I became familiar with Spoonflower several years ago while working as a seamstress for a handbag design company. It was a small production but we were discussing producing some custom fabrics but how? That is when I learned about the amazing work that Spoonflower is doing, custom printing fabric of your very own design. The main stream textile industry is geared towards large-scale operations but Spoonflower offers short production runs with a low set-up cost and no need for an industry “in” to print designs. Spoonflower is a one stop shop that allows you to design print and even sell your own fabric.
Spoonflower was founded in May 2008 by two Internet geeks who had crafty wives but who knew nothing about textiles. The company came about because Stephen’s wife, Kim, persuaded him that being able to print her own fabric for curtains was a really cool idea. She wasn’t alone. The Spoonflower community now numbers over a million individuals who use their own fabric to make curtains, quilts, clothes, bags, furniture, dolls, pillows, framed artwork, costumes, banners and much, much more. The Spoonflower marketplace offers the largest collection of independent fabric designers in the world. Via Spoonflower About Us
How it works: You upload your designs to the website (you may use a wide variety of image sizes and file formats to create a design.) Once your design is uploaded, you can use embedded tools to edit the image itself, adjust the colors and choose the way it will repeat. Then choose the type of fabric you want (prices range from $17.50 to $38 per yard.) You can order as much or as little as you want from a swatches to infinite yardage. Spoonflower then prints on fabric with giant inkjet printers using long lasting washable inks. Want to see the printer in action click here. Finally, your fabric is shipped direct to you!
Not a designer, that’s fine too, Spoonflower also allows designs to sell to you. You can choose from thousands of designs and pick the type of fabric you want it printed on. This is a great for all types of sewing and design because you can choose the type of fabric that works best for your needs. Light weight cotton for quilters, silks for dressmakers, or heavy twill for upholstery and everything in between. The customization doesn’t stop there,if you find a fabric you like but would like to see it in different colors or would like to adjust the scale you can contact the designer directly to if they can make the change. Full customization at your fingertips.
Since opening in 2008 Spoonflower has grown quite a bit and so has it’s line, they have expanded their production to include wallpaper, decals and gift wrap. So stop by to check out the unlimited options that are open to you for you next DIY project. Your next creations can be one of a kind!
I always wondered what spoonflower was all about. You’ve made it really clear. Pretty brilliant idea!
It is a brilliant idea Debra! I am surprised you don’t hear about Spoonflower more often. They were an independent start up and over the last 5 years they have really grown but you don’t hear much about them.