What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Hi Makers, 

Hope you're all enjoying 2019, so far!

This year, we're planning BIG things here at AGF and super excited to share all of them with you, these next couple months! With that, I'd like to announce that our AGF family is getting a little bigger and I'd like to introduce you to our newest designer - Alexandra Bordallo! Currently residing with her husband and young son in Spain, Alexandra's whimsical style caught our eye, and we just knew she had to be part of our talented team.

Here's a little interview I did ...

Even though it's technically winter, here in Florida we're used to warm sunshine this time of year! You'll often find us Floridians decorating palm tress with Christmas lights, and there's been several years where I've even gone to the beach on New Year's Day with the family. 

With this in mind, we decided to stick to what we know and bring in some warmer climates with Maureen Cracknell’s latest collection, Sun Kissed! Inspired by soaking up the sunshine and glowing skin after a cool swim, this fabric line features cute smiley suns, swimming ...

Hi Makers!

If you have been following AGF for a while, you would know that we don't often focus on contrasting colors of black, red, and white in our collections. Well, we decided to do things a little different this time and this time, and bring them to center stage in our latest collection! Inspired by what you’d discover while traveling the trading route that connected The East to The West, AGF created its latest collection, “Silkroad Fusion.” This fabric line celebrates the emerging trend of Asian influences in textiles with designs from ancient techniques of brushwork that ...

Have you ever spent a day exploring an artsy neighborhood?! You’d probably start your day, grabbing a cup of coffee at a cute cafe, wander in and out of art galleries, browse small shops that are filled with unique, artisanal crafts, and of course, spend some time photographing all the amazing murals you’d unexpectedly find in alleyways. In Florida, if you're looking to see some street art or explore some unique shops, galleries, plant stores and delicious cafes, our biggest art district here is "Wynwood" which is a fun place to head to! If you were here ...

Often when you have a creative goal in mind, you just have to begin and start somewhere. Eventually, you'll learn along the way and get better at whatever it is that you're setting out to do! There's often no mentors to ask beforehand, no check list, no guidelines...just you and that gut feeling. However, with patience, persistence, and of course practice, you can achieve anything really! I'm sure all of us can relate to this because we've all started off somewhere. Just think back to how far you've come, and take a moment ...

Hi Makers!

Can you believe it's mid-November already?! Where did this year go!? It's just flying by! I'm sure most of you have already started sewing your handmade gifts for the holidays, but if you're a procrastinator like me, you might just be starting to plan out your list of gifts that you're going to give to your loved ones! Since time is always ticking, and although a handmade gift is the most thoughtful, it can often take up a lot of time. Don't fret though, I've got you covered! Here's our ...

At the age of five, I began learning classical piano. Every week, I'd have a piano lesson with my piano teacher and learned to play songs from all "the greats" like Mozart, Bach, Chopin....but my absolute favorite composer's songs to play was "Ludwig van Beethoven." His songs were moody and felt like they just had soul (no offense to the other talented composers), I just connected to his music the most, and his "Moonlight Sonata" became my favorite song to play on the piano..still is today! One of the main reasons I love it so much ...

Happy Monday, Makers!

Here at AGF, we started a new way to feature  our inspiring makers' work that allows them to also win our fabrics, but THE BEST PART is that we all get to know a little more about you! We encouraged makers to post their sewing projects using our fabrics via their social media using the hashtag #AGFMakerMonday, so we could see how talented you are and the amazing work you all do! Once we decide on the winner for the month, the maker receives a feature here on our AGF Blog AND of course...they win A ...

If you haven't gone yet, you MUST go to Hawaii at least once in your lifetime! There's so much beautiful scenery to take in there! The sunsets, the gorgeous Pacific Ocean, the amazing food like fresh pineapple..it's truly a gorgeous and magical place. My favorite part of visiting Hawaii was going horse back riding where "Jurassic Park" was filmed, I felt like at any moment a dinosaur was going to pop out of the huge trees there. It was completely surreal and breathtaking. 

Say “Aloha” to Mister Domestic’s new fabric collection, “Aura!” Inspired by an ...

Hello my creative friends!

Handmade gifts are special because they represent all the thinking, effort, and time that you dedicated to let someone you love know how much you care. We want to give them something that they will love and use.  In this tutorial we will be making a phone pouch using quilted fabrics and binding. This is a fun and creative project to meet our gifting needs. You can also make this into a laptop or tablet pouch. Simply change the measurements of your pieces and you will get the same result. What a better choice than the ...

Hi Makers,

Do any of you LOVE going to see plays or performances?!

It's such a fun event! Getting all dressed up in a nice outfit, entering the theater and taking a seat, waiting for those red curtains to lift up and for the show to begin! From the introduction of the characters to hearing their stories be told through action or songs, the lightning, the set design, the costumes, and overall mood is just incredible, especially from a production point of view! Theater reminds us to be in the present and to be fully immersed in what's ...

Hello my creative friends!

Have you ever had quilted left-over pieces that are not big enough for a pillow, but not small enough to throw away? Well, take all those pieces out because today we'll be using them to make a beret. I got the idea because I love the delicate designs and cozy tones of the "Little Clementine" collection, and also my little Carlota loves to dress up and wear all kinds of accessories, so I figured this would be the perfect match.

To start, you need two quilted pieces that are big enough to cut a circle ...

Is there a certain children's book that you absolutely loved as a kid?!

When I was a little girl, my mother or grandmother would lay in bed next to me with a book, and would read to me before I fell asleep, each night. As they read to me, I would let my imagination come to life, pretending that I was making friends with animals or mystical creatures in the story, and going on adventures to far off lands! Depending on the character in the book, my grandmother would change the tone of her voice as she read aloud ...

Hello my creative friends!

Putting fabrics together to combine prints with different scale, color, and contrast is my favorite thing to do, and discovering the quilting magic of strip piecing is my second one! Inspired by the nostalgic designs of the Trinkets collection, I will be taking you on a piecing trip to make a 24" x 18" rug using the Striped Stairway technique; a fun technique that starts with a diagonal trim, and ends by piecing rearranged strips.

The featured fabrics are: Flowered Engrams Trinkets (Fabric A), Infused Hydrangea (Fabric B), Flower Stamp Trinkets (Fabric C), Gran Piano Trinkets ...

Hi Makers, 

With the holidays right around the corner, I know all of us are prepping or have already begun sewing gifts for our family, friends, colleagues and teachers. I think that as a maker, we're always trying to create gifts that are so personalized to the person we're giving it to, so if you haven't started sewing your gifts yet, don't worry! We just released TWO NEW FUSIONS that cater to two different themes that can turn into so many great gifts! 

If you're new to AGF, our "Fusion Collections" are bite-size collections featuring ...