Fanciful Look Book

Last week Art Gallery Fabrics published the Fanciful Look Book, showing off my new blender and debut Designer Essentials collection for AGF. The 10 new colorings plus the 2 original colors from my Bookish line make for a beautiful 12-piece blender range to coordinate with my other collections and the Look Book shows you how well they mix and match with your favorite Sharon Holland prints.

Click the Fanciful Look Book button below to view the virtual sewing catalog.

I’ve already blogged about the New Wave pillow, Scallop Bunting, and Quilted Carryall projects shown in this styled baby room photo above so this blog post will be about the Fanciful quilts.

One of my all-time favorite quilts to give as a baby gift is my Hold Tight quilt. I’ve always made the Hold Tight quilt in solids in the past because of the array of colors available to achieve beautiful transition colors where the balloons overlap but as soon as the Fanciful blender collection was finalized, I knew I wanted to make this quilt with this blender collection!

For the Fanciful version I wanted an extra lux quilt so I used Shannon Fabrics Cuddle “Minky” in white as the backing. Terri Neil of Quilting Rubies did the long arm quilting for this in a pantograph called Fanciful Flyers by Urban Elementz and I added the hand stitched quilting “strings” to the balloons after it was quilted but only stitched through the quilt top and batting so the quilting on the back of the quilt was uninterrupted.

To add a little extra pop to this Hold Tight quilt, I supplemented the different blenders with my Tiny Dancer prints and I love the scale change of this additional larger print. Above is the conversion of using less number of fabrics and upping the amount of each used to a fat quarter. Construction, background, backing, and binding remain the same as in the pattern for the throw—just the number of fabrics used to make the balloon is reduced and some fabrics show up in more than one balloon in my Fanciful version, rather than the original version of fabrics only being used once per balloon.

Evergreen Quilt

Here’s a bonus project for blog readers and one you wont find in the Fanciful Look Book! The Evergreen (or also known as Hinterland) quilt is a free pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics, designed by Sam Vanderpuy.

I took some liberties with the pattern that I will share and streamlined the number of fabrics to make cutting simpler.

To make my version I used 1/3 yard EACH of 8 Fanciful blenders and streamlined the cutting to be almost an even distribution of the 8 colors. I also chose not to add the occasional upside down strip set triangles because I wasn’t pleased with the skinny lines not lining up perfectly so I kept the quilt to all Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids in Latte for the triangles and skinny strips (background).

The beautiful fan quilting was done by Terri Neil of Quilting Rubies. To give this quilt some extra fun I used Chenille-It Blooming Bias tape for the edges in white. You can learn more about how to add a chenille edge to your quilt with my video tutorial, HERE.

I love the idea of stars over the mountains and how this quilt backing of Compass Points print from my Shine On collection gives this quilt a front and back that’s equally fun and graphic!

This is certainly a quilt that will grow with baby and would also be a beautiful wall hanging as the child gets older.

Be sure to check out the Fanciful Look Book for more sewing inspiration and looks at how lovely these blender colors coordinate with prints from my past (and upcoming) fabric collections. This is the perfect way to extend your stash of Sharon Holland fabrics!

Next time on the blog…

Another baby quilt and a hack for the Quilted Carryall bag you wont want to miss!

Freebies

A new year is the perfect time to take stock and get organized and I’m literally in the process of doing just that to my household in preparations for an out-of-state move in a few months. Since I’m in a cleaning jag (or maybe to avoid the actual physical work needing to be done) I also did some digital house cleaning here on my website!

What was formally the Free Projects page is now simply the Freebies page on this website. Some old patterns have been retired and some new ones have been added. But, the biggest change is that now each pattern, even though it’s free, has its own checkout page. On each listing, you’ll find additional listing images of the project, a materials list, and if there was a tutorial or blog post about the pattern you’ll find an easy link to click back to learn and see more about it as further inspiration. Simply add the free or for purchase project(s) to your cart to download. If you also add in patterns from my Shop, you’ll only be charged for those patterns—not the Freebies.

Fanciful

As you may know, my newest fabric collection ‘Fanciful’ for Art Gallery Fabrics is the in first Designer Essentials blender lines from AGF. This collection is in shops now and is a group of 10 blenders that coordinate with the majority of my AGF collections and is the perfect way to extend your Sharon Holland fabric stash! The print’s called, Flights of Fancy and was first debuted in my Bookish collection in two color ways. If you combine the original two blenders from Bookish with the 10 new Fanciful blenders you’ll have a bundle of 12 beautiful colors!

With every new fabric line, Art Gallery Fabrics creates a beautiful digital Look Book to inspire you with projects sewn from the collection. I’ve been working on some quilts and new projects for my contribution to the Fanciful Look Book and today you’ll get a look at two projects and be able to download the new free patterns from the Freebies page.

I’ve some fun photography planned for the Look Book that’ll release the end of this month and I’ll save for a blog post review of all my contributions but I want to get these two patterns listed and live before the Look Book release so these photos are just of the individual projects and your first look at what’s new in 2023.

Scallop Bunting

This is a very fast, super fun, and oh, so, darn cute project that I’ve always wanted to make. The Fanciful blenders were just perfect for bunting because the direction of the print is not very fussy but is more interesting than just going plain solid.

The bright but muted tones of the Fanciful collection are perfect in today’s decor. How much fun would this be for a wedding, a birthday party, or children’s or baby’s room?

You can, of course, make your own bias tape for this project but I took the easiest path and used store-bought, pre-made double-fold bias tape binding. It just doesn’t get any easier than that! The pattern list materials to make a 144’’ long bunting but you can go as long or short as you desire.

New Wave Pillow

Technically, the New Wave pillow is not a new free pattern to this blog but I’m listing it as a new pattern in this post because it got a make over and the pattern is new and improved!

You know I love adding Chenille-It Blooming Bias especially to pillows and if you want to learn more about how I add it to a pillow top and how I bind a quilt or a pillow with this product and ‘bloom’ it there’s tutorials for several projects on my Tutorials page and you’ll also find all the tutorial links on the New Wave listing page.

For this pillow I used double layering of 5/8”-wide natural blooming bias for a nice full fluff.

The Fanciful colors I used in the New Wave pillow happen (not by chance) to coordinate with the Scallop Bunting and make the sweetest decor for a baby room.

I use a feather pillow insert for a high-end luxury feel and the pattern includes instructions to make a lapped-zipper backing for a professional finish and fully removable pillow cover. For the backing of my pillow, I used AGF Linen from their AGF Denim Studio line.

In my new home there’s be a little window seat in the main floor guest room that I think a pair of these pillows will be just the thing!

Look for my new Fanciful collection at your favorite fabric shop or online store! Have fun making these new projects and be sure to tag me @sharonhollanddesigns and the project if posting to Instagram—I always love to see what you make with my fabrics and patterns.

Be watching next week for a new blog post and pattern for the Shop!

Happy New Year!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Gifting Handmade Showcase Week 1

December 1st marked the start of my Gifting Handmade Showcase where everyday, for two weeks I’m sharing a new project from one of my talented testers and featuring them on my Instagram feed @sharonhollanddesigns. Each project is made using fabrics from my various fabric collections I’ve designed for Art Gallery Fabrics. We’ve had seven days of the showcase so far, with more to come next week! See the recap of this week’s makers below with links to all the projects.

Gifting Handmade Makers

Day 1

Starting off the event was Lindsey Fuessley from @lindseymakes. Lindsey shared this beautiful quilted garland and ornaments project, which you can find on her blog Lindsey Makes—be sure to check out her quilt patterns while you’re there!

Lindsey used fabrics from several of my collections, Kismet, Bookish, Willow, Fanciful, and Listen to your Heart.

Quilted Garland & Ornament photos courtesy of Lindsey Makes

I love the addition of the dried oranges and pinecones on her garland to create a cozy, farmhouse feel. Lindsey’s tutorial is easy to follow and great for anyone wanting to add some handmade holiday decor to their home—you can even get the kids involved with this project!

Day 2

Next up was Christine Trotta from @sile.wares. Christine has such a talent for putting together curated items to create a very cohesive home. She used the newly recolored India Ink Six from my Listen to Your Heart collection for the decorative tray and Fanciful Pearl from my new Fanciful blender collection for the napkins.

Christine created two projects for the showcase, first was this no-sew fabric tray tutorial which can be found here at All Things Target. After adhering the fabric to the tray, Christine sealed the fabric so the tray can easily be wiped down for clean up - perfect for the holidays!

Fabric Covered Tray and Cloth Napkin photos courtesy of Christine Trotta

Next, Christine shared these classic cloth napkins. You can find the tutorial for Mitered-Corner Napkins right here on my blog’s Tutorial Page. Wouldn’t these make the best gifts for your favorite hostess?!

If you enjoyed Christine’s projects then be sure to watch her social feeds and blog for the launch of her new shop!

DAY 3

Day 3 of the showcase featured this free “Ho Ho Ho” mini quilt pattern from Liza Taylor of @lizataylorhandmade.

Liza used 6 fabrics from my new Fanciful collection: Shell, Peach, Amber, Mauve, Celeste, and Spruce. The star is a Pure Solid from Art Gallery Fabrics called Quartz Pink.

Liza uses non-traditional Christmas colors to create this fun and whimsical holiday wall hanging. It would also be so fun in the traditional green and red colors! You can find the free pattern from Liza’s website, when you sign up for her newsletters.

Be sure to check out Liza’s fabric shop Liza Taylor Handmade and her other quilt patterns!

Ho Ho Ho Mini Quilt photos courtesy of Liza Taylor Handmade

DAY 4

Day 4 brought THREE amazing projects from Tracey Taber-Perry @ttabes80! Tracey has the best eye for color combinations and always creates the most beautiful palettes for her projects.

Tracey used an assortment of fabrics from my Listen to Your Heart, Shine On, and Bookish collections. She also included an AGF Decostitch as the background for her runner. The finished products are just phenomenal!  

See what I mean?! These would be amazing to have on display for the holiday season as well as all year-round. The Desert Stars Table Runner is a pattern from Atkinson Design and sold at sewthankful.com.

The hot pads and apron would make the best gifts for the baker in your family. Who wouldn’t love to receive these! The free Patchwork Potholder sewing pattern can be found at sewcanshe.com

Kitchen set trio of Gifting Handmade projects courtesy of Tracey Taber-Perry

The beautiful apron is made from the Free Color Block Apron Tutorial by Suzy Quilts. Doesn’t my Picking Wildflowers print from my AGF Shine On collection look so pretty and fresh on this apron?

DAY 5

Next up was Terri Neil from @quiltingrubies. Terri made this stunning and incredibly soft plaid baby quilt (it is backed with the coziest AGF Flannel)! She used fabrics from my Listen to Your Heart collection for the quilt top which give such a fun holiday feel.

Terri pulled out all the stops for this baby quilt, including that beautiful hand stitched binding. Who wouldn’t love to receive this cuddly quilt?!

Buffalo Check baby quilt photos courtesy of Terri Neil

The free Buffalo Check Quilt pattern comes in several sizes and can be found at My Favorite Quilt Store.

If you’re looking for a longarm quilting service look no further than Terri! Her business name is Quilting Rubies and she’s an extremely talented longarm quilter—I know because I’ve sent her quilts to finish for me!

DAY 6

Day 6 of the showcase featured Elaine Satterfield from @createjoyquilt and her beautiful journal covers! How pretty are these! Elaine is so incredibly talented, and always adds the most amazing details to all of her projects.

Quilted Journal Cover photos courtesy of Elaine Satterfield

These Quilted Journal Covers use fabrics from my Bookish and Fanciful collections for Art Gallery Fabrics. The free pattern and tutorial is by Maureen Cracknell and can be found on the Janome blog.

This is a great project to use up scraps, and Elaine even used an orphan block of a Criss-cross Star for one of the journal covers. They would make the perfect gift for the reader or artist in your life!

For these and other beautifully made quilts and accessories, visit Elaine’s Create Joy Quilt Co shop on Etsy.

DAY 7

Hi, it’s me Sharon Holland and I’m excited to be the maker for Day 7 of my Gifting Handmade Showcase! I shared three different projects that can be gifted together or separately and you can always see more views of my projects on my Instagram account @sharonhollanddesigns.

True confession here, I’d promised my daughter I’d do some sewing for her to help fill out her craft market booth and since she specializes in baked goods, I thought kitchen gift items would coordinate well with her breads and goodies. So… oven mitts were a must and since I could not find a pattern I liked already available online I ended up drafting and writing my own and hence, the new pattern in my SHOP! The Oven Mitt pattern is fat quarter friendly, and the material list will make two mitts.

I used prints from my Art Gallery Fabrics Willow, Listen to Your Heart, Shine On, Kismet, and Fanciful collections plus flannels from Willow, Shine On, and Kismet

The reason I used so many prints is because of sewing for the market and I made four mix and match kitchen sets with the three different kitchen items of mitts, un-sponges, and hot pads—keep reading.

I found the tutorial for the sponges on Better Homes and Gardens. What I love about their Reusable Kitchen Sponge tutorial is that these sponges can be used over and over again and add such a beautiful element to any kitchen! I used AGF Flannel for both sides and repurposed a polyester lace curtain I was not using anymore for the scrubbing side. Another great thing is, just pop them in the washer and dryer and with the polyester fleece (sew-in) fill, AGF flannel, and polyester lace they have no shrinkage and come out looking like new!

And, for the last coordinating kitchen accessory I made a hot pad. I found the perfect Folded Fabric Hot Pad tutorial from Miss Abigail's Hope Chest. I followed the instructions almost to the letter in size and quilting cotton folded front but made one change in using coordinating AGF flannel for the back of the hot pad and an extra layer of flannel under the folded front. I also machine quilted a simple square in the center rather than a button.

Wouldn’t these make the best gifts for any chef or homemaker in your life?! They are so fun to mix and match prints and textures! I held some sets back and have already gifted them!

The photo above is kitchen sets with labels for my daughter’s craft show and a look at the mix and matching of my fabric collections and quilting cotton and flannel.

And that wraps up week 1 of the Gifting Handmade Showcase! I hope you check out all the makers and their websites and social media—they’re definitely ones to follow! Next week will be another blog post plus giveaway where I’ll be recapping Week 2 and seven more makers and their projects!

Gifting Handmade Week 1 Giveaway

Win This 16-Piece Fat Quarter Bundle

Now that you’ve seen some of my fabric collections in the first week of the Gathering Handmade projects I thought you might like to get your hands on some of the same fabrics and start making projects of your own!

I’ve pulled together the 12 quilting cotton prints from my AGF Listen to Your Heart collection and added 4 new coordinating Fanciful blenders to make a 16-piece fat quarter bundle. That’s 4 yards total of fabric to dream and create with!

The giveaway is exclusive to this blog post, so make sure to read below for how to enter. I’m really sorry that I’ll be limiting this giveaway to US address only—shipping is a nightmare as it is with out adding international in the mix.

Giveaway now closed

Congratulations to Tracey Roberts!

*Note: This giveaway is open to US addresses only, sorry no international shipping. If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment--you can't win if I can't contact you!

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (Counts as entry number (1) one.)

2. Leave a comment and let me know what’s been your favorite project or projects so for in the Gifting Handmade Showcase. (This comment counts as entry number (2) two). 

3. Be following me (Sharon) on Instagram @sharonhollanddesigns or be signed up for my blog post newsletters (counts as number (3) three entry) when you let me know in a comment.

That’s THREE possible entries and up to three chances to win! Enter now through Monday, December 12, 2022. I’ll be drawing one lucky winner from the comment pool from this post. The winning comment will be picked at random around 4 pm Eastern. I’ll post the name of the winner on this post once they've been notified and responded to my email.

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Listen to Your Heart Look Book

It’s been a bit since I’ve made a blog post! I’ve been so busy because we’re building a house right now and there’s so much that needs my attention on that front but I’ll make it all up now with a look at the projects I stitched for my Art Gallery Fabrics Listen to Your Heart collection, news about my first-ever blender collection for AGF called Fanciful, and an announcement about the Gifting Handmade event I’m hosting on Instagram starting December 1st!

Listen to Your Heart is a very special fabric collection from Art Gallery Fabrics because it’s part of the Season of Tribute series from AGF where the major fabric designers have a 12-piece quilting cotton collection of their most iconic and best loved prints that are recolored and grouped into this new fabric collection. There are also other substrates that coordinate with the collection and my group also includes a Tiny Dancer Home Decor canvas and three flannels.

Showing off Sharon Holland’s talent of effortlessly mixing the vintage with the modern, this group encapsulates her range of styles from whimsy romantic prints to courageous color palettes.

Sweet Home Quilt

The very first project I thought to make when planning my Look Book contributions was to make a Sweet Home quilt. I’ve hosted and co-hosted a couple sew alongs for this quilt pattern that can be purchased from my SHOP and this is my sixth Sweet Home quilt I’ve made—needless to say, it’s one of my favorites!

I love how the Listen to Your Heart collection looks great year round but if paired right, can become a cheery Christmas palette. The Delicate Balance background print is the perfectly playful background to the houses and because this print in the same coloring comes in flannel, I backed the quilt with Delicate Balance in flannel to match!

Brook Becker at Lady Belle Fabrics has kits available for a Sweet Home quilt just like this one plus the flannel for backing. That fantastic Baptist Fan and Heart quilting was long armed by Brooke at Lady Belle Fabrics so you can one-stop shop your fabric, kit, and long arm quilting needs in one great shop!

Charming One Quilt

Another all-time favorite quilt pattern of mine I love to make is the Charming One (and the Charming Nine) quilt(s). Both are free patterns on this blog. This Listen to Your Heart Charming One was made with 12 fat quarters (12 squares cut from each fat quarter).

This over-sized throw is a great beginner size and easy to quilt yourself. I used Hobbs Batting Tuscany Polyester batting for a very puffy quilt and it’s seen in the above photo on a double bed as a topper quilt for a comfy cottage look.

To get the list of the fabrics used to make this quilt, visit the Listen to Your Heart Look Book page for the Charming One quilt, HERE.

Juniper Basket

I love making quilts but I also like to stretch my sewing skills making small projects. I needed a project basket for my yarn and crochet needles and I wanted to make something using the beautiful Tiny Dancer home dec canvas from the collection. Svetlana Sotak or Sotak Handmade designs the nicest bag patterns so I was sure she’d have just what I was looking for in the Juniper Basket.

The pattern was so easy to follow and comes in two sizes. This is the smaller basket and just the perfect size for yarn, needles, and supplies.

Art Gallery Fabrics canvas is very draped and soft so it can be used for apparel, drapes, bags, home decor, and more! I used the Kantha print from the Listen to Your Heart quilting cotton and some AGF Denim for my project.

Crochet-Edge Flannel Napkins

I’d recently hosted a mini workshop on how to add a crochet edge to napkins or receiving blankets and was on a roll to make a set for the Look Book in Painted Prairie flannel.

The the Look Book flannel napkins I used Crochet yarn and the clamshell stitch around the edge to keep it simple and classic with all the emphasis on the pretty print!

I love photographing table scapes and especially love fall decor. I would love to phase out paper towels and have only cloth napkins—it would make even the simplest meal feel special!

Apple Season Coasters

And for the final project contribution, I made a set of Apple Season coasters from my free pattern. These are fast and fun to make and also make great hostess and teacher gifts. You can even get the kids involved in making them!

I think these would be fun in flannel, too and are addictive to make!

See these projects plus so many wonderful other makes from your favorite makers and sewers in the Listen to Your Heart Look Book produced by Art Gallery Fabrics. Prepared to be inspired!

Fanciful Collection

Here’s a look at my next collection that’s in shops now—it’s called Fanciful and is my first-ever blender collection!

Art Gallery Fabrics has created a new division called Designer Essentials and Fanciful is the first collection as part of that division! The blender print in Fanciful was first seen in my Bookish collection for AGF. The print is called Flights of Fancy.

There are 10 new colors in the Fanciful collection plus the original 2 colorings in Bookish for a total of 12 blenders that coordinate with my fabric collections. So, if you’re a fan of my collections and want to expand your stash with blenders, then this is a must for any Sharon Holland fabric stash!

You’ll get to see this blender collection a lot in upcoming projects…

Gifting Handmade

Starting this Thursday, December 1st will be a special event hosted by me, showcasing my talented team of testers. Gifting Handmade will run for 2 weeks. Each day I’ll be collaborating with a maker and posting about their project on my Instagram account @sharonhollanddesigns. Each maker (including my projects) will be made with fabrics I’ve designed for Art Gallery Fabrics. You’ll see a wide range of collections used and mixed along with looks at the new Fanciful blenders, too!

Top row left to right: Lindsey Fuessley, Christine Trotta, Liza Taylor

Second row left to right: Brittany Tunison, Terri Neil, Victoria Newmyer

Third row left to right: Joyce Ulm, Mary Gove, Tracey Taber-Perry

Last row left to right: Marija Vujcic, Elaine Satterfield, Leah Bruski

There’ll be a weekly recap here on the blog showing highlights from the makers along with links to their projects AND, yup, some fabric giveaways because I want you to have fun sewing with my fabrics, too!

I hope you’ll join us on Instagram on Thursday, December 1st and be inspired to gift handmade this year—there’ll be projects for every skill level and most are quick makes to get done in plenty of time before the holidays.