Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Happy Friday, makers! 

The weekend is almost here and if you haven’t already, this is a friendly reminder to take a moment and breathe. Life can get a little crazy sometimes, and I believe it’s really important to find time for yourself and have some quality time with your sewing machine. Today, I’m excited to show you something new on the table, that brings me right into my happy place- low volume fabrics. If you’re not sure what that is, let me explain… they are usually white, cream, neutral fabrics that have subtle designs. You may have seen some before, but you’ve never seen Soften The Volume fabrics, a collection giving low volume prints a whole new twist with warm and cozy caramel tones! 

*Available in 10 quilting cotton prints

Modern prints meet sophisticated neutrals, where every individual print has a unique pattern! These fabrics are extremely versatile and beginner-friendly because it takes out all the thinking from deciding on what prints you should pick, as they all work together. 

Immediately when I saw this collection, it provoked a feeling that is easier to put in pictures than into words. Above, I made a mood board and tried to grasp some pictures that made me feel as cozy, and warm as the fabrics did. As a fabric lover, I’m sure you encountered some lovely fabric bundles on Instagram and instantly thought, “This quilt pattern would be perfect for this bundle!” or “These fabrics would be a beautiful addition to my home!” and for me, I thought of both when I saw this collection, haha! There is nothing in the world that makes your house feel like home like handmade items. I want to surround myself with calming neutral colors, soft textures from all kinds of patchwork projects that I can make with this collection. Also, if you are like me, I need to visually see how a project will turn out to start, so I hope you find this mood board helpful, to allow you to visualize what these fabrics can look like in your home. 

*Featuring prints: Sashiko Mending, Petal Trellis, and Brushed Fibers.

I wanted to show you a close-up of these fabrics too because that’s part of the magic! Together, the prints blend seamlessly, making your projects come together, but once you step a little closer, you’ll see all the beautiful details. Enjoy these fabrics with other bright collections too because they serve as great blenders which allow your other prints to stand out! 

If you’re looking to add more texture or you have a couple of AGF Elements (blenders) in your stash that you’d like to incorporate, check out these picks: 

*Featuring AGF Denim in Nectarine sunrise and adobe clay, Floral Elements in Khaki, or the Decostich Element in Cafe Latte.  

More matching Elements not pictured:

PURE Solids: Creme da la Creme, Sandstone, Vanilla Custard, Toasty Walnut, Gentle Feather, and Mink.

Decostitch Elements: Cloud

Floral Elements: Winter Wheat & Sand

Nature Elements: Natural 

Discover more sewing inspiration in our Soften The Volume Fabric Lookbook, linked below!

Experience our latest collection, Soften The Volume, as if the fabrics were right in front of you in our YouTube segment “Let’s Talk Fabric”! Featuring close-ups of every print like if you had the fabrics in your hands, on your sewing table, taking in all the beautiful details of this collection. Find tons of projects that you can create in this video from comfy eye-masks, sweet home-decor, and more. Just click play, relax, and prepare to be inspired! 

Enjoy creating our “Woven Rattan” free quilt pattern below that will transport your favorite cozy room in your home while reading a book by a freshly lit candle!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Get your hands on this essential collection and enter for a chance to win a Fat Quarter bundle of  Soften The Volume by CLICKING HERE! It’s so simple to enter, all you need is an email that you can fill in. The giveaway ends on Friday, March 12, and the winner will be emailed and announced right here on the blog. 

Please reply within 7 days to claim your prize (check your email on March 12!) If we don’t receive a reply, we will have to choose another winner as we’d like to be fair with all participants, and pass the opportunity to another contestant. Thank you! 

If you have this collection and you want to share your creations, make sure to tag us on social media and use the hashtag #AGFSoftenTheVolume, so we can share the love! I hope you get the chance to take a breather and enjoy your sewing session. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me, and let me know what you’re looking forward to sewing with this collection in the comments below. 

Until next time,

Happy Sewing!

-Jannelle 

Hello my fellow makers!

Today we will talk about the Flat Felled Seam, a seam that lays flat on the right and wrong sides of your project. It is famously known for its strength and beauty. You can find it in your daily life on the sides of your jeans, in men’s shirts, and even in outdoor gear like camping tents. Also, you can find it in a more sacred place like the Pojagi patchwork, a Korean artform that uses improvisational piecing joined by hand sewn flat felled seams. Pojagi pieces are used to wrap special presents, protect sacred writings, and even carry important possessions on a journey. Depending on the size it could be used as a table cloth or a curtain. Wrapping a gift in a Pojagi piece communicates respect towards the object and good will towards the recipient.

I decided to make a 24” x 24” machine sewn Pojagi inspired piece using Pure Solids, Floral Elements, Deco Stitch Elements, and Rayon. I love that it looks like stained glass in front of my window, and how it changes colors depending on how the light hits it as the sun moves during the day. The funniest part is that subconsciously I chose the colors that perfectly match Kobi, my furry assistant.

Pojagi Inspired Piece & Kobi

Top Left Corner

Bottom Right Corner

Whole Piece

Lets begin:

• Lay your pieces flat on the table:

• Align them wrong sides together and stitch at ⅝” from the edge:

• Trim one seam allowance (fabric B) to ¼” from the stitched line:

• Open your fabric and press the seam allowances towards fabric A:

• Fold and press the seam allowance from fabric A (⅝”) towards the stitch line covering the seam allowance from fabric B:

• Press the seam allowances towards fabric B:

• Edge-stitch the seam allowance in place:

• The wrong side of your seam should look like this:

Here I am sharing with you one last picture but this time is not with my furry assistant, but with the boss of the house who seems to approve and like my project ;) Once again my piece also matches my daughter's PJs. It seems we have a color trend in this house, now that I think about it my husband has red hair, but he wouldn't pose for my post lol.

Get on the Flat Felled Seam making bandwagon! Whether it is making cool jeans or exploring your Pojagi improvisational abilities. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please share your thoughts with me!

Laucara

Hello Makers, 

Are you staying warm? With Minnesota reaching well into the negative degrees Fahrenheit, having to go outside is chilling to the bone. Anytime it's winter, I always take the opportunity to use Art Gallery Fabrics substrates, because they are just the best to sew with. While I was looking through my fabric stash, I saw these lovely rayon prints in “Manhattan’s Foliage” by Bari J., “Honey”, and “Soleil Stripes” that I had to use! I was inspired by all the puffy accessories being created that I thought it would be a great idea to create my own version of a puffy scarf. This luxurious substrate is super soft against the skin yet durable and perfect for creating accessories and apparel!

With an amazing drape, incredible colors, and prints to choose from, the hardest part will be choosing a favorite. I couldn't just choose one either, so I choose to use up all of the rayon I had to make one for myself, my sister, and her husband! 

I am so happy about the end result! There were people walking by us while filming asking about where we got our scarves from, and what a good feeling it was to say that it was HANDMADE! This puffy scarf is super easy to make, and you'll have fun sewing it. 

Here are the materials Needed: 

-One Yard of Art Gallery Fabrics Rayon

-Poly-fil 

-Woven Interfacing

-Matching Thread

 Enjoy my video tutorial below, and if you have any questions, please let them in the comments below.

Happy Sewing, 

Melissa