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October 2019

The Denim Studio: Back in Stock! 

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This week at AGF, a lot of exciting things have been happening, with the latest releases of our Lookbook, to quilt market, and now I’m here with more news! Last week we received a large shipment restocking all of our denim!!

I am overjoyed this is back because not only is it more fabric to play with, but more options for my upcoming projects! When people hear denim, some automatically think jeans, but it’s way more than that. Imagine all the modern quilts you can make, the fun apparel you can sew with all the printed denim, and even make some sturdy home decor. 

Now, if you've never felt our denim before, I definitely need you to go to your closest fabric store and feel it for yourself. It is the softest denim you’ll ever feel because it’s made out of 100% cotton, and you’ll want to fight the urge to make everything out of this substrate. 

A little more information about our denim and the variety we have: 

Classic Denim & Prints:

Composition: 100% Cotton | Width: 58-59" | Weight: 4.5oz/sqm

10+ designs with classic denim blue background with color and designs printed on them. We included a mix of painterly and playful floral designs with geometric and texturized graphics in tonal shades to create more depth in your projects.

Classic&Printed Denim


Outland Yard Dyes: 

Composition: 100% Cotton | Width: 57" | Weight: 4oz/sqm

Featuring blues, pink and even white, this new substrate is sure to bring a unique twist to your projects!

Outland yarn dyes

Solid Smooth Denim:

Composition: 80% Cotton 20% Polyester | Width: 58-59" | Weight: 4.5oz/sqm

With the same weight as our regular quilting cotton, it seems that they are made for each other. Our smooth denim has a soft buttery feel perfect for quilts, bags and light garments.

Solid smooth denim

Premium Linen Blend:

Composition: 45% Cotton 55% Linen | Width: 56-57" | Weight: 220g/sqm

Introducing our Linen-cotton blend in natural colors. Our blend is breathable and looks great when tailored.

Streaked denim blend
I know I know, I can’t believe it either! If you are like me, looking at all these fabrics, you have so many ideas running through your head about what you can make next. There is a denim blend out there for you, and if you are looking for more inspiration to make with these fabrics, check out our past Denim Lookbooks or you can check out The Denim Studio YouTube video. You’ll find tons of projects and free patterns to sew up. 

I can’t wait to see what makers will be making with these fabrics, and if you already have your hands on them, please share with us on social media by using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics! We love to see what everyone is creating and share some love.

Until next time,

Jannelle 


Enter an Aquatic World: Enchanted Voyage

Welcome back, fabric lovers! 

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Get ready to dive into the magical, aquatic world of Maureen Cracknell's latest collection "Enchanted Voyage"! She was inspired by one of her favorites books, Voyage of the Basset, a fantastical journey of a family that sets sail on a magical voyage of discovery that was written and illustrated by one of her favorite fantasy authors, James C. Christensen.

This collection really tells a story, and it all starts with a ship that sets sail on an adventure! Discovering majestic whales, gentle seahorses, secret, bottled messages, all whilst sailing under the stars.

As a kid, I was always obsessed with the ocean. Something about it was always so interesting, knowing that we are surrounded by large bodies of water and knowing so little about it. From the hand-drawn whales to the school of fish designs on her fabrics, this collection brings out the kid in me again.  I can't wait to sew with these fabrics and I also can't wait to see what others make with this collection! 

Enchanted Voyage Fabrics 20 copy*16 cotton prints

Enchanted Voyage Fabrics 16 copy*3 prints available in knit

Enchanted Voyage Fabrics 23 copy*1 print available in Rayon

View all the projects that makers, AGF studio, and Maureen herself made in the Lookbook!

Enchanted Voyage Quilt FREE 2 copy

Download Free Quilt Pattern 

Enter a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of this collection by signing up to our giveaway:

Enchanted Voyage Fabrics 2 copy

 To enter our giveaway, just click here and enter your info! 

Giveaway ends Tuesday, October, 29th, 2019 Good luck! 

CONGRATS, LAURA MANNING! Please check your email to redeem your prize! 

*Once you have entered the giveaway it's normal for your information to disappear. To confirm your entry check your email for confirmation and approve it. By entering our giveaway, you'll be automatically signed up for our newsletters. Don't worry, we don't spam!


5 Fall Table Runners

Hi, Makers! 

Who else is excited that Fall is here?! My favorite part of the season is Pumpkin Spice everything, I am one of those people that stock up for the whole year! But other than food, one thing I especially love during this time is the warm colors and decorations I see during this time of year. My mom recently bought her first home, and it was nothing less than fun to decorate for the season! Gathering pumpkins, sewing some table-mats, and hanging our reef on the door. 

It's also that time of year that we gather together as a family, sit down a large dining table, and share stories all night. Sewing has changed the way I decorate things, and I am sure other makers out there really look forward to creating things for their loved ones. It's true what they say, every stitch that goes into our projects, holds sentiments of love and appreciation. So today, I really wanted to share with you some of my top 5  favorite table-runner free patterns you can make this year! Create new memories with some fall-themed fabrics and at your next gathering, make that dinner table centerpiece an unforgettable one! 

1. Using Nuncia fabrics, create this Time For Mate table-runner

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2. Using Decadence fabrics, create this Moulins table-runner

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3. Using Autumn Vibes fabrics, create this Blossom Spell table-runner

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4. Using Everlasting fabrics, create this Pedal Beat table-runner

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5. Using Merry & Bright fabrics, create this Seasonal Runner table-runner

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I hope these projects inspired you to get in the holiday spirit and satisfy that sewing craving! If you also love the Fall season, and the fun sewing projects that come along with it, let me know in the comments below what you're currently working on. 

Before I sign off, I'd love to share with you a very big giveaway hosted on our Facebook page! Inspired by all these fall projects, we are giving away over 8 YARDS of fabric!! So you can have the chance to make any of these projects too. We are picking a winner on Monday @4PM so hurry and enter!

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Good luck and until next time,

Happy Sewing! 

 

-Jannelle

 

 


DIY Halloween Costumes with AGF Fabrics!

Hi Makers!

Who else loves Halloween?! All of us at AGF definitely do...just because we love having any reason or excuse to dress up or do a specific theme!

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Picking out a costume is one of the best parts about Halloween..okay, second to eating bags of candy and chocolate, of course! Since we love to create things with our hands, we all know that making a handmade costume is much more fun and makes it, extra special too. That’s why we decided to create these DIY Halloween costumes for you that are easy to sew, especially when it’s a last-minute idea! Featuring our rayon and knit substrates, we were inspired by classic and iconic Halloween costumes that everyone loves. Since you still have some time before October 31st arrives, we hope these looks inspire you to create something, extra spooky!

WICKED WITCH
 
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Fabric Used:
 

Knits in "Striped Alike Caviar" (Striped Socks)

For the "Wicked Witch" dress pattern, click here. 
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FORTUNE TELLER 
 
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Fabric Used:
 
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Knit in "Sahara Sun" (Headband)

For the "Fortune Teller" kaftan pattern, click here. 

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BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
 
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Fabric Used

Rayon in "White Linen" (Dress)

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Knits in "White Linen" (Arm Bands)

For the "Bride of Frankenstein" dress pattern, click here. 

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If you decide to make a costume using our fabrics, feel free to share your make with us - just tag us using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics

Hope you all have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃


Feeling Grateful: Kushukuru Collection

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"My inspiration comes directly from my life, mostly, and my experiences throughout. When creating collections for fabric, paintings, illustrations, and everything, I draw on my life, memories, feelings, and messages that I’d like to share with myself and with the wider world. I’m also deeply inspired by the natural world and could draw and paint animals forever and never get tired of it!" - Jessica Swift

It's always so inspiring to learn where our designers gather their inspiration for a fabric collection. After the unexpected passing of her husband last year, our designer Jessica Swift received an overwhelming amount of love that inspired her to create fabrics that celebrated life compassion, family, and community. In Swahili, "KUSHUKURU" means gratitude which became the heart of this collection.

Kushukuru Fabric 4

Kushukuru offers several substrates from quilting cotton (featured above) to also two rayon prints, and two knit prints....so there's plenty of options to choose for all kinds of projects...especially for kiddies! 

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We always strive to show you how you can not only use a fabric collection to its fullest potential but love to offer new tips and tricks when it comes to sewing. In this Kushukuru Fabric Lookbook, you’ll discover tons of sewing projects that we put together along with Jessica herself and some talented makers. Hope you enjoy every page! 

Here's the free quilt pattern - "Ryan" for you to download for your next sewing project! 

Download Quilt Pattern

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- KUSHUKURU GIVEAWAY -

Enter a chance to win this fabulous, fabric bundle by signing up to our giveaway:

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To enter our giveaway, all you need to do is click here to fill out your info. 

Giveaway ends Monday, October, 14th, 2019. Open internationally. Good luck! 

CONGRATS ANNA MISTRY! Please check your email to redeem your prize!

*Once you have entered the giveaway it's normal for your information to disappear. To confirm your entry check your email for a confirmation and approve it. By entering our giveaway you'll be automatically signed up for our newsletters. Don't worry, we don't spam!


How to Sew a “New Hampshire Granite” Quilt Block Tutorial featuring Kushukuru Fabrics by Jessica Swift

Hi, quilty friends! I am really stoked to show what I have in store for you today. As you know my sewing wizard “Meli” has been creating #AGFQuiltBlock videos for years now, and we all know she did a fantastic job. Now, she has passed the “quilt block torch” to me..and what better way than have someone who just started off sewing, show you all some beginner-friendly blocks! Today, I will be making the “New Hampshire Granite” block! I think this block is for a confident beginner, but the outcome looks a lot harder than it is. Hang in there though, I will walk you step-by-step on how I made this block using Jessica Swift’s latest collection, “Kushukuru.” 

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Here’s what you’ll need: 

Fabric A “Rainbow Jaguar” - (1) 4 ½ square

Fabric B “Lively Kumbukumbu” - (4) 4 ½ x 2 ½ rectangle & (4) 2 ½ square 

Fabric C “Spirit Honora” - (4) 4 ½ square

Fabric D “Flame Amazulu” - (12) 2 ½ square 

Fabric E “Mauvelous” -  (4) 4 ½ x 2 ½ rectangle 

Before we begin, one of the most common mistakes I was doing when I was sewing up the quilt blocks were cutting up the fabric prints in the wrong direction. For anyone starting out, keep note the direction your cutting, to avoid prints facing different directions. With this in mind, let's start with easy pieces first, grab your rectangles from fabric B and E, place them right sides together and sew at ¼ inch on one side. 

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On the next step, we are going to start this corner triangle frenzy! Begin with drawing diagonal lines from corner to corner on every 2 ½ squares from fabric B and D.

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When finished, grab your 4 ½ square of fabric C and start placing Fabric D 2 ½ square on the corner. Pin together and sew on the line you drew. Trim at ¼ inch to reveal your corner square triangle. You are going to repeat this on all 4 squares of fabric C. Once you get to using fabric B on the corner, be mindful that on each square of fabric C, fabric B will be placed on a different corner of each square. For example, if you are making the top right corner block, fabric B will be placed on the bottom left corner of that block, if you are working on the bottom left corner block, fabric B will be placed on the top right of the block, and so on. Please refer to the pictures below if you need more understanding. 

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For this last step, once you finished your corner blocks, place the fabric in rows so you can see what direction each print is facing. Make sure your fabric B and E squares are facing the correct way, the ones on top are horizontal and the ones on the sides are vertical. Fabric B is facing fabric A in the center. Once you have everything in place, you can start with sewing row by row, matching seams. When your rows are finished, you can start sewing your block together. 

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Before you know it, you’re finished! I had a lot of fun sewing this collection because there are so many fussy cutting opportunities. I can see a lot of paper piecing fans having a blast with Kushukuru, and make some vibrant projects. 

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For this part of the tutorial, I really wanted to show you what I am wearing today! Featuring one of the rayon prints from Kushukuru called “Everlasting Imprint.” This print is one of my favorites yet, it's fun black brushstrokes create a really fun texture. Bonus for being rayon, it’s so lightweight and the hand is just perfection. 

Rayon

You can easily dress it up or down! Today I decided to pair it with a blaze for a chic look but then you can change it up and go out to a casual dinner by switching it up with a denim jacket. Get creative, add some pop of color and make this look your own. You can make this top yourself, by downloading the pattern here.   

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Thank you all for joining me today, I’m happy to carry the #agfquiltblockcollection legacy. I hope you found this tutorial helpful and stay tuned in the future for my very first video premiere! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below.

 

Until next time, happy sewing! 

Jannelle