My First Spoonflower Challenge – A Milestone Worth Celebrating

When I submitted my first-ever design to a Spoonflower Challenge, I had one simple intention: to explore. I didn’t enter to win, I entered to understand the platform, stretch my creativity, and step into a new world of surface design with curiosity and courage.

The theme was Toile de Jouy. I took my time creating the repeating scenes, checking the historical context, and crafting a story in pattern form. And then, with my heart pounding a little, I hit “submit.”

🥁 I placed #623 out of 772 entries

👏 That means I ranked higher than 149 designers, and this was my first official Spoonflower challenge. A milestone in my journey that has evolved from designing customized cushions with fulfillment partners to now building full pattern collections from scratch.

Yes, I had a small moment of “what if” when I saw that over 50 people had favorited my entry. I couldn’t help but wonder: if they voted too, would I have climbed higher? But I didn’t dwell on it. Because honestly,

This is a win.

Not all favorites turn into votes. And that’s okay.

• You need to design for the Spoonflower audience, not just your personal taste.

• The top 10 had clear trends they embraced whimsy, minimal detail, and high contrast.

• Community visibility matters. This is a long game, and I’m just getting started.

This wasn’t just about a rank, it was about showing up.

• I submitted my work publicly.

• I learned the platform mechanics.

• I created a Toile pattern from scratch.

• I began collecting data to improve with every challenge.

• I created a full collection based on this challenge, expanding the idea beyond just one pattern.

I already submitted my second entry, this time for the Palm Springs Retro challenge. I took the lessons from round one and built a more playful, mid-century-inspired design. No matter how it places, I’m growing. And I’m proud of that.

This journey is about building momentum, not chasing perfection.

I’ll end with a reminder to my fellow artists:

Let yourself be a beginner. Let yourself explore. And never let numbers define your worth.