Spoonflower Petal Signature Cotton project ideas

Spoonflower is a print on demand textile and wallpaper manufacturer. Makers can shop for designs by independent artists from around the world and order the exact amount of fabric that they need. The choice of pattern and color available is staggering. For sewists, this creates a unique opportunity to customize their projects. 

In this post, I will share some tips and tricks I learned while sewing with Spoonflower Petal Signature cotton as well as share project ideas from other makers. 

Petal Signature Cotton is Spoonflower’s best-selling, every day-use 100% cotton woven fabric and it’s a great place to start if you are new to print on demand textiles. Makers use it for quilting, crafts, bags, costuming and apparel. With vivid, crisp color, it is a great choice for showcasing detailed designs.
Designs are printed on one side of the fabric using eco-friendly, water-based inks. This quilting-weight cotton is color fast, and machine washable. (*tip: to avoid fraying, stay stitch 1/4″ from the cut edge before pre-washing fabric) Petal Signature Cotton is sturdier than a batik weight cotton, suitable for projects that require more structure than drape.

Home sewists can use domestic machines, sergers or longarm machines to work with Petal Signature Cotton. Cut pattern pieces hold their shape as you work, making it a good choice for projects that have lots of curves, or small pieces. It is suitable for hand-embroidery but, for hand-stitching through layered quilts, I would recommend choosing Spoonflower Cotton Poplin instead.

Bags, Purses and Zips

For projects that require more structure, like bags and wallets, use a woven, fusible interfacing to re-enforce the Petal Signature Cotton.

The Nasyow Pouch

This Nasyow Pouch is a free, beginner-friendly sewing pattern by Country Cow Designs. This project is sewn with 1 fat quarter of my Halo Floral Nyon design on Petal Signature Cotton. I fused a layer of medium weight woven interfacing to the exterior pattern pieces before sewing, but for a crisper finish you can use a non-woven interfacing. I used a single layer of Petal Signature Cotton remnants for the lining and zipper tabs. The hidden interior seams on this zipper pouch are finished with a zigzag stitch, and the topstitching can be done with a standard presser foot, or a zipper foot. 

The Sunshine Crossbody

The Sunshine Crossbody is a free beginner-friendly pattern from Bagstock Designs. Jess at OklaRoots has video tutorials for a couple of different variations of this pattern.

MeMaw Made it Creations used one fat quarter of my Floral Toile design coordinated with one fat quarter of Cinnamon Essex yarn-dyed linen for the exterior of this petite crossbody. Judi often lines her bags with waterproof canvas because it is sturdy and easy to clean. She recommends to always pre-wash your cotton fabrics before sewing.

‘For projects that need more structure, I’ve found that the darker colors make the petal cotton very sturdy, compared to lighter designs.’ Judi Niermann

Totes

Cyndi Funkhouser of Belle Originals stitched this Sunshine and Rainbows Tote and coordinating wallet with Scrapbook Suns by Anzela Simcock. Petal Signature Cotton is a great choice for makers who love to play with color and bold patterns.

The Teloujay 3.0 Crossbody Bag

Judi Niermann of MeMaw Made it Creations paired Petal Cotton with charcoal cork, water resistant canvas and batik for this Teloujay. She recommends interfacing the cotton with an sf101 or equivalent. The design is Just Jellies by Kate Rhees.

‘I love this crossbody! Clever design with a wraparound slip pocket and open wide zipper.’ – Judi

Apparel

If you are using Petal Signature to sew apparel, choose patterns that have some ease to the fit. This woven fabric has some give, but no stretch.

Wrap Dress

A wrap dress is a great choice for woven fabrics. Here I used two yards of my Trillium in the Woods design to sew a summer dress. This vintage 1950s McCall’s 1921 pattern has two ties that button at the back and is easy to adjust for fit. I cut the selvage off the printed yardage of cotton and used it to make my own bias tape for the binding. Petal Signature Cotton is sturdy and opaque enough to not require any lining.

** McCall’s later made an adult version of this pattern McCall’s 1948

Button Up Shirt

I made this button up blouse from 2 yards of my Halo Floral Bloodstone design. The Today’s Fit V7903 pattern offers suggestions for when to stop and check the fit of your garment so that you can make adjustments as you’re sewing. Petal Signature Cotton, with its stability and structure, is a good choice for shirts with this type of collar band and turned back cuff detailing.

Quilts and Quilted Projects

I cannot write about quilting with Spoonflower fabrics without mentioning cheater quilts. A cheater quilt is a panel of fabric with printed squares of different designs. You can design your own quilt top by creating a collection on Spoonflower, and then dragging and dropping the designs into a user-friendly template. Here is how to get started: Spoonflower Fill-A-Yard

Brittany Lane Allen designed and sewed this quilt using her Whimsical Autumn Collection. Here’s how:

‘You can make a cheater quilt from any collection of patterns from Spoonflower, or create your own collection from your favorite designs and have something entirely custom! Add everything you want to include, even solids, into a collection. Then open the collection and click the button that says “Start Designing”. It’s pretty easy from there.‘

A self-drafted quilted book bag by Jennifer Brajcich using Sempervivum Tectorum Succulent Watercolor and Tulip Art Nouveau Very Peri

Mini Makes and Stash Busters

I keep scraps of fabric in a drawer, within reach of my junior design assistant, for days when there is a need for her to make a new tutu for our Australian Shepherd or add some home decor to her dollhouse. But having a ready stash of fabrics, is handy for all kinds of quick little makes. Here are some project ideas for using up your Petal Signature Cotton remnants.

Cece Bradshaw uses colorful florals and stripes by The Artwerks to sew gorgeous coffee sleeves. (And if you have been hearing the buzz about dopamine style – Melissa’s signature florals are the definition)