Sewing Tutorials

Learn to Make a DIY Cosmic Diaper Bag with this Easy Zipper Hack

March 14, 2017

Spoonflower’s new Lightweight Cotton Twill is an absolute dream to work with. The weight is the perfect go-to for a multitude of projects, especially totes! The combination of this easy to work with material and its tough weave will ensure that you’ll end up with something that will not just look amazing, but wear well. In this tutorial, Gia from the blog Sew Gratitude will to take you through a simple “hack” using the Lightweight Cotton Twill and an Everyday Tote project from Sprout Patterns. Each Everyday Tote is printed to order on a full length of twill. Which means once you cut out and prep your tote you’ll have a HEALTHY chunk of fabric leftover to work with, almost 400 square inches worth! It’s an amazing deal to have the leftovers to coordinate. Without further ado, let’s jump into the how-to!

How to Make a Bandana Bib for your Little One | Video Tutorial + Free Pattern

March 7, 2017

Looking for a baby accessory that’s as adorable as it is practical? Well you’re in luck–we’ve been in love with making bandana bibs lately, which is convenient because they’re so easy to stitch up. Whether you need a gift for a baby shower, something for your own little one, or are looking for new projects to stock your Etsy store with, bandana bibs fit the bill. Download the free pattern and follow along with this easy as pie tutorial. Click here to jump down to the video.

One of our favorite things about these bibs is that they’re a great batch project; once you get your pattern printed, you can cut out and sew up three or four in a row without spending much more time than it takes to make one. And since babies are messy, beautiful things, having a lot of spare bandana bibs is never a bad idea. Plus, you can match them with different outfits. 😉

Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle: Part 3

February 28, 2017

This is the last part of the fleece pullover sew along! Haven’t started yours yet? You can catch up on part one, and part two here. I’m using this BurdaStyle pattern and you can download it yourself for 50% off with code PULLOVER50 and sew along by reviewing part one and two first. Let’s get to it and finish up sewing this wintery warm and colorful pullover!

Sewing the neckband/turtleneck in place and installing the zipper

Fold the turtleneck band in half, with wrong sides together and pin mark the center front. The two end edges are the center back. Lay the pullover’s neck edge open on your table and pin the band in place matching up the edge and center fronts for an even ease in. [Read more…] about Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle: Part 3

Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle Part 2

February 21, 2017

fleece retro pullover with Meg of Burdastyle

For the main body of the sweatshirt, Meg used Mod Mint Triangles, and Arrows Light Grey and Starry Watercolor Dreams in Grey for the accent panels

Last week in part one of the Structured Fleece Sweatshirt sew-along with our friend Meg of Burdastyle , we prepped the pattern, cut the fabric, and established our sewing stitches. Now it’s time to start constructing this pullover pattern. It’s not too late to sew along! Download the BurdaStyle pattern here use use code PULLOVER50 for 50% off. Catch up on part one and meet us back here to get started on putting your pieces together.

Now it is time to start putting this pullover together! When I sew garments with multiple panels my go-to method is to assemble the entire front, the entire back then sew them together. I started with the front, so I laid pieces 2 & 1 together.

Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle

February 14, 2017

What’s a surface design’s best friend? A mighty fine sewing pattern! Lately all we want to do is get cozy in fleece, so we decided to team up with Meg of Burdastyle for a 3-part sew-along so she could show us how to make one! This sew-along uses the Structured Sweatshirt pattern, which has a very on-trend, 70s retro geometric vibe to it. For the next three weeks every Tuesday, we’ll post a new installment of the Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-along, right here on the blog. Stitch with us, won’t you?!

Meg: The cold weather is here to stay for a while longer! The perfect, cozy fabric for the winter is fleece. When I was little, I remember being dressed up in lots of fleece before going outside, so I was really excited to sew something in Spoonflower’s fleece for my adult self. Before I started picking out surface designs and colors, I wanted to establish my sewing pattern and I’ve found the perfect one! I decided on BurdaStyle’s Structured Sweatshirt digital pattern. I love the paneling in the sweatshirt because it allows me to sew multiple designs together, and the high turtle neck will keep me nice and warm. Sew along and download your copy of the pattern here. Use code PULLOVER50 for 50% off! [Read more…] about Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle

The Secret to Sewing Perfect Mitered Corners

January 10, 2017

You know those neat, crisp corners on quilts and professionally sewn napkins that you look at and say “I could never do that?” You’re not alone; we’ve been there! We’re pleased to report that mastering mitered corners is easier than you may think, especially when you’ve got the right fabric. Our brand new Lightweight Cotton Twill (perfect for reusable napkins and table linens) has just enough structure to make crisp corners, but is light enough to be easy breezy to work with. It prints vibrantly and is brilliantly wash fast, so your new napkins will hold up. Follow along as we reveal the secret to sewing crisp, perfect mitered corners.

Brand new Lightweight Cotton Twill is perfect for napkins

Design shown here is Onion Rings by Zoe Ingram

How to Sew a Retro-Style Half Apron with Lightweight Cotton Twill

January 10, 2017

We are over the moon about the launch of Lightweight Cotton Twill, and we knew just what we wanted to make with it: aprons with jumbo pockets and pretty gathers. Well that, and about a zillion other things! This half apron is sure to help you out with all your 2017 goals from cooking more, crafting more, and sewing all the things. Read along as we walk you through each step of this simple sewing project using Lightweight Cotton Twill.

Custom Pajama Pants with Sprout Patterns | Video Tutorial

December 20, 2016

Custom Pajama Pants with Spoonflower and Sprout Patterns

Designs used: Snowflakes Christmas Holiday Red by Caja_Design and Sleepy Stars || Holiday Red by littlearrowdesign

Take a break from decking the halls by decking out your family in these holiday jammies. These comfy bottoms will turn even the the biggest bah-humbug into a Holiday Cheermeister. Whether you’re dressing up for holiday pictures or cuddling up around the tree, PJs are a must. Check out the instructions below–we’re using Sprout Patterns’ Jasper pattern (for the guy in your life), but check out the Lucy pattern for a slimmer, ladies cut, and the Baby Leggings pattern for little ones. You can even get a coat for the dog! Love the look but hate sewing? Check out Sprout’s White Glove service, to get a professional to stitch up your jammies for a little bit extra.

If you’re more of a visual learner, click here to watch the video tutorial as Spoonflower team member Tim stitches up a custom pair in no time!

What you’ll need for the project:

Your Sprout Patterns Jasper pattern
Twill tape or elastic for the waistband /drawstring
Scissors
Measuring tape
Sewing machine and/or serger
Thread
Iron

Pattern Includes:

Front pant leg (2)
Back pant leg (2)
Waistband (2)
Fly facing

Let the tutorial begin!

SF-PJPants - Buttonhole

Learn to Make Your Own Cut-and-Sew Advent Calendar

December 2, 2016

Looking for a fun advent calendar to make and use for years to come? Our super creative friend Anda Corrie of Berlin visits the blog to share a simple cut-and-sew advent calendar she created that fits on one yard of fabric. Read on for the full how to!

Anda: Like me, do you usually wait until it’s way too late to create the Pinterest-worthy advent calendar of your dreams and end up stuck with a printed paper box from Kaiser’s? Make this pocket-style hanging calendar easily in one afternoon instead—and use again year after year!

MATERIALS: [Read more…] about Learn to Make Your Own Cut-and-Sew Advent Calendar

DIY Embroidered Fabric Wall Hanging for the Holidays

November 29, 2016

Step up your holiday décor with friend of Spoonflower, Emma Jeffery of the blog Hello Beautiful. In our video tutorial below, Emma walks you through the simple steps to make a fabric wall hanging with lovely hand-embroidered details. Emma uses her secret weapon — free design program Picmonkey — and prints her banner using just two fat quarters. These make beautiful, personalized gifts for any time of the year (just change the message text based on the occasion) and are a great way to add a hand made touch to your home dec. Emma uses Eco Canvas in this tutorial, but any of our woven fabrics would work just fine. Follow along with our video tutorial below to learn how!