holiday DIY projects

Custom Pajama Pants with Sprout Patterns | Video Tutorial

December 20, 2016

Custom Pajama Pants with Spoonflower and Sprout Patterns

Designs used: Snowflakes Christmas Holiday Red by Caja_Design and Sleepy Stars || Holiday Red by littlearrowdesign

Take a break from decking the halls by decking out your family in these holiday jammies. These comfy bottoms will turn even the the biggest bah-humbug into a Holiday Cheermeister. Whether you’re dressing up for holiday pictures or cuddling up around the tree, PJs are a must. Check out the instructions below–we’re using Sprout Patterns’ Jasper pattern (for the guy in your life), but check out the Lucy pattern for a slimmer, ladies cut, and the Baby Leggings pattern for little ones. You can even get a coat for the dog! Love the look but hate sewing? Check out Sprout’s White Glove service, to get a professional to stitch up your jammies for a little bit extra.

If you’re more of a visual learner, click here to watch the video tutorial as Spoonflower team member Tim stitches up a custom pair in no time!

What you’ll need for the project:

Your Sprout Patterns Jasper pattern
Twill tape or elastic for the waistband /drawstring
Scissors
Measuring tape
Sewing machine and/or serger
Thread
Iron

Pattern Includes:

Front pant leg (2)
Back pant leg (2)
Waistband (2)
Fly facing

Let the tutorial begin!

SF-PJPants - Buttonhole

Sweet and Simple Holiday Zipper Pillow Tutorial

December 6, 2016

Delicate, heirloom holiday decorations are great, but there’s a special place in our hearts for functional decorations we can get a little use out of! Today our friend Emma Jeffery of the blog Hello Beautiful stops by to share a video tutorial taking you through the steps of how to create your own customized pillow design in Picmonkey to print onto fabric. Then, she’ll walk you through how to stitch up an easy zipper pillow with optional piping. Whether you’re making a thoughtful gift for a loved one or just trying to step up the festive decor in your own home, this tutorial is sure to teach you a thing or two!

Emma designed her pillow using a free, easy to use program called Picmonkey. You can use their fonts, colors and clip art to create unique and personalized designs to use in personal projects or for gifts.

These pillows make great teacher gifts, too! Have kids from the class sign the back of the pillow in fabric pen to make it extra special

If you liked this tutorial, subscribe to our Youtube channel where we’ve been adding lots of fun tutorials and tips.

Looking for more ways to personalize your holiday décor? Check out Emma’s tutorial for an easy embroidered holiday banner!

Learn to Make Your Own Cut-and-Sew Advent Calendar

December 2, 2016

Looking for a fun advent calendar to make and use for years to come? Our super creative friend Anda Corrie of Berlin visits the blog to share a simple cut-and-sew advent calendar she created that fits on one yard of fabric. Read on for the full how to!

Anda: Like me, do you usually wait until it’s way too late to create the Pinterest-worthy advent calendar of your dreams and end up stuck with a printed paper box from Kaiser’s? Make this pocket-style hanging calendar easily in one afternoon instead—and use again year after year!

MATERIALS: [Read more…] about Learn to Make Your Own Cut-and-Sew Advent Calendar

Holiday DIY: 15 Easy Decorations to Create with Your Kids

November 15, 2016

With Thanksgiving just around the corner for many of us, it’s time to start planning ahead for the holiday season–and that means decorations. If you have kids, you know that this time of year is challenging because you want to keep your little ones engaged and occupied (especially if they’re on holiday break) while also accomplishing your decorating tasks. Never fear: we’ve assembled a list of 15 easy DIY ornaments & crafts you can make with your kids. Keep them busy, create some fun memories that will last for years to come, and get your house decorated at the same time. A win-win-win, if you ask us. Let’s jump in!

1. Holiday family newsletter ornaments

Fabric newsletter ornaments | Delineate Your Dwelling

Ask your kiddos to cut out the shapes before you sew them up!

2. Cut and sew gnome ornaments

Ask your kids to draw or paint some elves / gnomes, then scan in the paintings together, upload to Spoonflower, and order on fabric before making them into ornaments together.

Cut & Sew Finnish Elves | Mirkahokkanen on Spoonflower

Designing for the Holidays: Quick Freebies & Essentials

November 4, 2016

Welcome to the busiest time of year for designers and makers alike. On Spoonflower, now’s the time shoppers are picking out fabrics and papers for handmade gifts, decor, and stocking their handmade shops for the busy season. As a designer, you need to be ready with an updated shop and fresh designs to compete with all the other show-stopper designers in the marketplace. However will you prepare? We’ve rounded up our favorite tips and tools where you’re a designer or just looking for quick freebies to get you through the season and support indie designers and makers in the community.

Free calendar printables

Free 2017 calendar printables from Audrey of This Little Street. These make excellent gifts to hand out to co-workers and friends, or simply to keep yourself organized at your desk this year!
Gold Glitter texture pack

2016 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide

October 28, 2016

Not sure what to make for your loved ones this year? Well fear not, because we’ve got you covered with a gift idea for everyone on your list. Show your favorite people how much you care with these sweet and simple handmade holiday gifts that are sure to put you on everyone’s “nice” list this year!

Save this image to Pinterest for easy access when you need it!

Make It Monday: Holiday Calendars

November 30, 2015

December’s upon us, and we couldn’t be more excited to start our holiday decorating! This year, we love the idea of creating a calendar that unites the whole family in celebrating the special days of the season. Take an afternoon this week to whip up one of these customizable calendar DIYs sure to delight you and yours. Please do share the DIY holiday calendars you’re making by tagging #makeitmonday on your social platform of choice!

Ashlee over at My So Called Crafty Life created this DIY Drawstring Bag Advent Calendar with a complete tutorial and cut-and-sew kit on Spoonflower, to boot!

Eight Nights of Surprises Wall Hanging by Creative Jewish Mom makes a lovely focal point for the family room.

The X-mas Calendar design from Demigoutte on Spoonflower has everything you need to DIY your Advent calendar.

Create this Dreidel Garland by Scrumdilly-do! with old neck ties!

This DIY Origami Box Advent Calendar by Gathering Beauty is a great way to use any small gift wrap scraps.

Mix and match these ideas to create a calendar of your very own, and please do show us what you’re creating with a #makeitmonday shout out!

Happy holidays,

Becca

10 Ornaments for a Handmade Holiday

November 6, 2015

In an effort to stay on top the holidays this year, I’m starting my decorating prep now. While I realize we’re still about 3 weeks away from Thanksgiving, it’s only 49 days ’til Christmas! I love a good DIY and usually wait to the last minute, which causes a handmade panic to set in and makes for a less enjoyable holiday season. Here’s a few handcrafted ornaments to get started on to add to your home’s decor this year!

Wool Felt Raccoon Ornament | Lia Griffith

Cinnamon Applesauce Heart Ornaments | Katy Elliot

How to Wrap the Perfect Gift Every Time

November 3, 2015

Gift wrapping: you either love it or hate it. If you’re in the second group, it’s probably because you want your gifts to look better and take less time. And with the gift giving season quickly approaching, now is the ideal time to brush up on your gift wrapping skills. Our friend and most gifted wrapper, Lia Griffith, visits the blog today to share her tips and tricks for wrapping the most beautiful presents. She shares how to tie the perfect bow, create a 3D paper bow and a custom gift bag. Whether you’re an absolute novice or consider yourself a pro, you’ll love this tutorial. Click below to watch the video as Lia shares the secret to wrapping the perfect gift!

Lia: This gift wrapping tutorial is something I have been excited about for a long time. I am a huge gift wrapping geek (is there such a thing?!) and I’m proud to have won the Scotch® Brands Most Gifted Wrapper Contest a few years ago. I love putting together beautifully wrapped gifts for every occasion and will always top them off with a handmade gift topper in paper or felt – such fun! I have a couple tips and tricks in my gift wrapping tutorial to help you get that gift wrapping just right, and hopefully make the holiday season a little easier all round!

Ready to get started on your own gifts? Download your bow template, choose your gift wrap designs and stock up on ribbon! Want to use the same designs featured in this video? Head over to Lia’s Spoonflower shop to pick up a roll of each!

5 Handmade Holiday Decorations to Start this Weekend

November 28, 2014

Shake off that turkey-induced haze and start crafting your way into the next round of holidays! These DIY holiday decorations are simple to make and add a huge dose of personality to your space. Take this weekend to gather your supplies and start planning your masterpiece mantel.

DIY Woolen Trees | Make + Haus

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holiday DIY projects

1. Holiday family newsletter ornaments

2. Cut and sew gnome ornaments

Free calendar printables

Gold Glitter texture pack