10.