In a world with thousands of fabrics in various prints and designs and colors, sometimes you just don’t find what you’re looking for. Enter Spoonflower (in 2008) to allow us to order fabric in custom prints. Whoot!
The concept is fabulous! However, as the company was starting to grow many of us sew-ers were curious as to the quality of the textiles as well as the printing. In 2019 I finally had the opportunity to test their service.
Several years ago when casually exploring their available I stumbled upon prints patterned after and influenced by Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion attraction. Oh yes!! Then Disney pulled their weight and my wished-for, famous mansion wallpaper print was removed from the site…. there went my idea of making a full bustle dress in the print.
But then in 2019 one theme for Costume College was “Tea at the Haunted Manor”, which was going to be based on our beloved Disney ride. Now I had a “real” reason to make something in a HM print.
So I ordered three swatches of various mansion prints (above photo) to test the fabric and print quality. I will insert here that these first swatches took three weeks to receive. My first experience with their service was lackluster as other reviews said shipping and delivery were all in good time. So I’m not sure what delayed my simple swatch order.
The poly satin (green & black stripe) printed up the best in color. Beautiful, actually! Although, it is super thin as a textile, and I’d mainly use it as a lining, if I even wanted to use polyester fabric. My initial thought was do make a 1840s day dress out of the black and green stripe. Oh, how I wish the satin poly was heavier! It would have been lovely…. even if it IS polyester.
The basic cotton (top swatch) was not bad, if not a little thin for structured 19th century projects. That would be my first choice anyway for a historically-based project. The other swatch (blue print) was their silky faille which, again, printed up lovely, but was light with decent hand and all polyester.
Feeling disheartened I let the project rest for several months. Then a new idea developed: make a Haunted Mansion themed dirndl using the classic cast member black and green stripe. Back to the drawing board of what fabrics to print up and use.
I chose their new offering of “Petal Signature Cotton” and made the risky move of ordering yardage before testing a swatch. Shipping was as expected and about two to three weeks for the full process from order placement to delivery.
The fabric was VERY stiff where the print was applied. Like, a stiff organdy hand.
The selvedge areas where there was no print were softer and I would consider the base textile like a good quality cotton. However, because I ordered a fully printed design in dark colors lots of ink was used causing the heavy thickness. (Keep reading for more when the print *doesn’t* take up the full width.)
Taking a deep breath I tossed the whole three yards into the washer to see if it would soften up a bit. It did a little. It’s still stiff but not as much. The color – even in the solid black and green – keep just fine in the standard machine wash and low heat tumble dry. Check mark that box!
I used the black stripe only as the dirndl apron so I could switch it out for other looks later. The apron hangs rather stiff but isn’t too bad. I don’t want to keep washing it to see if it gets softer. But keep that in mind for heavy prints you are considering.
My most recent (and second) Spoonflower experience was selecting a cotton fabric for a late 1890s shirtwaist. Now, I was looking for a RED stripe and found a beautiful and perfect print… but it was a bias print, meaning the stripes are horizontal on the fabric and at an angle to the selvedge.
I needed an on-grain stripe, so I contacted the designer to see if they could upload the same design but at a true vertical alignment. (She didn’t respond through the direct Spoonflower contact option, so I searched for her online and found her own website where she DID email me back.)
Little Arrow Design was so lovely in her quick response. She soon uploaded my requested design into the platform, even including a direct link to it in her emailed reply back to me.
Once again I ordered yardage of the Petal Signature Cotton without swatching…. because the red stripe design seemed perfect for my project…..
I’ll admit I didn’t strongly look at the ruler against the print before ordering. The fabric arrived in a timely manner, but my first thought was, “oh, no! The stripes are too wide and too far apart for my bodice!” The proportion is off.
But my very next thought was, “why is the red a light shade, like strawberry, and not the true red showing on the screen??” (See above photo with the green swatches for best color of the printed red – it’s SUPER hard to photograph where it shows the light red color!)
So this recent experience hasn’t been the best. I’ll accept that it was my own fault for not verifying the stripe width – perfect for home dec or larger projects but not for a fitted bodice. But the light red print on the cotton is most disappointing. It’s not the fabric I thought I was ordering.
The cotton fabric IS soft, however, and I’d trust it would wash up nicely without loss of color as the black/green stripe did. It’s overall much softer yardage, too, with so much less color printed on the fabric.
(I’m looking for another stripe now and may use this Spoonflower yardage for a petticoat or even my skirt underlining fabric. It’s a good quality to use either way.)
In conclusion, I would order from Spoonflower again.
Their cottons are decent quality and wash well, but watch for those designs that take up the full surface or are full of dark colors. Printing on the synthetics bring out the vibrant colors one expects; on the cotton fabrics it’s not as bright (in my experience). I’m curious to try their sateen and twill fabrics for historical, structured projects.
Being on the pricier side of fabrics, I’d have to really want a particular design before ordering again. Modern quilting cottons from other fabric stores are a slightly better quality for the price (even at $10-12/yard for basic cotton), in my opinion.
Have you ordered and used Spoonflower fabrics? What has been your experience? I’d love to know!
I recently ordered from Spoonflower—the petal cotton. Many of the fabrics look like the printer was running out of ink. The designs have areas of a single color, but because of the printing issues, they look like stripes. I’m new to POD fabric and am a bit disappointed by the print quality.
How disappointing!
Even though this is an old thread I feel compelled to add my comments about my #spoonflower purchase(s). I have to admit I have been very enchanted by the design selection. I have placed several orders and because of timing just got around to the plans for them. I had several orders, both fat quarters and by the yard. My helper had already secured the edges and laundered many of them. I didn’t notice any faded appearance BUT I was so shocked at the placement of the printed design. While I haven’t inspected them all, every single one of them had an issue. For instance, a fat quarter ordered as a sample that was so off-grain and rotated on the base fabric to make the horizontal design unusable. This was petal cotton and I was also surprised at the amount of fraying at the edges. Several of them, with a horizontal pattern direction, rather than have a straight line at the selvedge actually bowed up so there was no way for the design to line up properly as the design followed this curve. A number of others were cut with a huge selvedge on one side and hardly none on the other (which means you don’t have full use of the printed portion). When I inspected the first piece I thought it was merely a single event, but it appears, based on the fabrics I received, this is more the norm. I would love to have this catalog of patterns at my disposal, but the cost of the fabric plus the cost of what portion will be lost due to bad print placement is not worth it to me.
Oh, no! Off-grain prints are hard to work with. Really appreciate your comment/feedback!
I wish I had found this site earlier. I just received my swatches from Spoonflower. The patterns and colors are beautiful but the fabric is to flimsy. I want to make Dirndl’s with them and ordered the Cotton sateen for that purpose. Well, I am glad that I only ordered the swatches. They fabric is quite thin and see through and feels thinner than a quilting cotton. Very disappointing. As I said, I really like the prints I ordered but I don’t think for the price it is worth it.
Welcome, Angelika!
Yes, their sateen is too thin, which is disappointing. I have a basic cotton with black print I ordered from them for a dirndl apron – it is actually really heavy and thick due to the full black color printing. I haven’t used it yet and may switch it to a dirndl bodice instead due to not having any good drape. Their design prints ARE lovely, but I agree that the printing cost is rather high for fabric that just doesn’t come out well for apparel projects.
It’s likely that the color was off due to your computer monitor. I design fabrics that are sold on Spoonflower and the color accuracy of your monitor is critical.
I’m making masks for a local group and found great fabric patterns on Spoonflower. Expensive, especially to Canada, but the patterns isn’t something I could find anywhere else online or in store, so I went for it.
It took a month and arrived today – I was so excited but…no. 🙁 One fabric I’d ordered was a black with gold icons on it, the other a vibrant royal blue with gold on it. What I received was a faded charcoal grey with beigey icons that are almost blurry. The royal blue? A purpley-cornflower with yellow-beige icons, again near-blurry.
I know colours can be different than shown on a screen, but black should be black and this blue is *nothing* like the blue shown. Even then I could get past that if the design was sharp, but instead it looks really worn, old, and faded. This is for men to wear with tuxes and it looks like cheap dollar store fabric that was printed wrong.
I’m so disappointed and really not sure what to do. I’d checked Spoonflower reviews before ordering but hadn’t seen issues with faded colours come up – I’m glad to see I’m not alone in this disappointment, but am super annoyed that this happened. If they can’t print as vibrant/true as they show, they should change the pictures or just say something. Again, I get colours can be different from a screen, but black should be black.
Oh dear! So sorry to hear this.
Thrilled to find this post about Spoonflower. My first experience with them was ok…I purchased the print on Kona cotton (don’t think I they offer that now) and was rather disappointed that is wasn’t as vibrant as on my screen. This time,I ordered swatches. Has anyone used their velvet? I am considering using it for some long drapery panels. I would use the cotton twill but even with a good lining, I am concerned about it fading quickly.
I have a love/hate relationship with Spoonflower. Pros: Choice! I was able to get the same cool print in two types of fabric so I could make a cute little hat out of a knit and make a mask out of their petal signature. Shipping, I’ve had a great experience with shipping, even right before Xmas I had my order in a couple of days. Cons: Their search function SUCKS. There is no way to really drill down so you only are looking at 10 pages of choice rather than 250. I don’t always have time to head down the rabbit hole! Partially this is the designers fault, because there is no limit to the number of tag’s they can put on a design they tag with everything. I’ve started refusing to order from any design that is tagged with more than 5-6 things. Communication..I’ve tried to contact several designers and have not heard back from any. Not sure if Spoonflower is actually passing on messages to them. And my pet peeve…on the projects apparently the designers are not allowed to put a picture of the finished project so you have NO idea of what you are actually getting. I wanted to order several of the pre-printed mask patterns but without seeing what the finished product looked like it was a crap shoot. I got one that was fine and one that was not.
Quick suggestion: always order a sample of any design you are considering and work with the seller to find your ideal HEX codes on the fabric of your choice. I am very happy to land here and read all the feedback experiences. I have had a few custom designs on Spoonflower for several years though I have hundreds yet to be listed. FYI: designs require sample print proofing before they can be sold to anyone other than the shop artisan, though revisions do not require this. Requesting a photo of the sample print from the seller may be illuminating. You can put together up to 48 samples on a yard in the fabric of your choice for a very reasonable fee. I have a very large number of curated collections with various themes if you need a place to start. BTW: The sample pack is a bargain, especially when they offer free shipping specials. As others have mentioned, I found that the cotton basic fabric colors do not match the online appearance. This presents an issue for designers and buyers. That print that appears great in a shop looks faded when printed on SF basic cotton. Yet an over-saturated listing may appear murky on your screen and on other SF fabrics. Black and heavy dark colors may dazzle online but are not ideal background choices due to the dyes this company uses. I would suggest that you search the site using your own tags as the voting system and “likes” may not reliably expose oodles of hidden gems from non-site-favored artisans. The company staff historically seems to lean towards retro designs in grays and orange hues set in dark navy or beige backgrounds. Contrarywise, the site offers a vast array of themes and color pallets from many talented creators. I hope to add to my own shop inventory as my health grudgingly allows. It is such fun to jump around and see so many unique patterns if only for the sake of mindless entertainment. Smiles, Constance in Prescott, AZ. PS: Their search engine can be cumbersome, and according to some computer-savvy friends, their links have kinks. (dba: whimzpix).
I love the huge variety of prints available from Spoonflower. I’ve only ordered the Petal Signature Cotton fabric and have had a similar experience to yours with dark prints being rather heavy. With lighter colors or less dense patterns the cotton works up beautifully. So far I’ve only made face masks but with such a variety of patterns and fabrics I’m excited to try my hand at some garment construction.
Well, this post/discussion is somewhat a relief. As you mentioned in one of the comments, it’s “nice” to at least feel a little solidarity in this experience. I’ve been using Spoonflower for a couple of months now and for two reasons only! Fabric pricing is NOT one of them😬
It’s so difficult to find the kind of designs I’m looking for anywhere else and I love that they support up and coming artists in their craft. I love being able to work directly with (some of) the artists to create custom designs and variations on existing designs. I would LOVE to try my hand at designing some of the ideas in my head but, as you mentioned, I have ZERO knowledge about that whole process.
My first order was placed without doing a test swatch first (which they HIGHLY recommend) and so I ended up with a yard of stiff, washed out rainbow pentacles that was SUPPOSED to look almost neon or glowing. I attributed it to the fabric choice. (Petal Signature) But you likely have a good point about the ink, etc. So, with my next order I added the fabric sample bundle for $3. I highly recommend that for anyone who hasn’t. And luckily they just had a fat quarter sale so I was able to grab several in the organic cotton. They should be here any day now. (Shipping IS getting a little better, as someone mentioned above. Maybe the delays were due to COVID?)
I only wish they weren’t so expensive and I would probably buy much more from them more often!
I had to laugh at the “rabbit hole” reply lol that’s ALWAYS me when I jump on and start searching; SO many to choose from!!
Happy Sewing everyone!
I have the same issue as Tara. I wash/dry my fabrics. I have only used Petal Signature Cotton. Love the variety of designs. Do not love how it handles on my Janome machine. The machine jumps, is loud. I noticed, too, when I had to remove some stitches because the fabric slid, that I could see holes where the stitches were removed. Seems the needle punches thru instead of gliding through the fabric. I found your blog when I searched how to sew on their cotton. I wondered if a finer needle would be better, but have not tried it. (I also have been fooled by print size a couple of times. Now I look for the term ‘maximalist’ if I want to avoid the mistake.) I likely will not keep buying their signature cotton unless I can resolve the issue. Shipping has gotten much faster btw.
Good to know. Thanks for the comment! And yes, a finer needle would make less visible holes but won’t entirely solve the issue as it’s due to the ink/printing. It is “nice” to see others are having similar issues all around, though.
I just had an awful experience sewing on Spoonflower fabric on my new Janome machine tonight. Just what you describe. I thought i broke my machine, the bobbin casing jumped out of place.
Jennifer, I’m not much of a designer myself, but if you have the desire, you can try a bit of photo manipulation. Draw/paint the stripes you want and photograph it. Upload the photograph to spoonflower & see if it works for you. The image upload process is very easy.
Of course, YMMV if you don’t enjoy photography/photo manipulation.
I’m curious if anyone has a heck of a time cutting the petal Signature Cotton from Spoonflower? I had a somewhat new rotary blade on it literally wouldn’t penetrate the fabric unless I used extreme force. I changed the blade and it still did the same thing.
I’m also chain piecing with the fabric and I sew from a high quality quilters cotton onto the Spoonflower fabric and as soon as it hits the Spoonflower fabric my sewing machine starts thumping and the fabric slides all over.
I’m finding it very difficult to work with. Anyone else?
Oh no! How frustrating. Have you washed the fabric first? Based on my black/green stripe in the post and another black fabric I ordered a couple months ago, I can see how a heavily colored print on their petal cotton could be a challenge to cut and/or sew. Washing the stripe definitely helped to soften the fabric overall. With my full-color print it made the cotton not as “soft” to cut as another high-quality quilting cotton is to cut. The ink definitely changes the hand and stiffness of the petal cotton, in my experience.
I have ordered the signature cotton for mask making, and I am very happy. One of the prints was a black pattern (Macbeth witch’s potion ingredients) and fairly stiff, but make are washed each time worn, so getting softer. The second is white with a light gray print (braille alphabet) and quite soft and lovely. Finally, I ordered a wheelchair print on white and just as nice as the braille. I LOVE this site for finding unusual patterns, almost anything you could imagine. And, my shipping has been quick.
Rita,
Are you sticking to the company’s reccommendation for washing is cool water, gentle cycle, phosphate free detergent? I’ve just received my first order for a stack of fat quarters in a the linen and petal cotton and am surprised at how stiff the ink or coating on the fabric is. My instinct wants to throw it in the washer on a warm wash and in the dryer with dryer balls to help break up the fiber stiffness and I don’t know if this will be a big mistake. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Marilyn,
As mentioned in my post, I took the risk and washed my fabric and it came out a bit softer but the colors (black and green) were still dark as before. More washes, I assume, would soften the fibers more but not sure how the color would hold up over time and many washes.
I have ordered from spoonflower three times. I have been pleased with the fabric. It’s the shipping two times t came usps with no problem. The third time I ordered 9 yards of the same fabric and due to the weight it was shipped thru Fed Ex. It’s not spoonflower’s fault. The driver on Fed Ex can remember where he dropped the PKG!!!!!!!!!! Imagine that 187.00 worth of fabric who knows where!!!! Moral is don’t used Fed Ex at least in WV. I will be placing another order with spoonflower after for same fabric but only half the yardage to avoid Fed Ex! Will be more shipping cost but at least have the fabric. Thank!!!!!
I would like to order a fabric for scrub hats! I’m not sure which fabric the the best ! I don’t want my hat get wrinkly & fade colours ! What’s your recommendation !? I was thinking about poplin cotton or cotton sateen. Please let me know !
I was going to say poplin! So yes, that or sateen would be my recommendations. The poplin is a nice light hand but stiff to hold up to wash and wear.
I’ve ordered printed cotton from Spoonflower for quilting. It holds up great after washing (yes, I wash before I quilt) and irons up crisp and beautiful. It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole there, because their search engine is a little too generous — looking for “violets” gets you all manner of things! But yes, I would recommend.
Nice to hear you’ve had good luck with washing. That’s really important with cottons.
I was a first time customer and I wasn’t really happy with the material compared to the picture my material was washed out and faded looking so I’m not sur if I’m going to order again
I agree. Ours looks very washed out compared to the photos. We’re pretty disappointed.
I recently ordered a print on the cotton sateen. It was a nice substantial cotton. Not as much sheen as I expected from a sateen, but definitely heavier and smoother than the regular cotton. The colors were nicely vibrant on it, also. The pattern I ordered was Pastel Sky Lolita Violin if you are interested, and the colors appeared true to the picture.
Oh, that is good to know. I’ve wondered about their sateen. Thanks for sharing!
Did you ever consider trying your hand at printing your own? Using screens or stencils for example? That could be fun…
Nope. Not interested in fabric painting at all. I’m not a painter. I’m a sewing engineer! 😉
It’s nice to find this post – I recently tried a red-based print from Spoonflower, and it also was too light for my purposes. I was able to return it (!) which is impressive service, but thank you for talking about it. I appreciate the earlier comment that it might be cotton-related, and that over-saturation might help.
I hadn’t even thought of returning it! And yes, I’d agree it’s the cotton because my poly samples have been nice and bright.
Hi, there, Jennifer. I’ve been using Spoonflower for many years for my textile work (although to be fair not for my clothing construction projects). For a brief time they actually printed in silk, which was great, but discontinued that, so booo. I always print a color test fat quarter because color is so finicky, but I’ve had great results from their cottons! Many of the pieces on my website do use Spoonflower-printed yardage. Love your blog!
Fun projects you have! And wow – wish they still had a silk option. But I understand that they discontinued. Thanks for adding to the discussion!
I have placed some orders on Spoonflower using my original designs. I’ve ordered a variety of cotton fabrics, and for someone else a silk. The service was always in line with their estimated delivery. In order to get the most vibrant colors I had to over-saturate the file I sent to Spoonflower. I think it’s a cotton-thing. Also I’d be careful about the very dark prints like the green/black apron as they can be susceptible to abrasion issues in the wash. It was well worth it to me to order the fabric swatch set to get a sense of the hand of the fabrics – the (now retired) cotton that I ordered was stiffer than I expected but as you say it may relate to a heavy application of color. Overall I think the organic cotton sateen was an excellent choice if you want cotton as it has a nice hand while showing the colors to good advantage. Submitting my own designs was easy – something like the stripe you wanted would not be hard to do yourself.
I’m really curious about the sateen. I think it may be a great choice in future projects (if/when I need it with a custom print). And, I’m not really a designer and know little about creating my own design file to upload. I have a few ideas but NO knowledge on how to execute. So I’ll continue to support others in that area. 🙂