Our friends at Spoonflower have inspired us in the best way during this bout of social distancing. We were originally tasked to create a beautiful Mother’s Day party for some of my favorite mom friends, but, as you know, that would not be super responsible right now. Instead, we are sending the party to our moms and hosting an in-house party for this mother of one care of their beautiful fabric and a bit of crafting time on our hands. Because if you can’t throw a party for others, you definitely can throw a party for yourself!
And keep on reading for a special discount for Lars readers.
Materials:
My favorite Mother’s Day inspired Spoonflower patterns
I spent a good amount of time going through the Spoonflower Marketplace, which is thousands and thousands of independent artists and great designs. Yes, it took awhile, but I came upon some really beautiful options and had a hard time narrowing it down. I saved my favorites in this collection on their site. 
Which ones are your favorites???
There are a lot of good ones, right?! I was going for a springy, floraly vibe that also felt refined and could be used throughout the year. Here were some alternative options I was eyeing:
Citrus fabric tablecloth with Spoonflower
Ultimately, I ended up going for this Multi Citrus Grove Toile by Danika Herrick. It has the right touch of deGournay with its chinoiserie feel. Plus, I always love some good citrus–it makes everything feel instantly refreshing.
Custom Home Decor Options
Perhaps you remember when I redid my bedroom in all Spoonflower? Right–so not only can you order fabric by the yard, but you can order things for your home to be made in the fabric of your choice and it’s all sewn right here in the United States. For my bedroom it was the wallpaper, duvet, pillow cases, curtains, and this time around I ordered a tablecloth for the Party-For-Mom that I will be throwing. I paired it with this Indian print inspired marigold print by Andrea Lauren because I loved the contrast of the yellow to the blue in the main selection and decided to use them for the cloth napkins.
Visualizing the process
What I find useful in their new home decor option is the ability to see them on a variety of products. You can do that by selecting Home Decor in the “Also available in” section to view all of the different home decor products and then it automatically shows you how it will look.
And the marigold:
Because of that, I was able to visualize what it would really be like. And it was going to be GOOD!
Pattern on pattern advice:
Pairing a pattern on pattern can be tricky, but there are a few ways to make sure it works:
- Identify the colors of the palette. The first pattern I worked with has a lot going on but I drew out the main colors: blue, yellow, orange, and green.
- Along the same lines, draw out the colors that you’d like to highlight more. If there’s a color in the fabric that you don’t necessarily love, don’t highlight it! On the flipside, if you like a color more than another, bring that color out more.
- The two fabrics should be of different scale. The first pattern has a very large scale so I knew I needed to go smaller on the second.
Citrus tablescape
To go with our Mother’s Day party, we created a centerpiece of citrus–grapefruit, lemons, and oranges, to sit atop the tablecloth. We matched with with some yellow plates, blue bowls, and goblets to tie it in with our beautiful fabric. Plus the pretty chargers that add some depth. And a dash of flowers to keep it fresh!
Mother’s Day Care Packages
Because we are keeping friends and family at arm’s length right now, we have been brainstorming DIY ideas of how to share uplifting moments with our loved ones near and far. We decided to make a tote from Spoonflower’s Linen Cotton Canvas –it’s the perfect thing to fill up with goodies and send along to someone who needed a dose of joy. A handpicked, handmade gift for someone you love can be the best surprise!
To match the amazing fabric, we made our gift bag lemon themed! You know, the classic, “When life gives you lemons”. With everything life is throwing at us lately, let’s just say we have been making A LOT of metaphorical lemonade. We filled our gift bag with lots of lemon themed hand soap, lotion, candles, and more. Everything our loved ones need to make this extra hand washing fun!
When Life Hands you Lemons Care Package
Additionally, I wanted to create a care package to send along to my mom as Mother’s Day approaches. Social distancing could have interrupted the celebration of such a special holiday, but instead it turned into something that lets us show our love for our mothers in a new way. After turning the beautiful fabric from Spoonflower into a tote (the tutorial is now available in the Lars shop!), I wanted to fill it with goodies that were fun and practical. So, candy was a must (der!), as well as hand sanitizer and other necessities. Paul and Jasper joined in as well to create a tote-turned-gift-basket for Paul’s mom too to send to her in Denmark.
Follow these simple steps to make your own gift tote bag:
DIY Tote bag
(inspired by the famous Baggu tote!))
Materials:
- Your favorite Spoonflower canvas fabric!
- Matching thread
- Our tote bag pattern found here
- Sewing Machine
- Heavy duty needles
Instructions:
Step 1: Print off our tote bag template found here
Step 2: Cut your bag pieces out of the fabric using the pattern, making sure to note which part of the fabric you want to highlight on your bag and which direction it will face when complete
Step 3: Starting with the main bag piece — face right sides together
Step 4: Sew the sides with a single stitch (and finish off the edges with a zag zag stitch if desired)
Step 5: Pull the edges of the notched part of the cut fabric, on the bottom of the bag, together to form the flat bottom of the bag. Sew a single stitch straight across these edges you have pulled together
Step 6: Turn your main bag piece right side out to prep for future steps. Now to move on to the handle straps!
Step 7: Take one of the cut handle strap pieces and fold the long edges in a quarter of an inch. Use your fingernail to crease the canvas fabric fold well.
Step 8: Once both long sides are creased, fold the entire strap in half so both folded edges meet
Step 9: Pin and sew a single stitch down both long sides of the strap. This will flatten the strap and make both edges look the same.
Step 10: Repeat steps 7-9 for the second handle strap. Next for the shoulder strap!
Step 11: Repeat steps 7-9 for the shoulder strap — to repeat, crease in the long sides a quarter of an inch, then fold the entire strap in half so both folded edges meet. Sew a single stitch down both long edges of the shoulder strap.
Step 12: Now you will attach all straps to the main bag piece — to do this, make sure your bag piece turned right side out
Step 13: Position the handle straps in the center on the bag opening, on either side, facing down towards the bottom of the bag with the short edges aligned with the top opening edge of the bag. Pin them in place and sew them on.
Step 14: Attach an end of the shoulder strap piece to both edges of the bag, with the strap facing down just like you did with the handle straps, and sew them in place.
Step 15: All straps should now be sewn on the outside of the bag, facing downwards, so they when folded up inside the bag to face up the seam will not show. You are almost done!
Step 16: Take your facing pieces, on both pieces, crease one long edge in a quarter of an inch.
Step 17: Face both pieces right side together and sew both short edges
Step 18: Place the sewn facing pieces around the opening of the bag, over the edge of all the straps. Make sure the creased edge is facing down and the un-creased edge is aligned with the top opening edge of the bag.
Step 19: Sew a single stitch around the top opening edge of the bag, attached the facing pieces to the bag
Step 20: Turn the facing piece to the inside of the bag, making the straps fold upwards and the seams will all be hidden inside
Step 21: Turn the bag back inside out for the final step – Sew around the bottom creased edge of the facing pieces to keep that inside edge from fraying.
Step 22: Your bag is finished! Turn it back right side out to admire your work!
Send a Mother’s Day care package
What a wonderful way to send love when you can’t visit in person! Plus, who doesn’t love surprise presents in the mail? We think that, in lieu of a visit, sending gifts for Mother’s Day can be the next best thing! 
We’d love to see your Mother’s Day party-for-ones or care packages. Tag us with #LarsLovesMamas so we can see them!
Discount for Lars readers
Lars readers can get 15% off with code LARSTABLE15 for all Table Linens and Tea Towels.
This post is sponsored by Spoonflower, who we love for their many home decor and fabric options. We love working with sponsors who allow us to create awesome new content for you!