Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hey Color Lovers, 

What color comes to mind when you hear the word April? After taking a look at all the curated colors from the AGF Color Master Boxes my eyes went straight to the Lemon Green Edition! The warm fuzzy feeling this group of fabrics gave me when sewing up the Beaming Bright Mini made me dream of freshly squeezed lemonade, bbq's with my family, and our tulips planted in the backyard.  Being from Minnesota the grey, cold and dreary days start to take a toll on your spirits. It's amazing how powerful color and light play a role in our happiness. Which is basically what the Lemon Green Color Master Box delivers, happiness in a box. (At least for me :) ) 

Flying geese lovers get ready to make this zesty looking mini below. Let me know what you think in the comments!  Wanna more projects made with this yummy color check out this blog post dedicated to the Lemon Green Color Master Box.

16 x 16 Finished 

Fabric Used: 

Fabric A-RPT-1707- Saccharine Lemon
Fabric B-BWD-787 -Soda Straws
Fabric C-WOT-31407 -Blooming Brook Sol
Fabric D-HRT-95300 -Blomma Garden Golden
Fabric E-CST-3201 -King’s Road Lemon
Fabric F-CHR-1303 -Love Notes Retro
Fabric G -SGE-14453- Yuma Lemons Mist
Fabric H-UT-14506 -Lucid Hills Amber
Fabric I-PE-446 -Honeydew

Cutting Directions

One (1) 5 1/4” square from Fabric A- H
Thirty Two (32) 2 7/8” squares from Fabric I

Block Instructions:

No Waste Flying Geese Method 

Take a 5 1/4" square and four  2 7/8" squares.  These are the pieces you will need to create four flying geese units. Draw a diagonal lines using a pencil or a water souble pen on the wrong side of the fabric  on each 2 7/8" square.

Place two  2  7/8" squares at each corner of your 5 1/4" square. Make sure right sides are together and the diagonal lines match up to make a straight line.
Sew 1/4" on each side of the diagonal line. 

Cut piece on the diagonal line you marked.

Now place a 2 7/8" square at the lower corner of your pieces. Sew on each side of the diagonal line you marked at 1/4". Cut piece on diagonal line and press your flying geese open.

Repeat this process for your remaining fabric pieces. 

Now we are going to make a total of four Dutchman's Puzzle Blocks. Check out the AGF Quilt Block Collection on our YouTube to find a great video about the Dutchman's Puzzle Block. 

Sew your flying geese together following the block design below. 

Sew your blocks together to get this lively looking mini. I decided to use a lemon color thread to match my project and kept the quilting simple but plenty, matchstick quilting  1/4" to 1/2" apart.

 I used the "Yuma Lemons Mist" print for my backing and I love the backing just as much as my quilt top. 

I binded my mini with the "King's Road Lemon" squared element blender which tied the whole thing together.  Squared Elements are my go to binding fabrics for almost any project.

 Looking for more  mini quilt patterns! Check out the mini's from the previous months.

SunSet Rays Mini

Nature Lover Mini

 Wood Trails Mini

Rustic Crossroads Mini

Let it Snow Mini

Water Ripple Mini

 From the Heart Mini

Lucky Emerald Mini

Happy Sewing, 

Meli

Hello, everyone!

How’s everyone doing this week!? Before April comes to end, I want to shine light on the beautiful color that’s represented this month. April’s color is “yellow” because it’s said to be the brightest of the months with blooming flowers and fruits hitting their peak season. Once I discovered that “yellow” was popping up everywhere for “April,” I went crazy and began searching for fun projects that I felt could really “come to life” with this color.

That’s when I remembered about our “Color Master Box” and how it comes in a refreshing yellow green palette! The color range is more than your basic primaries, but unique tones of yellow vitalize these spring pictures on the mood board!

These Color Master Boxes were designed to take fabric projects to the next level. All you need is one box to make a beautiful quilt design, it comes to in two sizes: Fat Quarters or Half yards-- to satisfy any size sewing craving.

I looked through the lookbooks to find some projects that would spark more inspiration, and stumbled upon some of these creations that you can create with our “Color Master Box!”

Pillow #1: Using Yuma Lemons Mist to create this beautiful pillow! These pillows can transition your home right into the spring season.

Quilt #2: Using the entire "Color Master Box" to create this bright quilt! This quilt was made with a Fat Quarter “Color Master Box”, and you can download this pattern here.

Kids Floral Dress #3: Bring your kids into style this month with this super cute Trapeze dress made with Blomma Garden Golden. This dress is featured in the Heartland Lookbook, where you can download the free pattern to make it yourself!

This “Color Master Box” can give you the option of using just one print or several to compliment any of your sewings designs. Although this bundle highlights yellow, each print has distinct color palettes that make it easy to pair with other projects.For example, the print called “Love Notes Retro” (Print shown below) has orange, light pink, and deeper greens that can help you match other quilts in progress with the same color palette. Since the main focus is yellow, no matter how you incorporate this bundle, it will bring any project up to season! (and yes, I really did paint my nails to match the season!) 

Stephanie has made several smaller projects on a previous blog post with yellow fabrics, head over there to see more ideas!

Imagine all the possibilities that can be done with this gorgeous group of fabric! I’m talking more than just the fabrics, but the actual box is also there for your convenience. The “Color Master Box” can keep your fabrics organized and neatly displayed for easy finding! Done with using your some of your fabrics? Use this box for organizing your sewing tools or storing extra fabric. You can even gift it to any fabric lover you know who will appreciate a well-curated box of color!

 I know what you’re thinking... “I need this in my life!!”, you can purchase these in our online stores!

If you’re creating a sewing project using a “Color Master Box,” please feel free to share it with us on social media and use the hashtag #AGFColorMasterBox.   

What would you make with a “Color Master Box?”

Good luck with your future projects!

Jannelle

Hello Sewing Friends, 

How are your blocks coming along?  The AGF Girls and I have been keeping up every week with completing our blocks for the Community Sampler Sew Along.  This week I had so much fun sewing up the Morning Star Block with Adri from our Graphic Design Team. Throughout this whole experience so far I have learned to become a better teacher of my craft. I have always sewn for me and my happiness but deciding to take on the challenge of teaching the girls in the office to quilt and sew has absolutely been an experience that will help me to become better in writing pattern instructions and sharing my love for quilting and sewing.  

 If you haven't been following along to this amazing sew along that Maureen Cracknell and Sharon Holland have put together don't worry it's never to late to join. On Sharon's website she has very detailed PDF Patterns for you to download and follow for each block . 

 Our Block is made with Splendid Fusions

The Morning Star Block has always been one of my favorite blocks. I find all the different type of star blocks to be so beautiful. What has been your favorite block in the Sampler so far? Share with me in the comments below. 

I would like to introduce you to Adri below where she talks about her sewing experience and what she thought about sewing up this block. 

This is Adri! Isn't her Morning Star Block stunning! Let her know what you think of her block in the comments below. 

Prior to starting your quilt block did you have any sewing experience?

 When I was about 10 or 11, I used to help my aunt with whatever  she needed to do alterations and when she had big orders. But I haven't touched a sewing machine since then.

Before starting your first quilt block lesson, what was your impression of quilting and how did you feel about doing this for the first time?

 That you had to be really perfect in all your measurements and if anything wasn’t perfect the final block was going to come out crooked. Turns out, while being accurate matters a lot, it doesn’t require perfection in order for the block to come out good.

What was your favorite part about creating your first quilt block?

 Probably seeing everything match up! I was kinda nervous while doing it and was afraid I was going to mess up but at the end it was a big relief! 

What was the most difficult part about creating your quilt block?

 I had trouble cutting. I had to do it over a few times because I wouldn't put enough pressure. A few times I wasn't sure if I should turn my body and cut it in a weird position or just move the fabric another way to make it easier. The rotating mat was a great help!

What advice would you give someone who is new to quilting?

 Take your time.  Also make sure you have a picture of your block in front of you so you don't sew the pieces wrong, which I did once.

How does it feel to have created your first quilt block?

 It was a great feeling of accomplishment. It’s always fun when you learn something new and actually finish it. Meli was a great teacher.  

How has your idea of quilting changed after learning more about it?

 Yes, it feels a lot less scarier, but it makes me appreciate more the amount of patience and focus it takes to make big intricate quilts.

Do you see yourself quilting in the future?

 Probably a mini one :)

Tomorrow the new block PDF Pattern will be released and I am so excited to be able to get to sew it up with Laura from the Production Design Team. Tune in next week to hear about sewing with Laura. 

Happy Sewing, 

Meli 

Hello Creative Friends!

One of the things that I love about quilting is that there are multiple ways to piece, all you have to do is research, discover, practice, and then choose your favorite.  So if you are as obsessed as me about flying geese, I invite you to experiment with the One Seam Flying Geese technique when creating beautiful projects like the Flying Colors Quilt from the blooming Indigo & Aster Collection.

Let’s start by cutting! Since my finished size is 5” x 2 ½”, we need to cut two (2) 3” x 3” squares from fabric A and one (1) 5 ½” x 3” rectangle from fabric B.  However, if your desired finished size is different, just follow this diagram to figure out the size of the pieces you need to cut:

Take your cut pieces and align them:

Place one square from fabric A facing up, the rectangle from fabric B facing down, and one square from fabric A facing down.

Fold the rectangle from fabric B towards the left side making sure the right side of the fabric is facing out.

Make a sandwich with all the pieces in the following order: A1-B-A2, lining them up to the left side:

Now, get ready to stitch!

Keeping your pieces in the same position, stitch at 1/4” from the top edge of the fabric sandwich.

One of the great things about this method is that you can chain saw many flying geese at once. If your fabric has a directional print, make sure you place your fabric so the stitch goes on the upper part.

 
Now open and press!

Open your pieces, and press them making sure the corners from fabric B are aligned with the bottom corners from fabric A.

Finally get ready to experiment on new projects and share them with me! I would love to see them and to know if you like this method, so far, this is my favorite, is it yours too?

Happy discovering and creating!

Laucara

Hi Quilty Friends, 

The Log Cabin Block is finally making it's way into the AGF Quilt Block Collection. This well known block is a perfect beginner friendly block where all you need is a square piece of fabric for the center of your block and a variety of different fabric strips. For the center of our block we fussy cut the cute bunny from the "Radiant Menagerie Panel" from the Indigo & Aster fabric collection. We used a variety of different contrasting prints from Indigo & Aster Fabrics as well as adding some beautiful orange, blue and green  smooth denim fabrics for the ideal amount of texture. 

The Log Cabin Block is a great scrap buster project and using WOF strips and the speedy cut as you go method will get you a completed block in no time. 

 Have fun choosing your favorite animal for the center of your block! 

Watch the video below and follow along to make a Log Cabin Block to add to your quilt block collection! 

I always love seeing your creations so make sure to share them on Instagram with the hashtag #AGFQuiltBlockCollection! Leave me a comment below with new quilt block tutorial idea. 

Happy Sewing, 

Meli 

Hello there DYIers,

My turn has arrived! I never thought I would ever make a quilt, since I've always been focused on either designing textiles, thinking about home decor or creating new and innovate marketing campaigns, but here I am today. I am finishing the week by introducing the newly released block from the Community Sampler, The Weathervane Block. As you all know I have been contributing to the AGF blog for 9 months, and with regret, I have to write to you all that this will be my last one. I am embarking on a journey of my own, but definitely reminding myself about how fun and refreshing stepping into the quilting world has been! So without further ado, I want to thank everyone who left me a warm and encouraging message, it really meant a lot! To honor my last blog post here is my first quilt block!  Yay 

When I learned I was next on the Community Sampler hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell I wasn't sure what to expect given that it was my first time at quilting, but as soon as the Weathervane block was announced, Meli and I got down to business and she explained in detail how the construction of this block would be. Since the Community Sampler started, we've been using Splendid Fusions, so to maintain the sew-along consistent, I started cutting some prints right away. 

I really enjoyed cutting up all the pieces, Meli showed me a way to optimize the fabric and get the most out of my measurements. After that part was done we were ready to start sewing some half-square triangles, which for a first-time quilter was super fun to make :)

Another step I really enjoyed doing was squaring up every piece! I liked how clean each piece looked, and it helped me visualize how the block would come together.

Look how cute all my pieces look :) 

And I'm  D O N E .... yay this is the final result! I think it's a good start for it being my first block, it was definitely a challenge sewing and aligning everything, but I am happy with how it looks.

I could not have done it without the help of Meli, our quilting expert! I really enjoyed this process and I am so excited to say that I've made my first quilt block! I hope you are all following the Community Sampler hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell, because it's filled with amazing work and talent AND of course, pretty fabrics!

Thank you so much for reading my blog posts! 

Until next time...

Martina