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

Make a Splash with this DIY Mermaid Tail Beach Blanket

July 14, 2017

This summer, it’s total mermaid madness and we’re getting poolside ready with SammyK’s newest project: DIY mermaid tail beach blankets! It’s the perfect gift for your beach buddies and they’re sure to make a splash at your next pool party! To complete the look, we recommend choosing our super-soft Minky for the outer shell and your favorite toweling fabric for the lining. Dive in and see the full tutorial from our good friend Samarra Khaja…

Samarra: Calling All Mermaids and Mermen! I know you’ve been on the lookout for sparkling fresh options to expand on that tail repertoire of yours, so wait no longer fine-finned friends! [Read more…] about Make a Splash with this DIY Mermaid Tail Beach Blanket

Announcing the Animal Alphabet Limited Color Palette Design Challenge Winners

July 13, 2017

“Cat Circus Alphabet” by Elena Naylor is the grand prize winner of the Animal Alphabet Operation Shower design challenge!

Congratulations to Elena Naylor and her meow-velous design entry in this week’s Animal Alphabet Limited Color Palette design challenge! Her design, Cat Circus Alphabet, will be the purrrrfect addition to Operation Shower®’s circus themed baby shower this August! Elena will receive $200 in Spoonflower credit. Congrats are also in order for second place (scrummy) and third place (cjldesigns) winners who will receive $100 and $50 in Spoonflower credit, respectively. Plus the rest of the top 10 winners each receive $20 in Spoonflower credit.

Take a closer look at the top 25 designs in our curated collection and get a head start on your next Fill-a-Yard™ project! [Read more…] about Announcing the Animal Alphabet Limited Color Palette Design Challenge Winners

How To Make a DIY Scarf for Under $22

July 11, 2017

Have you given our newest (and dreamiest!) fabric, Chiffon, a try? After our friend and local blogger, Allie Jackson stopped by the blog to test out our Chiffon with an easy summer neck scarf , we knew we had to do a second take on this simple DIY with one of Spoonflower’s web developers, Leah! Using Spoonflower’s latest feature, Fill-a-Project™, Leah created an airy chiffon infinity scarf that can easily dress up any outfit. Keep reading to find out how you can make three chiffon scarves for $42 – that’s just $14 per scarf!

DIY a Chiffon Infinity Scarf | Spoonflower Blog

Designs by gaiamarfurt and emilysanford

This Fabric Design Workshop Will Inspire You!

July 10, 2017

What do you get when you mix a Spoonflower designer, five eager students, and the cutest handmade shop? Thanks to designer and maker Leah Gaeddert, leahfayegaeddert in the Marketplace, you get a one-of-a-kind hands on fabric design workshop! We’re often asked how to teach a fabric design workshop and when Leah told the Spoonflower team about her class, we knew we had to find out more! If you’ve ever wanted to see how you could share your design skills with your local community, this is the post for you. Keep reading to find out the keys to teaching a successful fabric design workshop by the teacher herself.

Leah: A few weeks ago I hosted my first fabric design workshop at a new Wichita, Kansas shop, Liv + Work. Olivia Grant is a local Wichita maker who just opened up her shop full of handmade goods this past April and regularly hosts workshops out of the back!

Liv + Work, a shop full of handmade goods, also plays host to workshops like Leah’s fabric design class

Announcing August’s Design Challenge Themes

July 7, 2017

For the month of August, we’re heading back to our classic design challenge format…with a little twist halfway through! Next month, enjoy themes that will challenge you to think outside the design box, including one theme created and voted on by the Spoonflower community. Keep reading to see which theme won the community’s vote and find out what other fun design themes we’ve dreamt up for this month! [Read more…] about Announcing August’s Design Challenge Themes

Announcing the Retro Circus Limited Color Palette Design Challenge Winners

July 6, 2017

Retro Circus by Scrummy is the Retro Circus Limited Color Palette design challenge winner!

Sharon Turner, Scrummy in the Markteplace, wowed the crowd this week with her winning design, Retro Circus, in the Retro Circus Limited Color Palette Operation Shower® challenge! Sharon will receive $200 in Spoonflower credit and the opportunity to see her design used for the decor at Operation Shower’s August baby shower. A round of applause is also in order for second place (heatherdutton) and third place (camcreative) winners. They will receive $100 and $50 in Spoonflower credit, respectively. Shop the entire top 25 in our curated collection.

1. 294 votes for retro circus bw col by scrummy
2. 229 votes for Circus Celebration – Navy Blue by heatherdutton
3. 225 votes for Circus royal by camcreative
4. 223 votes for Circus Tickets by digidivagraphics
5. 222 votes for Joyful_Circus by plante
6. 213 votes for Big Top Circus retro by heleen_vd_thillart
7. 206 votes for Circus Animals Aloose! by vo_aka_virginiao
8. 199 votes for Retro Circus by hazel_fisher_creations
9. 194 votes for Circus Fun by lioriel
10. 178 votes for Sundays & Sideshows by ravenous [Read more…] about Announcing the Retro Circus Limited Color Palette Design Challenge Winners

Easy Summer Scarf with Spoonflower’s New Chiffon | Video Tutorial

July 5, 2017

The warm weather is here and we’re all about the summertime neck scarf trend. We may have packed away our winter scarves months ago but we’re just getting started with this lightweight accessory that is the perfect way to add a pop of color to your summertime look. Today, we’re partnering with Allie Jackson, the sewist, maker, and blogger at www.alliemjackson.com, to share a quick and easy (not to mention beautiful) neck scarf tutorial using our newest fabric, Chiffon. It’s the perfect fit for this summer accessory. Find the video tutorial and step-by-step directions below!

If you like this video, don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel for more DIY tutorials and project ideas!

Allie: This pretty chiffon scarf is pattern-free and easy to sew, even if you don’t have a rolled hem foot. I like using scarves to add some print and color to an otherwise plain outfit, but they also make a perfect gift for your sister, mom, or friend. They’ll never know it only took one yard of Spoonflower’s chiffon fabric and just a few minutes to make. Let’s get started! [Read more…] about Easy Summer Scarf with Spoonflower’s New Chiffon | Video Tutorial

10 DIY Swimsuits You Don’t Want To Miss!

July 4, 2017

Whether you’re all about the bikini, tankini or one piece, there’s one thing that’s true : This summer, it’s all about the me-made swimsuit. With options to customize your suit through style, surface pattern (Have you seen the 500,000+ options in the Marketplace?) and fabric type (Did you know our Sport Lycra is swimsuit approved?), how could you not give these 10 DIY swimsuit projects a try? Not quite ready to go to the deep end of DIY swimwear? Our sister company, Sprout Patterns, is now offering the Soma Swimsuit as a cut-and-sew project!

Meet the Designer: Samarra Khaja aka SammyK

July 3, 2017

Meet the designer Sammara Khaja aka SammyK | Spoonflower Blog

design by sammyk

Samarra Khaja, or SammyK as she’s known on Spoonflower, is not only a designer and community favorite, she’s also a talented pattern-maker (see this and this), has a much-loved class on Skillshare and consistently finds ways to inspire other designers and makers. Much of Samarra’s own inspiration is centered around New York City—in fact, if her two-story house grew legs and stood up, she’d be able to see the Empire State Building from her upstairs office. (She’s still waiting for it to do that.) Enjoy our candid chat with Samarra below!

My day starts with:
“Coffee, getting my kids ready to go to school, coming home to my studio and plotting what’s next on my never-ending to-do list. I also typically forget to eat when I should and always seem to hatch new creative brainwaves moments before I’m supposed to leave the house. Always!”

Announcing the Friday Night Fireworks Design Challenge Winners

June 29, 2017

Hawaii Fireworks by hannahshields is the grand prize winner in the Friday Night Fireworks Hilton Hawaiian Village design challenge

We’re ending our Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort design challenge series with a BANG! A big congratulations is in order for this week’s winner, Hannah Shields (hannahshields) and her design, Hawaii Fireworks. Inspired by the must-see Friday night fireworks show on Waikiki Beach, Hannah will get to see her design come to life during her two 5-night stays at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. She’ll also be receiving $1,000 towards her airfare, her winning design manufactured as shirts for employees and gift shop, and assorted other sundries and accessories along with a $200 Spoonflower credit. A congrats also goes out to our 2nd and 3rd place winners, mia_valdez and doodledoer-teresakelly, who will receive $100 and $50 in Spoonflower credit, respectively. The rest of the top 10 winners will receive $20 in Spoondollar credit. See all of the top 10 winners.

1. 230 votes for Hawaii Fireworks by hannahshields
2. 220 votes for Friday Night Fireworks by mia_valdez
3. 202 votes for _TK-Wk_4_FRIDAY_NIGHT_FIREWORKS_in_Hawaii-Blk by doodledoer-teresakelly
4. 180 votes for Hawaiian friday night by camcreative
5. 166 votes for Tropical fireworks by selmacardoso
6. 150 votes for pua o ke ahi (Flowers of Fire) by pennycandy
7. 148 votes for TIE DYE FIREWORKS by bzbdesigner
8. 147 votes for fireworks cobalt by scrummy
9. 146 votes for Fireworks, Water, Stars, Flowers by allisonyoung
10. 140 votes for Hawaiian Fireworks with palm trees by heleen_vd_thillart [Read more…] about Announcing the Friday Night Fireworks Design Challenge Winners