When is a yard more than a yard? When it’s made with Fill-A-Yard®! Spoonflower has revolutionized the way you replenish your fabric stash and today we’re sharing everything you need to know (hacks included!) about this helpful tool for getting just the amounts of fabric you need.
Before we get started, it’s important to note that all Fill-A-Yard projects will require you to create a collection or work from an existing collection in the Marketplace. This collection can feature your own designs or designs from any independent artist in the Marketplace. Mix-and-match if you’d like. Did you know you can search a specific theme by collections, find your favorite Design Challenge winners featured in weekly collections through the Spoonflower account, or shop featured collections in the Spoonflower Magazine?
Pro tip: Easily find coordinating designs from one designer by shopping from the Featured In section on their design page.
For even more tips on searching designs in the Marketplace, don’t miss these five go-to tips from quilter Lorna Slessor.
Now that you know a little bit more about creating collections for Fill-A-Yard, it’s time to get filling!
Proof Your Designs on a Budget
If you want to proof your own designs or see how your favorite designs from the Marketplace will look together, choose our Fill-A-Yard Cheater Quilt Template, which gives you the best bang for your buck. Since these squares are 6 x 6”, you can sample up to 42 designs on our 1 Yard Cheater Quilt for as low as $18.50–that’s just 44¢ per design! Once you receive your cheater quilt you will have the ability to make all of your own sampled designs available for sale in your Spoonflower shop.
Pro tip: You can mix and match your private designs with Marketplace designs when using any Fill-A-Yard template.
Seamlessly Mix and Match Colorways
Did you know the same design (in scale and orientation) in a different colorway will repeat seamlessly when used in a Fill-A-Yard project? For example, if we fill the 1 Yard Cheater Quilt template with the designs Luna Moth – Gold on Dark Teal and Luna Moth – Gold on Pink from littlearrowdesign’s Luna Moth collection, the moths will repeat seamlessly across the cheater quilt template because they are the same design (same scale and orientation) even though they are different colorways.
Pro tip: To fill a block on your template, first click on the design from your collection on the right side and then click on the block you want to fill.
Think Outside the (6″) Box
One of our favorite Fill-A-Yard hacks is using either of the cheater quilt templates for projects other than a cheater quilt! If you only need a small amount of fabric but need a variety of designs, the 6” or 9″ blocks can be filled with the same design consecutively to create larger fabric swatches that aren’t traditionally offered on Spoonflower. If the original design is seamless, it will repeat seamlessly across each box. We recommend measuring your pattern pieces first to determine how you should fill your cheater quilt template.
When Spoonflower team member Meredith was making four fox plushies featured in the book Handmade Animals Dolls, she used the 1 Yard Cheater Quilt Template to order just the right amount of fabric she needed for each pattern piece by filling nine squares (3×3) with the same design.
Would you believe us if we told you this Twisted Ribbons quilt from Suzy Quilts was made using the 2 Yard Cheater Quilt Template? See how Suzy did it here!
Swim is In
If you want to color-block a swimsuit, make it reversible or get two small bikinis out of one yard, try out the Fill-A-Yard split yard template. Create your collection, choose the horizontal split yard template and Sport Lycra as your fabric option, select the designs you want printed and then fill that yard!
Ready to try out Fill-A-Yard? Find more inspiration with these Fill-A-Yard projects.
This information is totally helpful and eye-opening. Thanks for letting us know about these innovative ways to cut costs and increase our creativity!
Thank you so much for this! As a newcomer to Spoonflower, I wanted to find the most economical way to submit my designs. This blog has been most helpful.
Hi Janet,
We’re so happy to hear you found this post helpful! -Meredith from Spoonflower
I’ve been wanting to design my own fabrics, but questioned if I’d ever create 42 original designs that I was thrilled with.
I wasn’t aware that I can manipulate the position, scale AND block size on a Fill-a-Yard order — these were FANTASTIC tips for my first Spoonflower order… which will be a Fill-A-Yard order.
I really appreciate how accommodating your services are for the home hobbyist.
Hi Sharon,
We’re so happy to hear you found this post helpful! There’s so much you can do with Fill-A-Yard and we can’t wait to see what you create.
Hello,
I want to use Fill-A-Yard with a series of different 9″ photo images that are each placed inside a single 9″ Fill-A-Yard block.
When I design my pattern, the 9″ Fill-A-Yard square does not start where the 9″ square photo image starts. If I use a 9″ photo in the 9″ Fill-A-Yard block, the horizontal register is off by about 1″ and the left edge of the photo is repeated on the right side of the 9″ block. The vertical alignment is fine.
I have ordered a panel and this offset is printed into the pattern.
I have tried adjusting the fabric pattern’s repeat style and size. I have even tried adjusting how the photo is cropped and sized. I cannot find a fix on my end.
Is it possible to adjust the horizontal alignment in the Fill-A-Yard template or the fabric so that a single 9″ image is aligned correctly within the 9″ Fill-A-Yard block? Or is this template designed only for fabrics that have a pattern that repeats several times within a 9″ block thus minimizing the effect of horizontal offset?
Hi David,
Thanks for your interest in Fill-A-Yard! Each of the 42 squares of the Fill-A-Yard 1 yard quilt template is 6 X 6 inches. Here is a post that might help with your specific project. I hope that helps, but please let us know if you have any further questions.
Take care,
Amy
Spoonflower
I found your FB page through one of your members, Nancy_lee_moran_designs. I’m glad I came by earlier and joined. Then she sent me a link to this page for DIY Fill-A-Yard since I’m still learning how to use your site. She told me about the Fill-A-Yard yesterday and I have been redoing my page to fill some 42 squares on a yard so that I can get the most ‘tested’ sooner. What a great idea! I also really enjoyed the inspirations above as I was just placing images on the squares. Now, I will be trying to make themes. 🙂 This was quite informative. Thank you!
You’re site is VERY addictive! I first heard about Spoonflower through a YouTuber I watch, “McE Art, Michelle Edhouse”, was mentioning your site in one of her videos because some subscribers were asking how she was putting her creations on her blouses. I immediately had to check you guys out because the thought of being able to WEAR one of my own designs was just blowing my mind!
You say each of the 42 squares is 6″. I guess I’m trying to wrap my mind around the numbers. I will see what this all means after getting my first Fill-A-Yard! (I have 3 in the works right now and many more ideas to come!)
Love,love,love your website and your selection of fabric is so fabulous!!! Every order has been the best, so looking forward to getting more of your great fabric designs and getting more creative ideas from the blog ❤️ I was referred to your website by another quilter and I am so grateful.