Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hey Makers, 

To end February on the right note  I wanted to share with you my mini of the month. Being inspired by Valentine's Day  and all the things I love, I created the "From the Heart" Mini. 

I created four heart blocks with borders in a variety of different fabrics. I tried to stay in the Valentine spirit by choosing some yummy coral pinks and mixing it up with some warm oranges and black and white prints. 

In some of the hearts I added fussy cut elements to show off all the things that  I love and that keeps me motivated in life. It's hard to share with you all of my loves in one mini quilt so I narrowed it down to four things, my home/family, friends, my cat and the ability to create! I hope this inspires you to create a " From the Heart" Mini of your very own. 

Follow along below to see how I made mine! Please feel free to share the things that you love most and that keep you motivated in your daily life in the comments box below! :)

Fabrics Used: 

Finished Size 16" 

Fabric A -SOU-2631- Stay Humble Apricot
Fabric B -MKR-2880-Make The Cut Straight
Fabric C -MKR-2882- Make it, Hang it Warm
Fabric D -MKR-3891- I’m A Maker
Fabric E -WOT-31403- Flower Glory Evening
Fabric F -HAH-24405-To Live By Peace
Fabric G  -HAH-14407-Block Festival
Fabric H -BSH-78406- Cat Nip Pink
Fabric I -PE-408- White Linen
Fabric J - PE-438- Coral Reef
Fabric K -DEN-L-4000- Soft Sand
Fabric L -CUL-8673- Row by Row Lit- Binding 
Fabric M -HBR-5433- Firefly Whisper- Backing

Cutting Directions:

Four (4) 1 1/2" squares from Fabric A, C,D, and E
Two (2) 3 1/2" squares from Fabric A, C,D, and E
Two (2) 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips from Fabric A, C,D, and E
Two (2) 1 1/2" x 8 1/2" strips from Fabric A, C,D, and E
Two (2) 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle from Fabric B, I, J and K
Two (2) FQ pieces from Fabric F, G, and H
(Fussy cut elements from Fabric ) 

Apply Steam-A- Steam to back of the fabric before cutting  your elements.

Construction:

To create your heart block take two  3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles from Fabric J and place a 3 1/2" square from Fabric D right sides together to the bottom of your rectangles. Place your 1 1/2" squares from Fabric D to each top corner of your rectangle. With a fabric marking pen draw your diagonal lines following the image below.

Stitch on the lines you drew and trim your seam allowance to 1/4". Press all your corner squares open to reveal both halves of your heart.  Note: if you are using directional fabrics like me make sure your fabrics are positioned in the proper direction so when you are finished sewing on the diagonal your  prints will be orientated in the correct direction. 

Sew your heart halves together. Press your seams in alternating directions to make it easier for your seams to nest into place and for your seams to match.  Next sew a 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" strip from Fabric D to the top and bottom of your heart. Next sew a 1 1/2" x 8 1/2" strip from Fabric D to the sides of your block. 

Repeat this same process with your remaining fabric pieces to create three more heart blocks.  I fussy cut my house, cats, and text print with my sharp Warm Crochet scissors. Besides for being one of the cutest sewing notion they are great for clipping threads and cutting small pieces of fabric.  

Once you have your elements transferred to your blocks sew your blocks together to make a four patch block. I kept my quilting thread neutral and used my go to quilting motif. Meandering swirls is my favorite free motion quilting because you can really go to town with your swirls to create a nicely filled finished product which is going to make your project look more professional and drape beautifully. 

For the backing of my mini I used the fun white and black dot print from Hello Bear Fabrics! I love how you can see the playful swirls on the back. For my binding I used the gorgeous orange brushstroke stripe print from Cultivate Fabrics which I love how it ties my whole project together. 

Sending you all lots of love and creative energy! I hope to see your "From the Heart" Mini, make sure to use the hashtag #AGFAllThingsMini to share your love for mini quilts.

 Happy Sewing, 

Meli

Warmer weather is coming our way and it's making our plants come out of hiding and start blooming. To honor the season we thought it would be a nice idea to pair up our green friends with colorful and fun accessories that will surely help spread the love and the spirit of Spring.

1. To start off the potting season, how about some nice and earthy pots done in Esoterra Fabrics by Katarina Roccella? Unisex fabrics and colors are the preferred trends this season as they are easy to pair up and give as gifts- so if you know someone who might appreciate an original and handmade pot plant, follow this pot pattern here. 

Esoterra by Katarina Roccella

 2. Succulents are big in the plant world and pots for them are definitely a must! The Capsule collection by the AGF Studio is the perfect combination of colors and shapes that will pair up organically with the various forms these succulents take. The best part is that they also require minimum water and you can keep them anywhere! If you see yourself having these tiny cute pots follow this link to the pattern.

Take Shape Fabrics by AGF Studio

 3. Similar to the succulent pots these cute bins are wider to fit a tiny succulent army! How cute would a set up like this be for your desk? Definitely, a cute accessory that would brighten anyone's day just by looking at it. We suggest placing a plastic container bordering the bin, that way when watering the plants, the water doesn't go through the fabric. If you see yourself making some of these, make sure to click here for the plant pot patterns.

Succulence Fabrics by Bonnie Christine 

 4.  You open a window, you smell warmer weather and the first thought you have is to walk around town while doing your errands. On the way to getting things done you stop and buy a fresh bouquet of spring flowers, but where to put them so that they don't get squished? On a market sling of course! Follow this link here to get the pattern.

Succulence Fabrics by Bonnie Christine

5. As the cold weather retrieves, people start coming out of their hibernation places and socializing increases! If you see yourself having to host gatherings this is a cute way of decorating your house or table and welcoming spring into your house! These cute fabric bins are perfect for putting anything in it- even fake flowers!. Click this link to follow the bin pattern to make your way towards a colorful decor! 

Wild Bloom Fabrics by BariJ.

 6. Bonus!

 Yes, fine- this is not an accessory for your plants, but an accessory plant made out of fabric. WHAT? How cute are these fabric-made cacti! Perfect as an office desk decor or as a gift or even to just to keep around the house :) The cute bonus surprise is that they also double as pin cushions, which means you get to have a new accessory for your sewing station that nurtures your green thumb! Find the fabric cacti pattern here :)

Sage Fabrics By BariJ.

I hope all of these photos got you inspired for the upcoming spring sewing projects and for doing some plant shopping (or creating your own)! Can't wait to read what you think in the comments. :) 

Decor away...

Martina

March is close by and with it comes spring, bright colors, and boho-inspired everything! 

Just like the season, the house gets brighter and warmer too! So let's bring out the inspiration because this spring season I will be guiding you on how to style up those walls and splash them with some colors and the spirit of boho.

Hi Everyone, 

Spring is near and we are ready for easy breezy outfits! AGF Rayon is our go to fabric to create flowy, easy to wear silhouettes. Which is why we are super excited about our New Campsite Rayon Panel Print called  “Feather Trail” !

Making panel prints on apparel fabrics is quite new for us and we are excited about all the ways  it can be used to create fun, interesting garments. I wanted to share all the fantastic ways we utilized  the “Feather Trail” panel to create so many fresh, new looks.

Click here to view the Lookbook to find all patterns featured in this blog post!

Hello wonderful makers!

How ya doin’? As you all know, here at AGF we love it when the sewing community gets together to share their creativity. This is why I got so excited when our designers Maureen Cracknell and Sharon Holland told me about their next big sew along, the Community Sampler!

Do you remember when they hosted the Sewcial Bee Sampler last year? It was a quilting sensation! Tons of quilters from all over the world got together via social media every week to sew up 25 blocks for the final sampler quilt.

The response to the Sewcial Bee was so amazing that Maureen and Sharon decided to host another sew along this year. The first PDF of the Community Sampler will be released on February 21st on Maureen and Sharon’s blogs, so make sure to take part from the beginning. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram, @sharonhollanddesigns and @maureencracknell to get all the updates about the sampler.

Now for the most exciting part of the sampler! Giveaways! Like the last one, Maureen and Sharon will be hosting tons of weekly giveaways and guess what? AGF is one of their sponsors so they’ll be many ways to win some fabrics for your stash. ;)

So, now that you know all about the Community Sampler make sure to join the party and make an epic quilt! Don’t forget to share your blocks with the hashtag #CommunitySampler. Stay tuned to see the upcoming blocks!

Till next time,

Stephanie

Hello there, makers!

We can all agree that sewing is always more fun when you do it for a great cause. Hence today, i’m here to tell you all about Spread the Love: Quilting for Kids. A few days ago, Walter Bravo (the owner of AGF) shared with me a beautiful blog post from Bernie, an Etsy shop owner and blogger of NeedleandFoot.com. In her blog post she talked about Amy Jandrisevits, a former children’s hospital social worker that is dedicating her time to creating dolls for kids with serious illnesses and limb differences.

Amy sells these dolls via her organization A Doll Like Me and receives special orders through her Facebook. Whoever purchases the dolls are able to give them to a child to help them normalize any differences the child might have. Amy takes time to custom make each doll to match the features of the child it will be gifted to. For example, if a child is missing a limb she’ll make the doll without a limb. When I read this my heart completely melted! To learn more in detail what Amy does, I highly recommend  reading the full interview with Amy on Bernie’s Blog.

 

A lovely doll quilt Bernie made using AGF to donate to Amy.

Things got even more heartfelt when Bernie began talking about her doll quilt drive. She was so touched by Amy’s kindness that she started Spread the Love: Quilting for Kids, an open call for doll quilts that will be paired with Amy’s dolls. Bernie will be collecting 22” x 24” doll quilts until February 28th and those who donate a quilt will be entered for a giveaway. Now, you’re probably wondering what does AGF have to do with all this? Well, we loved Bernie’s idea so much that we donated 10 bundles of children inspired fabric collections for her giveaway. Yay!

So, if you’re all about sewing for good causes and winning fabric, make sure to take part in Spread the Love: Quilting for Kids. Once you’re ready to send in your quilt make sure to email Bernie at [email protected] so that she can send you the shipping address. Winners will be chosen at random on March 1st but if you would like to donate a few doll quilts without taking part in the giveaway, Bernie will be collecting them on an ongoing basis.

I hope you’re excited to sew a few doll quilts!

Till next time, 

Stephanie

P.S. Don't forget to use the hashtags #ADollLikeMe and #QuiltingForKids when sharing your doll quilts on social media. :)