Hello Everyone!

Did you happen to see the cool LAG-OM appliqued t-shirt in our Lagom look-book?  For those curious about how we made the shirt I thought I would share the step-by-step process on how we did our applique.  The process is the same whether adding letters to a minimalist t-shirt or adding dinosaurs to a baby onesie (guess which one I’ll be making ;). 

Prepare your Pattern:

• Draw or print out your applique pattern. If you’re using multiple fabrics then each one will need its own pattern piece.  Where they overlap you’ll want to include a little extra on the piece that goes underneath so you don’t have to worry about perfectly aligning the pieces.  Since I free-hand drew my dinosaur pattern I cut apart the drawing according to the different fabrics I would use and then traced the pieces adding a little extra where needed, you could do the same digitally if you were using a computer graphic as a base for your applique. 

Fuse Your Design to Fabric:

• I used double-sided fusible web to stick the applique pieces to the knit fabric. Trace your pattern (printed side down, or your applique will be flipped) onto the paper-backed fusible web.  Cut loosely around the traced pieces, peel the other side of paper and stick to the corresponding fabric pieces.  Cut out the pattern piece.  If your fusible web is shifting on you while cutting press the fabric for just a second to tack it down a bit. 
• Arrange your pieces on your garment, overlapping as necessary and matching pieces. At this point the fusible web is tacky, but repositionable so tweak it until it’s perfect.  Sometimes it helps to mark the center of your fabric with disappearing marker to help you align the design.  When it’s where you want, cover with a damp press cloth and fuse. 

Stabilize the Fabric:

• You can choose between tear away stabilizers or use a cut-away stabilizer. I didn’t have any embroidery cut-away stabilizer on hand so I improvised and used a lightweight sew-in fusible interfacing as a stabilizer.  Cut it larger than the applique area and pin/ stick to the back of the fabric making sure all the applique area is covered.  Since the fabric we fused onto the knit is woven this will also stabilize the area.  Keep in mind that the area covered by the woven fabric will no longer have any stretch, so it's not necessary to use a stabilizer specifically for stretch fabrics (as when appliqueing knit to knit).

Stitch around the Design:

• There are several stitches to choose from: a satin stitch, a zig-zag stitch, a blanket stitch, a triple stitch, hand-stitching or free motion straight stitching. Choose your stitch based on the look you’d like.  For the bow-tie I wanted something to emphasize the shape of the tie so I used a classic satin stitch in a (a zig-zag stitch set at .5/2.5) in a contrasting color.  For the LAG-OM letters we used a satin stitch in matching thread and for my dino-buddy I used a free-motion foot in coordinating thread and stitched around several times to give him a raggedy edge to emphasize his fierceness.  When finished trim away the excess stabilizer on the back, press & you’re done with the applique!

Other Details:

• Suspenders for a bow-tie! As you’ll notice I decided to add some denim suspenders to jazz up the bow-tie onesie.  I used a 1” bias tape maker to make them and attached them to the knit fabric without the aid of any stabilizer.  Since the denim is thick enough, and the stitch I used simple enough, I was able to skip it.  I finished the top edge of the strips with an overcast/serger stitch and tucked it under the overlap on top to hide the edges.  For the bottom, I cut the strip to size and pressed under about a ¼” which I then tried to tuck under the edge of the existing leg binding.  I sewed the strips down with a triple stitch to give it a nice top-stitched look and maintain a little bit of stretch, just in case.   

I hope that this post has you thinking of what great things you can decorate with your scraps of AGF fabric!  The sky is the limit with this technique!  

Fabrics used on our dino-buddy came from our Avant Garde & Boardwalk Delight collections.  The bow-tie fabric was from the Dare collection, and the suspenders were solid smooth denim from our Denim Studio.  

Enjoy!

~Christine :)

Hey hey fabric lovers!

I hope you guys are doing great today! I want to begin this post by showing you a yummy picture of a few of our Pure Elements! These colors make me want to sew something cool, like a dress, pants or... Imagine a quilt made with solid colors only! WOW, I just got too excited. 

Well, here at the AGF HQ we are super excited to let you know that we have added more colors to our Pure Elements collection! As you all know, solid colors are the most popular among everyone, because they are perfect to mix & match with any fabric collection or just to use them on their own! Also, Pure Elements are perfect for any project whether you want to make it look bold or simple. What I like the most about the new colors that were added is that they are perfect for this season.

Now, let me show you the new colors!

Aren't they perfect for fall?! I just love them! My favorite one is the olive green which is called "dried moss". I already imagined sewing some cute pants with it!

To share my love for the Pure Elements with you, I'm hosting a GIVEAWAY! Have a chance to win a beautiful bundle of blenders by filling out the form below.

What would you guys sew with these new colors? 

 Giveaway will run from Semptember 28th - Oct 4th. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced on October 4th at 12:00pm EST.

Hey fabulous sewists!

I hope you are having an amazing week so far! As you probably know, Sewing Month (September) is reaching an end but that doesn’t mean inspiration will end. Over the past weeks we’ve brought you the release of Lagom by AGF Studio, our AGF Sewcialite hosted the Milla Bag Sew Along and the Tumbling Blocks Weave Along, and Karly from Paisley Roots organized a lovely blog tour with Pat Bravo’s upcoming collection Heartland. As you can see, it’s been a busy month!

Today, I’m excited to show you all the wonderful projects Karly and her makers made for the Heartland Blog Tour. Here’s a list of everyone who participated.

Karly | Paisley Roots

Olga | Coffee & Thread

Megan | Made for Mermaids

Courtney | Sweeter than Cupcakes

Melissa | Made by Melli

Tami | Sew Sophie Lynn

Holli | Hello Holli

Cassie | Little Lizard King

Sabra | Sew a Straight Line

Olu | Needle & Ted

I encourage you to visit everyone’s blog to get a closer look at the projects and read all about their fabric choices. These ladies truly out did themselves with this “back to school” themed tour. From cute skirts and dresses to preppy button ups and shirts, I wished everything was made in grown up sizes so I could wear some of the outfits.

But don’t just take my word for it! Check out the little video below, showcasing all the projects in the Heartland blog tour. You’re going to adore all the projects!

Feel free to let me know what you think of everything and what you plan on sewing with Heartland by Pat Bravo (coming soon).

As always, stay creative and thanks for inspiring!

Xoxo,

Stephanie

Hello!

Do you remember my first sewing project? The one that Meli (our product designer) helped me to make? Yep, that was the "birds clutch"! It has become my favorite accessory! ;)

Since the first project was successful, I decided to continue my sewing academy. Recently Meli gave me an interesting lesson. This time she was sewing a Mail organizer and she taught me many new DO's and DONT's that I would like to share with you.

Let me ask you a question. How are you with organizing your correspondence? I am terrible with it! My mail usually lies in the kitchen until I have time (or not) on the weekend to sort it out! That's why I think this mail organizer is just perfect for all of those (including me) who struggle with finding a good place for all the mail.

The project is not difficult to make, it's super cute and the newest AGF Studio collection: Lagom gives it a modern, cool look! ;)

So let's learn some DO's and DONT's while sewing this practical mail organizer. 

PREPARATION FOR THE PROJECT

• First, download and read through the mail organizer pattern to get an idea about the steps that you have to take to finish the project. 
• From the very beginning DO pay attention to little details like ironing the fabric that you will need for the project. (Also pressing fabric throughout the project helps to achieve professional and clean look.) 
• If you are new to the quilting world, i'm happy to introduce you to the rotary cutter tool. It will make your life easier! DO follow the rules of safe cutting with the rotary cutter and you will enjoy using this tool. Remember to always measure twice, cut and once!

SEWING THE POCKETS

I've learned a great trick to save the time when sewing the pockets. Do you see those little strips that nicely separate pockets from each other? Those are made using faux binding method. Just cut the lining 1 inch bigger than the pocket, press into place and top stitch close to the edge! 

Remember, DO simplify your life, whenever it's possible!:) Why cut additional strips of fabric if you can achieve the same effect using a much easier method!

If you are not an expert at top stitching, choose a thread color thread similar to the fabric. Would you agree that decorative stitches add something special to projects? I think some projects look much better when you use longer stitches.

CREATING THE STRAPS

You probably know the most popular method of making the straps - the tube method. It's fine if you got used to it and you feel comfortable making straps this way. In this blog post though I want to encourage you to change old habits and give a chance some new methods. Maybe, you will like them even more! Check out the double fold method of making straps. Doesn't it look really simple? So DON'T be afraid to learn new sewing methods even if you already know how to make certain things!

Since straps have to be durable, the best fabrics to use for them are: leather, canvas, linen or denim.

CREATING THE LABELS

The process of creating the labels is explained in the pattern.There is something important I wanted point out though. DO test the words on a piece of fabric before you will be stitching it on your labels. Ripping of the letters or decorative stitches may leave visible holes and you want to avoid that.

ASSEMBLING THE MAIL CARRIER

Instead of using just fusible fleece for the back of the mail organizer use also woven interfacing. That will help you avoid the crinkled look of the mail organizer in the future. Once you do that you are ready to assemble the mail carrier. 

BINDING

If you want your binding to look nice and clean you may want to make double binding. Use walking foot since you are sewing through many layers of fabric. Double binding is stronger and more durable and when you fold it over you have nice and clean edge.

I hope you enjoyed making this cute Mail Organizer and all the sewing tips. If you have any tips of your own don't hesitate to share them in comments section!

Happy Sewing 

Ola

Hey There,

Have you taken a look at the Lagom lookbook yet? I am so in love with this fabric collection! So simplistic in color and design with a edgy classic style. I foresee a lot of sewing with this collection in my near future! Today I have another addition to the AGF Quilt Block Collection.

If you haven’t heard about it yet the AGF Quilt Block Collection are short video tutorials featuring fabric from our newly released fabric collections teaching you different quilt blocks and sewing techniques that you can incorporate into your everyday sewing. Follow along with us and before long you will have a collection of AGF quilt blocks!

The quilt block we will be sewing today is called the Antique Tile Block! This block is made entirely out of squares and rectangles and is a beginner friendly block. This block is a great way to make a fun contrasting quilt mixing dark and light fabric! This block is also a good way to make use of all your left over scrap fabrics from previous projects. View the video below and have fun making the fourth block of the AGF Quilt Block Collection.

 Here are some other videos in the AGF Quilt Block Collection series to check out!

#1- Fussy Cut Block featuring Hello Ollie fabric
#2- Dutchman’s Puzzle Block featuring Observer fabric
#3- Economy Block featuring Nightfall fabric

We would love to see your creations, feel free to share on Social Media using the hashtag #AGFquiltblockcollection.

Comment below to let us know what quilt block tutorial you would like to see in our next video!

Enjoy,

Melissa

Hello marvelous makers! 

After going to Quilt Market last spring, I became fascinated by all the types of quilts that could be made. I use to think that they were just cozy blankets made to keep you warm at night, but there's a lot more to them. Quilts are a true art form! As I grew more interested in this subject, I started researching about it because it was very interesting to know the differences between a traditional and a modern quilt.

One popular definition I found was by the Modern Quilt Guild and it states:

"Modern quilts are primarily functional and inspired by modern design. Modern quilters work in different styles and define modern quilting in different ways, but several characteristics often appear which may help identify a modern quilt. These include, but are not limited to: use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid colors, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid of work. "Modern Traditionalism" or the updating of classic quilt designs is also often seen in modern quilting." 

Not every quilt will have all the features that this definition mentions, but if it meets one or two characteristics would you call your quilt design modern or traditional? I think I would! I also read some books about modern quilts and I found other interesting characteristics. I made a little graphic to show you what I found!

Let's take a look:

Here at AGF HQ we describe ourselves as a modern fabric company. Our quilt designs are a mix between modern and traditional but always keeping that elegant and clean touches that describe our "contemporary elegant" style. 

Now, I'm going to show you some quilts done here in our studio and let's see which characteristics these quilts have!

Pattern: Spectrum Quilt by AGF Studio (download the pattern)

This quilt is considered modern, because it has negative space, an alternate grid of work, and most of the colors are bold. It also looks modern at first sight. What do you think? The collection used to make this quilt was Prisma Elements.

Pattern: Shadow Quilt by AGF Studio (download the pattern)

Now, this quilt looks more traditional because of its design but I would say it's a combination of both traditional and modern (or like the modern quilt guild would say "Modern Traditionalism"). The fabric used for this quilt is very modern which makes the traditional design look updated and unique. In case you're curious, this quilt features Observer by April Rhodes. 

Well, after looking at all the different quilts I realized that sometimes it can be a subjective opinion depending on how you feel about a quilt and what it transmits to you! Just like art! Now my question for you is...

Do you prefer a traditional quilt over a modern quilt or you just like them all?

I hope you all enjoyed,

Caro

P.S. Just in case you want to learn more about this interesting subject these are the pages I visited:

H. (2016). What Defines a Modern Quilt? Retrieved September 19, 2016, from http://www.seasonedhomemaker.com/what-defines-a-modern-quilt/