Do-It-Yourself Design Made Easier!

image by Anika Hannah If you're a design hound like me, you have distinct pictures in your mind of exactly what you want for your home. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find designers with the same picture in their minds. But suppose you could design your own custom fabric for your bed covers, your throw pillows, or even your own clothing, and have that fabric printed for you at a very reasonable price?

That's what Spoonflower does. You create your fabric design and upload it to Spoonflower. The company will print your design on 100 percent quilted-weight cotton and ship it to you. It costs you $18 per yard or, if you're a bit unsure how it will look in fabric, you can get swatches for $5.

If you are at all handy with a needle and thread, or the likes of a sewing machine, you can create totally original accessories for your own home and even a new wardrobe. If not, you can take the fabric to a professional to make (like I'm going to have to do).

Spoonflower has not even been open a year, but it's a big hit among crafters who are making all kinds of goodies and selling them on Etsy and Ebay and lots of other places, like Anika Hannah, whose design is shown above. The community looks like it's fun to join too. Every week Spoonflower has a contest for the best fabric and members get to vote on them.

If any readers have created fabric through Spoonflower, let us know your experience in the comments section below!