Aura Blog Party

Aura Blog Party

Aura Blog Tour Napoli Dress.jpg

Aloha, and welcome to my stop on the Aura Blog Party hosted by Mathew Boudreaux (AKA Mister Domestic), the textile designer behind the Aura fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics.

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This bright and playful fabric collection is Mathew’s sophomore collection for Art Gallery Fabrics and was the perfect way to chase away the winter blues and escape to a magical paradise of warm colors, sea turtles, dolphins, and tropical flowers.

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Instead of stitching a quilt for this blog tour I decided to mix things up a bit and sew garments for my granddaughter. Ever since I made her a stuffed turtle with my Signature fabric collection she’s been crazy about turtles. So, of course I just had to sew her something fun with Mathew’s Hawaiian Honu in Dawn sea turtles print. Clockwise from the turtle print is Aloha Spirit in Windward and Hula Dolpins in ocean. See the full collection HERE.

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I don’t consider myself much of a garment sewer even though I used to sew dresses for my daughter when she was little—it’s just not something I feel as comfortable doing as I do for sewing quilts. But, you know what? Everything I made for this tour turned out wonderful and even fit her nicely so that gives me so much more confidence to do more garment sewing in the future!

This adorable dress is from Little Lizard King and is called the Napoli dress. I love this style of dress because right now (at a 3T) it’s a dress but as she gets taller she can wear it as a top. I selected the long sleeve option and again, these are just as cute rolled up when she’s small as they will be down when she’s taller.

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I was even able to dig into my button box to find the perfect shade and size buttons for this fabric!

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The most marvelous thing about sewing for toddlers is you hardly use any fabric at all. This too-cute-for-words vest is also a Little Lizard King pattern. The Madison Vest was super easy to make and I love that it’s reversible!

Since it’s still winter, I couldn’t resist adding some faux shearling for some snuggle and texture. A girl’s got to have options, right?!!?

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Such a great way to use a half yard of (each) fabric. I went with the loop closer option and stitched matching vintage buttons on both sides for a fully reversible vest.

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Like I said, toddler clothes hardly take any fabric at all so I still had material to play with. Why not make her another turtle!!!

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Meet Myrtle the Turtle. This adorable softie is a pattern by Purl Soho. I thought Mathew’s medallion print would be the perfect print as a turtle shell and mirror imaged the design so the motifs reflect each other on each side of the turtle back. More vintage buttons saved the day as eyes and Myrtle now has a permanent home with my granddaughter getting lots of love and snuggles.

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This is how to be a turtle.

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And, for my final make for the Aura tour I chose the most fun and easiest project of pajama pants! Art Gallery Fabrics very own Dana Willard has a fantastic and free Kid Pants pattern perfectly sized for a toddler.

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The Aloha Spirit print is so cute for PJs and brings a bit of a hippie-girl vibe that looks perfect for lounging and playing with your matching turtle. If you’re hesitant about garment sewing, this pajama pattern is an ideal beginner project and a very quick make.

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I had a blast sewing for this blog tour and even better, an excuse to have my daughter and the grand babies up for a weekend photoshoot. After we had finished photographing we had gone out shopping and stopped for a bit of thrift store poking around. I found this wonderful carved wood turtle that the shell comes off and the inside is a shallow dish. Of course I bought it for my granddaughter and she said it will be her box for special things which I suspect are rocks. Three of anything makes a collection—she’s well on her way to being just like her Mimi!

Thanks for joining me on the tour. For loads more inspiration, be sure to follow along on the rest of the tour as crazy talented makers share their Aura Blog Party makes.

MISTER DOMESTIC’S AURA BLOG PARTY



Bountiful Blog Tour Week 3 Recap

Bountiful Blog Tour Week 3 Recap

The last three weeks have been a virtual feast for the eyes, as 16 highly talented designers blogged about their Bountiful fabrics makes. I love how each Blogger was inspired by the prints in my newest fabric line and the different Art Gallery Fabrics substrates to create amazing and diverse projects for this tour. Revisit week #1 and week #2 to see all the fabulous projects. 

Learn more about my inspiration behind the Bountiful collection in this Art Gallery Fabrics video interview.

And learn more about this week's Makers:

Monday

You all know how much I adore my Sewcial Bee Sampler co-host, Maureen Cracknell! My tour would not be complete without one of Maureen's special makes. Her fearless use of prints and on-trend style is an exciting combination. I am crazy over the tote bag Maureen stitched in her signature herringbone design. Be sure to visit Maureen's blog to see all the details inside and out on this bag!

Photo by Maureen Cracknell

Photo by Maureen Cracknell

Tuesday

Most of you know Lynn Harris (Little Ren Hen) for her intricate patchwork quilts and author of Every Last Piece but did you know she can also sew garments? Lynn and her granddaughter used the Haymow Stack and Vine Umbra knits from my collection to make to most comfy and gorgeous garments. See all the pieces and read about who made which piece on Lynn's blog. I adore this photobombing chicken in the photo of her grand children in the Haymow Stack print. 

Photo by Lynn Carson Harris

Photo by Lynn Carson Harris

Wednesday

On Wednesday, Anjeanette Klinder showed us her stunning hexagon quilt design. Because of family health emergencies, Anjeanette was not able to have a finished quilt by the time of the blog tour. I highly encourage you to follow her progress on this quilt and her other makes because Anjeanette is an extremely talented designer and exceptionally skilled quilter. See more of her makes on her blog

Photo by Anjeanette Klinder

Photo by Anjeanette Klinder

Photo by Anjeanette Klinder

Photo by Anjeanette Klinder

Thursday

I knew when I asked Mathew Boudreaux of Mister Domestic to be part of my blog tour he'd make something extraordinary--even before he knew what that make would be--I knew it would be good! M.D. is always pushing the creative envelop and I love how he incorporated all the latest and greatest quilting tools and techniques to bring us something new. This guy's amazing and you need to find out what he's up to and get the tutorial for this cushion on his blog. The two cushions he made for my tour are spectacular from the Tumbling Block top to the AGF denim handle! A big thanks to his daughter Helena for letting me borrow these pillows for my Bountiful booth at Quilt Market next month. xxx

Photo by Mathew Boudreaux

Photo by Mathew Boudreaux

Friday

Friday was a special day because we had the dynamic duo of Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio and Sue Stone, owner of Needle in a Fabric Stash quilt shop teaming up to blog on our final day of the tour. Each Maker blogged about their project but the two joined forces in photographing their projects, bringing us beautiful in-use photos and settings. You may remember these two pairing up during my Coastline blog tour for the amazing quilt and garments shoot by the ocean. 

Alexis is a garment pattern designer and sewer extraordinaire for Violette Field Threads. She took the Evelyn dress pattern to a higher level by adding Flying Geese to the bodice. For those of you making Sewcial Bee Sampler blocks, this Flying Geese pattern she used is next week's block #13! Too bad the weeks didn't align but Alexis's points sure did! I'm blown away by the creativity of this dress and the levels of meaning it has to myself and my friend Alexis. This is truly thoughtful design at it's best! See more of this remarkable make on Alexis's blog. 

Photo by Alexis Wright

Photo by Alexis Wright

With Earth Day on April 22nd, what better way to use your fabrics and save the world at the same time with Sue Stone's Use, Stash, and Repeat pattern. Sue brought us three re-usable shopping tote bags made from an assortment of prints from my Bountiful fabrics. I want to make all of them! Roomy totes in pretty prints make shopping even more fun. Best of all they fold up small to always have on hand. See these hard working totes in use on Sue's blog and stop (or shop online) at Sue's shop for Bountiful fabrics!

Photo by Sue Stone

Photo by Sue Stone

In the past, I've always had a fabric bundle giveaway at the end of a blog tour. This Bountiful blog tour will be a little different in that the bundle giveaway will be an Instagram, one day only event, for Cat Callicoat's Autism Awareness drive. On Saturday, April 29th, for 12 hours only, you will have an opportunity to enter your name into a drawing for a fat quarter bundle of all 20 prints from the Bountiful collection. Visit Cat's instagram feed as she helps us to understand more about Autism through her family's struggles and triumphs. Daily prize drawings from your favorite shops and makers help to spread awareness on the month long event. Follow me on Instagram for next Saturday's prompt and how to enter your name into the drawing. 

Be watching Art Gallery Fabrics this week for the Bountiful Lookbook release. AGF Lookbooks are virtual magazines full to the brim with gorgeous photos of sewing inspiration. I can't wait to see how the creative AGF team has put together the Lookbook for this collection. 

It fills my heart to have so many people joyfully creating with my fabrics and I want to give a huge thanks to all the talented designers that made the Bountiful Blog Tour a success.

Heidi Staples - Fabric Mutt

Emily Dennis - Quilty Love

Minki Kim - Minki Kim

Heather Andrus - Quilt Story

Sharon McConnell - Color Girl Quilts

Silvia Sutters - A Stranger View

Elina Temmes - Elina Temmes

Kim Niedzwiecki - Gogo Kim

Katie Skoog - The Simple Life Company

Cindy Wiens - Live a Colorfullife

Maureen Cracknell - Maureen Cracknell Handmade

Lynn Harris - The Little Red Hen

Anjeanette Klinder - Anjeanette K

Mathew Boudreaux - Mister Domestic

Alexis Wright - My Sweet Sunshine Studio

Sue Stone - Needle in a Fabric Stash

I'm also excited for next month when I bring you new quilts and projects for Spring Quilt Market in St. Louis. I've been busy, busy, sewing and quilting. At some point I have to stop thinking of new projects to make and finish all the one's I've started--I'm having so much fun with this collection!

 

Bountiful Blog Tour Week 2 Recap

Bountiful Blog Tour Week 2 Recap

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.      
--unknown

All the talented designers featured on my Bountiful Blog Tour were once complete strangers to me. Through Instagram and networking I've connected with sewist that share my love of fabric and creating to become friends. I feel a deep connection to each and everyone of them and my heart is bursting from the time, effort, and love they've given to their projects made from my fabric designs. This is the second week of my blog tour. To see the first week recap, visit the Bountiful Blog Tour Week 1 Recap page for more amazing makes.

Bountiful is my newest fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics that celebrates the beauty and natural resources of the vast countryside in America's Midwest. You can find a full resource list of shops carrying my fabrics on the Shop Fabrics page on this blog. 

Monday

Silvia Sutters of A Stranger View started off our second week with adorable dresses for her daughters from Haymow Early and Abundant Galvanize knits. The Bountiful collection has five knit prints and AGF knits are soft and thick, making them perfect for children's (or adult) clothing. Silvia's girls look summer ready and so cute! Thank you Silvia for being part of my tour! To read all about what pattern she used and learn more about this fabulous modern quilter, visit Silvia's blog.

Photo by Silvia Sutters

Photo by Silvia Sutters

Tuesday

Elina Temmes is the perfect example of meeting someone through social media. Elina lives in Finland and I swear we are soul mates--at least in how we love low-volume fabrics and in our love of quilt making. Her stunning Tartan Field quilt (just one of the many makes for this tour) was inspired by the Tartan Field print in the Bountiful collection. I'm a huge fan of her intricate work, thank you so much for being part of my tour (and life) Elina! Take a look at all the pieces Elina's made for the tour, by visiting her Instagram feed @ElinaTemmes

Photo by Elina Temmes

Photo by Elina Temmes

Photo by Elina Temmes

Photo by Elina Temmes

Wednesday

Kim Niedzwiecki is a friend I actually met in person before becoming fast IG friends. I met the vivacious Go Go Kim at Quilt Market when she worked for Aurifil Threads and have had another occasion last summer to meet up and share many laughs and stories. Kim made this fast and fun quilt for her granddaughter using all 20 prints from the Bountiful collection. Read more about her quilt and the free bib pattern she made from scraps on her blog--I know you'll just love her as much as I do!

Photo by Kim Niedzwiecki

Photo by Kim Niedzwiecki

Thursday

Another blog tour maker I've had the pleasure of meeting in person is extremely talented Katie Skoog of The Simple Life Company. Katie's not only the owner of a children's clothing fabric company but designs the patterns and sews many of the samples herself! I don't know where she gets the energy and also raise her beautiful little girls. Katie has made these darling dresses from Vine Umbra knit (left) on her Isla dress and quilting cottons Perennial Renewal Prairie Crimson for the popular Molly dress (right). If you have little girls in your life that would love a handmade wardrobe, check out all the patterns on Katie's site!

Photo by Katie Skoog

Photo by Katie Skoog

Friday

On day 10/15 for our three week tour, Cindy Wiens of Live a Colorfullife wowed everyone with her Bountiful Breeze quilt. Cindy's an exceptional quilt designer and her make for this tour is a print version of her Delta Breeze quilt pattern originally made in solids. Visit Cindy's blog to find out more about this stunning quilt, the machine quilter who stitched the beautiful Baptist Fan variation quilting, and see a side-by-side of this versatile quilt design next to the solid version. 

I cannot thank these designers enough for making this blog tour so successful. xxxx

The Art Gallery Fabrics team has been busy this week photographing and preparing the Bountiful Fabrics Lookbook. As we all anxiously await it's release, here's a quick project to celebrate spring courtesy of AGF. Learn how to make these sweet Fabric Flowers with this fun video tutorial. 

Fabric Flowers photo by Art Gallery Fabrics

Fabric Flowers photo by Art Gallery Fabrics

Follow along as next week we wrap up the Bountiful Blog Tour with six more talented designers.

Pre-Show Post

This week will just be a quicky post to show you some Tapestry fabrics Quilt Market prep projects and to also bring you May's fat quarter bundle giveaway courtesy of The Fat Quarter Shop.

With only a week and a half away you can imagine all the last minute details and punch lists I am running through this week. The bulk of my sewing is done. I've stitched six quilts which wait to be packed into my largest suitcase to take with me on the plane. Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt as sewn the coolest bags for my booth and Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio has stitched up the most drool worthy little dresses from the meager fabric samples I was able to send her. You girls are amazing!

Bag and baskets made by Heidi Staples of Fabricmutt

Bag and baskets made by Heidi Staples of Fabricmutt

Don't you just love these Pixie Baskets and tote Heidi made? Heidi has a free pattern on her blog for the cute Pixie Baskets and other variations.

Be watching for show news to see the other wonderful bags that Heidi made with my fabrics. I will also post recaps of the show on this blog so you don't miss a thing!

Alexis Wright is a genius with fabric and garment sewing. She took the smallest fabric samples and turned them into adorable dresses. She made four stunning looks and here's just one to give you an idea. So adorable!

Dress by Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio

Dress by Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio

As for me, I haven't been taking it easy and letting everyone else do the work :) You've already seen the Orange Peel Table Runner free pattern project I made for the show from my new collection. I have 5 more (full-size) quilts ready for the show. Hopefully we will have a break in this rain so I can get them properly photographed before I leave next week. 

Here's a look at my Tracery quilt to give you a little peek at what I've made. You may notice some Gossamer fabrics and Coastline fabrics incorporated into the low-volume strips. I love how my previous collections work seamlessly with this new one. Visit my Instagram feed at sharonhollanddesigns to see a little video of this quilt hung open wide. 

Tracery quilt by Sharon Holland 

Tracery quilt by Sharon Holland 

Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway!

This blog is sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop and we've teaming up to bring you a chance to win an Art Gallery Fabrics fat quarter bundle giveaway every month! Yes, a bundle of fabulous AGF fabrics every month. 

 

TO ENTER:

Giveaway for the Joyful Carousel bundle begins today, Monday, May 9th, 2016 and will end on Monday, May 16th, 2016 at 4 p.m. EDT. 

  • Leave a comment on this blog post anytime between 5/9/16 and 4 p.m. EDT on 5/16/16 to be entered into drawing

The winner will be randomly drawn and notified via email so be sure to completely fill out the comment box entry form with a valid email address. If I cannot reach the winner within 24 hours I will select an alternate winner. Check back on your comment after 4 p.m. EDT 5/16/16 to see if you are a winner!

 

Happy sewing!