Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hello Makers,

When I first started quilting I had no idea how to cut fabric for quilting and using a rotary blade and quilting ruler was so foreign to me coming out of fashion design school. Every time I would cut out my pieces they would end up being a bit too small and wonky but that didn’t stop me from tackling all the tips and techniques I could find about quilting. Weirdly enough I starting designing quilts on the computer before I even new how to put one together, which if you are starting out I definitely don’t suggest you start in that order. With time and practice I kept finding ways to help make my quilting fast, fun and easy! Learning how to strip piece was my favorite technique to learn as a beginner! If you never strip pieced before then watch the video below to find out what I mean!

Doing something as easy as sewing strips together and cutting it in different ways to create different quilting units was both magical and super rewarding to learn! In this video we learn three ways to strip piece to get three totally different outcomes! For more quilting tips make sure to check out the Quilt Tips Playlist on the Art Gallery Fabrics Channel! 

Until Next Time,

Happy Sewing

Hello Makers, 

46 days until Christmas and I am rocking and rolling this year, taking my time finding the best handmade makes to fill my home and to fill the homes of family and friends. If you haven’t jumped on the holiday making bandwagon yet this blog post might get you to jot a few sewing projects on your to-sew list. So, get a pen and paper ready as I show you some great ideas to set your table for the holidays and fill your home with handmade holiday makes and decor. 

Adorn your Tables with Table runners

A table runner will instantly transform your table, acting as a main focal point to uplift and liven the room and all the decor around it. Here are my top four favorite table runner patterns below. 

North Table Runner

    Fabrics used: Sparkler Fusion and Pure Solids

With a bit of appliqué and some triangle piecing, you can have this festive beauty finished in no time. Just imagine the magical reindeer parading down the length of your table among the glistening stars. 

The triangle border frames the majestic creatures so elegantly that not only will your guest be talking about how great your stuffing is but also where you got your beautiful table runner. 

Keep the quilting simple by using some basic straight line quilting to put more emphasis on your adorable appliqué. My favorite part of this table runner that makes it unique and stand out is the reindeers that are patchwork appliquéd. Which is great for using up your leftover scrap fabrics. 

Quilo Table Runner 

    Fabrics Used: Earthen and Pure Solids

The Quilo Table Runner made with Earthen fabrics reminds me of an ice-blue Winter Wonderland. The refreshing ranges of blues used in this table runner adds a nice calm and tranquil feel to your table. 

By using templates to create your half rectangle triangle units in the center of your runner to form the large obtuse triangles all in a row, gives off such a bold and sophisticated statement. 

Creating a double border of flying geese adds to the triangle feels of this runner adding great movement and depth. 

Red Braid Table Runner

   Fabrics Used: Cozy and Joyful Fabrics

You can’t go wrong with a braided quilt pattern design! With strips wide enough to fussy cut cute Christmas elements from the fabric, this intricate but easy to follow design is a great fast finish project! What’s great about this design is it’s easy to create as short or as long as you would like to fit your table. Quilt some organic wavy lines to add movement and texture to the structured braided design. 

Seasonal Runner 

Fabrics Used: Merry and Bright

Another great make to add to the list is the Seasonal Runner, I love all the Half Square triangles that make up the 10 "x" inspired quilt blocks in this runner. Using AGF Linen for the background of this runner showcases each blocks elegance and charm. Just quilting the backing and leaving the insides of the blocks without quilting will really make the center of your blocks stand out! 

The Perfect Pot Holders and Placemats 

If table runners aren’t your style maybe try your hand at a smaller size project like placemats or potholders. Place your homemade platters and dishes on handmade potholders. Make each guest feel special with a nice placemat setting just for them. 

Bauble Blocks

    Fabrics Used: Cozy and Joyful 

Turn these festive quilt blocks into placemats making each ornament in different holiday fabric! These blocks may only measure out to be 12” finished but add a border around your block to make it the perfect square placemat to welcome your guest to their seat. Whip up all the blocks you need in one afternoon and have fun quilting each one with a special holiday motif!

Quilted Potholders and Oven Mits

Fabrics Used: Foresta Fusion 

There is nothing faster to make than a solid fabric potholder. Cut two squares of your choice of holiday fabric, some batting, insul-bright batting, and some scrap fabric for the loop, and you're ready to make a quick and easy potholder to place your delicious holiday spread on. 

While you're at it, make yourself a pair of oven mitts to match to quickly pull things out of the oven and off the stovetop! 

Here is a quick bonus project I threw into the mix. Be super extra this year and make a matching apron to wear over your holiday apparel. 

    Fabrics Used: Foresta Fusion 

Of course, our apron needs a bit of patchwork and big roomie pockets! 

The Finishing Touches 

Fabric napkins are definitely the way to go this year. Embellish each place setting with a fabric napkin to elevate your dining experience. Choose from two great easy tutorials below. 

 Causal Mitered Napkins 

    Fabrics Used: Blithe Fabrics and AGF Denim Studio 

       The Neva Napkins  

      Fabrics Used: Sparker Fusions and AGF Denim Studio 

Ornaments 

    Fabrics Used: Merry and Bright

Add this fun fabric ornament to your ceiling to create a chandelier display above your table. 

  Fabrics Used: Merry and Bright

Make these plushie fabric ornaments to give away as holiday party favors to each one of your guests to take home and put on their tree. To share a bit of handmade with all of the people you love. 

Which project is your favorite? I hope all these project ideas have got you ready to sew for the holiday season. All you need to do is turn on some Christmas music, grab a hot beverage, and pull together all your holiday fabrics. 

If you create any of the patterns mentioned in this blog post using AGF fabrics we would love to see your creations. Make sure to post on social media using the  #artgalleryfabrics so we can find your makes. Do you have any other great holiday table setting ideas?  Make sure to share it in the comments below. 

Happy Holiday Sewing, 

Meli

Hello Fabric Friends,

I am smiling ear to ear because winter came early this year in Minnesota! Snow was already on the ground with there still being two weeks left in October! Though I am not enjoying the uncomfortably cold temps I am getting into the holiday spirit which means it’s time to start getting ready for the gift giving season if you haven’t started already! Though I don’t do as much as I would like, I always make a few handmade gifts for my friends and family each year! I recently learned about Furoshiki, which is the art of Japanese fabric wrapping.

Fabric Used: Cozy and Joyful Rayon- Candied Roses

I was so excited about the idea of wrapping my handmade gifts with fabric because not only is it eco friendly but it also creates the most gorgeous and elegant presents. The person you are gifting the present to will be impressed by your wrapping skills and can reuse it in so many ways. In the Fabric Wrapping video I created I show you three ways I will be reusing my fabric wraps.

You can use a wide variety of fabrics as your fabric wrap, besides for our AGF Rayons I  would definitely give our quilting cottons a try as well! I was amazed by the way our AGF Rayon draped and tied so beautifully. No more traditional paper fabric wrapping for me. I was never very good at it anyways and clean up in Christmas Eve will be so much easier! :) 

Fabrics Used: Trouvaille Rayon - Posy Blaze

Watch my video to learn three different ways to wrap your gifts this year! Let me know which one is your favorite and how you would reuse your fabric wrap!

    Fabrics Used: Cozy and Joyful Rayon- Plaid of my Dreams

Happy Sewing ,

Meli

Happy Friday! 

Fridays are already the best day of the week, but it’s even better when it’s LOOKBOOK release day! We’ve released hundreds of lookbooks in the past, and it never fails to be exciting every single time. To see all of our designers go through all the hard work and finally see their prints come to life in quilty projects is something to always look forward to. Today, we have Katarina Roccella’s latest collection, Picturesque, which is nothing but a luxurious set of fabrics. 

Channeling her inner William Morris, Picturesque embodies traditional 19th-century European designs with embellishments and decorative art. With a refined color palette of navy blues and rich fuchsias complimenting its enriched botanical details, Picturesque embodies timeless, romantic beauty.

*Available in 16 quilting cotton prints

We have so many prints to play within this collection! Coming in two colorways called “Vivid Artistry”- filled with rich pinks and navy blues, and the “Poetic Dreams” colorway that features the same colors, but softer and airy.

*Featuring “Romantic Trellis Dim” and “Bound Treasures Blush” prints  

Picturesque comes in several large-scale prints that complete the story like “Rosemantic Trellis” that would be stunning as the backing of quilts, or decorative pillows. Embrace all the patchwork projects you can make by balancing all the large-scale prints with some blenders of the collection like “Bound Treasure”- small prints that create texture and contrast. 

Here are other suggested Elements that pair perfectly with the collection:

*Featuring Floral Elements in Bubblegum & Agua Haze and PURE Solids in Flamingo & Patina Green

More matching Elements and PURE Solids not pictured- Floral Elements in Blush & Sunset. PURE Solids in Apricot Crepe, Nocturnal, Ocean Waves, Grapefruit, Icy Mint, and Dried Moss. Denim in Indigo Shadow, Cool Foliage, and Nectarine Sunrise. 

*Available in 2 rayon prints

*Available in 1 knit print

For all the garment makers out there, there are a couple of substrate options for you too! The “Lush Mimosa” print comes in knit, which would make the coziest sweatshirts, and even wrap around dresses. Also the 2 rayon prints in “Painted Field Case” & “Mystical Quest by Day” would be lovely as long skirts, scarves, and so much more. 

I can talk all about inspiration for the rest of the day, but nothing is better than sewing the projects yourself. Check out the lookbook below for tons of patterns that you can download with a click of a button! 

You don’t want to miss the beauty! Check out the free quilt pattern below. 
DOWNLOAD HERE

As some of you may know, we just love to share fabric with all of you, and this time we are hosting a giveaway on our YouTube channel! Meli will show you an up-close look at these fabrics and some sewing projects, make sure to stay tuned till the end for the giveaway!

I hope this collection excites you to whip out your sewing machine! I can’t wait to see what you makers will create, so please share with us by tagging us at #artgalleryfabrics on Instagram. The team and I would love to share your creations. 

Until next time,

Happy Sewing!

Jannelle 

Hi, fabric lovers! 

As you may know, I’ve been having such a kick talking about fabric on the blog lately. Although I can talk about prints all day, there is one type of fabric I’d love to talk about that some of you may not be aware of. It’s all about fabric panels! So, today we are going to answer some questions we get all the time and show you some of the panels that Art Gallery Fabrics has to offer! 

What is a fabric panel?

There are many kinds of panels out there, but AGF creates large designs on the WOF 44-45” and a 36’’repeat. Instead of a traditional repeat, these panels have unique designs in different sections that are big enough to make wall hangings, quilts, wall-art, totes, and more! 

No, not all the panels from AGF are the same, some include 6 sections with different patterns, some with one large design, and double bordered panels. 

What are the different fabric panels?

There are many types of fabric panels to choose from! It all depends on what you plan on making next for your project. Luckily AGF sells over 20+ fabric panels in all different types of styles, from painterly florals to bright summer prints, and even tons of options for kids, there is something for everyone.

Let me show you some of the different panels that AGF has! 

*Featuring You Are Magic Panel from Spooky ‘n Sweet fabric collection 

Here is one example of a 6 section fabric panel! For each section, you can cut 14x18-inch rectangles to turn into individual projects like some trick-or-treating tote bags, decorative pillows, or cute kid’s t-shirts.

*Featuring Roads to Flowerhouse panel from the Bloomsbury fabric collection

This is an example of a double-sided panel which I believe is so much fun to work with! It’s just calling to be made into a border of a quilt or even a wrap-around skirt. Depending on the time you have, this is a great option to experiment with cutting out different shapes with this fabric and experiment on the direction that you sew them together. 

*Featuring I Love You A Llama panel from the Pacha Capsule fabric collection 

These single-designed fabric panels are the perfect go-to if you don't have enough time to piece a quilt! You can use this as the centerpiece of a baby quilt and go straight to the fun with the quilting. But don’t let these big designs limit you, with these panels you can cut up and turn into a quilt, wall art, pillows, and more!

*Featuring Above & Beyond knit panel from the Stargazer Capsule fabric collection 

AGF also carries KNIT PANELS! We currently have 3 available, 2 of them from our Stargazer collection and 1 from our Nest fabric collection. Some have a repeat of 24 inches but it’s still the WOF which is larger than our cotton at 59-60 inches. Making it easy for blankets, pillows, and apparel. 

What can I make with fabric panels?

Time for the best part- the meat and potatoes of having fabric panels, all the lovely projects you can create with them! 

Due to its large pieces, you can create fast and easy projects. From quilts to apparel, here are some of my favorite free patterns using PANELS. 

*Circle skirt featuring Roads to Flowerhouse panel from the Bloomsbury fabric collection

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Wall hangings featuring Born To Be Wild panel from Pacha Capsule fabric collection

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Cradle Arranger Featuring Enjoy The Little Things panel from Pine Lullaby Rediscovered fabric collection 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Pillows featuring You Are Magic Panel from Spooky ‘n Sweet fabric collection 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Tote bags featuring You Are Magic Panel from Spooky ‘n Sweet fabric collection 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Bed Runner featuring Bear Hug panel from Pine Lullaby Rediscovered fabric collection

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Quilt featuring I Love You A Llama panel from the Pacha Capsule fabric collection 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

*Quilted blanket featuring Above & Beyond knit panel from the Stargazer Capsule fabric collection 

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

I hope these projects sparked your sewing mojo! Even if you are new to the quilting fun, I believe fabric panels are a great way to start. Here at AGF, we are trying to create more content that you enjoy, especially videos that can help improve your sewing game. This is a quick introduction to panels, so if you’d like to see some sewing tips or more information on this, let me know in the comments below! 

Until next time,

Happy sewing!

-Jannelle

Happy Friday! 

Welcome to another lookbook reveal with tons of project inspiration! This week we are so excited to show you what we’re working on with our latest collection, Serenity Fusion. This honestly makes me feel very relaxed, it’s something about these soft, creamy colors that make me think I’m on vacation by the beach. I don’t know about you, but this year has been quite a roller coaster and the only thing that would boost my mood are fabrics that transport me to paradise! 

Serenity Fusion comes in 12 quilting cotton prints, and although these colors are soft there are different ranges of scale to create more textural contrast. The largest scaled print in this collection is “Wreathed Serenity” which would be perfect for your larger pieces in your quilts. The rest of the collection has a nice balance between medium and small scale prints, that I can see put together for dainty projects and home decor.

*Featuring “Wreathed Serenity” cotton print 

*Featuring matching Decostitch Elements in Cafe Latte & Cloud, Floral Elements in Aquarium, and PURE Solids in Macchiato.

Some other Elements that are not pictured but are a great fit are Decostitch Elements in Porcini, Reflection, and Cafe Latte. Floral Elements in Khaki and PURE Solids in Light Grey, Sandstone, Gentle Feather, Crystalline, and Ocean Fog.

Take a breath of fresh air with these low volume prints, inspired by the tranquil waters of the ocean and feeling the warm sand between your toes. Get ready to flip through the projects in our Lookbook, filled with projects that will help you unwind and get lost in the noise of your own sewing machine. 

Don’t some colors feel comfortable just by looking at them? It’s crazy to think that colors can make you feel a certain way. Combining this soothing palette with the free quilt pattern as gorgeous as this one just makes me want to cuddle into my bed and wrap myself up like a burrito!

DOWNLOAD PATTERN HERE

This time around we have the giveaway right here on the blog, so feel free to share with all your friends because anyone can enter as long as they have an email! 

Enter for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the "Serenity Fusion" collection by signing up to our giveaway:

To enter our giveaway, just CLICK HERE and enter your info! The giveaway ends on Friday, October 16, and the winner will be emailed and announced right here on the blog.

THE GIVEAWAY WINNER IS ANNE COLEMAN! CONGRATS! PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL.

*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!