Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

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

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 

Ever‌ ‌since‌ ‌we‌ ‌received‌ ‌our‌ ‌Flannel‌ ‌fabric‌ ‌here‌ ‌at‌ ‌AGF,‌ ‌I’ve‌ ‌been‌ ‌fascinated‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌material‌ ‌and‌ ‌brainstorming‌ ‌all‌ ‌sorts‌ ‌of‌ ‌projects‌ ‌that‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌created‌ ‌with‌ ‌it!‌ ‌ ‌

I’ve‌ ‌been‌ ‌wanting‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌long‌ ‌scarf‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌while‌ ‌and‌ ‌what‌ ‌a‌ ‌better‌ ‌way‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌our‌ ‌new‌ ‌Flannel‌ ‌substrate‌ ‌since‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌extra‌ ‌soft‌ ‌and‌ ‌cozy.‌ ‌ ‌

In‌ ‌this‌ ‌tutorial,‌ ‌I’m‌ ‌going‌ ‌to‌ ‌show‌ ‌you‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌flannel‌ ‌scarf‌ ‌with‌ ‌fringes.‌ ‌It‌ ‌was‌ ‌fun‌ ‌experimenting‌ ‌with‌ ‌this‌ ‌fringe‌ ‌as‌ ‌I‌ ‌pulled‌ ‌each‌ ‌thread‌ ‌one‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌time,‌ ‌but‌ ‌just‌ ‌take‌ ‌your‌ ‌time‌ ‌and‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌the‌ ‌process!‌ ‌ ‌

To‌ ‌make‌ ‌this‌ ‌scarf‌ ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌need‌ ‌2‌ ‌yards‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌Width‌ ‌of‌ ‌Fabric‌ ‌(WOF)‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌“Wondering‌ ‌with‌ ‌Bear”‌ ‌Flannel‌ ‌print.‌ ‌ ‌

Before‌ ‌you‌ ‌start‌ ‌this‌ ‌project,‌ ‌make‌ ‌sure‌ ‌to‌ ‌take‌ ‌note‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌creating‌ ‌the‌ ‌fringes‌ ‌perpendicular ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌selvage,‌ ‌since‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌where‌ ‌it‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌easier‌ ‌to‌ unravel ‌the‌ ‌fabric ‌and‌ ‌overall‌ ‌be‌ ‌a‌ ‌better‌ ‌look‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌fringe.‌ ‌ ‌

Fold‌ ‌your‌ ‌fabric‌ ‌right‌ ‌sides‌ ‌facing‌ ‌together.‌ ‌Lay‌ ‌your‌ ‌piece‌ ‌flat‌ ‌making‌ ‌sure‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌folded‌ ‌evenly.‌ ‌ ‌

Pin‌ ‌your‌ ‌edges‌ ‌and‌ ‌sew‌ ‌ inside ‌the‌ ‌selvage. 

Turn‌ ‌your‌ ‌piece‌ ‌inside‌ ‌out‌ ‌and‌ ‌press.‌ ‌ ‌

Mark‌ ‌a‌ 1’’ ‌line‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌top‌ ‌in‌ ‌and‌ ‌bottom‌ ‌in‌ ‌edge ‌‌with‌ ‌an‌ ‌erasable‌ ‌pen.‌ ‌ ‌

Edgestitch‌ ‌your‌ ‌sides‌ ‌and‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌marked‌ ‌lines.‌ ‌

Stitch‌ ‌again‌ ‌on‌ ‌top‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌marked‌ ‌lines‌ ‌to‌ ‌create‌ ‌a‌ ‌stronger‌ ‌stitch‌ ‌before‌ ‌you‌ ‌start‌ ‌pulling‌ ‌the‌ ‌threads.‌ ‌
Take‌ ‌a‌ ‌seam‌ ‌ripper‌ ‌and‌ ‌start‌ ‌separating‌ ‌and‌ ‌pulling‌ ‌thread‌ ‌by‌ ‌thread‌ ‌until‌ ‌you‌ ‌create‌ ‌your‌ ‌fringe.‌ ‌ ‌

 ‌Continue‌ ‌pulling‌ ‌thread‌ ‌one‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌time,‌ ‌until‌ ‌you‌ ‌have‌ ‌created‌ ‌1’’‌ ‌of‌ ‌fringe.‌ ‌ ‌
Repeat‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌other‌ ‌edge‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌scarf.‌ ‌ ‌

Take‌ ‌an‌ ‌old‌ ‌brush‌ ‌in‌ ‌order‌ ‌to‌ ‌brush‌ ‌and‌ ‌clean‌ ‌any‌ ‌leftover‌ ‌thread‌ ‌and‌ ‌tada!‌ ‌You’ve‌ ‌got‌ ‌yourself‌ ‌a‌ ‌beautiful‌ ‌flannel‌ ‌scarf.‌ ‌ ‌

And you're done! If you make this beauty for the winter, make sure to tag us on social media using the hashtag #AGFFlannel, so we can share the love!

Until next time,

Happy sewing!
-Jannelle 

Welcome back, fabric friends! 

Today we are featuring one of my favorite and easiest way to create a patchwork pillow, I like to call this one "Zanthia" and if you know about basic half-square triangles, then you'll especially love making this pillow. Once you create the HSTs, all it takes is some cutting and rearranging to complete this look! 

Have fun with your fabric choices too, as for this tutorial I kept it simple by using AGF Pure Solids, but play around with some movement by including some prints. 

Let's get started!

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS:

Fabric A PE-421 1 yd

Fabric B PE-436 1/2 yd

Fabric C PE-456 1/2 yd

Fabric D PE-457 1/2 yd

Fabric E PE-482 1/2 yd

EXTRA MATERIALS:

• Batting
• Cotton Rope-90” for piping
• Backing:
• Two (2) 24” squares
• Pillow fill

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Three (3) 2” x WOF strips from fabric A.

Two (2) 22” x 15 3/4” rectangles from fabric A.

Two (2) 12 7/8” squares from fabric B.

Two (2) 12 7/8” squares from fabric C.

Two (2) 12 7/8” squares from fabric D.

Two (2) 12 7/8” squares from fabric E.

INSTRUCTIONS

To complete this pillow you’ll need to make two different blocks, for each block you’ll need two different HST combinations.

Begin with block #1.

For the first HST combination, take one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric C and one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric E.

Place one on top of the other, right sides of the fabric together, align.

Use a fabric marker and your ruler to trace a diagonal line from the top left corner to the right bottom corner.

Sew 1/4” away from each side of the previous traced line.

Use your rotary cutter to cut on top of the drawn line.

Press open, you should end up with two (2) CE HST’s.

Set aside.

Repeat the previous steps this time with one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric D and one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric E.

You should end up with two (2) DE HST’s.

Sub-cut the HST’s into six (6) 2” strips as shown in the diagram below.

Sew the strips together alternating the colors following the diagram below for strip placement.

Make a total of two (2) block #1.

Press and set aside.

Move on with block #2.

Take one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric B and one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric D.

Place one on top of the other, right sides of the fabric together, align.

Use a fabric marker and your ruler to trace a diagonal line from the top right corner to the left bottom corner.

Sew 1/4” away from each side of the previous traced line.

Use your rotary cutter to cut on top of the drawn line.

Press open, you should end up with two (2) DB HST’s.

Set aside.

Repeat the previous steps this time with one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric C and one (1) 12 7/8” square from fabric B.

You should end up with two (2) CB HST’s.

Sub-cut the HST’s into six (6) 2” strips as shown in the diagram below.

Sew the strips together alternating the colors following the diagram below for strip placement.

Make a total of two (2) block #2.

Press and set aside.

Bring one (1) block #1 and one (1) block #2.

Sew them together and repeat the same steps one more time to end up with two rows.

Attach the rows together as shown in the diagram below.

Quilt as desired.

I suggest and echo quilting with contrasting thread but feel free to get creative!

Add piping if desired.

PILLOW BACKING

Take both 22” x 15 3/4” rectangles from fabric A.

Fold one 15 3/4” edge 1/2” towards the wrong side of the fabric of each rectangle.

Fold the same edge ó” again and edgestitch the fold in place to have a clean edge.

Take the quilted pillow top and lay it at the right side up.

Take one rectangle from fabric A and align it wrong side up to the right side of the pillow top.

Take the other rectangle from fabric A and align it wrong side up to the left side of the pillow top.

Pin the three pieces in place and sew around the edges at 1/4”.

Clip the corners and flip the piece to the right side of the fabric.

Fill the pillow.

and you're finished! I hope you enjoyed what I did with the quilting, I felt like I had to do something unique for this project. It'll be a cool idea too if you quilted on the red and orange pieces. 

If you found this tutorial helpful or have any questions, please let me know in the comments below! As always, if you end up making this project, tag us on social media using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics, I would love to see your creations.

Until next time,

Happy sewing!

-Jannelle