Sewing Tutorials

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!

This design was created using the free software program Picmonkey. No design skills or expensive software required!

Beautiful hand-embroidered details make this project even more unique

The Business Idea You’ll Want to Steal: Telling A Story with a Scarf

October 17, 2016

Today, a local business owner here in Durham, Annie Franceschi, stops by the blog to share how she used Spoonflower to create the perfect custom pashmina to commemorate the three year anniversary of her business, Greatest Story Creative. Learn how she did it and how you can apply the same technique to celebrate the next big event in your life!

My name is Annie Franceschi – I’m the Owner and Creative Director of Greatest Story Creative – a Durham, NC-based branding agency that helps you tell your story in your business and your life. Some say you can wear your heart on your sleeve, in this post – I’d like to tell you how I figured out how to wear my business!

I’m celebrating three years in business and I was planning a party with clients and friends. For the party, I knew I wanted to do something special to commemorate the history of the business and everything I’ve learned from it so far as an entrepreneur. Since what I do is so much about telling people’s stories, I thought it’d be great to create a dress with snippets of those stories. But then I realized, I’d rarely wear something like that again. Then it hit me: a pashmina! [Read more…] about The Business Idea You’ll Want to Steal: Telling A Story with a Scarf

Learn to Make A Squeaky Dog Toy For Under $5.00

October 4, 2016

Did you know October is “Adopt a Shelter Dog Month”? My very own adopted shelter pup, Olive, loooooves playing with absolutely anything that squeaks, and I’ve long had it on my list to make her a custom squeaky plush. I figured this was the perfect reason to quit pro-crafter-nating (totally a word) and finally make it happen! Now, I know what you might be thinking… “my dog is going to demolish that in seconds flat. So why would I spend the time to make my own?” Of course every dog has a unique “rate of destruction,” and I’m not saying these will last forever by any means, but by using durable Eco Canvas material, polyester thread, and reinforced stitches, your pup should enjoy some solid play time before this toy gives in (and uh, is my dog the only one out there who gets just as much enjoyment out of playing with the plain poly-fill and deflated fabric far after she’s already destroyed the toy?). This project is quick to sew up, it should only take you about 15 minutes per plush! I think your pup will agree that’s some time well spent (besides, don’t you have some Project Runway episodes to catch up on while you sew!?).

*Le sigh…* ennui has set in. Bored of her once beloved tennis ball, Olive is ready for a squeaky upgrade

You can really have fun customizing this project, and you know… your dog can definitely tell when you give them handmade stuff and they’ll love you more for it, trust me! It’s also more affordable to DIY, yes, even with custom-printed fabric. In this tutorial, we’re using a cut and sew kit from Wanart that will get you 9 plushies in just one fat quarter of Eco Canvas. That’s just $1.80 per plush (I dare you to find a cheaper, cuter store-bought option!). You likely have all the other materials already, except maybe the squeaky inserts, which are also super affordable (see what we suggest below). These can of course be customized with whichever fabric you feel suits your pooch’s personality best. Follow along with our tutorial and prepare to make your doggie’s day! [Read more…] about Learn to Make A Squeaky Dog Toy For Under $5.00

Alison Swimsuit Sew-Along Part 3

September 19, 2016

Here we are at part three of our Alison Swimsuit sew along! This is the third and final part, so when you are finished with these steps you are done and can start wearing your own. This last part is all about sewing the bands and fitting the suit to your body.

First, we need to sew together and stretch in the back band that transforms into the straps.

We cut two of the strap pieces, so we must first sew them together. Place the edges right sides together and sew/serge.

Alison Swimsuit Sew Along: Part 2

September 12, 2016

Welcome back to part two of our Alison swimsuit sew along with Sport Lycra! This type of fabric is just perfect to use for sewing up your own swimwear, and the Alison swimsuit sewing pattern is a great option since it is a one piece and can really show off the awesome print you chose for your fabric!

We left off last time in part 1 of the Alison Swimsuit Sew Along sewing the crotch seams together, and now it’s time to finish off the rest of the bodice. Grab your bust piece since we will be starting there.

How to Get Festive With Scary Cute Halloween Placemats

September 6, 2016

Want to turn your table into a spooky setting for a Halloween feast? Heidi Kenney (our resident Queen of Halloween) is stopping by the blog today to share the how-to, using her cut-and-sew placemat template available in the Spoonflower Marketplace. Designed to be printed on 54″ wide fabrics (linen would also work), a fat quarter fits two placemats, and a yard gives you eight. Pick a FQ or yard up in Eco Canvas fabric, then follow her easy steps below to sew up these adorable placemats for a table-scape that’s fit for a family of goblins and ghouls!

Vintage Halloween Placemats by Heidi Kenney

design inspired by actual vintage paper placemats

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