Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

What’s your style? Are you a more is more kinda person or do you prefer modern, simple designs? Or maybe somewhere in between? I think my style falls somewhere in-between. I like simple designs mixed with gorgeous busy prints like the prints found in Bari J’s new fabric collection called Bloomsbury!

Are you a fan of Barj’s signature painterly florals? I seriously can’t get enough! Her prints come to life brushstroke after brushstroke to give us the most stunning fabrics to sew with! Today I want to share the next block I made for the #AGFQuiltBlockCollection called the “Prized Possession” block! With a mix of AGF PURE SOLIDS and yummy floral prints, this block is a jaw dropper! I love how feminine, elegant and sophisticated Bari’s prints make you feel!

To sew up this block I used the eight at a time and four at a time method to make my Half Square Triangles and I also used the corner square triangle method to create the other units in this block. All in all, it was a pretty quick make and it’s fussy cut center brings it to another level. I can’t wait to play around more with the “Day Chatter” print because these birds are just way too gorgeous!

To make the “ Prized Possession” block make sure to watch the video below!

Happy Sewing,

Meli

For our latest collection, we're transporting back in time to the early 1900s in London, England. In the west end of the city, lies a district called "Bloomsbury" that was (and still is) a fashionable residential area where various intellectual and cultural events took place. During the turn of the century, a group of artists and writers gathered in this district and called themselves "The Bloomsbury Group." English writer Virginia Woolf was one of the most notable members of this group. The other members included Leonard Woolf, Vanessa Bell, E.M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, Roger Fry, Clive Bell, John Maynard Keynes, Duncan Grant and Desmond McCarthy. They were famous for being one of the first literary groups that supported women in the arts as well as many other social issues. 

Our designer Bari J. has a great affinity for this unique time in history as well as the city of London, so she decided that with her latest collection "BLOOMSBURY" to draw her inspiration from this exact time and place! Imagining a world that would surround luminaries like Virginia Woolf, Bari brings to life an English garden that would be nestled within the Bloomsbury district that's filled with gorgeous, painterly blooms, songbirds, and lush foliage.

With 15 quilting cotton prints, these are such pretty fabrics to create luxe-filled quilts, throw pillows, rugs, gorgeous maxi dresses for outdoor weddings, and even fun accessories like make-up bags and market totes. 

Besides our quilting cotton, Bloomsbury also comes in several different substrates, so you have tons of options to pick from! For this collection, there's four knits that come in several different floral prints, color, and scale!

It also comes in a gorgeous rayon that's filled with jewel tones and pretty florals for dresses, skirts, kimonos, hair scarves or even cute, button-up blouses. 

Here's the canvas option that's not only great to use for home decor but you can also use in garments or accessory-making too! 

..and last but not least, "Bloomsbury" comes in a cotton panel that can be used as quilt borders, backings, tablecloths, skirts or dresses!

For more ideas of what to sew with this collection, check out our "Bloomsbury Fabric Lookbook!

Download Quilt Pattern

-Bloomsbury Giveaway-

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Hello Makers,

Glad to report that I am back on the sewing machine! This time, I decided to tackle a simpler project, an actual beginner-friendly project and with some help from the trusty sewing wizard, Meli. I really wanted to make a pillow this time with an easier block from the #AGFquiltblockcollection, and I landed on the Linking Block tutorial, which was perfect for someone like me that just started sewing. Learning from my first block that I did, I choose fabric prints that were harder to “mess up” on, so I didn’t have to worry about the way a print was facing, and fewer chances on me sewing on the wrong side (spoiler alert: still ended up doing, haha.) With my fabrics selected and tutorial on hand, I was ready to begin!

*Fabrics used: Pure Solids in White Linen and Night Sea, Squared Elements in Navy, Decostitch Elements in Reflection.

Going in on this project, I already started to enjoy it because of how easily you can customize the final look! I decided to make these big decorative pillows, so I added 4” inches extra on the fabric requirements for a final size of 18”. The second greatest thing about this tutorial is that you will have cut out double pieces, so you have enough fabric to make 2 pillows!

As I was cutting the pieces for the pillow, I already realized how much more relaxed I was doing it, my pieces were coming out more precise. Putting the HST’s were getting easier as I learned from the first time, there really isn’t too many pins when it comes to sewing your pieces together!

Before you know it, I finished my pillow top! As I showed the girls at the studio my progress, they asked me the forbidden question… “Why don’t you quilt it?” I just started sewing, am I ready to start quilting?! After some encouraging words from the girls, one thing led to another, and I was ready with some backing and batting! I made sure my seams were all going the same direction so the top was laying flatter against the batting than I started pinning away.

The moment of truth, I decided not to get crazy and begun with quilting straight lines that were supposed to be even but as you can see in the pictures, that’s not what happened. I mistakenly moved the needle all the way to the right, so when I was alternating sides, it would be closer to the line I sewed previously. I embraced my mistakes and I went on with that look, which I ended up really enjoying! Luckily, I gave myself a lot of room on the edge of the pillow top to have one continuous quilting line.

Ladies and Gents, we made it! The first time quilting something and I am pretty happy with it. My corners aren’t matching exactly but I would say it’s still an improvement from my first block.

With the leftover HST pieces, I made a second pillow and played with the design to make a totally different look. I even gained some confidence and I quilted the second one with a square motif in mind. I learned a new sewing technique when I arrived at the end of quilting my swirl, where I would raise the needle, grab the thread and transfer it to the other side and tie it off with the bottom thread.

Here are the final results! This was a very fun project, I got to learn a bunch of new things, and just practice on my sewing skills. Even for the back part of the pillow, I did some first-time topstitching! Still making mistakes, but I am getting better on this sewing journey and I plan on sharing all of it right here on the blog. Here are some quick takeaways:

1. First time quilting- give yourself a lot of overhang with the batting.
2. Use the diagonal on the ruler!! I will make the world of the difference on squaring your pieces.
3. FEED your machine- sometimes as I was quilting, the stitches were shorter than other because I was not helping the sewing machine guide through.
4. Make sure the right sides are together when sewing the pieces together.
5. Pin closer to your seams, I was afraid at first but it's crucial for your fabric not to move
6. Start with basic prints, our Pure Solids have no wrong side which made this process easier.
7. Embrace your quilting mistakes!

That’s it, for now, my quilty friends, thank you for those who commented on my last post, your encouraging words made me want to keep this going! These would be great beginner pillows to make for Father’s Day as well, for anyone looking for a project. If you are new at sewing it would probably take you all day, but handmade gifts are always worth it. Don’t forget to embrace your mistakes, I believe they make gifts, extra-special. But of course, any tips or advice are always appreciated in the comments below!

‘Till next time,

Jannelle