Kids

Create Cozy Floor Pillows!

January 13, 2015

Here at Spoonflower HQ winter has officially arrived. Get cozy and prepare to hibernate for the rest of the cold weather with cute floor pillows created using our Eco Canvas. These pillows add a pop of color to your space, and they are oh-so-cozy for lounging through the cold months ahead! Spoonflower crew member Kelly shows us how she stitched up a couple for her sweet niece and nephew.

My niece and nephew are all about comfort. When I saw some floor beds made out of pillows on Pinterest, I knew had to make them some! I started out by finding a few prints that I thought they would like. I decided on A Bear Camp by Demigoutte and Burnt Orange Wide Stripes by Sweet Zoe Shop for my nephew. He is on the verge of a camping themed big boy room, so I thought it would be perfect! Then I chose Vibrant Floral Garden by Oksancia and Purple White Petite Polka by Scrummy for my niece. She is all about everything pink and purple, so how could I go wrong?

Tutorial: How to sew a child’s baking apron

December 10, 2012

On my Christmas list this year are the two darling daughters, ages 8 and 2, of dear friends of mine. It would certainly be easy to buy something for them at the wonderful local toy store around the corner from me, but it’s been awhile since I’ve made anything for these kiddos so I’m thinking something handmade would be nicer. Their mama loves to cook and bake, and I’m imagining a lot of cookie baking projects while the girls are home from school for winter break, so I decided to make up a ric-rac trimmed child-sized baking apron for the 8-year old girl this weekend.

For this project, I used my own almost-8-year-old daughter as a model to determine sizing. She’s about average weight and on the tall side so I think this apron should fit most 8-year old children, especially since the ties offer some flexibility as the child grows.

And I’m sure I don’t need to point this out to most of you, but boys like to cook and bake, too! Don’t forget the boy-who-would-be-chef in your life, too, as you consider this kid’s apron project.

Fabric & Supplies:

I used a yard of Spoonflower organic cotton sateen printed with Sonny&Bee’s “Summer time” design. I love the slight sheen and softness of our sateen but our basic combed cotton or Kona cotton would also work well. Wash and press your fabric before cutting.
1 package of medium ric-rac or pretty ribbon (optional)
coordinating thread
basic sewing supplies–a sewing machine, ruler and rotary cutter or scissors, washable marker or other marking tool, Fray-Check (for the ends of the trim if using)

Cut fabric:

1 piece 8-1/2 X 10-3/4 inches for apron bib
1 piece 21-1/2 X 29-3/4 inches for apron skirt
4 strips 20 X 2 inches for neck and wasit ties
1 piece 5-1/2 inches square for optional (but useful!) pocket

Note: If you’re using a directional print that has a right side up, pay attention now to how you cut your fabric so that you don’t end up with upside-down birds or writing or what-have-you.

Make the apron ties:

Press in the short sides of all four ties by a scant quarter-inch. Then press up the long edges of all four ties a scant quarter inch.
With wrong sides together and matching up the pressed edges, fold each tie in half lenghtwise and press to enclose all raw edges and create 3/4-inch wide ties.
Now begin edgestitching the ties. Start from one short end, pivot at the corner, and stitch the long edge. Pivot again at the other corner, sttich the second short edge, and anchor your stitching. Repeat with the remaining three ties. Set those aside for now.

Make the pocket:

Stitch across the top and bottom edges about one-eight inch from the pressed edge. Leave the side edges unstitched for now.

Press the top and bottom edges of the pocket in a scant quarter-inch, then fold those edges over another scant quarter-inch to enclose them. Press. Repeat with the two side edges.
Stitch across the top and bottom edges about one-eight inch from the pressed edge. Leave the side edges unstitched for now.
If you’d like to use trim on your pocket, apply it now. (I’m a fan of trim on pockets because it makes it easier to locate them quickly.) I used medium white irridescent ric-rac because this particular little girl enjoys a little sparkle. Set the pocket aside.

Make the apron bib:

Press up the bottom edge of the bib a scant quarter-inch, then fold that edge over into another scant quarter-inch to enclose it. Press.
Next, fold down the top edge down a scant quarter-inch, then press that edge down into a one-inch hem.
Now fold the two side edges of the bib in a scant quarter-inch. Fold those side edges in another scant quarter-inch to enclose them. Press.
Stitch down one side of the bib, then along the bottom, then up the second side, pivoting at the corners and keeping your stitching line about one-eight inch from the pressed edge.
Finally, stitch down the deeper top hem about one-eighth inch from the pressed edge.
If you’re using trim on the apron bib, you should add it now. More ric-rac is good!

Make the apron skirt:

Yep, there are more edges to finish but we’re almost down with that now. Fold down the top edge of the apron skirt a scant quarter-inch, then fold again another quarter-inch to enclose the raw edge. Press.
Fold up the bottom hem a scant quarter-inch, then press up a deeper one-inch hem. Press.
Finally, fold the side edges in a scant quarter-inch, then fold again another quarter-inch to enclose those edges. Press.
Stitch up one side of the apron skirt, then across the top of the skirt, then down the other side, pivoting at the corners and keeping your stitching line about one-eighth inch from the pressed edge.
Stitch across the bottom hem at the folded edge about one-eighth inch from the pressed edge.
If you want to add some more trim at the bottom hem of the skirt, now is a good time to do it. Phew, all those edges are finished now and it’s time to put it all together!

Putting the apron together:

Lay the apron skirt facing print side down (unlike my photo below) and measure the width of the skirt. Mark the center point of the top edge with a washable marker or pin on the wrong side. My skirt measured 20-1/2 inches wide, so I marked a point at 10-1/4 inches. (Yes, I accidentally marked my point on the front–good thing that marker was washable!)
Do the same with the apron bib, but measure and mark the center point along the bottom edge of the bib. My bib measured 7 inches wide, so I put a mark at 3-1/2 inches.
Overlap the top edge of the apron skirt over the bottom edge of the apron bib about a quarter-inch, aligning the center points and making sure that the finished top edge of the skirt is lined up with the line of stitching at the bottom of the apron bib. Pin in place.
Edgestitch the skirt to the apron bib, lining up this new line of stitching with the line of stitching on the apron bib.
Stitch a second line over the line of stitches visible on the apron skirt and about a quarter-inch below the line of stitches you just put in. You should be catching the bottom hem of the bib under this second line of stitches. Using two lines of stitching will attach the bib to the skirt a little more securely and will also prevent the apron’s bottom hem from curling up as it’s washed.

Add the pocket:

Find the center of the finished pocket at the top edge and mark it with a pin. My pocket center was at 2-1/4 inches.
Lay the apron flat in front of you with the print side up and measure a point three inches down from the left corner where the apron bib meets the skirt. Align the pocket center to that point as shown here.
Pin the pocket in place along its side and bottom edges. Edgestitch the pocket to the skirt down one side, across the bottom of the pocket (on top of the existing line of stitches), and then up the other side of the pocket. Don’t forget to leave the pocket’s top edge free!

Stitch the apron ties in place:

Pin the apron ties in place at each top corner of the bib and at the top edges of the apron skirt, about one quarter-inch in from the finished edges of the apron. Be sure to run the waist ties out from the apron skirt and the neck ties up from the bib top as shown in the photos below.

Pinning_waist_ties

Pinning_neck_ties

Once you’ve stitched on the apron ties, you’re all done. I hope your apron sees many happy, cozy hours in the kitchen!

Doll’s House Wallpaper Makeover

November 19, 2012

Guest author Emma Jeffery from the blog Hello Beautiful makes over her daughter's dollhouse with custom wallpaper.

Have you indulged by ordering Spoonflower’s lovely new wallpaper yet? Perhaps you have a few 12” x 24” wallpaper samples hanging around from a recent order that are too pretty not to be used for something wonderful? Or perhaps you feel you need a bit of practice hanging wallpaper before you tackle your own living room wall?

I’ve never hung wallpaper before, but from growing up and watching my dad do it, I assumed it was all about long trestle tables, wide brushes and overflowing buckets of cold, sloppy glue. So I was happily surprised to learn that Spoonflower’s wallpaper already has an adhesive backing, that simply needs to be immersed in water to activate. No mess, easy clean-up and overalls are probably surplus to requirements (always a bonus in my book!)
Still, I did decide to start off small-scale and ease myself slowly into this exciting and colorful new adventure of wall coverings.

A few months ago my daughter was given this beautiful 3 story home (sigh, if only it was adult-sized) that was rescued from an abandoned and unloved situation. I knew that with a little love and TLC, it could shake off its dusty coverings and peeling paint, to be beautiful once more.

Of course, it may have been better to survey for any structural damage, assess the age of the shake shingle roof and at the very least, order a termite inspection, but in keeping with the crazy world of home-ownership, my daughter and I were determined to start work on making it beautiful above all else.

I started by removing the original wallpaper, which was easy to do because of its age. It was pretty cool to discover some hidden, handwritten notes on the bare wood from the original construction.

I then measured the walls and spaces under the windows and cut the wallpaper to the appropriate size. I preferred to use a standard paper cutter for cutting.

Next, I followed Spoonflower’s application instructions by submerging the wallpaper in water. Because of the scale of my project I was able to use a large dish, but for a larger project Spoonflower recommends you use a trough or the bathtub.

I then simply hung the wallpaper, using a sponge to squeeze out the excess glue and air bubbles. After allowing it to dry, I trimmed any excess with a small craft knife.

The walls look lovely and my daughter’s enthusiasm for playing with the house has suddenly and instantly been reignited. It helps that I let her pick and choose the wallpaper from Spoonflower’s marketplace of wallpaper designs. She picked designs by PaperSparrow and Kayajoy.

I’m now feeling pretty confident about scaling up and wallpapering something adult-sized. But Mr Rabbit’s not feeling as good about having to lay new carpet in his house.

About Our Guest Blogger

Hi! I'm Emma, and as well as working on the Fiskars Design Team, I blog over at hellobeautifulblog.blogspot.com/

I'm an obsessive sewer, often leaping into projects with more enthusiasm than talent, more bravado than skill and more good luck than anything else. This technique has worked well for me so far and more often than not, I make things I love, even if they're not absolutely perfect. And though I'm no expert, I have a passion for fabric, color and design. I know what I like and what I like makes me smile.

Tutorial: Make a smock using kids’ drawings

August 6, 2012

This week Anda Corrie from Etsy shares a tutorial for making a kid's art smock. She made one using fabric created from her daughter's own drawings! For more on how to turn drawings into fabric designs, check out Anda's previous Photoshop tutorial.

This tutorial will show you how to create a very basic pattern and then sew a simple art smock for your child. In this example I’ve first created Spoonflower fabric based off my daughter’s artwork — the techniques I describe in this tutorial might be helpful if you want to do something similar.

Materials:

a few sheets of 8.5 x 11” paper
tape, scissors, pencil, & ruler
sewing machine, matching (or contrasting) thread
3 yards of ¼” double-fold bias tape
1 yard cotton quilting-weight fabric, or ½ yard of fabric for main and a 16”x6” scrap of fabric for pocket (for a toddler or preschool-aged child)

How-To: Tape two pieces of paper together along their long edge. If your child is older than 4 you may need to tape more pieces together — or just rustle up some bigger paper.

Get a shirt that fits your child comfortably and lay it flat on the paper. Line up the center of the shirt to run along the longest side of your paper.

Trace around neckline, shoulder, side, and bottom. Lift up the sleeve a bit and carefully trace along sleeve seam. Now add ½” seam allowance at shoulder and an extra inch to the side, as shown in the photo.

Cut two pieces of your main fabric from this pattern. On your pattern piece, measure 5” from bottom and draw a straight horizontal line, then cut off that part. This is for your pocket.

Cut one piece of pocket fabric on fold — it can be the same fabric or choose a different fabric.

Sew bias tape along top edge of pocket piece.

Line up pocket to bottom of front piece, pin and then baste around the edges to hold it in place.

Measure halfway point and sew a perpendicular straight stitch to connect pocket at center as shown (creating two pockets).

Sew shoulders. Use a serger if you have one but a straight stitch will do fine. I like to use French seams* purely because they look nice.

*French seams in a nutshell: with fabric wrong side together, sew a straight stitch using a ¼” seam. Trim fabric as close as you can to where you’ve sewn. Press down seam and turn smock inside out so right sides are together. Now sew a ⅜” seam and press. The seam is now hidden and looks very smart, I think! This technique is more often used for delicate fabrics like silk… but to me they make everything look better.

Open up smock, measure to center of front neckline and cut a 4” slit.

Carefully sew bias tape around slit.

Now measure 36” of bias tape and sew around neckline, leaving about 8” at each end. Those 8” ends will become the tie at the neckline.

Sew bias tape around (open) sleeves.

Sew up the sides of smock. Again, you can use a serger, a straight stitch, or French seams as I’ve done in the photos.

Turn smock right-side out again and sew the last of your bias tape around the bottom to hem the smock. You’re all done!

About Our Guest Blogger

Anda Corrie is an American illustrator, Etsy designer, and émigré living in Berlin, Germany with her small family. In her spare time she obsesses over vintage children’s books, makes homemade schnapps, sews tiny dresses that her 4-year-old stubbornly refuses to wear, and draws. Visit her Spoonflower shop for some lovely hand drawn fabric designs and her Etsy shop, Boosterseat.

2012 Spoonflower Staff Challenge Pt 11: Sewing A Rocket For Two Young Cosmonauts

March 13, 2012

This is the eleventh in a series of posts describing the projects that are part of our 2012 Spoonflower Staff Challenge. Voting begins on Thursday, March 15, 2012.

When the Spoonflower Staff Challenge was announced Anna and I (Jesse) were paired together to form Team Big Dreams. We both immediately wanted to create something fun for Anna’s two sons, ages four and eight. After lots of brainstorming and ideas (teepees, forts, castles, etc.) we were still undecided on what our final project should be. That’s when we decided to go straight to the source. Nicholas and Evan gave us their own list of ideas, and that’s when the rocket ship playhouse concept took flight.

The next stage involved designing the fabric for the rocket. Anna and I both agreed that we wanted the print to be simple but also somewhat realistic. I used basic tools in Photoshop to create the design. The stars were made with the custom shape tool, while the rocket’s body used a few other standard shapes. The gradient tool also had a heavier than usual workout, as I used it to create a metallic looking texture.

We chose to print the designs on linen-cotton canvas. The linen-cotton prints very nicely while remaining relatively lightweight and durable. The stars were printed in half-drop repeat on two yards of linen-cotton. The blue design is sized to fit on two yards of linen-cotton, and we used two pieces of this design. That means the finished project ended up being over six feet tall!

After a few rounds of test swatches, we finally settled on the correct color of red to use. Yes, even Spoonflower employees revise their colors to avoid shifty reds!

Anna spent several late nights sewing everything together. She joined the two body pieces, hemmed them, and left a flap on one of the seams for easy access inside the ship. The windows were cut out to provide a couple portholes for the cosmonauts to peer from. Anna also created sleeves on the inside for flexible tubing to be inserted, so that the structure would hold its shape.

The stars were turned into a cone for the top of the rocket, which is meant to hang from a hook in the ceiling. We also used the star fabric to create tail fins on the bottom of the rocket. The fins were made from cardboard, which Anna covered in fabric and hand stitched.

Overall, our goal was to create a simple, fun design that would be portable and easy to store. Most importantly we were able to make Nicholas and Evan’s dream a reality!

Let’s hear it for Zoe, 8-year-old winner of our fabric design contest for kids!

June 30, 2011

Eight-and-a-half year old Zoe of Oregon is the artist behind "Happy Fishes," the lovely fabric you see here. She won the most votes in our first fabric design contest for kids only and is one of 138 young artists who did an amazing job coming up with their own fabric designs for this week's Fabric Of the Week competition. Many, many people wrote to tell us they thought all the entries were terrific. Thank you to all of the kids and parents who participated. Keep up the great work!

See the Top Ten Kids' Fabrics

The top ten, all of whom got lots of votes, are:

1. HAPPY FISHIES by garwooddesigns
2. a flock of birds by iiris
3. Friends by spagat
4. Grey's Robots by langley@gogostudio_com
5. Baba's Garden by Isabella age 8 by spellstone
6. BunnyBurg by supercoop
7. Fantastic Fireflies – by Sarah (7 years old) by sew-me-a-garden
8. Strawberries and apples by katarina
9. The Amazing Milky Way by bobbyvonsandwichface
10. FIRETRUCKS! by 2-yr old Kip by sammyk

[You can check out the list of all the entrants in this contest here.]

Let’s hear it for kids designing fabric! Vote in our fabric contest for (very) young designers

June 23, 2011

This week's contest is very special because it is restricted to fabric designs created by designers 12 years of age and under only. We've even gotten entries from kids under two! All of the top ten finishers in this week's competition will receive $20 in Spoondollar credits. We're also planning to send the winner a Wacom digital drawing tablet. This is a great chance to provide encouragement to a group of young folks trying something for the first time, so please take a few minutes to vote!

VOTE FOR FABRIC DESIGNS BY KIDS

The participants are:

Childrens’ Prints Galore: Vote for your favorite designs!

January 28, 2010

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Vote for your favorite Childrens’ Prints this week!

Vote for as many designs as you like on the four-page voting form. If the thought of so many fabric designs wears you out, feel free to complete only a page or two; at the end of the week (Tuesday, Feb. 2) we’ll still count partially completed ballots. The pages load in a random order for each voter, so partial ballots should not disadvantage the designers.

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