Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hey Makers!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday with your loved ones! As the New Year approaches, this is a great time to reflect on all your accomplishments that you have achieved during the year. Here at the AGF HQ we're reminiscing about all the lovely collections we've revealed, the great makers we've worked with, and all the good times we've had. To give you a glimpse at AGF's 2016, here's a re-cap of some of the major events that we experienced. Let’s start!

The Denim Studio by AGF

One of the most exciting collection releases we had in 2016 was the release of the Denim Studio by AGF. This new substrate took the sewing world by storm because of its versatility for garments and quilts. As you might know, the Denim Studio features denim prints, textured denim, linen, outland yarn dyes and more! Check out the look book for the original release and the fall 2016 edition of the Denim Studio.

AGF Organics

As if having denim wasn’t exciting enough, we just had to release another surprise! This year we introduced AGF organics. This new substrate has our unmatched quality and the designs are printed on a 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton base cloth, with the most eco-friendly GOTS-approved inks and dyes in the industry. The first organic collection introduced by AGF was Hello, Ollie by Bonnie Christine and it was a delicate dream!

Designer - Dana Willard

We love it when the AGF family grows and this year we were happy to add Dana Willard from Made Everyday to the family! She showed off her vibrant personality with her limited edition collection Boardwalk Delight and her new collection Fiesta Fun for our new fabric division ANGLES. We can’t wait to see what surprises she will have for 2017!

ColorFun

Like many of you, here at AGF we are in LOVE with color! To find fun ways of mixing some of our favorite prints and curating color bundles, we created the ColorFun series. We’ve put together bundles ranging from neutral ivory to deep plum, showed off crafty projects that can be made with these projects and much more! Plus, Fat Quarter Shop now sells these color curated bundles! Yay!

AGF Sewcialite - Mister Domestic

Another wonderful addition that became part of the AGF family was Mister Domestic! He stole our hearts with his wonder creations and we are extremely happy to have him as our AGF Sewcialite.

Youtube Series- AGF Quilt Block Collection

This year was all about helping makers learn new things, so we created the Youtube series the AGF Quilt Block Collection. With every collection release we taught how to create a new quilt block with tons of techniques that you can use in everyday sewing. Visit our Youtube channel to see all the blocks you can sew.

AGF Consumer Website

At AGF we believe strongly in always learning new things and improving for the better. This year we felt that it was time to give our consumer website a makeover! If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to explore its clean and modern design.

Fall 2016 Quilt Market- Houston, TX

Last but not least, one of the most exciting things that happened to us this year was winning the First Place Multiple Booth award at Fall Quilt Market in Houston. This totally made our year and it showed us that hard work and passion for what you love does pay off.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this recap of AGF’s 2016! Let me know in the comments all about the highlights of your year and what accomplishments you’re the most proud of. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year filled with creativity and success!

Happy 2017!

-Stephanie

Aloha all makers!

We hope that you are having great Holiday Season. The year ends and we are ready to make summary of all the exciting things we have done in 2016. Stay tuned for the next post! :)

One of the amazing sewing enthusiasts we introduced to the AGF family this year is our AGF sewcialite: Mister Domestic. We couldn't be more happy to have him in our team of AGF fabric lovers. The projects he makes with all of our collections are like art pieces and we are thankful for all the crafty lessons we keep getting from him.

One of the classes we took at "Mister Domestic's sewing school" ;) was how to make an improv flower quilt block. We had so much fun learning how to cut all the wonky strips and sew them together.

We documented it all in thisshort video tutorial. We hope you will have lots of fun watching it. :)

For all of you who want to learn more from Mister Domestic - check out all the classes he gives at Fabric Depot. Also we have a little secret for all the fans of Mister Domestic. He is going to be with us at Quiltcon in Savannah, GA  February 23-26  and will have some sewing demos for you! You can't miss this!

Let us know in comments if you are planning on going to Quiltcon! We would love to see you there! 

Happy sewing!

Ola

Hello hello!

Garden Dreamer fabrics by Maureen Cracknell has definitely stolen my heart. I LOVE all the prints! They are simply exquisite! I'm always looking for little projects I can make in less than an hour, so I get the chance to use all the beautiful fabrics we have here. :) Today, you will learn how to make a tassel key chain. Yay! What I like about this project is that it looks super cute when it's done and you can make it in a few minutes. Another thing that I like is that it is a kids friendly project because you don't need to sew it! For this project I used Garden Dreamer fabrics and our Floral elements!

Well, enough talk. Let's get to work!

Supplies:

• 1 piece of Fabric 12'' x 4'' inch

• Scissors or rotary cutter

• Hot glue

• Key ring

• Embroidery thread

1- Create a 6 inch long braid with the embroidery thread, you can make this braid as thick as you want. I braided 6 threads for the ones that I made.

2- Mine was a little long so I cut it where you see the knot in the middle. After your braid, loop it through the key ring.

3- Fold the fabric you chose and the cut fringes with the scissor or rotary cutter. I used the scissors but if you want to be very precise use the rotary cutter.

4- After cutting all the fringes put some hot glue on the top of your fabric strip and press the braid to the fabric.

 5- Then, add hot glue on the top edge of the fabric and start rolling until you reach the end. Make sure to press hard so the fabric sticks together. 

And you're done! You can decorate your tassel by wrapping embroidery thread on the top. I used just a little bit of hot glue at the beginning to stick the thread to the fabric and at the end as well.  You can make as many tassels as you like! They look so pretty and delicate! 

I hope you all enjoyed,

Caro

Hey makers!

How is the winter weather treating you so far? We hope all of you are staying warm in your cozy homes and that in the evenings you find time to sew. For me, days that I can stay home and be creative are great to reminisce about beautiful memories. When I’m having these moments of solitude, one memory that always comes to mind is when I would help my mom plant flowers in our garden. We would go to the local nursery and choose the brightest blooms to decorate the front of our house. As I grew up, this seasonal tradition made me enjoy gardening and feel connected to nature.

When I first laid eyes on Maureen Cracknell’s new collection Garden Dreamer, the beautiful florals reminded me of those moments I spent gardening with my mom. From dainty blooms, to voluptuous peonies and buzzing bees, this collection is filled with natural elements contrasted by geometric touches. Once you see this collection in person, it will have you dreaming of a walk through flower fields on a cool spring day.

One of my favorite prints in this collection is the “Moment in Time Dim” print. I absolutely love how all the flowers are perfectly arranged to look like pressed flowers. Not to mention, that this print would look lovely used for garments.

If you’re ready to dream about botanical wonders and all the inspiration florals can bring, check out the marvelous look book we’ve prepared. Indulge in feminine garments, crafty home décor, and much more!

If you’re thinking of sewing a new quilt for the New Year, download the FREE “Wind Chime” quilt pattern.

And… if you’re curious about the blenders that coordinate with this collection, here are a few of our picks.

Last but not least, if adding new fabrics to your stash is on your to-do list enter the GIVEAWAY!

Have chance of winning a bundle of Garden Dreamer by filling the form below. GIVEAWAY ends Thursday, December 29th at 3:00pm EST. Good Luck!

We hope you’re already imagining all the projects you can make with Garden Dreamer by Maureen Cracknell! Stay tuned for the next collection release.

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****

CONGRATULATIONS Sherry Von Fumetti, you've won the Garden Dreamer Giveaway! Check your email:)

Happy Sewing!

Stephanie

P.S. Here's a little video for you to enjoy all the lovely prints in this collection. Enjoy!

Hello fabulous makers!

As you all know we are only a few days from Christmas day! Isn’t this crazy…time flies! If you’re like me, you’re probably putting all the finishing touches on all your gifts. One thing that drives me crazy about the holidays is that I put so much effort into wrapping gifts nicely, but in the end you just rip everything up. Plus, throwing away all the ripped paper isn’t eco-friendly (I at least try to recycle).

In order to find an alternative to wrapping some of my gifts, I’ve decided to make mini stockings I can give to my friends with small gifts like gift cards, candies, etc. I thought this would be a cute way of presenting my gifts to them while giving them something handmade. And... since we're in South Florida I decided to give my stocking a tropical flair with the vivid fabrics from Here Comes the Fun by Sew Caroline. :)

For those of you looking for a cute way of giving presents, I’ve prepared a tutorial on how to make the mini stocking. It’s a fun project where you can use scraps and if you’re a beginner sewist (like me) you can learn the “quilt as you go” technique. Check it out!

DOWNLOAD stocking template here. 

I hope you all enjoyed this holiday tutorial!

Happy sewing!

-Stephanie

Hello and happy holidays everyone! 

The month of December has always been my favorite time of year! Growing up in Minnesota I loved going sledding with the family and getting cozy on the couch under my favorite quilt and watching holiday movies! When I was younger my mom would set up a table of crafty materials and get me and my siblings to spend the whole day making handmade ornaments for our tree! It was such a magical time, listening to holiday music and feeling like Santa's little helper! To bring that tradition back to life I want to share with you the Bright Star ornament made with Here Comes the Fun fabrics designed by Sew Caroline! Click HERE to download the template! Enjoy the Bright Star ornament tutorial below!  

 Happy Sewing,

Melissa