Printing Fabric Labels with Spoonflower

July 2012 - See my 6 month follow up here

Spoonflower is so hot right now in the home sewing world; and with good reason! Where else can you get your own design printed onto small quantities of fabric for a reasonable price?  I'm not sure if you've ever looked into having labels made, but it is expensive. You have to get a minimum quantity and you are typically limited in the font and colours. But using Spoonflower, I've got at least 500 hundred labels, all for only $25.

I didn't want to use the name 'thingsforboys' on the labels, as I thought it would look a bit funny on a dress, so I went with 'Autumn Street'. The name is dear to my heart and I have hubby to thank for suggesting to use it.

If you're not into making your own labels, it's still a pretty place to waste some time instead of doing the dishes or going to bed. There are so many cute designs and it really makes you realise how many talented people there are out there.

I have seen quite a few people blogging about this, but I've decided to do mine a little different/better. I have printed my labels on the bias so that I don't have to fold over the edges on the little labels and burn my fingers with the iron in the process. Because they're cut out on the bias, the edges don't fray and the labels don't fall off. See how the labels are holding up after 6 months here.




Here's how to make your labels on the bias:

Make your label, leaving a bit of white space on all sides so that you still have the option to fold over the edges. I recommend adding a light coloured border around the edges to use as a guide when cutting them up.

Once you've got a single label copy and paste it 4 times, lining them up in a grid. Copy and paste the block to make a bigger block. Repeat this many, many, many times to make up a large block of labels.

If you're using Photoshop, you can follow this clever little step by step on the Spoonflower blog to use your single image as a tile to fill your space. I wish I had read this before I did mine, but anyway...

To fill 1 yard of fabric from Spoonflower, you need to make your image 60 inches by 60 inches and at least 150 dpi. I used 300 dpi and the resolution on the printed labels is great. Once it's full, rotate it 45°. You'll now have a diamond of labels in the middle of a white square. Crop your canvas size down to 42 inches wide, and 36 inches tall and it should be full of labels. This is the exact size you need for one yard of fabric.

Now save it and upload it to Spoonflower to make your labels. The only tip I have is to make sure that you set the correct dpi so that your labels come out the right size.

The hardest part is waiting for your fabric to arrive. Then you can go crazy and label anything and everything you've ever made.