handmade clothing

Meet the Maker: Ashley Alexis McFarlane of Omi Woods

November 6, 2017

Mudcloth II Black on Bone by domesticate

This week we’re so beyond pleased to introduce pure elegance with maker Ashley Alexis McFarlane, owner and creative director of boutique brand, Omi Woods based out of Toronto, Canada. In Ashley’s own words, “Omi Woods is grounded in a love for timeless silhouettes, African and Indigenous textiles, and ethical practices.” In fact, much like Spoonflower, Omi Woods creates very little environmental impact as each piece of clothing is custom made-to-order for each individual client, with remnants going towards reuse and recycling efforts. Keep reading to gain an insider’s scoop on what inspires Ashley to create her truly unique fashion brand.

My day starts with:

“A smoothie, some oats and daydreaming about upcoming collections. I then go onto Instagram and Facebook to check social media updates. I get a lot of my news from Facebook.”

5 Things: Refresh Your Wardrobe!

January 23, 2015

Spend this weekend working on updating your wardrobe. Whether you need to do a good purge of your closet or add a few handmade pieces, the next two days give you a perfect opportunity to get started! We've rounded up a few patterns we can't wait to stitch up into new additons for our wardrobe.

GET TO WORK: Create a stylish and sophisticated top that easily transitions from the office to happy hour!

GET ACTIVE: Stitch up a pair, or two, of Purl Soho's City Gym Shorts for trips to the gym.

GET STUFF DONE: For busy days running errands or weekends with a full schedule, a comfortable yet cute top is a must.

GET COZY: Whip up a Linden sweatshirt for cozy evenings around the house, or dress it up for every day wear.

GET ALL DOLLED UP: A chic flattering silhouette is the perfect garment for date night. Pair with red lipstick, cute shoes, and a fun bag and you're good to go!

BONUS: For baby, because this is just way too cute not to share!

Make a Soft Jersey Raglan

February 25, 2014

Spoonflower team member and independent designer Jamie Powell teaches us how to sew up a soft and stretchy jersey raglan tee using her own pattern and shares tips and techniques for sewing with our brand new Modern Jersey.

This great basic baseball style shirt is one of my favorite patterns, and I recently made myself one using the new Modern Jersey fabric from Spoonflower. I’m in love! This lightweight, super soft jersey fabric has just a touch of spandex stretch, making it perfect for tops, dresses, skirts… the list goes on. You can find the pattern here with printed instructions, but I'm going to share some extra tips for sewing this pattern with Modern Jersey.

Hand-crafted Clothing: Live Pinning Event with Alison Kelly of Dahl NYC

October 1, 2013

Alison Kelly, the Dahl NYC designer who will create her Imogen dress for one lucky winner in our special giveaway celebrating hand-crafted clothing, is live-pinning today at 3pm EST sharing her favorite digitally printed fabric design and fashion inspiration! Visit her Pinterest board.

Tutorial: Create a photo mashup to make the perfect men’s shirt fabric

October 9, 2012

This week guest author Emma Jeffery from the blog Hello Beautiful visits to show us how she used cloud photos to create a one of a kind shirt for her outdoorsy, science-loving husband.

I enjoy making things for my loved ones, but I often feel underwhelmed by the sewing potential for making things for my husband. To be frank, he’s one of those people who doesn’t even need much; give him a bike, some tunes he likes and a decent pair of flip flops, and he’s pretty satisfied with life.

But that doesn’t mean he should be able to sneak, undetected, beneath my sewing radar. It just means I have to think more creatively when it comes to ideas for making things I know he’ll love.

He’s an outdoors type of man who likes stargazing, weather reports and well….science. Whilst it may be a little lost on me, I was happy to spend a sunny afternoon during a recent vacation, taking photos of passing clouds, to make into a one-of-a-kind fabric design that I sewed up into a shirt for him.

Make an easy summer maxi skirt

June 5, 2012

Guest author Emma Jeffery from the blog Hello Beautiful offers a tutorial for an easy summer maxi skirt.

I’m trying to think ahead and get ready for the summer season by making a few items which will be perfect to wear in the summer sun. It seems like maxi skirts are still a hot trend this year and Spoonflower’s cotton silk blend is the perfect fabric to create a soft and floaty skirt with an elegant drape and a beautiful sheen. I’ve sewn with this fabric a few times before and it’s very user friendly even for the beginner sewer. With a brand new needle, it sews up just as easily as cotton. [Read more…] about Make an easy summer maxi skirt