Spoonflower Handbook

Join us for The Spoonflower Handbook Launch Party!

August 15, 2015

Please join us for a book signing and party here at Spoonflower HQ on Thursday, September 3, from 6 to 8pm, to celebrate the release of The Spoonflower Handbook!

We are so excited to release our very first book, and we’re celebrating the occasion with friends, food, fun and photos! Join us in the Greenhouse, our classroom and community space here at our Durham, NC headquarters, as author and Spoonflower co-founder Stephen Fraser discusses his favorite projects from the book. Then have your copy of the book signed, enjoy a tour of the Spoonflower facilities (you’ll see all of the printing magic happen!), stop by our selfie station (complete with giant plushies!), and meet new textile-obsessed friends from the area!

We'd love to see you here, so tell your friends and RSVP today!

Learn to Design and Stitch a Space Alphabet Book

August 8, 2015

The very first books in a child’s life hold so much importance and sentimental value. If one of those books can be soft, cuddly, and educational– well what could be better than that? Today, Jennifer Wambach stops by the blog to show us how to design and make an adorable cut-and-sew cloth book using basic design skills and custom-printed fabric.

The Spoonflower Handbook is Almost Here–Pre-order Your Copy Today!

July 28, 2015

After years of planning, creating, and collaborating, The Spoonflower Handbook release is just around the corner!! On September 1st, 2015, our first book hits stores and we couldn't be more thrilled.

If you're as excited as we are to pick up a book, take a few minutes to pre-order your copy. We're offering a free fat quarter of fabric to everyone who picks up a copy by pre-ordering the book before September 1st.

**Our pre-order campaign has ended. If you picked up a copy during presale and submitted your order confirmation, you should have received the promo code via email. The code is valid through October 31st.

Don't worry if you missed the presale, because now the book is available for purchase! Order your copy through Spoonflower for $24.75 and we'll include a color guide and swatch book, two essential design tools, to help start your fabric design journey! And don't forget to tag your selfie with the book with hashtag #spoonflowerhandbookselfie for a chance to win two yards of Spoonflower fabric!

ORDER NOW!

How to Design and Sew a Custom Messenger Bag

July 25, 2015

Designing beautiful fabric doesn't have to be difficult. It can be as simple as sketching a few of your favorite drawing tools–like crayons! In today's tutorial, Candy Joyce shares how to create a quick crayon design and use it to stitch up a functional messenger bag–perfect for back to school!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever said, “I’m not an artist; I can’t design fabric.” Despite being fearless with a sewing machine, designing fabric seemed a little intimidating and I worried that I didn’t have the artistic skills. Then I read Candy Joyce’s tutorial for creating my own crayon inspired fabric to sew into a cute messenger bag. Her easy to follow instructions gave me the confidence to treat myself to a brand new box of crayons and rediscover that childhood artist hiding inside.

Candy: For this project, I wanted to capture the happiness I felt cracking open a fresh box of crayons and spending the afternoon drawing and coloring when I was little. I usually design on my computer, so I had to get into a different frame of mind for this hand-drawn design; I had to be more thoughtful with my design decisions as there is no undo button on crayons. I would normally dive straight into the design and then spend time rearranging and recoloring things later; instead, I took my time at the beginning of the project to plan where my colors were going to go and how I wanted it to look.

How to Create a Custom Drink Tray Using Your Photos

July 11, 2015

PicMonkey is a great tool for taking your favorite photos and turning them into a collage. By uploading your collage to Spoonflower, you can create an endless amount of projects with added sentimental value of being extra personal. California based designer Allison Kreft uses this tool to create a custom drink tray using vacation photos! Follow along in PicMonkey with your own design to create your own!

Allison: I decided to combine my love of photography and fabric in this design. I was inspired on a trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and decided to take as many photos as possible. I tried to capture some of the iconic landmarks to set the scene, then added lots of pictures of the little details that create the beach boardwalk atmosphere.

Pantry-organizing, Recipe-saving Kitchen Stickers!

June 27, 2015

Today we've got a tutorial for a simple solution to kitchen conversion and recipe recall woes. Sometimes all you need is a simple reminder to keep your kitchen tasks moving along efficiently. Spoonflower friend Gina Sekelsky stops by the blog to explain how to design your own recipe stickers and conversion chart stickers (in your own handwriting!), get them digitally printed with Spoonflower, and installed in your kitchen cabinets in no time!

I love to cook and bake, but I seem to always forget a few simple conversions: Is it 3 teaspoons to a tablespoon or 3 tablespoons to a quarter cup? I decided to put some things I’m forever looking up inside of my kitchen cupboards: a few beloved recipes, a list of our favorite meals, and this conversion chart. Originally I was going to paint them all right on the cabinet door, but stickers will let me change my mind more often. And since they’re reusable, I could even give the conversion chart to a friend if I ever start remembering without it!

Since I work as a hand-lettering artist, I go through a lot of paper and pens. My favorite paper to write on is Hammermill Laser Print—it’s bright white, super-smooth, and opaque. I have many different pens for writing and drawing, but for most simple projects I use the Uniball Vision Exact in the micro size (black ink is my favorite). Find a pen that feels comfortable to you, even if you have to try a dozen different brands, styles, or sizes to get just the right one. Once you’ve got your basic supplies, you can get started creating your design.

How To Make A Lavender Eye Pillow

June 13, 2015

Whether you're traveling or the sun is shining just a little too brightly on a lazy Saturday morning, a soothing eye mask is just the thing to improve your quality of sleep. Making your own eye mask is a great way to bust your fabric stash, or use up some of those test swatches you have lying around. Elizabeth Harrington stops by the blog today for the how-to!