DIY

Beat the Heat! Make Your Own Chic Summer Tunic

July 25, 2017

Charlie caftan by Closet Case Patterns and Organic Sweet Pea Gauze™ featuring Crystal Walen | Spoonflower Blog

Gold Leaves by Crystal_Walen

What’s four words and sweet as can be? If you guessed our newest fabric, Organic Sweet Pea Gauze™, you’re right on the money! Your go-to project using this super-soft gauze may be swaddle blankets, but did you know this fabric can be used for so much more? From reversible bowl covers to reusable grocery bags, your gauze project list is endless! Today we’re celebrating the launch of our newest natural (and organic!) fabric with a visit from Spoonflower alumna, Theresa Rizzuto — you may recognize her as trizzuto in the Marketplace! Find out her tips for working with gauze and see how she put it to the test with the new Charlie caftan from Closet Case Patterns.

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!

How To Make A Paper Flower Garland

May 2, 2017

We love seeing interesting uses for our materials and this post from our friend Sarah Louise Matthews does not disappoint. Here she shares a step by step tutorial for transforming our wrapping paper into beautiful paper flowers for a DIY garland. Read on for the full how to!

Celebrate Earth Day with Our Most Eco-Friendly Fabric

April 21, 2017

Earlier this week we shared the different ways Earth Day is celebrated throughout the year at the Spoonflower HQ. Whether we’re composting our lunches, tending to the employee garden, or diverting more than 2,000 pounds of waste from the landfill to our compost, we’ve embraced the importance of protecting our mother earth. Now it’s your turn!

Show us how you’re celebrating Earth Day :

Snap a pic of your Spoonflower Eco Canvas project and tag your Instagram photo with @spoonflower and hashtag #SpoonflowerEarthDay2017 by 10 a.m EDT April 24th.
For every Instagram photo shared with our Earth Day hashtag, we’ll donate $1 to Recycle Across America.
One lucky person will win 2 yards of Eco Canvas featuring their favorite Marketplace design

DIY Paper Roses | How to Make the Dreamiest Paper Floral Arrangements

April 11, 2017

If you’re anything like me, gardening is not your forte. But that doesn’t stop you from enjoying florals and adding botanical elements to your home. I was thrilled when Sarah Louise, maker and artist based in the UK, shared her idea for creating giant paper roses using our Smooth wallpaper. These DIY roses are the perfect way to bring flowers into your life without the challenge of keeping them alive. Keep reading for the full how-to for creating some for yourself!

Raglan T-shirt Refashion: DIY Raglan tee [VIDEO]

April 5, 2017

Our favorite DIY projects transform plain, tired garments into one of a kind works of art (inexpensively!) by adding a pop of colorful pattern. This raglan t-shirt refashion is exactly that type of project. We love raglan tees–they bridge the seasonal gap between summer and fall seamlessly, giving you more coverage and a classic, Americana look. Since we’re using a regular old cotton crewneck t-shirt (bonus points for thrifting it), this project is fast AND inexpensive. Click here to jump down to the video. Let’s get started!

Here are the materials you’ll need:

Crewneck t-shirt
One yard of a stretchy knit fabric (Modern Jersey, Cotton Spandex Jersey, or Organic Cotton Knit are great choices – choose a fabric similar in weight to your t-shirt). We’re using Crazy about Hats by Mariskadesign in Modern Jersey.
A raglan t-shirt pattern (We’re using the pattern from It’s Always Autumn–It’s free and comes with different sleeve lengths!)
Sewing machine w/ a zigzag stitch or a serger

Prep your t-shirt

Start by cutting out the neckline out of your T-shirt and set it aside – you’ll need this again later.

How to Create the Chocolate Milk Tent of Your Kid’s Dreams

April 4, 2017

Every kid deserves an after school (re)treat where they can hideaway. This one is next-level! One of our favorite projects featured in the first-ever catalog is SammyK’s chocolate milk tent, which she dreamed up just for us. The fabric is designed in eight 1 yard panels with assembly instructions included. You can shop the fabric here (we recommend choosing our Lightweight Cotton Twill, shown in this example), then follow along with our tutorial below, written by our talented friend Samarra Khaja herself. We won’t blame you if you end up using this more than your kids do…

Samarra: Hey, hey, fine crafty peeps! SammyK (aka Samarra Khaja) here with a fun new project I dreamt up especially for you (fine, fine, technically for the “kids” in your life, but you know you’re going to want one too. I know I do.) So without further ado, here are the sewing and assembly instructions for my SK-original Chocolate Milk Tent:

Step 1: Receive your festive Spoonflower package in the mail and stare at that stack of fabric goodness for a few moments before tearing into it. I like to take dreamy photos like this one first, before busting through the tissue paper to get to the heart of the matter.

Step 2: Cut out all panels along printed edges. Note that all seam allowances are 1” unless noted (this will give enough room to use French seams, if you want to rock fancy stuff like that.) Seam allowances are built into the design area, so just cut away all excess white fabric and your pieces will be ready to sew.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower

Step 3: With wrong sides together, pin Panel A to Panel B along Line 1 (as marked). Straight stitch along Line 1.

Step 4: With wrong sides together, pin Panel B to Panel C along Line 2 (as marked). Straight stitch along Line 2.

Step 5: We’ll now call this assembled A+B+C panel the Left Side Panel. Set aside.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower left side panel

Step 6: With wrong sides together, pin Panel D to Panel E along Line 3 (as marked). Straight stitch along Line 3.

Step 7: With wrong sides together, pin Panel E to Panel F along Line 4 (as marked). Straight stitch along Line 4.

Step 8: We’ll now call this assembled D+E+F panel the Right Side Panel (with straw).

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower right side panel

Step 9: With wrong sides together, sew Left Side Panel to Right Side Panel along Line 5 (as marked). Note that this includes the top edge and both sides and curved corners of that topmost panel (as marked). We’ll now call this assembled panel the Center Panel. Set aside.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower center panel

Step 10: The right side of Panel G and the left side of Panel H will now need to be hemmed. Using an iron, fold edge of Panel G’s hem (as marked) in ½” and iron flat.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower hemming

Step 11: Fold hem over again another ½” to encase raw edge. Iron flat, pin and hem in place.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower second hem

Step 12: Repeat this step with Panel H. Once hemmed and sewed, iron them again to set the stitches.

Step 13: Position Panels G and H so they overlap along inner hems (as marked) so that the striped pattern visually aligns seamlessly. Pin together. Starting at the top edge, stitch a rectanglular box over the overlapping fabric, measuring approximately 1.5” wide by 6.5” tall to secure the panels together.

Step 14: With wrong sides together, sew the top edge of assembled Panel G/H to Panel I along Line 6 (as marked). We’ll now call this assembled panel the Front Panel. Set aside.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower front panel

Step 15: With wrong sides together, sew Panel J to Panel K along Line 7. We’ll now call this assembled panel the Back Panel.

chocolate milk tent fabric by SammyK available on Spoonflower back panel

Step 16: With reverse side facing out, place the Center Panel over your tent frame structure. Directions on how to create the tent frame structure can be found here.

Step 17: Pin the Back Panel, reverse side out, to the back of the Center Panel.

Step 18: Pin the Front Panel, reverse side out, to the front of the Center Panel.

Step 19: Remove entire cover from tent frame structure and sew both the Front Panel and Back Panel in place. Your tent cover is almost complete! The anticipation is IMMENSE!

Step 20: We are now going to hem the entire bottom edge of the newly assembled tent cover.

Step 21: Using an iron to press everything in place, fold up ½” all the way around and then another ½” to encase the raw fabric edge. Pin in if needed. Hem in place.

Step 22. Flip tent cover right side out and iron flat. Slip tent cover over your tent frame, aligning all corners and edges.

Step 23: Using ½” thick foam core, cut a rectangle out that measures 6” x 47.25”. Cut off top two corners at a 45-degree angle.*

23. Insert this foam core board into the inside of the center top of the tent roof (what were original Panels C/F and now look like the topmost edge of a cardboard milk carton). Make sure it rests on the top center PVC pole of the roof. If you’d like, secure the foam core to the topmost horizontal pole with masking tape for added rigidity.

24. Crawl inside tent and enjoy a celebratory chocolate chip cookie in honor of your newly completed Chocolate Milk Tent…after the kids enjoy it first!!! Yay!

xo Samarra

finished chocolate milk tent

About Our Guest Blogger

Samarra Khaja makes happy, beautiful things, inspired by her love of travel, local markets, food and culture, and her young sons.

The daughter of an Indian architect and an Australian painter, Samarra got hooked on making interesting things when she was still a kid, raiding her parent’s high quality art supplies.

She studied for her masters in photography and moved to New York City to work across disciplines as a graphic designer, art director, illustrator and photographer for the likes of The New York Times, the Guggenheim, Bliss, Time Magazine, Victoria’s Secret and Cirque du Soleil, all in her signature whimsical style.

She’s been published and exhibited worldwide and won several awards, but gets the biggest kick from seeing her prize-winning 24’ x 120‘ mural, “Heartbeat Brooklyn” featuring a smiling clawfoot bathtub, bagels on a rollercoaster, and hot-dogs on a ferris wheel, all frolicking and untouched by graffiti on the side of Lowe’s Brooklyn store. Check out Samarra’s latest Skillshare class on how to design surface patterns like a pro.

Personalized Wedding Pillows for Under $10 [template included]

March 28, 2017

Earlier this year, we were feeling the love when we shared our Personalized Wedding Pillows for Under $10 DIY project on the blog. We received lots of excitement for this project and a handful of requests for a pillow template. The wedding bells must be ringing because today we’re excited to share four different pillow templates, ready for your customized details!

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

The Pillow Every Pet Owner Needs to Have

February 17, 2017

One of our favorite custom-fabric projects of all time is the doppelgänger dog pillow. Originally dreamed up by Spoonflower co-founder Stephen, this brilliantly clever pillow was designed for Ruby, the first of the two rescue dogs that have come to live in Stephen and Kim’s home. Since then, the project has exploded — and we’ve seen everything from hedgehog to bunny rabbit versions stitched up by our customers. Get inspired and learn to make your own snuggly pet pillow!