Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hi Makers,

Hope your April is off to a good note, so far. :)

This month, we have a lot of fun things in store for you! One of them being our latest GIVEAWAY involving PETS. Yep, that's right. Since we're all animal lovers here and often see posts of all your cute pets with your sewing projects, we thought this would be a fun way to see/hear more about them! Here's the scoop: 

Tag us using the hashtag #AGFPets on social media with a cute photo of your of pet (this includes cats, dogs, birds, bunnies, lizards, hamsters, etc) with a handmade AGF project! This could be a quilt you've made or a baby quilt, a table runner, a cute bag...get creative! Make sure to also share a little story about your cute pet too.

Best photo and story wins a 20 piece, fat quarter bundle of our fabrics!  

Winner will be announced on our Instagram Stories on Thursday, April 11th, 2019. 

Good luck and can't wait to see your animal friends! :)

Keep creating, 

- Sophia 

Spring is finally here, FULL force! Time to celebrate all the beauty that comes with the season, blooming flowers and delicious fruits. While looking for inspiration this month, the most common spring colors are usually pastels and that led me to pick periwinkle to be the star this month. So, as I scavenged all our Color Master boxes, I picked this “Sapphire Shine” edition that has a lovely play on soft purples and hints of blue that remind me of amethyst crystals (like the picture on the top left corner). This group of fabrics has a specific theme, not just with the colors but with its geometric shapes and landscape prints that really motivated me to create a mood board that captured this feeling.

With this wide variety of tones, take your fabric projects to the next level! All you need is one bundle to make a project that's perfect for the month, and you can get it in two sizes: Fat Quarters or Half yards.

Here are some projects from the lookbooks that you can make with our “Color Master” fabrics!

Triplizip Zipper Pouch  #1: Featuring the print “Cuboid Cobalto”, this will a great quick project to sew up to let a print shine, and it’ll be big enough for all your sewing notions!

Plenum Quilt#2: Using the entire "Color Master" to create this gorgeous, soft purple filled quilt! An explosion of color using our signature quality cotton, combined with an original and unique project. If you’re interested in only making the Plenum Quilt with the box, then check out our Plenum Quilt free pattern, which includes all 10 prints!

Mago Wallet Bag #3: The “Painted Desert Night” print from Bari J. is one of my favorites, it can make any projects you make with it, look very elegant!

This “Color Master” bundle can give you the option of using just one print or several to compliment any of your sewings designs. Although this bundle highlights the baby blue color, each print has distinct hues that make it easy to pair with other projects. For example, the print called “Sweet Meadow Orchid”  (Print shown below, circled in red) has an array of colors like lime green and royal blues that can help piece together other fabrics with a matching color palette.

Imagine all the possibilities that can be done and if you still need some DIY ideas, you can follow our #AGFColorMaster hashtag, where you can see what other makers are making with these group of fabrics! Remember that this box is there for your convenience, it has many uses! The “Color Master Box” can keep your fabrics organized and neatly displayed for easy finding, or you can share the love because it’s perfectly curated in a box for an easy present!

Too excited to get straight to the fabric?! Well, we have some exciting news for you! You can get the “Cloud & Sky” edition in a BUNDLE. If you missed our big reveal on our social media last week, we now offer our Color Masters in both BOX and BUNDLE! The bundle option is there for anyone ready to be cut and be sewn right away, also available in FQ or HY!

If you're a fabric lover or know one in your life, these group of fabrics would be the perfect gift or you treat you yourself by finding them in our online stores. If you’re creating a sewing project using a “Color Master,” please feel free to share it with us on social media and join the rest of the community sewing with these fabrics!

Sew with love,

Jannelle

Hello Makers,

Whooo is ready for another quilt block tutorial?! Me me me! I am especially excited about this new block tutorial because I got to sew with Jessica Swift’s new fabric collection called Lugu. All the prints in this collection are gorgeous, ranging from magical moons, moths, festive deer and florals and my favorite which I think is the star of the collection the Sova owl print! It comes in two great colors ways.

I fussy cut Mr. Owl to be in the center of my “ Domino and Star” Block, a fun, beginner-friendly block that is pretty easy to whip up. This playful, whimsical collection would be perfect for nursery/children's room decor or for those who just want to add a bit of quirkiness and eccentric style to any room you're trying to fill.

Give my video a view below and make sure to leave me a comment! Also, make sure to check out all the other block tutorials in our AGF Quilt Block Collection Playlist!

To end my blog post for today I wanted to share a personal quilting story with you.

I had the privilege to sew up the Free Quilt Pattern for the Lugu Lookbook called Owl’s Tale. Not only did the beautiful colors in this collection bring me joy but the delightful, carefree illustrations brought my mind into a magical place. I started this quilt two days before I got the call that my Dad wasn’t doing well and was being brought to the hospital and that I should fly home to Minnesota immediately. My Dad was diagnosed with stage four Pancreatic cancer four and a half weeks prior to this. With my heart in my throat, I packed a quick bag and made sure to pack my Lugu fabrics. That same day I got to Minnesota and was able to talk to my Dad for the last time. The very next morning he passed away. We didn’t think that this was going to be the end but it was. That same day we came home from the hospital after his passing I went straight to my Mom’s basement where the sewing machine resides. Shocked and filled with about every single emotion you can think of I start to sew this quilt. I sewed for hours and hours, with tears running down my face. The only thing holding me together was the sewing machine and the fabric running through my hands. Sewing brings me so much joy and even in the time of just about the worst heartbreak you can endure sewing was the only thing could console me.  

Here I am my last night in Minnesota holding up one of the blocks of the quilt. This quilt and fabric collection will always remind me of my Dad. I can’t thank Jessica Swift enough for making such inspiring fabrics and I am beyond thankful for the art of sewing, this creative outlet has saved me in so many ways.  To see the finished quilt make sure to check out our new Fabric Lookbook!

I know many of you have stories to share both sad and happy and everything in between. I would love to hear them if you are willing to tell. I just felt like my story needed to be told because even as devastating as my experience was I know everyone has or will go through something like this in their life. Sewing/ quilting is more than just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle, it feeds your soul and changes you in ways you wouldn't have expected. I will leave you all with this find out what makes you happy and do it every day, love with all your heart and have no regrets. It’s how my Dad lived and it’s how I plan to live the rest of mine.

Happy Sewing,

Melissa

Hi Makers,

I'm super excited to share with you our designer Jessica Swift's latest collection, LUGU!

If you're not familiar with her designs, she often features lots of playful, folkloric and whimsy designs mixed with strong storytelling. Her collections definitely evoke a sense of nostalgia and childhood wonder that make them perfect for kids or adults that are young at heart! I especially love this collection because of the cute, little owls in it with their big eyes! They're one of my favorite birds and I love that they also represent "wisdom." :)

This time around with LUGU, she decided to turn to Lithuanian folk art images and created a magical woodland theme. In her hand-drawn prints, she creates an enchanted forest that comes to life from dusk to dawn that’s filled with playful owls, fluttering moths, magical moons, and crown-wearing deer.

I love the options for blenders that come in this collection with the prints "Teskstil Emberglow, Konstelacija Maagia, Tekstiil Solarflame, and Konstelacija Valge."

For more about these fabrics and what you can sew with them, head over to our "Lugu Fabric Lookbook." Also, make sure to check out the interview I did with Jessica as well in the lookbook. It goes more into depth about her inspiration! 

Here's our "Owl's Tale Quilt" for you to sew up, just click the below link for the FREE pattern:

Download Quilt Pattern

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

Congratulations to our winner, Linda Williamson! Please check your email. :)

Hello Makers,

Happy Spring! We are excited to share a great way to decorate your home this Spring Season by making Easter inspired mini’s.  We could never just make one mini so we decided to create a trio of 8” x 10” minis, a vase mini to store dried flowers or your palms on Palm Sunday, a bunny silhouette and an Easter basket filled with colorful eggs! Make all three or choose your favorites! We made all three mini's with  Bonnie Christine's collection for AGF called Gathered! This collection is a perfect match for all your spring sewing! 

The full tutorial is located on the WeAll Sew Bernina Blog! Head over there to find all the step by step instructions.

Are you all decorated for Spring? I would love to hear what handmade makes you have made for the Spring season.

Looking for some more Easter inspired projects?

Check out my makes below:

Easter Treat Bags

Made with Les Petits Fabrics

Springtime Chair Cover 

Made with Pure Solids, Floralia Fusions, Lambkin Fabrics

Happy Sewing,

Meli

Happy Friday, Makers - 

Hope you had a super productive week and enjoyed the first few days of spring, even though some of you are still in snow! 

Now that Elizabeth Chappell is officially our newest AGF Sewcialite, she's kicking off her first collaboration with us by taking over our IG account, this weekend. This is a great chance to get to know her if you don't already, especially if you're stuck inside and snowed in! :)

Beginning tonight, she'll be posting from her home in Texas and will be sharing some of her favorite projects she’s made with our fabrics. She’ll also give you the inside scoop on her go-to quilting techniques, and where she often finds her inspiration before sitting down at her sewing machine.

Be sure to follow along this weekend...they’ll be a few surprises along the way too!

Have fun and keep creating, 

- Sophia