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June 2017
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August 2017

July 2017

Sew Crafty: DIY Lace Drawstring Goodie Bags

 Hello fabric friends,

How is everyone's summer going? I been spending alot of time at the beach and hiking during the weekends. But since Florida is extremely hot during the summer months sometimes I spend my weekends inside sewing with the cool A/C. If your looking for a fun project that you can make a few at a time but still have time to go have fun in the sun I would suggest to give these cute Lace Drawstring Goodie Bags a try!  Wedding season is upon us (June, August, September and October) and I know they can be expensive. There are so many neat DIY projects that you can make for your own wedding or for someone you know getting married! 

Soulful fabrics by Maureen Cracknell is so romantic and dreamy that I thought if you pair it with some lace and it would be a perfect wedding favor bag to give away at weddings! Of course you can make these bags for any occasion by changing up the fabrics and trim to fit your theme. If you are looking for  bohemian fabric or rustic fabrics Soulful fabrics would be a good collection to take a look at! 

 

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Watch the video below and make a few Lace Drawstring Bags of your own! They are also great to store jewelry in and to keep small accessories safe. 

 

 

 What other things would you put in these bags? I would love to hear your thoughts! 

There are so many great Sew Crafty projects on our Youtube Channel if you are looking for fun quick things to make! 

Until next time stay cool, 

Melissa 


A Holiday Collection Like No Other: Little Town by Amy Sinibaldi

Hey there, sewists of the world!

It may be summer but it’s never too early to start preparing for the holidays! The holiday season is such a fun time to spend with your family and friends, but let’s face it… most of that time is spent rushing trying to make our loved ones the perfect gift. Despite having to do a lot of sewing in a short period of time, this is our favorite time of the year. So, why not get a head start?

This is why we are super excited to release our first holiday collection. YAY! Beautiful makers, we present to you Little Town by Amy Sinibaldi for ANGLES a division of AGF! This collection tells the story of a small town nestled in the forest where it’s winter all year long. Soft colors and delicate elements in the prints simply evoke the beauty of winter.

Little Town Quilt - Mini 1

What I love the most about this collection is the color palette! It ranges from light grays, to vivid pink, and teal-ish greens that are completely unconventional for holidays and can be used all year round. But let’s talk about the Winterberry Spice rayon for this collection. It’s so classy, subtle, and sweet.

AanewEH4A5699

I invite you to celebrate the holidays in the summer (or Christmas in July) and explore the lookbook for Little Town! You’ll get tons of ideas for quilts, pillows, cute outfits and more!

 

Make sure to download this adorable “Boxes & Bows” free quilt pattern. Perhaps you can make a few as presents?

Little Town Quilt - FREE 3

Mix and match your favorite prints from Little Town with a few blenders! Here are a few of our favorites… ;)

Little Town elements

Oh and if you want to get you hands on this festive collection, make sure to enter the giveaway!

Giveaway graphic

Fill the form below for a chance to win a bundle.

I hope you’re excited to so some early holiday sewing! Stay tuned for the next collection release!

-Stephanie

 *****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****

Congrats Barb Schenk  you've won the bundle of Little Town fabrics! Please check your email. :)

 

AGF Makers Spotlight Winner: Allison from @allisonsews

Hey, Makers!

I hope you’re having a fun summer so far. As you all know, every month we feature a maker as part of our AGF Makers Spotlight contest on Instagram. Today we’re happy to feature our winner for the month of June, Allison from @AllisonSews

Makers Spotlight logoWhen we saw her sloth quilt made with Nordika Fabrics by Jeni Baker it made us smile. Get to know Allison in the interview below  and find out what inspired her to make this fun quilt. :)

Sloth quilt with logo

1. Hi Allison! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi AGF team! I’ve known how to sew my whole life (thanks Mom!) but really got into it about 6 years ago when I started reading a lot of craft blogs and seeing more fabric I liked in stores. I started making bags and pillows, and eventually found my way to the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild. Since then, I’ve made more quilts than I can count and even started making a few garments. I try to keep up with my sewing adventures on Instagram @allisonsews and sometimes go into more detail on my blog allison-sews.blogspot.com.

Allison headshot-june maker

2. When we saw your quilt, the team couldn’t help but smile. What inspired you to create a sloth quilt?

Thank you! I really love this pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. She has a ton of adorable patterns but something about this one called out to me and told me it would be perfect for a baby quilt I wanted to make. I wasn’t sure about using this print at first because it’s a panel that looks very different from selvage to selvage but Jeni Baker’s Whimsicol print from her Nordika line turned out to be the perfect print for a sloth body. The shapes and lines make each one unique. I’m sure I’ll make a few more sloths in the future.

Makers spotlight sloth detail 1

3. How long have you been sewing and what are some tips you would give beginner sewists?

I learned to sew when I was very young - I remember my Mom’s Singer always being set up because she sewed many, many matching dresses for my sisters and I when we were little. She would let me do a little sewing on it here and there. I eventually took some sewing lessons around junior high but moved on to other things after awhile.

I would encourage beginners to just have fun playing around, getting to know your machine and sewing some scraps together. Sew something fun to start. Sure, those pants need to be hemmed but hemming pants is not exactly fun. If you sew a project you actually like when it’s finished, you’ll be much happier.

Also, take a class, either online or in person if you’re able. You will learn so much while making a project that you otherwise might not have. And definitely join a group. Sewing with friends is more fun than sewing alone! Once I joined Seattle MQG I made instant sewing friends who have become an important part of my life. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. There are tons of online sewing groups too if you aren’t able to join one in person.

Makers spotlight sloth detail 2

4. What are some of your favorite things to sew and why?

Quilts for sure - I love putting all the fabrics together and especially the quilting. Free motion quilting is a lot of fun for me. It’s a tense kind of relaxing, letting go and drawing all over the finished quilt top. I like looking through my FMQ books and instagram for ideas on which motifs to use.

For a quick finish, I really like sewing zippered pouches. I may or may not have a large stash of zippers on hand at all times. Small pouches are a good way for me to be able to use a little bit of the fabrics that I love but still keep a lot in my stash. Not that my stash needs any help there…

I also have been getting more and more into garment sewing. Sewing dresses for my niece is great because she loves just about anything I make and I’m able to use some of the more whimsical or novelty prints for her. Kids patterns are usually so quick and rewarding too. I’ve been working on sewing tops and dresses for myself as well but those take a little more work to get the fit right.

5. How did you find out about AGF and what was your first thought when you started sewing with our fabrics?

I first came across AGF after I won a blog giveaway bundle of Pat Bravo’s Carnaby Street line. I made a quilt with it and love the light crispness of the fabric. That made it a little more stable and easy to work with for sure.

Since then, I’ve loved so many of AGF’s designers and collections. I’ve had the pleasure of working with quilting cotton, AGF denim (so soft!), and knit. The knit fabric is the perfect weight for dresses for me or leggings for my niece. I’ve used the cotton in both quilts and bags.

Carnaby street quilt

6. What’s next on your sewing list?

So many projects, so little time! I have several quilts in progress so I’m trying to finish a few of those up and also hoping to get a tank top or two sewn up before I go on a trip in a few weeks. Off to sew now!

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I hope you enjoyed getting to know Allison. Make sure to check out her blog to see more of her projects and follow her on Instagram at @allisonsews. Don't forget to share all of your creations made with AGF under the hashtag #AGFmakersspotlight for a chance to win a feature here on the blog and a bundle of fabrics (winner is chosen the last day of every month)!

Till next time,

Stephanie


How to sew knit nursing cover - Sew Crafty tutorial. Learn how to make breastfeeding cover with knit fabric in minutes!

Hello makers!

I hope your summer has been great so far.  For me it's a very special summer in my life because my little girl is coming to this world in August. I am so excited and I am trying to prepare the best way I can for her first months. Since I am planning on breastfeeding I realized that making a nursing cover with one of the soft AGF knits would be a great idea! Especially that making it required just one seam! You know that I am fan of easy sewing projects, but this one? Oh well..It amazed me that you can have such a cool, comfy cover in minutes without any advanced sewing skills. Just keep in mind the tips to sewing with knits we published on our blog and you will be just fine! :)

Nursing-cover-sewing-tutorial

If you are not a new mommy you can successfully wear it as  a regular poncho. You can make it in any color you like. Just take a look at the variety of solid knit fabrics we offer.  Are you ready to sew? Let's watch the quick tutorial and let us know in comments if you liked it.:)

I hope you liked this Sew Crafty video. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss any AGF news, tutorials and fun videos we publish every week.;)

P.S. If you like the pants from the picture too, those are the ones that we showcased in Indie Boheme Lookbook;) 

 

Happy Sewing!

Alex


Quilting for Beginners- How to Make a Granny Square Block

Hello Everyone, 

Ever feel like no matter how much you try to manage your time you never have enough time to get everything you want accomplished? Most often times we end up not doing things that are important to us because we are busy cleaning, working or taking care of everyone else but ourselves. If your trying to squeeze in a little bit of sewing to your everyday routine I would suggest sewing up a block from the AGF Quilt Block Collection! Most of these blocks are beginner friendly blocks that don't take that long to make. So far the quilt block collection has 19 quilt block videos that you can follow along and make one, two or all of them to create your very own sampler quilt! 

Grannny-Square-Block-Graphic

The next addition to the collection is called the Granny Square Block! I like this block because all it consists of are 3 1/2" square sewn together and cut in such a way where it reveals this beautiful patchy x design! Enjoy the video below and make sure to download a copy of the pattern instructions

 

 

For those of you following along we would love to see your quilt block creations. Make sure to share your blocks on social media using the hashtag #agfquiltblockcollection

Happy Sewing, 

Melissa 


A Collection for All Makers: Soulful by Maureen Cracknell

Hey Makers!

Have you ever wondered what it means to be a maker? I always thought that people who are creative are special because we’re problem solvers, we’re not afraid to be challenged, and we’re proud to make things from scratch. Although the journey of being a maker is filled with bumps down the road, once your creations are complete the sense of accomplishment you get is priceless!

One collection that truly celebrates these ideas is Soulful by Maureen Cracknell. Maureen combines romantic designs filled with sketched florals, delicate lace details, and deep colors with her signature bohemian aesthetic. Best of all, this collection was designed with all of you makers in mind. Maureen understands the importance of finding your calling and expressing your creativity!

Soulful Clutche 2 2

There’s so many beautiful prints in this collection, but one of my favorites is “Floral Universe.” This lovely print is colored in deep plum, auburn red, and teal making it so elegant. Plus, it comes in knits and rayon too! What’s there not to love?

Floral universe print_knit+rayon

I invite you to indulge in the rest of this collection by exploring the lookbook. You’ll find beautiful dresses, stunning quilts, and tons of sewing patterns.

 

Make sure to download the “Mandala Dreams” free quilt pattern. This quilt will mesmerize anyone who sees it in your home. ;)

Soulful Quilt 5 1

If you’re looking for the right colors to coordinate with Soulful check out a few blenders we’ve chosen for you.

Soulful blenders

Last but not least, don’t forget to enter our giveaway!

Soulful giveaway graphic

A bundle of Soulful can be yours by simply filling out the form below. Giveaway ends July 13th at 3:00pm est. Good luck!

Are you feeling excited to sew with Maureen’s new collection? So are we! Time to rev up your sewing machines.

Happy sewing!

-Stephanie

 ---------- GIVEAWAY CLOSED ----------

Congratulations Margo Rhyme! You've won the bundle of Soulful fabrics. Please check your email.