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May 2018

Quilt Market - Portland 2018 Recap

Hi There Fabric Friends, 

In case you missed it this past week, AGF flew west and attended "Quilt Market" in Portland where we not only had our own booth but also had three of our fabric designers show their latest fabric collections, as well! Needless to say, it was an inspiring and humbling experience as always! We made new friends as well as rekindled with old ones. I've curated various photos to share with you, so you're up to date and in the loop of what we've been up to lately. Happy browsing!

AGF Booth: 

For our booth this year, our main theme was all about celebrating the beauty of diversity and the power of being a woman, through intricate artistry and vivid, floral designs. Our seven, custom-made art quilts featured women (who all exist in real life too) were created by our very own AGF Studio. Each of these was made with our "AGF Color Master Boxes," highlighting a dominant color for each quilt. 

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We featured our AGF Color Master Boxes near the ladies which was right next to our AGF Shop as usual, filled with bundles and Color Master boxes. In the back of our AGF booth, we also highlighted three quilts  - a pink, mustard and teal. In case you were wondering, these quilts were made with the free pattern that comes in the Color Master boxes


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Speaking of quilts, we also displayed our "Migrating Quilt" (no pattern for this at the moment but stay tuned) at our booth that's filled with colorful, flying geese!

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 Mister Domestic's Booth:

Our fabric designer, Mathew Bordreaux (a.k.a. Mister Domestic) debuted his first fabric collection, "Loved To Pieces." Inspired by his daughter's love of flowers combined with his love for English Paper Piecing, this collection is super fun and filled with unique, geometric floral prints! Available in May 2018! 

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Jessica Swift's Booth:

Our second fabric designer, Jessica Swift shared her latest "under the sea" inspired fabric collection that features playful mermaids and sea creatures, "Sirena." Inspired by the movie "Splash" and childhood memories of pretending to a mermaid, this collection is filled with vibrant, tropical colors and whimsical marine prints. Available in June 2018!

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Katrina Roccella's Booth:

 Our third fabric designer, Katarina Roccella shared her latest romantic and luxuriant collection, "Decadence." Inspired by the Rococo movement, this collection is filled with elegance featuring peacocks and gorgeous, floral blooms. Available in July 2018!


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Hope you had fun looking at all the things that happened at this Quilt Market!

What was your favorite part of it??!

Keep creating, 

- Sophia

 


Quilting For a Cause

Hello, Creators!

 

On my previous blog, where I wrote about handmade “Mother’s Day gifts,” it was easy to get into the gifting mood. Handmade gifts are amazing but what’s better is making one for a good cause. I wanted to shine a light on all of those who take the time to make a handmade quilt for those who could really benefit from it. I can deeply relate to this topic because I had some family members that were affected by “Hurricane Irma!” Just seeing everyone in my community get together and help one another was very inspiring and humbling.

 

In the midst of researching, I came across an article on an 88-year old woman who sewed 1,000 quilts for charity. I couldn’t believe what I was reading! In the article, she explains her love of sewing since she was 9 years old and how she worked with a charity called “Project Linus.” Her next goal? 2,000 quilts! It’s crazy to think that one person can make such a big difference.

 

Having that in mind, I wanted to recognize all the charity work that Art Gallery Fabrics has been a part of especially with recent, catastrophic events that people today are still experiencing to this day. “Hurricane Harvey” was of those tragic cases that led to billions of dollars in damages and Art Gallery Fabrics partnered with “Quilts of Compassion” where we collected over 100 quilts! You can read more about our journey and how Quilts of Compassion made it happen.

 

Quilting for a cause

 

Quilting has become an escape route to many, it's a time to sit down and let out your own creative energy. In the news, a woman named Tonry overcame her three year battle with leukemia with the help of her creative outlet quilting! Tonry took one class on quilting and was instantly hooked. She dedicated her time sewing for “Quilts for Comfort” and delivered 60 quilts to the hospital. She promised to make 40 quilts before she turned age 40 and no one thought it would be possible, but boy did she prove them wrong!

 

Reading these wonderful women’s stories was very inspiring, and serves as a reminder that it’s never a bad time to make an extra gift for those in need. If you have extra quilts that you don’t need or use that often, I encourage you to check your local charity to see if they are accepting any donations!

 

Keep quilting,

 

- Jannelle

 

 

 

 

 


Top 5 Summer Soiree Outfits

Hi There Makers!

How’s your May going so far? With the “first day of summer” only a few weeks away (June 21st), I don’t know about you but with this season quickly approaching, I have several upcoming occasions where I’ll need a summery outfit - a brunch-themed baby shower, a daytime wedding on the beach, and a garden/boho themed bridal shower! Since all of these events will be taking place outside, I’ll definitely need to sew something light in fabric, as well as comfortable but still somewhat dressy. Here’s some ideas I’ve gathered from our previous lookbooks for making the perfect outfit for a “summer soiree,” in case you are in need of any ideas/patterns as well! Enjoy and let it be your inspiration.

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1. The Anywhere Skirt  

Fabric Collection: Blush by Dana Willard

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First up is this darling, versatile garment, “The Anywhere Skirt” that’s featured in the “Blush” lookbook. This skirt has the perfect length and silhouette for an outdoor occasion, and what’s so fun about it is the fact that you can pair it with a matching top to create the “illusion” of a dress! Feel free to pair this skirt with neutral-colored wedges to complete the relaxed, summery look! For the pattern, click here

2. The Sudley Dress

Fabric Collection: Printemps Fusion by AGF

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Reversible, loose and gathered at the waist, "The Sudley Dress”  is so flattery on any body type with a key-hole detail and tie, as well as billowy sleeves. I absolutely adore the boho-feel and “easy-breezy” feel to this dress. You can pair this with sandals, wedges or even little ankle-booties if you’re not an “open-toe shoe” kind of gal! For this lovely pattern, head over here!

3. The Cap Sleeve Maxi Dress

Fabric Collection: Observer by April Rhodes

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Shibori print and maxi-length? One of my favorite combinations for a summer dress! “The Cap Sleeve” dress is definitely an option I’m deeply considering to wear to the daytime, beach wedding I have coming up in July at the Florida Keys. With batwing sleeves (makes me think of the singer “Stevie Nicks”) and inset godet panels, this dress is just so effortless and chic. Since I’ll be a on the beach and walking around in the sand, I’ll probably end up barefoot with this dress on! For this darling boho-inspired pattern, find it here

 4. The Handkerchief-Style Maxi Dress

Fabric Collection: Lavish by Katarina Roccella

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For those of you gals who enjoy a more bold, asymmetrical approach, “The Handkerchief Maxi Dress” is a great go-to for a festive, summer outing. This is a fabulous silhouette that combines a regular-fitted top and a loose skirt that constantly flows and emphasises your waistline, making it visually smaller which is always welcome! :) This lovely dress can also be accessorized with a macrame-style belt and wedges or espadrilles to add just a little more “summer style” to the look. The color “Navy” is wonderful for any party that’s in the later afternoon/early evenings, since it carries a more elevated look. For the pattern, head here

 5. The Pantsuit

Fabric Collection: Mediterraneo by Katarina Roccella

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Lastly, for any of you ladies that may want to be a little more edgier or “less traditional,” why not show up to an event wearing a printed pantsuit?! From our most recent lookbook “Mediterraneo,” this pantsuit is a fun alternative to wearing a dress and the lemon print creates an even more “summer-inviting” feel to the garment! You can pair this with sandals or wedges, and also a golden/neutral-colored belt to elevate the look. For the pantsuit pattern, click here

Do you have any exciting, upcoming events that you need to make an summery-inspired outfit for? I would love to hear your ideas for garments as well!

Keep Creating, 

- Sophia


Sewing Curves- Alice's Tulips Block Tutorial

Hi Makers, 

Have you ever not done something because you where afraid you would be bad at it? Well there has been so many moments in my life where sadly I wouldn't even bother to try something out of my comfort zone because I was afraid of the outcome. Sounds crazy saying this out loud but I know many of you suffer from this silly way of thinking. Nobody is perfect and we shouldn't be  hesitant to try new things!  I have always been scared of sewing curves but today I am jumping off the deep end and making the  Alice's Tulips Block.  If you have any tips for sewing curves leave them in the comments below I would love to read them and put your tips to practice because like we all know "practice makes perfect".  I would love for you  watch the video below where I sew up these cute 8" blocks with the yummy fabrics from Mediterraneo



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 Download the templates I used here. Are you new to sewing curves too? Watch my video below and share your tips for sewing curves. 

 

 

This block was so fun to make I couldn't just make one! To checkout more sewing projects made with Mediterraneo fabrics take a peek at our new lookbook! 

 

Mediterraneo-block

 Happy Sewing , 

Meli


Stripes & The No Waste Flying Geese Method!

One of the most popular ways to make Flying Geese is the "Make Four No Waste Flying Geese" method, not only because it uses less fabric, but also because you save time making four units at once! Today we will not only talk about this technique, but we will also experiment with stripes and figure out how they behave depending on how and where you place them. The amazing fabrics in this tutorial are from the exotic and artistic Mediterraneo collection.

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One of the myths of The Flying Geese name comes from its resemblance with an actual goose flying in the sky, and surely that's where its parts also get their names from: 

Goose: the big triangle in the center.

Sky: the corner square triangles on the sides.

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 Make Four No Waste Flying Geese cutting formula:

Goose: one (1) square measuring the finished flying geese width + 1 1/4”.

Sky:  four (4) squares measuring the finished flying geese height + 7/8”

In this case my finished size is 6” x 3”, so I cut one (1) 7 ¼” square for the goose and four (4) 3 7/8” squares for the sky:

 

 

  1. Let's start discovering how the stripes will behave when using them in the goose part:

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Place two sky squares aligned diagonally and face to face to the geese fabric. Notice that the small squares will overlap in the inner corners.

Draw a line on the diagonal and stitch at ¼” from each side of the line.

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Using your rotary cutter and ruler, cut on the drawn line.

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Now you have two halves. Open the fabric and press both resulting pieces.

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Place one sky square on the uncut corner of each half and draw a diagonal line.

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Stitch at ¼” from each side of the drawn line and cut.

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Open the seams and press. As a result you have four units, two of them with horizontal stripes and two with vertical stripes.

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2. Now let's see what happens when using the stripes in the sky part!

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Place two sky squares aligned diagonally and face to face to the goose fabric. Draw a line on the diagonal and stitch at ¼” from the line on each side.

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Cut on the drawn line to get your two halves.

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Open the fabric and press both resulting pieces.

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Now we will place the striped sky squares in different directions to see what happens.

On the  first half, the sky square will have the stripes in the same direction as the stripes attached to the goose fabric. And on the second half the sky square will be placed so the stripes are perpendicular to the ones already attached to the goose fabric.

Draw a diagonal line.

Stitch at 1/4" of each side of the lines and cut.

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As a result, you can see that on the first half we have two identical flying geese units, but the left sky stripes are perpendicular to the right sky stripes. And on the second half, both units are different, but the right and the left sky stripes are in the same direction.

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Now let your imagination run! I love how the stripes make a big impact on any design, and combined with such a practical method, the sky is the limit!

How do you like your stripes better on the goose or on the sky? Are you ready to create using this method? Please share your ideas and history knowledge with me, I love hearing from you!

Enjoy creating,

 - Laucara


Community Sampler Sew Along: Block 10 - New- Four Patch

Hello Fabric Friends,

Don't you just love sewing up something new? Today Elisa from the Production Design department teamed up with me to create Block #10 in the Community Sampler, the New- Four Patch. It's full of cute little four patch blocks and HST's. It was fun exchanging our favorite piecing methods and techniques and getting to know more about Eli. She has motivated me to start sewing more clothes for myself after sharing with me all the fun outfits that she has already made this year.  Read more about  Eli below and how she fell in love with all things quilty.

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 We used Splendid Fusions to create our block. 

 

Do you always follow the instructions in a sewing pattern exactly how they are written? For this block Eli and I decided to change up the steps a little to simplify and speed up our quilt block process. 

Since all of our HST's are the same two fabrics we decided to use the Magic Eight Method for creating our HST's. Have you ever tried this method? It is amazing if you need to make a whole bunch of the same HST's. In this case we needed exactly eight HST's so this method was made for us! 

For the four patch blocks we decided to sew two 2" x WOF strips together and then sub cut 2" x 3 1/2" strips. Then we paired all our sub cut strips together to make all eight four patch blocks. 

Sewing up are block this way speed up the sewing process so much. As a quilter it's always great to find methods or techniques to make your life less stressful and more efficient. 

 

Let me introduce you to Eli, (below) make sure to comment below and get to know Eli. 

 New- Patch Block- Eli

 How did you get into sewing?

Ever since I was little, I always had the interest in learning how to sew, but it wasn’t until my first year in college that I learned how to sew my first outfit, since then, I’ve always loved it.

 

What is your favorite thing to sew?

 It would be pillow cases. But on my free time at home, I love sewing my own clothes :)

 

Tell us about your first quilting experience… If you could go back and tell past you any advice what would you say?

 My first quilting experience was when I was sewing some pillowcases for Fall 2017 Quilt Market. We had so many products to sew that I barely had time to quilt so I just did straight lines calculating the distance of each line with the walking foot. They came out great though!

If I could go back in time and tell past me any advice I would have said;" hey, take your time to quilt, mark your designs before you quilt and sew at a more slower pace".

 

What is your favorite quilting technique that you use all the time

I would say, English Paper Piecing. Its so fun to do and I love to use this technique for my accessories projects.  Here is an example of one of my favorite accessory projects. 

EPP Necklace

Having the right sewing supplies to get the job done right saves a ton of stress. What is one sewing tool you could never live without. 

My fabric marking pen!!! I have the need to mark everything to make sure I get everything right.

 

Finishing a project gives all sewers a rush of happiness. What is your all time favorite sewing project you have completed?

 

It would be the Good Fortune Pillow case from Indigo & Aster collection. I sewed the two pillow cases and quilted both.

 

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These pillows are definitely drool worthy!!! Didn't Eli do a amazing job!? These pillows are going on my to sew list for sure!

 

 Happy Sewing,

Meli