fall DIY projects

41 Genius Projects to Make for Back to School in 2016

August 19, 2016

Whether you’re prepping your child for the first day of first grade, high school, or sending them off to college, make sure your kiddo is the coolest in class with 41 of the craftiest “Back to School” DIYs ever assembled!

1. Protect your notebook and make it your own with a DIY custom cover

Notebook cover (with pockets!) tutorial | Ceri Staziker

Personalized notebook covers | Ceri Staziker

2. Drawstring backpacks tote everything from calculators to extra snacks.

Perfect for an after school activity bag and quick to sew up | Purl Soho

3. Make a “Cat-n-Sew” pencil case

Get a head start on back-to-school crafting with this adorable pencil case! | Wood Mouse & Bobbit

4. Go “old school” in the classroom with this Vintage USA Map Chart inspired by German Rollkarte.

Vintage School Chart tutorial | Anda Corrie

Sewing a Lane Raglan with Spoonflower’s New Fleece

April 13, 2016

Have you tried our cozy new Fleece yet? Operations Supervisor Paula stops by the blog to share her experience sewing up a Lane Raglan tee by Hey June Handmade with our versatile new fabric. Who has time to print, cut, tape and pin a PDF or paper pattern? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Paula used Sprout Patterns to sew up a soft, comfy Raglan tee in record time. Check out her pro tips and see how easy it is to sew your own!

Paula: I have never fallen for a pattern quite as quickly as I did for the Lane Raglan. It’s only March but (including this one) I’ve already made three of them this year. It’s a quick pattern to sew and can be made with a variety of fabric weights to give you a nice regular shirt (if you use Modern Jersey or Cotton Spandex Jersey) or now you can use our brand new Fleece to make a cozy sweatshirt! Just how cozy is this new Fleece you ask? I would describe wearing this sweatshirt as getting an eternal hug from my best friend. It’s just so nice and comfortable.

Things We Love: DIY Weddings

February 17, 2016

It’s safe to say that we’ve got weddings on the brain, and there are so many creative makers and bloggers out there doing them DIY style. Theresa from the Spoonflower team stops by the blog today to share some crafty wedding ideas she adores. Check them out and don’t forget to share your DIY wedding craft ideas with us in the comments!

Make Your Own Draft Snake with Etsy!

January 26, 2016

The temperatures are officially dropping here at Spoonflower HQ in Durham! Which naturally means our heating bills are headed straight through the roof. In our constant effort to be a more eco-conscious and sustainable business, we’ve had our eyes out for simple DIY projects to help us reduce our energy dependence and stay warm all at the same time. When our friends at Etsy told us about the adorable draft snakes their employees are making for a sustainable sew-in, we knew it was right up our alley! We are so excited to welcome Lizzie from the Etsy team to the blog today to walk us through how to sew up a quick and easy draft snake. Order your own cut-and-sew template featuring Etsy’s unique designs and join us for the most adorable eco-friendly DIY ever!

Sunday Sew: The Footie Leggings Pattern from Brindille & Twig

October 25, 2015

Happy Sunday, friends! Today we’re sharing a very special baby edition of Sunday Sew. Spoonflower crew member Theresa stops by to share her experience stitching up one of our favorite patterns for babes, The Footie Leggings from Brindille & Twig. Stay and sew along, won’t you?

photo courtesy of Brindille & Twig

Come November (or maybe October? We all know babies have their own schedule!) I will become the proud aunt of my second nephew. I was overjoyed and honored when my sister asked my mom and I to work together on making an outfit for little Freddie to come home from the hospital in. Baby’s first outfit is very important! This is his chance to set the tone for a lifetime of many dashing sartorial choices. I was thrilled that my sister chose this pattern from Brindille & Twig, because I love all of their patterns and was privy to their reputable pattern making credentials (because believe me folks, there are some ill-written sewing patterns out there in internet-land!).

After much consultation, pinning, and favoriting, my sister decided on Sun, Moon, Stars in Parisian Blue designed by Andrea Lauren. So I ordered up a yard on cuddly soft Organic Cotton Knit, and washed the fabric with gentle detergent and cold water as soon as it finished printing and I could take it home.

Brindille & Twig patterns are very well laid out and easy to follow. What I love most about sewing for babies is that cutting & taping their sewing patterns is a breeze! That part took no time at all. I won’t go into all the instructions and steps here for how to make the leggings. If you want to make these and need instructions, you can purchase the pattern from the Brindille & Twig site for a very reasonable price.

Two leg pieces, two pieces for the top of the footies, and two pieces for the soles.

I just adore the little teeny tiny footies!

I also plan to make a few knit baby hats, and I’d love to stitch up another pair of these leggings with contrasting soles. It’s official, this baby is definitely going to be rocking a heavily handmade wardrobe if this aunt has anything to do with it! Have you had experience sewing with this pattern or do you have a favorite baby legging pattern that you swear by? If so, please share!

Have a lovely rest of your weekend, and happy stitching!

Theresa

The Fall Runway Looks You Can’t Wait to Recreate

September 4, 2015

You know it’s beginning to look like fall when you’re drooling over the designer looks in the extra-thick September issues of Vogue and the like! We are so inspired for a new season of dressing, and we can’t wait to flex our DIY muscles to recreate some of our favorites from the pages of high fashion.

How to Design a Custom Running Shirt

August 11, 2015

If you’ve ever participated in the excitement of a running race like a fun run, 5K, or half marathon, you’ve probably received a race bib stating important race information like your name, race number and location. To some, this may seem like another piece of paper, but to Spoonflower crew member Meredith, it’s quickly become part of her favorite running memories. Join her today as she shows you how to use Adobe Photoshop to turn your race bibs into a custom running top–sure to get you a gold medal in style!

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.

DIY Thanksgiving Table

November 26, 2013

Looking for creative and festive ideas for spicing up your holiday table? Mica May, founder of May Designs, visits the blog today to share how she created a lovely DIY Thanksgiving table using Spoonflower fabric and gift wrap!

Pull up a chair and join us for a Thanksgiving DIY Dinner! Here’s an inside look at how to use May Designs and Spoonflower at your holiday table this season.

To start things off, we chose a color palette that we loved and stuck with it. We wanted something different than your typical bright orange & olive green, so we went with a more subtle fig, gold, and cream with lots of natural elements that added great texture.

Quick Trick-or-Treat Bag Tutorial

October 29, 2012

This weekend I spent a couple of hours making up a couple of trick-or-treat bags for my two youngest daughters. These festive little bags are sized smaller than the average grocery tote bag and should make it easier for younger kids to carry their Halloween candy home–easier for sure than those bulky plastic pumpkins, or a bigger tote that they may be tempted to drag after awhile. After Halloween is over, they can be used for library books, carrying snacks and a water bottle to the park, or whatever else a young, busy person might need a small tote bag for. Read on for the fast and easy project instructions below!