We’ve been reading your comments on our graphics lately about how you'd like to have them for your own use! So, we decided to do just that. Now, you can download any of your favorite graphics right to your mobile phone, for that extra daily motivation. Whether you want to send it to a friend, print it, or keep it as your phone background, it’ll always there keep a smile on your face.
If you are always googling DIY projects and can’t seem to get the needle out of your hand, crafting is more than just a hobby for you.
We love our traditional, warm snuggly quilts but here in Florida, we are always looking for a way to make an ultra lightweight, soft, luxurious quilt to take with us to the beach or to accessories our homes. With the introduction of our Rayon Striped collection, we knew we had to put it to the test by making our ultimate dream quilt we have been dreaming about for so long.
For those of you who may be fearful of dippin’ your toes into the rayon quilt making process we put together a video for you to aid you in your journey as well as a printable a PDF to follow.
Feel free to think outside the box and use fabrics other than traditional quilting cotton, we found that the outcome is absolutely gorgeous.
Let us know in the comments if you have sewn with Rayon before and if you have any tips or tricks to share! If you haven't checked it out make sure to flip through the pages of our NEW RAYON STRIPED Lookbook for more inspiring things to make with Rayon!
Have you noticed that the best memories are those you share with your loved ones? Well, today we will be learning some tips on how to include your little one into our world of quilting. I will be sharing with you how Nico (my 10 year old son) and I were inspired by all the vibrant and fun colors of the Matchmade collection, and teamed up to make an astronomical quilt for him.
Prepare:
Start by getting your work space clean and ready, and gathering the tools that you will need for the project. Take this opportunity to begin explaining the steps of the process and how some tools work.
Simple Idea:
When working with kids start with simple ideas. For example, I decided to do uneven strips with Nico, and his job was to place the ruler on top of the fabric to indicate where to cut. As you can see he was super curious about the rotary cutter, and since he is a mature boy, I decided to let him experiment it, but before I made sure he understood the proper and safe way to use it. Then, I held his hand to cut a couple of strips. After a while, we went back to the original plan. ;)
Arrange:
Leave the arranging part to your little one, she or he will take it to heart!
He took the strips and started organizing them. It was fun to watch Nico while he played with the strips discovering new ideas and making different shapes. At the end, he decided to align them into a straight uneven strip set.
He stood up proudly and looked at them again from far away just to say: "I really like my design!" ... No words to describe our happiness.
When your little helper has put so much thought into her/his design work, please step aside and respect her/his decision, she/he will appreciate the piece even more.
Sew:
It is time to sew. If your child is interested in sewing this is a great opportunity to start teaching her/him, there are many sewing machines in the market for kids; or if you feel that she/he is ready for yours, go ahead, just make sure she/he starts by learning the safety rules.
In my case, I sewed the strips together following Nico’s arrangement.
Apply:
Apply your design to a bigger design. You can applique it, cut it into smaller pieces, or even frame it with fabric strips to make it into a quilt.
Nico and I searched for projects and chose to use the instructions of the Day-Night quilt and tweaked it into a full moon eclipse design. We decided to sub-cut the uneven strip set into smaller strips and apply them to the chosen instructions.
Your turn ;)
Now that your teammate has done all the hard work is your turn to do your part: finish piecing the project!
Nico loves the pieced top and he is looking forward to the finished quilt.
Can you think of a special person you would like to quilt with? Is your little one curious about quilting or just sewing in general?
Just bring an open mind and patience to the studio and be prepared for the unexpected.
An award-winning quilter, author of a quilt book and a craft book...just a few things that make her extra special...and now she's our newest AGF Sewcialite! Please give a warm welcome to the talented, Carolina Moore!
Born in Holland and currently living in sunny San Diego, California with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat, Carolina's been quilting for 25 years! Using her expertise and amazing precision with each make, we first noticed her back in 2012, when she became part of an AGF sewing challenge. After falling in love with her quilty passion and work, we began collaborating with Carolina on several projects for our Quilt Market booths and lookbooks. Describing her design style as "fun, bold, modern," she's obsessed with English Paper Piecing, as well as long arm quilting, and chocolate. :) We're so excited to have her as part of our AGF family and can't wait for the upcoming projects she has planned this year.
To get to know Carolina a little better, here's a fun little interview we did with her!
Congratulations on becoming an AGF Sewcialite! Can you tell us a little bit about your background, and how you eventually got to where you are today?
Thanks so much! I am crazy excited to be an AGF Sewcialite! Getting to play with gorgeous AGF fabrics every day means I’m totally living my best life! The short version of my story is that my mom grew up sewing garments. She loved sewing. When we moved here to the US, she took a quilting class and caught the quilting bug as well. She taught me to sew, and sent me to a kids’ quilting camp where I fell in love with quilting as well! I also did some garment sewing, and my mom and I made my prom dress together. After having my first son, I actually spent a couple years working in a quilt shop. It was there that I was introduced to AGF. After participating in an AGF challenge, I had the opportunity to make some projects for some award-winning Art Gallery Fabrics booths at Quilt Market, and then I started attending Houston Quilt Market and teaching classes! I love making, and try to do something creative every day.
What was the very first thing you sewed?
With a mom who did a lot of sewing, I have been sewing as long as I can remember! The first thing that I remember sewing was dresses for my dolls from my mom’s fabric scraps. I was still a beginner, so my dolls had a lot of strapless gowns since it only required a single seam.
What are some of your favorite projects to create? Favorite technique?
I love quilts. And pillows. And bags. I love small projects and simple projects because life gets so busy that if it isn’t small or simple, it gets tossed into the WIP pile, never to be seen again! Though every now and then I love taking on a really ambitious project! My favorite techniques are English Paper Piecing (my book “Learn how to English Paper Piece” just came out with Nancy’s Notions last month), and I love Free Motion Quilting.
If you were a sewing notion, what would you be and why?
What a fun question! I really struggled with this one, though! Am I the thread that keeps things together? Am I a needle because I’m always sharp? What about a seam ripper that always has your back during the tough times? After giving it a lot of thought, I think I’m probably batting. I’m always in the middle of stuff, I’m all about keeping things warm, and I am a little fluffy … though I’m trying to make healthier choices so that I can be more “low loft!”
If you had to describe your describe aesthetic in 3 words, they would be?
Fun, bold, modern.
What are some of your favorite things to do in California!?
I grew up in California’s High Desert, went to college and got married up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now live in San Diego…so there is SO MUCH that I love to do in California! My favorite might be a new tradition that we started with my kids. Each summer, we plan a road trip from San Diego up to the Bay Area to visit family. Last year, we went to the LaBrea Tar Pits in LA, and then up to the Sequoias. The year before, we spent the night in Solvang (a cute little tourist town with a Danish look) and then up to Hearst Castle. I love teaching my kids how to plan a trip, and then we all get to enjoy the trip together!
And here in San Diego, I love the beach. We live about 20 minutes away, and when one of us is having a rough day, I like to get everyone into the car and head to the ocean. Watching the sunset over the water seems to make everything just a little bit better.
Where do you often find your inspiration?
I find that inspiration can come from anywhere! Sometimes, I’m inspired by wanting to make something for a friend. Or needing something like a purse or an apron. And there are those special times when the fabric just speaks to me and tells me what it wants me to turn it into. Those are the best.
Your favorite movie of all time is?
HA! This is a funny question because I grew up in a house without a lot of television. We had a TV, but just “rabbit ears” - no cable. And my mom really didn’t want us spending our time in front of the TV. So, I spent a lot of time reading and making. Because of that, I don’t know that I have a *favorite* movie. Movies I really enjoy are “Big Fish,” “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and “Shawshank Redemption.” As for books, I love listening to audiobooks while sewing. My favorite fiction books are the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games series, and my favorite non-fiction is probably “Big Magic” and “The year of Yes.”
What’s on your “sewing to-do list” for this year?!
Oh my! I have so much on my sewing to-do list this year! I want to make pincushions and have already started with some. I have a couple of bags that I really want to make this year. I’m finally getting some new furniture for the living room, so I plan to make some new cushions. And I want to work on projects where I can teach beginners. I really, really love new quilters and treasure each opportunity to teach a new person how to quilt.
That’s what I have planned so far - I’m sure other projects will sneak their way in! Sometimes the inspiration just strikes and I have to put aside everything else just to create!
Calling all you rayon lovers! We have some SUPER EXCITING news for you! For the FIRST TIME EVER, we’re launching four, new rayons that are filled with STRIPES...meaning you’ll have more options to play with regarding prints. From a white and black combination to blue, teal, and a mustard (my fave), these RAYON STRIPED fabrics are timeless go-to’s and extremely versatile for so many different kinds of sewing projects.
Our rayon is 100% natural (made from wood pulp), so it’s extremely lightweight and flowy that creates an ultra smooth hand and delicate drape. If you've never sewn or felt our rayon, I highly recommend you get your hands on some, ASAP. It's seriously so dreamy feeling! I have several dresses made from our rayon and LOVE the way they feel, the colors also hold up after each wash.
Since we love thinking “outside the box,” we decided to switch things up for this substrate’s fabric lookbook and create not only garments but a quilt and some fun accessories too. This lookbook was a lot of fun to put together, so we hope it inspires you to try something different and sew outside your comfort zone, especially with quilts. :)
For more rayon-filled projects that include a quilt, garments and cute accessories like scrunchies and scarves, head over to our "Rayon Striped Lookbook!
Here's our dreamy "Stripy Quilt" for you to sew up using our rayon, just click the below link for the FREE pattern:
Enter a chance to win this fabulous, fabric bundle by signing up to our giveaway:
Our winner is Robin Klein! Congratulations and please check your email!
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Hey Everyone! Mister Domestic, one of our lovely, talented designers is having a party and you're all invited! Save the dates for Feb 11th- March 16th because during those weeks we will be seeing amazing projects made by the impressive list of markers below! All of them will be sewing with Mister Domestic’s latest collection called Aura!
Haven’t sewn with Aura Fabrics yet? Well after seeing all the inspiring projects during the weeks to come you will want to get your hands on some.
Can’t wait and want to see projects this instant sewn with Aura fabrics, well your in luck. Our Aura Fabric Project Catalog has a great array of different sewing projects to get your creative juices flowing!
Four amazing makers have already shared there Aura makes so make sure to head to their blogs to join in on the party.
While your at it if you want to see more impressive projects check out the Blog Party Mister Domestic had for his debut collection called Loved to Pieces!
Let me know in the comments if you coming to the party! I can’t wait to follow along and check out all these makers blogs and creations! Make sure to share with all you sewing friends! The more the merrier!
Monday February 11: Amanda Woodruff of A Crafty Fox
NEW AGF (downloadable) Phone Backgrounds!