Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Hi Quilters,

Welcome to week 6 (and the final week!) of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along.

This is your week!  All the hard work is done, and you should have a finished quilt top.  I know this is such a busy time of year, so please don't worry if you are behind or haven't finished.  You can finish your quilt when it is the right time, or take next week to catch up!

If you are ready to finish your quilt, here are some helpful tips and tutorials to guide you through quilting your quilt top and adding the final touch—binding!

For my cover version, I didn't have time to get it long-armed. But I created a simple "wave" template using an 18" x 4" piece of cardboard.  I simply drew a wavy line with a marker and then cut out the template. 

Agnes is enjoying the quilt marking process and sitting on my template!

The beauty of wavy lines is that you can be as organic or precise as you want.  I've even made quilts where I just quilt as I go, making the waves imperfectly.  That is the best when you want to have a very organic, unique look!

If I'm trying to be precise, I like to use a Hera marker to mark my quilts.  This little piece of plastic creases the fabric and ensures no lines will be left behind.  If you prefer to use an air or heat-erasable pen, I do recommend testing it on scrap fabric first.  I've had instances where residue will stay behind, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

If you are going to be sending in your quilt for long-arming services (and have never done that before), I've linked a blog post on how to best prepare your quilt.  You can read the blog post here.

One of the final steps before quilting your quilt is preparing the backing. For mine, I chose the stunning 'Floral Universe Midnight' print from the True Blue collection by AGF designer Maureen Cracknell.

And if you need help with binding, don't worry---I've got you!  I recommend this binding tutorial by Suzy Williams, one of the talented AGF designers!  It's how I first learned to bind a quilt, and I found it so helpful.  You can watch the video here.

Thank you so much for being part of Art Gallery Fabrics' first sew-along.  I hope you have enjoyed making this quilt and maybe even learned something new along the way.  The best part of quilting is growing in confidence.

**Now for the FINAL PRIZE**

This week we will have TWO prizes and TWO winners!  Yes, that's right!  Two lucky quilters will win a prize.

The first prize is to have your quilt long-armed professionally by Joyce of Eva Mae Custom Quilts.  I send almost all my quilts to Joyce and am never disappointed with her beautiful work.

And another winner will win the grand prize of an Arrow Sewing Chair!  I'm so proud to be an ambassador for Arrow and was so grateful when they agreed to be a sponsor.

You will love this sewing chair and wonder how you ever got along without it!  I'm so excited for one of you to win this amazing prize.

To enter the giveaway:

Sign up to the Summer Jubilee Sew Along: Click Here
If you're on Instagram - Follow me @midlife_quilter & @artgalleryfabrics
If you're on Facebook - Follow me Midlife Quilter & Art Gallery Fabrics

Leave the comment: "Summer Jubilee Sewalong" right here in the comment section of the blog.

I'll be drawing a winner first thing on Monday, June 9th. Entries close at midnight, June 8th.

Come join our public Facebook group! It’s the perfect place to share your fabric pulls, introduce yourself, and ask any questions along the way. Click below to join.

Join the Facebook Group

Don't forget there is still time to order a kit!  You can shop here.

Thank you and Happy Quilting, 

Victoria Newmyer & Art Gallery Fabrics

Hi Quilters!

Welcome to week 5 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!

We are almost to the finish line.  By now, you have made all of the blocks, and now it is time to assemble your quilt top!

This will be an easy and fun week.

If you didn't press your blocks as you were making them, now is the time to do that.  Pressed blocks sew together better. 

I recommend pressing the seams open as indicated in the pattern, but if you press your seams to the side, you can get flatter seams by placing the blocks under a heavy book to really set the seams.

Another tip I learned about is to sew your first three rows together, then use a safety pin to mark the top.  Set it aside and then sew your bottom three rows together.  Your final seam will be sewing the two halves together.

Doing this makes sewing the top more manageable.  When I was first learning to quilt, I would just sew row to row until I got to the bottom.  But my quilt top would pull from all the weight on one side and get so wrinkled as I crunched it under the neck of the machine.  

Sewing the top in two halves is so much easier, and your quilt top gets less wrinkled.

Once your top is made, I do recommend cutting any loose threads on the back--especially if you are using a white background and darker colors for your blocks.  This step will help eliminate any rogue threads showing through after it is quilted.

And that's it!  Like I mentioned--an easy week.  And don't worry if you are a little behind, next week is just a chance to catch up and show your work if you did finish.

I would love to see your progress.  If you share photos on Instagram, please be sure to tag me @midlife_quilter and use #SummerJubileeSAL.

***Ready to See This Week’s Prizes?***

This week's prize is batting from Hobbs Batting and an Aurifil thread set that matches the Summer Jubilee Cover Quilt!

I use Hobbs batting in all my quilts and am so happy to share that they donated a Queen Size (90" x 108") Bleached Cotton Batting for one lucky winner.  

The Aurifil Thread set has 5 spools of 28 weight thread that can be used for adding some hand quilting touches to your quilt or for hand binding.

To enter the giveaway:

Sign up to the Summer Jubilee Sew Along: Click Here
If you're on Instagram - Follow me @midlife_quilter & @artgalleryfabrics
If you're on Facebook - Follow me Midlife Quilter & Art Gallery Fabrics

Leave the comment: "Summer Jubilee Sewalong" right here in the comment section of the blog.

I'll be drawing a winner first thing on Monday, May 26th. Entries close at midnight, May 25th.

Come join our public Facebook group! It’s the perfect place to share your fabric pulls, introduce yourself, and ask any questions along the way. Click below to join.

Join the Facebook Group

Don't forget there is still time to order a kit!  You can shop here.

See you next week, 

Victoria Newmyer & Art Gallery Fabrics

Hi Quilters, 

Welcome to Week 4 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!

Don’t have your kit yet? No problem — get yours here,  and jump into the fun!

You've done all the heavy lifting.  You've made all the units and are ready to begin assembling the Rosette Blocks.  Hip hip hooray!

From here on out, it's just sewing.  That's the best part, am I right?

The only thing you really need to watch for now is making sure you don't flip around any pieces.

Keep reading, I have a couple of easy, quick tips to help with this.

First, I like to make an entire block first to use as a guide for my other blocks. Once I've assembled the whole block, I snap a quick photo with my phone.  For some reason, I find that I'm much better able to identify any turned around pieces when I see a block in a phone.  I've heard the same from many of my quilting friends.

Once I have confirmed that everything is in the right place, I hang it up over my sewing machine and use it as a guide for organizing all the pieces in my block.

Next, I like to use a tray to lay out all my pieces in the right order and with the right orientation.  I still use my first block as a guide as I go, but it makes the process go faster than if I were grabbing from piles.

If you hadn't used the coloring page on page 11 of the pattern, now would be a good time to go ahead and color that in.  This will help you be sure the blocks turn out exactly as you had in mind.

I hope you enjoy this week.  I find this to be one of the most satisfying weeks.  You have worked so hard, and now you will begin to see some real progress.

Please share pics of your blocks on the Facebook page or on Instagram.  Be sure to use hashtag #SummerJubileeSAL and tag me @midlife_quilter so I don't miss it.  If you have a private page, those tags don't work, but you can always send me pics in messages.  Seeing your work come to life is such a joy for me!

***Now to this week's prize!***

This week's prize is a 22" x 60" wool pressing mat by Novodon.  I received one of these mats earlier this year, and it has been a game changer.  You can put it on a table, and it makes pressing tops so much easier.

To enter the giveaway:

Sign up to the Summer Jubilee Sew Along: Click Here
If you're on Instagram - Follow me @midlife_quilter & @artgalleryfabrics
If you're on Facebook - Follow me Midlife Quilter & Art Gallery Fabrics

Leave the comment: "Summer Jubilee Sewalong" right here in the comment section of the blog.

I'll be drawing a winner first thing on Monday, May 26th. Entries close at midnight, May 25th.

Come join our public Facebook group! It’s the perfect place to share your fabric pulls, introduce yourself, and ask any questions along the way. Click below to join.

Join the Facebook Group

Don't forget there is still time to order a kit!  You can shop here.

See you again, 

Victoria Newmyer & Art Gallery Fabrics

Hi Quilters,

Welcome to Week 3 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!

By now, you have made your Starburst blocks, and now we are ready to dive into the Rosette Blocks!

Chain piecing will be your friend this week as we make all the little units that will become the Rosette blocks.

These blocks may feel complicated, but they consist of blocks you are probably already really familiar with:  half square triangles (HSTs) and Flying Geese (FGs).

The HSTs are made 8 at a time, and the FGs are made 4 at a time so you can create the units faster.

This video tutorial by Art Gallery Fabrics is one of the best I've seen on explaining how to make 8 at a time HSTs.  Give it a watch here if you need a refresher or are new to making HSTs with this method.

All the HSTs in this pattern are oversized so you can trim them down to get an accurate HST.  There are many ways to trim HSTs, and I encourage you to share your favorite method for trimming in our Facebook group.

I personally like to press all my HSTs open, then use a square ruler to trim them to the right size.  However, use whichever method you prefer and settle in because there are quite a few to trim.  The extra time will be worth it when all your HSTs are neat and perfect.

There are two types of FGs in this pattern:  a two-color FG and a three-color FG.

The pattern has diagrams to walk you through how to make each, but I have included a video tutorial here on making the three-color FGs, as that is a unique method you may not have tried yet.

Watch the tutorial here.

Don't worry about assembling the Rosette blocks yet.  This week is all about making the units, and next week, we will start the fun of putting our Rosette blocks together.

If you just joined, check out the Week 2 blog post here!

***Now to this week's prize!***

This week's prize is a beautiful tailor's clapper from Modern American Vintage!  I met the owner, Chris, at Quilt Market this year, and he is the nicest man. His whole family helps with his business, and his work is top notch.  He donated this lovely tailor's clapper with a stars & stripes motif for our sew along.  What a great guy!

To enter the giveaway:

Sign up to the Summer Jubilee Sew Along: Click Here
If you're on Instagram - Follow me @midlife_quilter & @artgalleryfabrics
If you're on Facebook - Follow me Midlife Quilter & Art Gallery Fabrics

Leave the comment: "Summer Jubilee Sewalong" right here in the comment section of the blog.

I'll be drawing a winner first thing on Monday, May 19th. Entries close at midnight, May 18th.

And don't forget to join the public Facebook group. It will be a great place to show your fabric pulls, introduce yourself, and ask any questions that may pop up.  Click the link below to join.

Join the Facebook Group

Don't forget there is still time to order a kit!  You can shop here.

See you soon, 

Victoria Newmyer & Art Gallery Fabrics

Hi Quilters,

Welcome to Week 2 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!

If you are just joining or haven't chosen fabrics yet, kits are still available HERE.  Grab one while they last!

This week we are cutting our fabrics and will begin assembling the units to make our Starburst blocks.

I love to start with a fresh blade and usually begin with cutting the background first since this usually has the most cuts (and honestly, it keeps me motivated to keep cutting since the prints are the most fun to cut, right?

There are fabric labels provided for you on page 9 of the pattern to keep your cuts organized.  I highly recommend using these labels.  It will make assembling your blocks later so much easier!  I like to use large paperclips or binder clips to keep my pieces together.

Once everything is cut, you can begin sewing your half rectangle triangles and your snowball blocks.

If you are new to making half rectangle triangles (HRTs), I've included a video link below to help guide you through that process.

Watch the Video Tutorial

There are two important things to keep in mind when making HRTs.

1.  You need to be sure to orient the pieces the right way to make the units have the color on the correct side of the block.
2. Make sure to trim them so you have a 1/4" seam allowance.  That's what will get you the sharp points in your Starburst blocks.

The snowball blocks are easy peasy, and the diagrams in the pattern will guide you through those simple blocks.

As always, you can contact me at [email protected] or drop your questions in the Facebook group.

If you just joined, check out the Week 1 blog post here!

***Now to this week's prize!***

This week's sponsor is Omnigrid.  I've been using Omnigrid rulers since I first began quilting.  They have a permanent place on my cutting table.

Omnigrid is providing a 1/4" ruler set and a rotating mat.  This prize will make some of the future sewing so much easier! 

-
To enter the giveaway:

Sign up for the Summer Jubilee Sew Along: Click Here! 

If you're on Instagram - Follow me @midlife_quilter & @artgalleryfabrics

If you're on Facebook - Follow me Midlife Quilter & Art Gallery Fabrics

Comment "Summer Sewalong" in the comments below to be entered.  The winner will be drawn on Monday, May 12th.  Entries close at midnight on May 11th.

Don't forget there is still time to order a kit!  You can shop here.

We can't wait to see you next week!

Victoria Newmyer & Art Gallery Fabrics

Hello, Quilters! It's Victoria Newmyer Here! 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!  

I'm so happy you are here. I know this is a busy time of year with graduations and summer approaching, so I appreciate you sewing along with me. It's always more fun to sew with friends.

Ready to quilt up some summer magic? Grab your Summer Jubilee Quilt Kit and jump into the fun! Don’t have your kit yet? No problem — get yours here, and let’s get stitching! 

If you haven’t signed up to the Sew Along yet, don't worry— you can sign up here and jump in at your own pace. It’s all about community, creativity, and having fun!

Buy the Summer Jubilee Quilt Kit

This week's task is all about choosing fabrics!  If you don't know me yet, then you may not know that this is my absolute FAVORITE part of making a quilt.  I love curating fabric bundles and seeing how the same pattern can look completely different depending on the fabrics you choose. It's like magic!

For my Summer Jubilee quilt cover, I chose a fresh, summery palette of reds, whites, and blues. Quilt kits are available for purchase here!

This fabric palette holds a special place in my heart—it's a tribute to my late dad, who was a proud veteran.  I wanted to make something he would have thought was so "cool."

Also, this palette is inspired by my summer beach days along the coast.  I live in West Michigan and we have some of the most beautiful beaches. One day, I’d love to visit the East Coast beaches too (it's on my bucket list!). My vision was Nantucket, lobster rolls, and the classic preppy style that was so popular when I was a teenager. That vision really guided me as I chose my fabrics. In fact, I chose my backing to capture that Americana, Ralph Lauren-esque vibe! That deep blue floral stops me in my tracks every time! 

This fabric pull mixes several Art Gallery Fabrics collections, blending multiple shades of red and blue—from a deep pink coral to rich ruby, and sky blue to deep indigo. Even though the palette focuses mainly on two colors, using a variety of shades really helped balance the overall look.

And, as you can see, I mostly chose smaller-scale, low-volume prints so they would show up beautifully in the quilt blocks. Since the pieces are quite small, I avoided using large prints, which can easily get lost—I really wanted each fabric to have its moment to shine.

One of my many favorite things about Art Gallery Fabrics is how seamlessly their collections can mix and match. Even though I pulled fabrics from a variety of fabric collections, they blend together so beautifully. In my mind, that is Art Gallery Fabrics' superpower.

So grab a kit here, and then get ready for some more fun because we have a gift of fabric for one lucky winner!

The prize this week is a fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics.  You get a chance to win the Beloved bundle (curated by me when I was an AGF Sewcialite). 

Beloved FQ Bundle by Victoria Newmyer

To enter the giveaway:

Sign up to the Summer Jubilee Sew Along: Click Here
If you're on Instagram - Follow me @midlife_quilter & @artgalleryfabrics
If you're on Facebook - Follow me Midlife Quilter & Art Gallery Fabrics

Leave the comment: "Summer Jubilee Sewalong" right here in the comment section of the blog.

I'll be drawing a winner first thing on Monday, May 5th.  Entries close at midnight, May 4th.

And don't forget to join the private Facebook group. It will be a great place to show your fabric pulls, introduce yourself, and ask any questions that may pop up.  Click the link below to join.

Join the Facebook Group

We can't wait to see you next week, and make sure to order your Summer Jubilee Quilt Kit!

See you soon, 

Victoria Newmyer & Art Gallery Fabrics