Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Ah, I can already smell the cinnamon spice in the air! It’s time to snuggle up in your favorite quilt and grab a hot cup of tea, and enjoy a nice Netflix holiday movie! This is my favorite time of year to sew (who isn’t, right?) to sew several small projects in order to make plenty for myself and my loved ones. I’ve noticed that mug rugs are all over the internet and I can totally see why because it checks all the boxes of what I’m looking forward to sewing! 

If you have never heard of a mug rug before, it’s a quilted mat that combines a coaster and a placemat to hold your drinks and a snack. The perfect 2-in-1 project that I knew I had to make a unique tutorial for all of you to recreate. 

Let’s get started:

I used some nice warm tones for the fall season and used collections like Sharon Holland’s Kismet, our Sparkler Fusion, and Luna & Laurel collection, with a mix of blender fabrics such as our Floral Elements and Pure Solids. 

You will need Fat Eighths for all fabrics.

Four (4) 2’’ squares from fabric A.

Two (2) 2’’ squares from fabric B.

Three (3) 2’’ squares from fabric C.

Three (3) 2’’ squares from fabric D.

Three (3) 2’’ squares from fabric E.

One (1) 7’’ x 8’’ rectangle from fabric F.

One (1) 11 1/2’’ x 8’’ rectangle from fabric F.

One (1) coffee template from fabric G. 

Join fabrics A, B, C, D, and E squares following the diagrams below.

Take one (1) 7’’ x 8’’ rectangle from fabric F and the assembled piece and join them.

Take a batting piece and quilt as desired.

Take the Coffee Template and place it on top of fabric F. Place it about 1’’ from the left side and about 1 ½’’ from the bottom.

Place steam-a-seam on the coffee template and iron it so it sticks on the mug rug.

Topstitch all around to secure it.

To create the smoke on top of the coffee, use the free motion quilting or hand stitch if you prefer.

Take the backing fabric and place it right sides together. 

Sew all four sides leaving about 3’’-4’’ of opening to flip the piece inside out.

Clip your corners, flip your piece inside out, press your piece and close the opening. 

And you are done! Enjoy cutting up some squares, appliqueing, and quilting this sweet project! Let me know if you recreate your own version of this by tagging us on social media using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics, we would love to see it! Also, in the comments below let me know your go-to holiday movie that you'll be enjoying this mug rug on. 

Until next time, 

Happy sewing! 

-Jannelle 

By being a creative person by nature, I will always have a deeper appreciation for art! Textile designs are unique in the way that you can feel the fabric, feel inspired, and manipulate it to transform into something even more beautiful! Every time a new collection is released, I’m thrilled to be one of the first ones to see the fabric because I instantly think of all the patchwork projects that can be created with it. This time around, when I saw Bonnie Christine’s latest collection, Wild forgotten, its wondrous prints and earthy colors made me instantly swoon. 

This collection has a special story that Bonnie shared with us, as it started when several words from the natural world like “doe” & “dandelion” were removed from the dictionary to make room for our children’s new vocabulary,  like Broadband, chat-room, and blog. With limited space, a children's dictionary can only represent the words most commonly used by our youth.⁣ This collection keeps these wild words alive and help our children remember the Wild once Forgotten.

This collection is available in 16 quilting cotton prints, and if you take a look at every print there is a word or illustration that represents the “forgotten” words.  In a special interview with Bonnie, she mentions that her favorite print is “Remember” as it contained the remains of the words that she couldn’t illustrate, so she incorporated them as handwritten words like a “dictionary on fabric.” She felt like this was the cherry on top of the collection as children can point to the words and learn what each of them is! 

*Canvas print in Bluebells and Buttercups Lark

*Flannel prints in Bluebells and Buttercups Lark & Dandelion Doe Parsnip 

*Knit prints in Bluebells and Buttercups Lark & Beaver and Bloom Peach

*Rayon print in Vine Starling 

The most exciting part of this collection is the number of substrates offered! There are  2 knits, 1 rayon, 1 canvas, and 2 flannel prints that are ideal for any craft. Meaning that each substrate has the versatility to do whatever you want it to do, if you want something breathable for the transitioning of the seasons, the rayon would be a perfect choice. Want to make warmer apparel? Then the knit and flannel substrates are a great go-to as they are extremely soft and cozy. Need something sturdy yet soft? Have fun with our canvas print that can be used for upholstery, cushions, tote bags- you name it!

Add to your patchwork projects by combining Wild Forgotten with these matching AGF Elements:

Decostitch Elements in Red Desert.

Floral Elements in Mocha & Green Wood. 

Pure Solids in Honey, Patina Green, Dried Moss, Forest Night, Blossomed, Terracotta Tile, Georgia Peach, Gingerbread, and English Toffee.

Bring these prints to life with our “Nature Stroll” free quilt pattern linked below that’s filled with hexagon shapes that can be easily sewed together by one simple template! 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

Flip through the pages of our “Wild Forgotten Fabric Lookbook” that’s filled with tons of patchwork projects ideas that showcase all these fabrics from quilts to home decor, and even apparel.

While you’re here, check out our Let’s Talk Fabric video! 

• See Wild Forgotten fabrics in action
• Discover captivating projects
• Watch exclusive behind the scenes
• Take a closer look at prints & scale

Stay on the lookout for the giveaway hosted on our Instagram page, it’ll be a very special one! If you’re not following us there yet, I encourage you to stick around as we will continue to show tons of projects and fabric inspiration through the week with Wild Forgotten fabrics! We’d love to see what you make too, so make sure to tag us on social media and use the hashtag #AGFWildForgotten. Until next time...

Happy sewing! 

  -Jannelle

Hi, Makers! 

The holidays are around the corner and it’s that time of the year where we makers really shine! Today, I would love to talk about something a little different, deeper than just sewing, and it’s about the wonderful gift of giving. What it really means to make something with your heart and hands and give them to the people you love and appreciate. Last year was a very difficult one, due to the pandemic affecting every one of us. Most of us couldn’t spend holidays at home with our families as some are sick and hospitalized. Making us think, how can we make them feel better? How can we bring them warmth? With these gifts, we can bring joy to the people in hospitals, and this gesture will certainly make them feel appreciated, especially in this holiday season, where we focus on making projects from the heart. I knew we had to come together and give them something made with love to brighten their days, decorate their room, and make them feel loved and optimistic.

During the height of rough times, I am amazed at what the sewing community can do together! This wonderful community always stepped up to the plate to help when it was needed, making masks, collaborating, and making things with what they already had in hand. Makers truly support each other, as we know the amount of love that goes into all our projects. With this in mind, I am so excited to announce that here at  AGF we invite you to an event of giving back, and to join us in creating handmade gifts for those in need.

Starting today, I encourage you to use your healing hands to make something beautiful and share it with us using the hashtag #AGFGiftofGiving on all social media platforms! Share the joy of giving something handmade, and creating something with your own hands with fabrics and tools that you already may have. Time to dig through your fabric scraps, take out those UFOs, and finally transform them into something with a purpose. As you posting your projects will help spread the word, we also plan on sharing the love every week until the end of the year and sharing your posts.

Please feel free to share every project with us whether it’s big or small! Here are some suggestions that you can make: toiletry pouches, napkins, garlands, table toppers, coasters, fabric trees, stockings, ornaments, mug rugs, lumbar pillows, neck pillows, bowl cozies, whole cloth blankets, and pillows. 

Those are just some ideas from the top of my head that I believe would be ideal for someone in the hospital, things that can be displayed in their rooms like a cozy pillow on the guest chair, a garland to hang on their hospital bed, a table runner to place over their bedside table, and pretty little coasters or mug rugs for their beverages. Please let me know some project ideas in the comments below all of your suggestions to help all of us makers.

At the end of the year, I will gather a lot of the projects that you share with us online and post about them again so don’t forget to tag and tell us your story. Of course, this event doesn’t have to end here because the gift of giving is forever! I encourage you to continue sharing your projects under the hashtag as we will also do that same. 

We can’t wait to join you on this amazing journey and to help us make a difference this holiday season.

Thank you for your kinds hearts, 

-Jannelle