Spoonflower Organic Cotton Knit Project Ideas

This 100 percent organic cotton knit fabric offers a medium weight interlock construction that is incredibly soft with a smooth hand and a natural 2-way stretch. This custom printed material has been a longtime favorite among makers who want playful patterns on cozy clothing and accessories. Made with eco-friendly cotton, it is just right for kids’ clothing, as well as casual lounge wear, dresses and shirts for adults. Because it doesn’t fray, it’s also ideal for no-sew reusable ‘paper’ towel sets. This light-weight material can also be used for baby blankets, changing pads, coverings, and much more!

Handmade Gifts for New Arrivals

Wrap Bodysuit Onesie

Barbara Brun of Rhabarbara Design used Spoonflower Organic Cotton Knit and Cotton Spandex Jersey to sew Brindille & Twig’s Wrap Bodysuit. She combined color coordinated designs from the Retro Christmas 2022 Color Collaboration. Using her own designs Retro Christmas Argyle, Retro Christmas Stars and Binding Betty Retro, alongside Retro Christmas Stripes by Salted Vinegar Studios, Cute Holiday Sheep by Sanne Paul, and my Starflower Geo SeaGlass.

Sewists love this beginner friendly pattern, praising the clear instructions and the fit. It is a good choice to sew for infants in NICU because wrap style garments can be easier to fit comfortably around medical tubes. Brindle and Twig recommends using a soft cotton knit for the body, with a stretchy jersey knit for the binding.

‘I do love the Organic Cotton Knit for bindings. It is by far my favourite fabric for this purpose: No rolling in on the edges as opposed to spandex jersey. The slightly higher weight makes it easier to handle, too.‘

-Barbara

Two-sided baby blanket

Brenda Zapotosky created this two-sided baby blanket with two half yards of Organic Cotton Knit. She chose the Fill-A-Yard option on Spoonflower (vertical split) with her designs Alphabet Fun and Offset Rectangles

‘I know that the organic cotton knit is popular with small business makers, in particular, and I can see why.  It washes up to feel plush and soft and it is nice to have an organic cotton especially with kids’ clothes!  It does not have any spandex in it, so keep that in mind, especially in terms of stretch and recovery.  I sew a lot of clothing and I would not choose this for most apparel for myself for those reasons.  I think it would make really nice pajama bottoms if you paired it with some cotton/spandex for the waistband. (Or treated it like a woven with a full cased elastic band.)  For a looser sweatshirt style garment, it would be nice too, but again, I would pair it with something with a spandex content for the neck, wrist and waist bands. I have used it for scarves and other accessories, but I love it for this two-sided baby blanket.‘ -Brenda

Apparel

The Anything but Basic Children’s Tee

This free sewing pattern, the ABB TEE, was created for beginners and includes tutorials on adjusting the fit. It has front pocket and long-sleeved options.

Ludmila Linhartova, DJV Studio used 1 yard of her Neon Celestial Nightengale to sew this easy kids Tee-Shirt. (check out Ludmila’s Neon Psychedelic Greenhouse collection)

‘Organic cotton knit is a nice and very comfy fabric with just a little bit of stretch. It is worth taking the time to wash it properly before cutting, as there is a significant shrinkage.’ -Ludmila

Cozy long-sleeved T

A self-drafted, long-sleeved top sewn by Jennifer Brajcich with WestCoast Dahlia Garden

Jennifer’s notes:

‘The organic cotton knit is luscious and sews beautifully. Because it is a 2-way stretch knit without lycra, it may stretch a little when sewing or wearing, but it recovers in the dryer. When sewing this fabric with a straight stitch, tension the fabric lightly, but avoid tugging it through your machine.’