Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Welcome back to the AGF Blog! Today, we dive into the art of fabric pairing in the world of textiles, where colors and textures come alive, and possibilities are endless. Discover how different fabrics complement one another, especially when blending various collections. This has become a wellspring of inspiration for sewists and quilters everywhere. 

Join me as we explore our Checkered Elements Blenders, which offer the perfect texture and pop of color. They are a classic yet trendy blender that can be used in countless ways! To inspire your creativity, I'd like to share three different ways you can incorporate this blender to cater to your style. Whether you prefer a modern, low-volume aesthetic or a more traditional look, our Houndstooth and Tweed prints are sure to bring your projects together.⁠

Here we Go!

1. Modern: Embracing the Contemporary Aesthetic

Let's begin with the modern style. We envision geometric patterns, shapes, and straight lines when we think of modernism. Sleek curves and a bold color palette are also key elements. I have chosen eight exquisite Art Gallery Fabrics that perfectly embody the modern look. Each fabric has been meticulously selected to inspire your creativity and elevate your projects to new heights. Before starting any project, it’s important to pinpoint our color scheme. I’ve incorporated teal, black, and a touch of gold, adding vibrancy and sophistication. 

Next are your main prints, Visions Woodblock and Tinted Blooms from our  Luna & Laurel collection; these larger-scaled prints bring boldness. To complement these fabrics, we have included our Checkered Elements Blenders, which are the ideal companions, creating a striking contrast and adding texture that captures the eye. 

Lastly, our PURE Solids bring balance and harmony to our group of fabrics. This curated assortment is now ready for creating unique quilts, fashion-forward garments, or edgy accessories. Let your imagination run wild as you infuse your projects with a modern flair that is bound to turn heads.

2. Low Volume: Subtle Elegance 

Low volume fabrics have gained immense popularity, particularly amongst the modern quilt movement. This style can be described as basically in subtle white, cream, neutral, or pale-colored print fabrics, often with a delicate self-colored pattern or subtle design, and they are selected to offset the much brighter color palettes. If you appreciate refined, soft, and tonal aesthetics, the low volume style is for you! I have chosen eight beautiful Art Gallery Fabrics that perfectly embody the low-volume look. I went with a warm color scheme in this fabric pull and added my main small-scaled prints: Brushed Fibers from our collection Soften the Volume, Castle Keys from the Willow Collection, and Sashiko Mending Tan from our All is Well Collection. You could use low volume prints where the effect of using a solid fabric is desired, particularly in modern quilts. 

Next are our blenders, this is where they shine! Featured blenders are Checkered Elements & Oval Elements. These blenders add sophistication and texture that magically blends together without overpowering each other.

Finally, I’ve added a touch of our PURE Solids, and Voilà! Your Low Volume Fabric selection is ready for creating dreamy quilts, soft and flowing garments, or refined home decor.

3. Traditional: Embracing Classic Charm 

The Traditional style stands the test of time, remaining beautiful year after year, making them timeless. If you're drawn to the timeless charm of traditional designs, I have curated a special fabric assortment just for you. The color scheme I've chosen embraces nostalgic hues of red and blue with a touch of gold.

Next, I wanted to go with classic florals and some geometrics for our main prints to stay with the nostalgia theme - Fabrics are Botanist’s Essay Two & French Sampler Two from Garden of Opulence. Let’s add some Checkered Elements, Oval Elements, and Floral Elements blenders to add texture and redefine this group. This fabric pull is perfect for traditional quilt projects, apparel, or crafting unique accessories. These blenders will beautifully tie your projects together.

We hope these three different approaches to using our Checkered Elements Blenders have sparked your inspiration and ignited a desire to experiment with fabric pairing. Let us know your favorite by leaving a comment below! 

To view the full collection, click here: Checkered Elements 

Let’s make the most of your fabric pulls! Unleash your creativity with these FREE Projects from our Checkered Elements Lookbook:

Flora Blocks

Checkered Pillows 

Our AGF Blog is your go-to resource for all things fabric-related, so stay tuned for more exciting tips, tutorials, and inspiration. Stay connected by following us on Instagram! Get the inside scoop on our latest AGF News and interact with fellow makers. 

Happy sewing and quilting!

Until next time, 

-Juana

Hello makers and fabric lovers!

With a new season upon us, what better way to honor the bright colors of spring with new shades of a couple of our most popular blenders: Floral and Decostitch Elements! These six new colors of each are perfect to add to your stash of AGF blenders since they make up a few missing shades between some, and they work well with others. 

If you’re unsure what blenders are and how to use them, check out this previous blog post that gives you great ideas on how to use these non-directional fabrics. 

Introducing our new Floral Elements in Sweet Peach, Victorian Brick, Antique Rose, Chalk, Washed Denim, and Storm Winds.

Introducing our new Decostitch Elements in Topiary, Airy, Timber Wolf, Desert Rose, Abyss, and Rosebud. 

In addition to our new prints, we have also revamped a few of our patterns using the new colors. First up, we have our checkered bucket hat using a variety of different Florals and Decostitch to create this soft statement piece that is perfect to add to your wardrobe. For this hat we used our Florals in Washed Denim, Storm Winds, Antique Rose, Sweet Peach, Victorian Brick, and Chalk, and our Decostitch in Abyss, Timber Wolf, Airy, Rosebud, and Desert Rose. 

To view the video tutorial for this hat, click here. 

We also have a PDF version of this hat pattern that we created with flannel if you would like to download that as well. You can find that here. 

For strip set 1, we used Floral Victorian Brick for fabric A, Decostitch Rosebud for fabric B, Floral Antique Rose for fabric C, Floral Sweet Peach for Fabric D, and Decostitch Timber Wolf for fabric E. For strip set 2, we used Floral Storm Winds for fabric F, Floral Chalk for fabric G, Floral Washed Denim for fabric H, Decostitch Airy for fabric I, and Decostitch Abyss for fabric J. We used Decostitch Desert Rose for fabric K, which is the lining. 

Next up I have another statement piece for your wardrobe, this Artsy Tote that we made using a combination of new and timeless Decostitch colors in Cloud, Caffe Latte, Blue Minerale, Indigo Sky, Skyline Blue, Granite, Timber Wolf, and Abyss, in addition to our linen blend in Soft Sand. This tote has a combination of rectangles, squares, and half and quarter circles to form a trendy catch-all that can be taken anywhere you go; the beach, farmers market, the coffee shop…anywhere! 

To view the PDF pattern for this tote, click here. 

Last up are two new combinations of our Florals to make our favored Alegria computer cover. The first one includes Antique Rose, Sweet Peach, and Victorian Brick and the second one includes Washed Denim, Storm Winds, and Chalk. We used high loft batting to make this computer case perfect to protect what’s inside while also adding velcro to keep the flap closed. 

To view the PDF pattern for this laptop cover, click here. 

The excitement to sew with these fabrics was growing and I was so happy when I finally got to cut into these beauties. With spring upon us and summer coming quickly, I know that I will get a ton of use out of the bucket hat and tote bag, and I can’t wait to show these projects off to friends and family. 

I want to see what you make with our new Florals and Decostitch! Share your photos on social media and use the #ArtGalleryFabrics so I can share the love! 

Happy sewing everyone! 

Hello makers!

For those of you that have been following along with our Patchwork Stories, we have arrived at another week of inspirational handmade projects, and this week is centered around decor and different ways you can incorporate patchwork into your home. We’ve seen some different ways to spice up our wardrobe and accessories, as well as some comfy elements to snuggle with like pillows and of course quilts, but what about the one place that is all about togetherness and bringing families together: the dining table. 

Featuring coasters, placemats, and a table runner, this dining setup is the perfect inspiration for the coming spring and summer seasons. Paired with a variety of prints from multiple different fabric collections, our Pure Solids make a fabulous appearance coupled with matching shades and contrasting combinations. 

These super cute coasters consist of four squares with one snowballed corner, diagonal quilting, and simple binding to keep your surfaces free from water rings and let’s face it, make your drink glasses look pretty. You can find the instructions on how to make these coasters here: Reverie-Coasters_Instructions-1.pdf (liveartgalleryfabrics.com) 

For these coasters we used these fabrics:

• ‘Berry Picking’ from “Lilliput” by Sharon Holland
• ‘Sunbleached Leaves’ and ‘Flying Seeds’ from “Soften the Volume”
• ‘Hillside Gust’ from “Velvet” by Amy Sinibaldi
• ‘Cherished Gatherings Glint’ from “Open Heart” by Maureen Cracknell
• Pure Solids in ‘Mauvelous,’ ‘Miami Sunset,’ ‘Ocean Fog,’ and ‘Fresh Sage’ 

While they don’t entirely have snowballed corners, these placemats combine strip piecing and diagonal seams to create a lovely contrast between the lighter and darker fabrics while letting the floral print shine through. You can find the instructions on how to make these placemats here: Musing-Placemats_Instructions-1.pdf (liveartgalleryfabrics.com) 

For these placemats we used these fabrics:

• ‘Jasmine Soulful’ from “Velvet” by Amy Sinibaldi
• ‘Flying Seeds’ from “Soften the Volume”
• Pure Solids in ‘Ocean Fog,’ Fresh Sage,’ and ‘Patina Green’

This table runner consists of mainly flying geese using the no-waste flying geese method. By pairing like colors together, each flying goose has an effortless combination while also contrasting beautifully with the flying geese around it. You can find the instructions on how to make this table runner here: woolgathering-table-runner_Instructions-1.pdf (liveartgalleryfabrics.com) 

For this table runner we used these fabrics:

• ‘Berry Picking’ and ‘Ode to Toady’ from “Lilliput” by Sharon Holland
• ‘Flying Seeds,’ ‘Natural Bouquet,’ and ‘Sashiko Mending’ from “Soften the Volume
• ‘Cherished Gatherings Glint’ from “Open Heart” by Maureen Cracknell
• ‘Hillside Gust’ from “Velvet” by Amy Sinibaldi
• ‘Rambling Rose Briar’ from “Spirited” by Sharon Holland
• ‘Teeny Weeny Cinnamon’ from “Little Clementine” by AGF Studio
• Pure Solids in ‘Mauvelous,’ ‘Blossomed,’ ‘Miami Sunset,’ ‘Ocean Fog,’ Patina Green,’ and ‘Blushing’

I recently just moved into my own little studio apartment (yay!) and I needed some ideas for home decor and these techniques and color palettes are exactly what I am going for. They are bright and colorful and perfect for adding some homey-ness to my humble abode. 

I would love to see your take on these projects, so make sure to tag us in your photos on social media using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics and #AGFPatchworkStories

Happy sewing everyone!

Karli

Hello makers! 

If you follow our YouTube channel, then you may have recently watched a video on how to make a 9-patch block using the strip piecing technique. If you haven’t seen the video, make sure you go watch it here: 

Easy 9-Patch Block Using Strip Piecing - YouTube 

This video is part one of the project that I will be sharing with you all below: a big fluffy patchwork pillow, which is part of our Patchwork Stories. To read up on our Patchwork Stories and the role it can play in our everyday lives, check out our past blog post here:

AGF Patchwork Stories: 45-Degree Strip Piecing - Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog (agfblog.com)

This pillow is super easy and simple to make and can use any patchwork you may have such as spare blocks, and it’s fat quarter and half yard friendly. This pillow has a finished size of about 20” x 20”, but the best part is that you can make it whatever size you may want! If you’re interested to see how we made this pillow, make sure to keep reading below. 

Here is what you will need:

• The patchwork block we made in part one
• A 20” x 20” piece of batting
• (2) 20” x 15” pieces of fabric for the pillow backing. I used Ikat Diamond Rustic from ‘Kismet’
• Scissors
• A 20” square pillow form or stuffing

Start with your patchwork block laying flat on your work surface.

Grab a template that is the size of the pillow that you want. I have a piece of foam here that is 20” x 20” but you can use a large square ruler, a piece of cardboard, or anything else square that you have. Position your template at an angle on your block and mark each corner. Your template should fit perfectly so that each corner matches up with a seam. 

You can either trace around your template if the edges are smooth, like a ruler or use a longer ruler to draw a line from mark to mark. 

Take a pair of scissors and cut on your drawn lines. 

Lay your cut block on top of a piece of batting and quilt as you see fit. I personally like my batting a little larger than the piece I’m quilting just in case there is any shifting. In this case, I decided to quilt a line ¼” away from each seam for a little rustic feel. 

Trim away any excess batting and set your pillow front aside. Grab your two backing pieces and fold one long edge on each piece down ½”, then down another ½” and topstitch in place. 

Lay your pillow front right side up. Take your two backing pieces and place one right sides together on top of the pillow front with your folded edge in the middle. Place the other backing piece right sides together with the folded edge also in the middle. The two folded edges will overlap. Stitch around the entire square at 1/4".

Trim your corners, turn right sides out, stuff with your pillow form or stuffing and you have a patchwork pillow!

I had so much fun making this pillow because there wasn’t really any pattern or rhythm to follow, I could just improvise what I thought looked pretty. You can use your leftover scraps for another pillow, or any other project that you feel like making! 

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I would love to see what your patchwork pillows look like, so make sure to tag us on social media using the hashtag #AGFPatchworkStories.

Happy sewing!

Karli

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