Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hi makers!

The holidays are coming to an end once again, so it’s time for cleaning, eating leftovers, and deciding on New Year's resolutions. One of my resolutions for this next year is to try and be more eco-friendly and reduce my carbon footprint as much as I can. I was recently shown these super cute pin cushions that use those scraps that almost always get thrown away due to no usage… selvages. Here at AGF, we have so many colorful Pure Solids with selvages that include the name of the color, so what a great idea it would be to make my very own color card out of pin cushions! Sure, an actual color card takes up less space, but this way is so much fun and a great scrap buster, so what’s not to love? 

For this project we are using the selvages of our Pure Solids in Sweet Fig, Hydrangea, Plum Preserve, Bewitched, and Amethyst.

Let’s get started! 

Cut your selvage pieces 5 inches long by 1 ½ inches wide. Cut your backing piece 5 inches by 5 inches. 

Sew your selvage strips together at a ¼ inch seam allowance. 

Press your seams in one direction. 

Place your selvages and the backing right sides together and sew ¼ inch all the way around leaving an opening to turn

Trim your corners and turn your pin cushion right side out, making sure to poke out the corners. 

Stuff your pin cushion with your choice of stuffing. I used polyester fiber fill, but you could use batting scraps, walnut shells, scraps of fabric, or anything else you have. 

Hand sew the opening closed and your pin cushion is ready to be poked! 

If you want to create the other versions, I listed each color I used for the other cushions below. 

Blue: Tranquil Waters, Parisian Blue, Tile Blue, Night Sea, and Nocturnal

Green: Icy Mint, Tender Green, Jade Cream, Emerald, and Peacock

Yellow: Honeydew, Lemon Tart, Empire Yellow, Turmeric, and Raw Gold

Orange/Red: Georgia Peach, Dried Carrot, Mandarin, Burnt Orange, and London Red

Pink: Candied Cherry, Weathered Brick, Dried Roses, Miami Sunset, and Blossomed

Black/White: Caviar, Magnetism, Steel, Ash, and Snow

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! It was a fun one for me to recreate and since I love colors, I had to make one from each color of the rainbow. These would also be so cute with selvages from a collection, or selvages from complementary colors. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or tips you’d like to share! 

What else can you sew with your selvages?

As always, please share your pin cushions by tagging us in your photo on social media with the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics! 

Happy Sewing!

-Karli

Hi makers!

My name is Karli and I am so excited to begin writing some blog posts for AGF! I work on tutorials and project creation here at AGF, so I am thrilled to be able to share my love of sewing and quilting with all you creative individuals, starting with these 12 Days of Christmas. 

The holidays are upon us and with Christmas only 19 short days away, I’m sure everyone is busy sewing and quilting away to finish up all their gifts to give. Along with that, it’s time to double-check and make sure you have everyone covered on your gift-giving list. Starting today, December 6th, and ending on the 21st (minus weekends), a new quick and easy DIY gift idea will be shared on Instagram and TikTok that includes home decor, gift wrapping, and more— all for free! While these ideas don’t include 11 pipers piping, 5 golden rings, or a partridge in a pear tree, they are still sure to be loved by any recipient. So grab your favorite AGF fabrics and get ready to sew because these tutorials are coming in hot! 

Make sure to check into this post daily for each new project to be uploaded! 

Day 1: Fabric Ornaments 12/6 

Easy Fabric Christmas Ornaments Tutorial With Free Pattern | Crafty For Home

Day 2: Stocking 12/7

Stocking-Instructions_new.pdf (liveartgalleryfabrics.com)

Day 3: Fabric Tree 12/8

DIY 3D Stuffed Fabric Christmas Tree Free Sewing Patterns | Fabric Art DIY

Day 4: Tree Mug Rug 12/9

adoring-coasters-instructions.pdf (liveartgalleryfabrics.com)

Day 5: Reusable Gift Bag 12/10

Fabric Gift Bags - QUILTsocial

Day 6: Apron 12/13

Vetiver-Apron-Instructions.pdf (liveartgalleryfabrics.com)

Day 7: Pot Holder 12/14

Stripey-Christmas-Ornament-Hot-Pad-Tutorial.pdf (quiltingdigest.com)

Day 8: Coffee Sleeve 12/15

Coffee+Cup+Sleeve+pattern+(2015_11_18+16_02_27+UTC).pdf (squarespace.com)

Day 9: Makeup Remover Pads 12/16

DIY Makeup Remover Pads: Reusable Face Wipes (kukarudesigns.com)

Day 10: Curling Iron Sleeve 12/17

Travel Curling Iron Sleeve Sewing Pattern - The Polka Dot Chair

Day 11: Table Topper - 12/20

Table Topper featuring Little Town Collection - CLICK HERE for instructions

Day 12: Placemat 

Christmas Bowtie Placemat Fabric Requirements

In the midst of the holidays, we tend to look for quick projects that can help us with that feeling of satisfaction of finishing a project. These projects will do just that, with some of them taking less than a half-hour! Make sure you share your finished Christmas gifts with us on social media by tagging us in your photo and using the hashtag #AGF12DaysofChristmas that way we can check it out and share the love! 

Happy Sewing!

-Karli

Ah, I can already smell the cinnamon spice in the air! It’s time to snuggle up in your favorite quilt and grab a hot cup of tea, and enjoy a nice Netflix holiday movie! This is my favorite time of year to sew (who isn’t, right?) to sew several small projects in order to make plenty for myself and my loved ones. I’ve noticed that mug rugs are all over the internet and I can totally see why because it checks all the boxes of what I’m looking forward to sewing! 

If you have never heard of a mug rug before, it’s a quilted mat that combines a coaster and a placemat to hold your drinks and a snack. The perfect 2-in-1 project that I knew I had to make a unique tutorial for all of you to recreate. 

Let’s get started:

I used some nice warm tones for the fall season and used collections like Sharon Holland’s Kismet, our Sparkler Fusion, and Luna & Laurel collection, with a mix of blender fabrics such as our Floral Elements and Pure Solids. 

You will need Fat Eighths for all fabrics.

Four (4) 2’’ squares from fabric A.

Two (2) 2’’ squares from fabric B.

Three (3) 2’’ squares from fabric C.

Three (3) 2’’ squares from fabric D.

Three (3) 2’’ squares from fabric E.

One (1) 7’’ x 8’’ rectangle from fabric F.

One (1) 11 1/2’’ x 8’’ rectangle from fabric F.

One (1) coffee template from fabric G. 

Join fabrics A, B, C, D, and E squares following the diagrams below.

Take one (1) 7’’ x 8’’ rectangle from fabric F and the assembled piece and join them.

Take a batting piece and quilt as desired.

Take the Coffee Template and place it on top of fabric F. Place it about 1’’ from the left side and about 1 ½’’ from the bottom.

Place steam-a-seam on the coffee template and iron it so it sticks on the mug rug.

Topstitch all around to secure it.

To create the smoke on top of the coffee, use the free motion quilting or hand stitch if you prefer.

Take the backing fabric and place it right sides together. 

Sew all four sides leaving about 3’’-4’’ of opening to flip the piece inside out.

Clip your corners, flip your piece inside out, press your piece and close the opening. 

And you are done! Enjoy cutting up some squares, appliqueing, and quilting this sweet project! Let me know if you recreate your own version of this by tagging us on social media using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics, we would love to see it! Also, in the comments below let me know your go-to holiday movie that you'll be enjoying this mug rug on. 

Until next time, 

Happy sewing! 

-Jannelle 

Hello, my fellow creators!

I am back with some exciting projects because I don’t know about you, but I will take any holiday as an excuse to start sewing! Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I was really excited to put together some of my favorite free patterns that you can make just in time for the big. There is something for everyone here, whether you want to quilt for a loved one or smaller projects for friends, you’ll find it right here. 

Wrapped Bouquets

Featuring Everlasting by Sharon Holland

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

Marianne Pillows

Featuring Ballerina Fusion by AGF 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

Hearts

Featuring Bachelorette Fusions by AGF 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

Dancing Blooms Block

Featuring Flowerette by AGF Studio

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

Scalloped Tote

Featuring PURE Solids, Signature, and Bloomsbury Fabrics

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

These are just some of my favorites! Ranging from beginner-friendly bouquets wraps to a little more challenging projects like handbags, and for any experienced quilters, we have a quilt block and a quilt to add to your sewing list. 

But here’s the best part of it all, the fun doesn’t end here! If you don’t follow us on Pinterest, you definitely should now as we are always making boards filled with tons of sewing inspiration. You’ll find projects for every occasion and holiday, and now there is a Valentine’s Day project board filled with 20+ FREE sewing projects that you can download with just a click of a button.  Be inspired by all this sewing content and all the dreamy fabrics featured that are ideal for these projects!

SEE PINTEREST BOARD HERE

If anyone is sewing for the season, please let me know in the comments below what you’re working on. As always, I’d love to see what you’re making on social media, so don’t forget to tag your makes under the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics.

Happy Valentine’s Day,

-Jannelle 

Happy Holidays, Makers!

Last week I shared with you some of my favorite quilty projects that were not as big as a quilt but captures everything you love about patchwork in a smaller package. But this time around, I realized that I still need to make more gifts but with Christmas around the corner, I have even less time to complete projects. 

So, here’s another list of free sewing projects that are even smaller, perfect for any last-minute gift making! The biggest project being a pillow and it’s for those quilters who are already quick in putting a block together, but most of these projects are still quite small that will take no more than an hour to create. 

Make several of each, or choose one that you find is perfect to gift. No matter what project it is, you’ll have a blast sewing them! 

*Featuring Legendary fabrics by Pat Bravo

DOWNLOAD HERE

Starting with the “Stories” bag, this little patchwork bag is a dream to make! Have fun with the fabric you already have, it’s a great scrap-buster and you can hand-quilt it for a unique look. 

*Featuring Daydream by Patty Basemi

DOWNLOAD HERE

Step into the clouds with this “Memoir” pillow!  Created with a mixture of hourglass blocks and fun applique design, you can have a lot of quilty fun with this make. Gift it to any new parent for their nursery or they can add it for a pop of texture on a rocking chair or glider for a kid’s room.

*Featuring Summer Side by Dana Willard

DOWNLOAD HERE

Make a cute case to store your sunnies! This project is small enough to make for several of your loved ones and it’s also a great stocking stuffer. 

*Featuring Merry & Bright by AGF

DOWNLOAD HERE

 This is one of my favorite gifts to receive because I just enjoy all things for the kitchen! Sew it up with some bright fabric prints and gift it to someone that loves to cook too.

*Featuring Ballerina Fusion by AGF

DOWNLOAD HERE

Do you have a sewing buddy? Let them know you appreciate them during these times and make these adorable pincushions! You can make one for all your sewing friends, and it’s a special gift you know they’ll use and enjoy. 

*Featuring Knit Solids by AGF

DOWNLOAD HERE

THROWBACK to when I made these bright colored and super soft “1979 Pillows”!  As a beginner sewist, I wanted to make something easy to sew, especially since it was my first time working with our knits. This pattern is great for anyone starting to learn! Kill 2 birds with 1 stone because this pattern creates 2 pillows with the same set of strips (yay for zero-waste!) 

*Featuring Terra Kotta by AGF Studio

DOWNLOAD HERE

Last but not least, sew up these lovely patchwork facemasks! We are still going through a pandemic and many of us can’t see some of our family members, but something like this would be a great gift to send. Keep yourself and your loved ones safe with a handmade mask! 

I hope you enjoyed this short list of small projects, and as always I’d love to see them if you make them! Tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics to share the love. I’m wishing everyone out there a safe, and happy holiday season. Until next time…

Happy Sewing!

-Jannelle 

Hello Sewing Friends, 

 I am welcoming December with open arms and a big smile on my face! I have always loved counting down the days til Christmas with each passing day my excitement grows in anticipation for spending time with family, eating holiday treats and creating memories that will last a life time. Today I have a fun quilting tips video about how to attach your quilt as you go blocks in two different ways using the stitch in the ditch method and the binding strip method! 

If you missed out on my last quilting tips video all about the basics of Quilting As You Go make sure to check this video out for a great scrap busting tutorial! Use the  blocks you create in todays video and sew them up to create a table runner or full size quilt! 

I decided to get into the holiday spirit and whip up some AGF Holiday inspired free block patterns! Choose from two great patterns or sew them both, the Winter Wonderland Block is a gorgeous tree pattern and the Bauble Block is the cutest ornament block perfect for showcasing large scale fabrics!  

Enjoy the video tutorial below! 

Happy Sewing, 

Melissa