Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Does anyone have a specific area in their home that brings them bliss? For me, it’s my backyard where every time I need to relax or make important decisions, it’s the first place I go to. And over time, I’ve curated it to be my own little sanctuary, where I started my garden a couple of months ago and so, I placed a chair right in the center surrounded by some solar powered string lights and it’s the special part of my home that I can call mine. I bring this up because when I read Amy Sinibaldi’s special interview for this collection, she talks about her favorite room in her home. She further explains that there is a quiet room that is always empty with a couch and velvet cushions where she can feel happy and experience the luxury of being home. From this special room, her collection Velvet was born! 

Velvet is all about the comfort of being surrounded by loved ones, and one's most beloved art, books, and souvenirs. Ranging from rich to gentle hues, this feel-good color palette tunes in with the opulent prints of this collection

*Available in 12 quilting cotton prints

Look at these dreamy prints, it just makes me want to pet them. I enjoy the levels of brightness in this collection, there are a lot of subtle prints that feel cozy and are more on the earthy color side, but on the other hand, we have pops of yellow and orange that would be great to add to the mix for your patchwork projects. 

I realized from the last collection that a mood board was necessary for me to put together as it just brought these fabrics to life! It gave me a better idea of how I can apply these fabrics to my own home, and for what occasion I would bring them out to sew with. I feel like you can apply a fabric collection to any style of your home! For example, I enjoy a “boho” style, and if you include a lot of nature’s texture like wood & plants like this style is known for and put it with this collection (like the picture on the top right of the mood board), you can adjust it to your personal style. It all depends on what you enjoy, and from there you take these fabrics and apply them to your surroundings. 

*Featuring prints: Olivia Celeste, Jasmine Mellow, and Hillside gust.

I wanted to show you a close-up of these fabrics too because that’s part of the magic! Find Amy's signature ditsy Florals, like the print “Olivia Dulcet” and “Olivia Celeste” that'll make you want to fussy cut every individual design for all sorts of projects. 

*Featuring rayon prints: Firefly Nightfall & Jasmine Afresh

Velvet comes in 12 quilting cotton prints and two additional super soft rayon substrates. A darker blue and green print that's great for dresses on a night out and a soft pink floral that's perfect for your apparel sewing just in time for the spring. 

If you’re looking to accentuate these beautiful colors, check out these matching Pure Solids:

*Featuring Pure Solids in Aurus, Dried Moss, Quartz Pink, and Tigerlilly 

More matching AGF Elements not pictured:

PURE Solids: Sweet Macadamia, Blossomed, Terracotta Tile, Icy Mint, Ocean Fog, Zambia Stone, and Ocean Fog. 

Floral Elements: Tropical green & Hay.

Nature Elements: Moss

Discover more sewing inspiration in our Velvet Fabric Lookbook, linked below!

Let’s talk fabric! Is our YouTube segment that gives you an inside look into the latest AGF collections, and in this video we will show you what Amy Sinibaldi’s, Velvet, is all about. Find Amy's signature ditsy florals and a better feel of Velvet’s true color palette through a high definition lens! Explore all the projects you can also create that perfectly showcases these prints, from reversible pouches, sweet handbags, quilted pillows, and more. Just click play, relax, and prepare to be inspired.

Check out our “Chandelier” free quilt pattern, where you'll get to see the full-color gradient, all while having fun practicing sewing some curves!

DOWNLOAD HERE

If you have this collection and you want to share your creations, make sure to tag us on social media and use the hashtag #AGFVelvet, so we can share the love! I hope you get the chance to play with these fabrics in your favorite place at home and enjoy the happiness it brings. Please let me know where you find bliss in your home and your favorite print of the Velvet collection in the comments below! 

Until next time,

Happy Sewing!

-Jannelle

Hello, Makers! 

Coming back this week with another tutorial, if you missed what we spoke about last time, make sure to check out my Reverse Applique Flower Patch tutorial! As many of you may or may not know, my quilting journey started pretty recently as I dove headfirst into this industry and fell in love with fabrics! As I progressed my skills in the quilting world, my research was always intense as I was craving to learn more about it every week. One of my favorite things I learned about was Fussy Cutting! Which is a technique of choosing a bit of a print to highlight when you cut around it and place your patchwork project. 

When I first learned about it, the concept seemed so easy! Just cut out your design on the fabric, right? It wasn't until I finally brought the fabrics to the cutting board that I realized there is more to it than meets the eye. 

Using Maureen Cracknell's "Autumn Vibes" fabric collection in the print "Foxes in Fall" and Bonnie Christine "Lambkin" fabric collection in the print "Little Entomologist" was the perfect example for me to demonstrate this technique.

Also, please note that if you plan to do a lot of fussy cutting, it may require to use of more fabric since you are only cutting out one design at a time. 

In order to have your desired piece of print on your block, you first need to measure the size of the square you need to cut. 

For example, on the print "Foxes in Fall", the fox print measures about 3¼’’ x 2½’’, so if you want to fussy cut this print, I would suggest measuring with a ruler and cutting it at 4½’’ x 4½’’ square. This way, when you sew your project at a ¼’’ seam allowance, you’ll still have your fox print intact. 

You can also use the fussy cut technique with any EPP projects. For example, to cut Bonnie Christine’s print in "Little Entomologist" you can fussy cut the insects with hexies templates. 

The fun thing about this print is that you can play around with the insect’s direction when constructing your project.  Make sure to center your hexie template and cut ¼’’ bigger than the template so you can have enough fabric to fold over with working your EPP project.

When they say "Measure twice, cut once" they couldn't be any more accurate for this technique, and it's the quote you have to live by when fussing cutting! Practice always makes perfect, so I gathered some of my favorite free sewing patterns from AGF's website where you can take this skill and apply it to other projects. 

Have fun cutting your favorite elements in our "Luna & Laurel" fabrics to create these coasters! 

Here some bonus patterns like this cradle arranger where you can fussy cut our Pine Lullaby Rediscovered PANEL print or enjoy some English Paper Piecing to create our Buttercup Necklace! 

Download Pattern Here

Download Pattern Here

I hope you enjoyed my brief breakdown, and if you have any other tips for this technique, please share them in the comments below! As a beginner, I am always shocked by the tips I find every day, so If you have anything to share, I'd love to read it. 

Until next time,

Happy sewing!

- Jannelle 

Hi, Makers!

As of lately, I've been getting urges to work on some handmade items that are filled with details! I don't know about you, but sometimes I don't want to create something large, but focus on a project that I can dedicate time to pack as much texture and details as possible. This brings to today's tutorial that I'm really excited to share, these Reverse Applique Flowers that just hit the mark for me creatively. Reverse Applique is the process of stitching fabric on top of each other, cutting the layer above to reveal the fabric underneath. Have fun sewing with the pretty and bright PURE Solids fabric, lots of stitching, cutting with small scissors, and most importantly the creative freedom to add whatever you want to it! 

Let's get started!

Fabric requirements:

You can use either fat eighths or scraps of fabrics for this project, customize your flower to your liking or just follow our suggestions to have the same results as in this tutorial.

If you decide to follow our suggestions you’ll need six (6) different fabrics for each flower (DOWNLOAD FLOWER TEMPLATE HERE):

• Three (3) different hues of the same color for the petal.
• One (1) color for the stigma.
• One (1) color for the leaves.
• One (1) contrasting color or black for the stroke.

EXTRA MATERIALS

• Different colors of thread go together with your fabric choices.
• Small scissors.
• Steam-A-Seam.
• Tweezers.
• Hand needle.
• Fabric marker.

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS:

• One (1) Template circle from each fabric.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Feel free to draw your own pattern or use ours.
• Take the six circles needed for the blue flower, each circle will be one layer of the flower.
• Start placing and aligning the circles together in the order ABFCDE.

• Topstitch all the way around the circle as close to the edge as possible to keep all the fabrics together, no further than ¼” from the edge.

• Place the template flower on the top of the layers of circles, align it to its best position and then sew on both sides of the darker green as shown in the diagram below.

• Cut the sewn template and carefully remove the paper after.

• Now, it’s time to start carefully cutting the layers of fabric using small scissors to reveal your flower.
• Every time you are cutting a layer of fabric you want to make sure that you are cutting just that layer and that you are not grabbing any other layers underneath, I used my tweezers and hand needle to make sure I wasn’t grabbing any layers I wasn't supposed to.
• Start cutting fabric A inside the stigma, leaves, and petals, to reveal fabric B underneath.
• Since fabric B is the one we are using for the leaves, you don't want to go further with it.

• Move on with the stigma and petals.
• Again, make sure that you are cutting just the next layer.
• Use your small scissors to cut fabric B inside the stigma and petals, to reveal fabric F underneath.
• Since fabric F is the one we are using for the leaves, you don't want to go further with it.

• Move on with the petals.
• Use your small scissors to cut fabric F inside the petals, to reveal fabric C underneath.

• To create some highlights to your flower, use your fabric marker to free-hand draw where you’ll like to expose the color underneath to create some highlights.
• Stitch on top of the drawn line with a blue contrasting thread.

• Use your small scissors to cut fabric C inside the petals, to reveal fabric D underneath.

• Draw one more time inside the petals the last layer (fabric E)
• Stitch on top of the drawn line with a blue contrasting thread.

• This time you’ll need to cut two layers of fabrics (C&D) one by one to reveal fabric E.
• Use your small scissors to cut fabric C inside the petals, to reveal fabric D underneath.
• Then cut fabric D to reveal fabric E underneath.

• If you'd like, you can just leave the flower as it is now, or if you feel like taking an extra step add details like beads and sequins, or also you can draw details with your sewing machine or hand stitching.

• To finish your patch, trim the excess fabric around the flower patch and leave the raw edges exposed.
• Voila! Your patch is ready to be pasted on any fabric surface that you’d like (backpack, jeans, jacket, tote, pillow, etc..)
• You can hand stich or machine stitch it.

The options with this technique can be applied to any template you create! Have fun with it and play around with the different colors, and applying it to any patchwork project! 

Since quilted coats have been trending on Instagram, I got the idea to add them to my coat. I thought it would be perfect since my coat neutral and these flowers would really pop! But I also can see these applied to your quilts, table runners, and quilted pillows as well, especially since spring is around the corner.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you make this project, please tag us on social media under the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics, the AGF team and I would love to see it. 

Until next time,

Happy sewing!

-Jannelle

Happy Friday, makers! 

The weekend is almost here and if you haven’t already, this is a friendly reminder to take a moment and breathe. Life can get a little crazy sometimes, and I believe it’s really important to find time for yourself and have some quality time with your sewing machine. Today, I’m excited to show you something new on the table, that brings me right into my happy place- low volume fabrics. If you’re not sure what that is, let me explain… they are usually white, cream, neutral fabrics that have subtle designs. You may have seen some before, but you’ve never seen Soften The Volume fabrics, a collection giving low volume prints a whole new twist with warm and cozy caramel tones! 

*Available in 10 quilting cotton prints

Modern prints meet sophisticated neutrals, where every individual print has a unique pattern! These fabrics are extremely versatile and beginner-friendly because it takes out all the thinking from deciding on what prints you should pick, as they all work together. 

Immediately when I saw this collection, it provoked a feeling that is easier to put in pictures than into words. Above, I made a mood board and tried to grasp some pictures that made me feel as cozy, and warm as the fabrics did. As a fabric lover, I’m sure you encountered some lovely fabric bundles on Instagram and instantly thought, “This quilt pattern would be perfect for this bundle!” or “These fabrics would be a beautiful addition to my home!” and for me, I thought of both when I saw this collection, haha! There is nothing in the world that makes your house feel like home like handmade items. I want to surround myself with calming neutral colors, soft textures from all kinds of patchwork projects that I can make with this collection. Also, if you are like me, I need to visually see how a project will turn out to start, so I hope you find this mood board helpful, to allow you to visualize what these fabrics can look like in your home. 

*Featuring prints: Sashiko Mending, Petal Trellis, and Brushed Fibers.

I wanted to show you a close-up of these fabrics too because that’s part of the magic! Together, the prints blend seamlessly, making your projects come together, but once you step a little closer, you’ll see all the beautiful details. Enjoy these fabrics with other bright collections too because they serve as great blenders which allow your other prints to stand out! 

If you’re looking to add more texture or you have a couple of AGF Elements (blenders) in your stash that you’d like to incorporate, check out these picks: 

*Featuring AGF Denim in Nectarine sunrise and adobe clay, Floral Elements in Khaki, or the Decostich Element in Cafe Latte.  

More matching Elements not pictured:

PURE Solids: Creme da la Creme, Sandstone, Vanilla Custard, Toasty Walnut, Gentle Feather, and Mink.

Decostitch Elements: Cloud

Floral Elements: Winter Wheat & Sand

Nature Elements: Natural 

Discover more sewing inspiration in our Soften The Volume Fabric Lookbook, linked below!

Experience our latest collection, Soften The Volume, as if the fabrics were right in front of you in our YouTube segment “Let’s Talk Fabric”! Featuring close-ups of every print like if you had the fabrics in your hands, on your sewing table, taking in all the beautiful details of this collection. Find tons of projects that you can create in this video from comfy eye-masks, sweet home-decor, and more. Just click play, relax, and prepare to be inspired! 

Enjoy creating our “Woven Rattan” free quilt pattern below that will transport your favorite cozy room in your home while reading a book by a freshly lit candle!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Get your hands on this essential collection and enter for a chance to win a Fat Quarter bundle of  Soften The Volume by CLICKING HERE! It’s so simple to enter, all you need is an email that you can fill in. The giveaway ends on Friday, March 12, and the winner will be emailed and announced right here on the blog. 

Please reply within 7 days to claim your prize (check your email on March 12!) If we don’t receive a reply, we will have to choose another winner as we’d like to be fair with all participants, and pass the opportunity to another contestant. Thank you! 

THE WINNER IS LISA PARK! PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL TO REDEEM YOUR PRIZE! 

If you have this collection and you want to share your creations, make sure to tag us on social media and use the hashtag #AGFSoftenTheVolume, so we can share the love! I hope you get the chance to take a breather and enjoy your sewing session. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me, and let me know what you’re looking forward to sewing with this collection in the comments below. 

Until next time,

Happy Sewing!

-Jannelle