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.

Lilliput Look Book

Time has flown by and I’m behind in posting about my Lilliput Look Book that was released the end of April. My apologies but today’s the day to take a closer look at the projects I made with my new Art Gallery Fabrics Lilliput collection…

Lilliput is my first fabric collection designed with children in mind but it’s not your average children’s line because there’s so many prints an adult would love as well. Think sophisticated kids collection that focuses on nature and imagination.

I wanted Lilliput to have a very magical Look Book and so I created a painted backdrop to use in my home studio and created a fantasy forest in which all my Lilliput projects could be photographed and show the versatility of this collection from crib to kid.

This mural is no little thing, in fact, it’s about 9 foot by 12 foot and was painted onto a painter’s drop cloth canvas with household and acrylic paints. I color matched as best I could the colors from the collection and just freehand painted trees, leaves, and brush. I could only see about a 4 foot horizontal section at a time as I painted this draped over a ping pong table so it was a big surprise to see it up on the wall and coming out as good as it had!

You’ll see most of my projects have used this mural as an underlying theme to help create a magical, secret garden-type of mood.

Firelight Quilt

I’ve two new grand babies coming any day now and what a better excuse to create for my Look Book and make baby gifts at the same time! This crib size Firelight quilt is made from the Firelight quilt pattern released in February and you can find the pattern in my SHOP. I used Art Gallery Fabrics Smooth Denim as the background for the perfect boy quilt. The original Firelight quilt went to baby-to-be’s big brother so both boys will have the same style quilt with different looks.

I did a simple diagonal grid quilting in the ditch and bound the quilt with Smooth Denim in peach and backed with the navy dragonfly print from the Lilliput collection.

Make Your Own Crib Sheets

One of the easiest ways to personalize a nursery is to make your own crib sheets. I used Dana Willard’s of Made Everyday tutorial and whipped up this Forest Friends crib sheet in a matter of minutes.

Fox and Bunny

I don’t know about you, but I’m still a sucker for stuffed animals. I loved them as a kid and still do as an adult. Now I have grandkids I can live through them with new critters to love and cuddle. So, when I saw these patterns by Willowynn I knew I wanted to make them for the Look Book then gift them to the two older grandkids, ages 3 and 5.

Needless to say I had a ton of fun setting up this little tea party.

Whole Cloth Quilt

When I designed Lilliput and the Bog Party print I immediately thought I wanted to make a whole cloth quilt from this print so that’s what I did when it came time to so for the Look Book. I used the same print front and back and sandwiched two layers of Hobbs Tuscany 100% Premium Polyester batting for an extra puffy loft. I hand quilted a simple grid quilting design and used The Willow Markets tutorial for making a quilt like this.

This quilt has already been gifted to my son who’s also expecting their first child any day now.

Pillows, and More Pillows

The Cubist Illusion pillow is a free pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics. I adore this baby block look and want to do an entire quilt in this pattern in the future.

I used my own Hidden Zipper tutorial to professionally add a zipper closer to the pillow. If you’ve never tried it you really must—it’s easy and the perfect finish to a pillow. A pillow is also a great way to test out quilt blocks without the big commitment of doing a quilt.

Making your own pillowcases, like making cribs sheets is a great way to customize a bedroom. Pillowcases are an ideal project for beginner sewers of any age. I made these two cases using AGF knit from the Lilliput collection and they are now in use on my granddaughter’s bed. I used Dana Willard’s You Tube tutorial for these easy knit cases.

Pencil Pouch

This Rectangular School Kit is made using the free Odif pattern. Part of this project’s charm is that Odif makes a product called Odicoat that when applied to fabric will turn it into an oil cloth-like fabric. This makes a pouch nice for wiping off or as a travel or makeup bag to repel spills and stains.

Stitches From the Heart

This Stitches From the Heart wallhanging is a free pattern from our friends at The Fat Quarter Shop and was delightful to stitch up. The pattern also includes a mini version.

Since this project was small I hand quilted a clam shell design across the quilt.

Just For Fun

This had to have been the most fun I’ve ever had photographing a fabric collection because most of it was done in my studio over about 3 days. It was a lot of work but so enjoyable. This hideaway tent idea was just for fun and what I pictured my kids (when they were little) wanting to play in and dream the dreams that kids do.

Lilliput prints of Fort Imagination was used for the tent and Full Bloom covers the bottom cushion. You can see I got a lot of mileage from my backdrop!

Are you inspired to do some sewing? These were only the projects I made so to see more of these and the other incredible contributions by makers and AGF Studio, flip through the virtual magazine pages HERE.

Also, if you’re looking for Lilliput prints or any of my other collections, don’t forget to check out my FABRICS page to see which of your favorite online shops have them in stock. Soon, I’ll be adding my next collection Bookish to the collection list!

Happy sewing!

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.

Lily Pad Quilt

With summer right around the corner and the great outdoors calling us away from the sewing machine, it’s nice to have a quilt pattern that’s fast, fun, and the perfect size for picnics, campfires, or play forts! Oh, and how about some awesome faux chenille embellishment—you’ll find the extra time to make this one!!!!!

Lily Pad is now available in the SHOP.

Lily Pad is a redesigned quilt pattern of a quilt I made for the Quilt Now Issue 15 (January 2015) magazine originally called, Honeycomb. The magazine version was more complex than the newly revised Lily Pad quilt but much the same overall look. I’ve always loved this pattern but never got around to publishing it as a stand alone pattern until this year when Nannette Holmberg of Chenille-It asked me if I wanted to design something for her monthly subscription boxes.

I’m all about quilts, as you know, and my newest Art Gallery Fabrics Lilliput collection just released this spring so it was the perfect platform to create a quilt that shows off Lilliput prints AND highlights Chenille-It faux chenille. The redesigned Lily Pad quilt did it all with big, quick-to-piece shapes from fat quarters and those skinny strips between the half hexagon were calling out for Blooming Bias tape embellishment!

The May Chenille-It subscription boxes have already shipped but you can still pre-order this Lilliput version as a kit from Chenille-It. Orders will be shipping in a couple weeks once more fabric arrives.

Add Chenille-It to Your Projects

If you’re wondering how to apply the faux chenille, here’s some videos and tutorials:

Handi Quilter

Sharon Holland - Chenille Pillows Tutorial

Sharon Holland - Adding Faux Chenille Binding

@sharonhollanddesigns IG Reel - Fluffing faux chenille with brush

So now comes the virtual quilt show of Lily Pad quilts—my favorite part! I made two versions of this quilt and my pattern testers created their own stunning versions so you can see how versatile this quilt pattern is. Basically if you select 8 fat quarters that look beautiful in the fabric pull you’ve got most of the work of picking fabrics for the quilt done! Add in a complimentary background and choose a coordinating or contrasting Blooming Bias from the 23 gorgeous Chenille-it colors. The faux chenille can be applied to the skinny quilt strips like in my samples and/or as the binding like some of the testers did on their quilts.

The Lilliput version photographed so beautifully I have plenty of images to share and inspire. The beautiful quilting on the Lilliput version was done by Brooke Becker at Lady Belle Fabric and I used Hobbs Heirloom 100% Bleached Cotton batting inside for the whitest whites and traditional stitch definition and drape.

GET THE KIT

Get this KIT at Chenille-It!

Quilt Inspiration

For my second Lily Pad quilt I pulled a mix of Art Gallery Fabrics from my Spirited and Kismet collections, added prints from Maureen Cracknell’s Homebody collection along with a print by Pat Bravo recolored for the Sparkler Fusions bundle, and used a printed background of Delicate Balance Serenity.

This quilt will be available as a kit from Lady Belle Fabric who not only has the kits but who also did the beautiful long arm quilting you see on this version as well as the Lilliput sample quilt.

Get the Kit!

For this version I used Chenille-It Blooming Bias in Natural which I bloomed by using a spritz bottle of tap water and a brush to selectively bloom the bias tape rather than washing and drying the quilt to bloom the chenille as directed in the Chenille-It instructions.

The batting for this quilt is Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting which has an amazing drape but looks and handles much like cotton batting with the added feature of warmth and light weight.

Get This Kit at Lady Belle Fabric

Meet The Testers

I thoroughly enjoy having testers make quilts from my quilt patterns before a quilt release so not only can we make sure the pattern is the best it can be but because the creative testers make the quilt in their unique style and fabric pulls to show you more possible quilt looks than I could possibly do on my own. Each of the following quilts have been made from Art Gallery Fabrics. Sometimes a tester will work from one collection like I did with my Lilliput version of Lily Pad or they will mix and match from several AGF collections and designers like in my second version. The beauty of AGF is from the Pure Solids to the blenders to the different collections, you know it will mix and match beautifully.

Buy the PDF Pattern HERE!

Lily Pad quilt made by Marija Vujcic

As you can see in Marija Vujcic’s mood board her color palette inspiration came from yellow iris. Marija used the new Evergreen Pure Solid as the background and a mix of yellow, sage, and aqua AGF prints and a layering of two chenille colors for accent. Follow this talented lady on Instagram Marija Vujcic and on her blog at Mara Quilt Designs. Her passion for sewing and color will inspire you!

Lily Pad quilt made by Jennifer Monroe

Jennifer Monroe selected feminine, floral AGF prints from designers Bonnie Christine, Amy Sinibaldi, and Bari J. and wanted to create a quilt perfect for curling up with a good book and daydreaming. Jennifer used pink Chenille-it for just the binding edges. This quilt feels like a summer garden in full bloom and if you want to learn more about Jennifer and all her sewing adventures find her on her blog Sunshine Selvage and @sunshineselvage on Instagram.

Lily Pad Quilt made by Joyce Ulm

I’m loving the Zen quality of Joyce Ulm’s fabric selections for her Lily Pad make. Sage green, sky blue, blush, and teal play harmoniously in a background of flocking birds. Joyce used Bahama Blue chenille on the horizontal strips and for the binding (you would need two rolls of 5/8’’-wide Chenille-it to achieve this same look) and backed her quilt with luxurious Shannon Cuddle fabric. Joyce is offering kits from her Etsy shop and you can see more of Joyce’s work on Instagram @evamaecustomquilts, Etsy shop, and on her Facebook blog HERE, and does long arm quilting as well!

Get this KIT at Eva Mae Custom Quilts!

Lily Pad quilt made by Liza Taylor

I want to welcome Liza Taylor to the tester collages. Liza has been working with our tester group since the beginning of the year but was out of the country visiting relatives for several months and this is her first chance to work on a test quilt for me. I love this Pure Solids Sage Green background and assorted peach and terracotta prints palette so much. Don’t you just want to live in that mood board!?!?! White chenille horizontal accents add to the Shabby Chic vibes of the quilt and Shannon Cuddle backing gives it that simple elegance. See more of Liza’s beautiful work @lizataylorhandmade on Instagram and her Etsy shop of the same name.

Lily Pad quilt made by Terri Neil

I’m really loving the homespun feels I get from Terri Neil’s Lily Pad quilt. Terri used Maureen Cracknell’s Homebody collection with AGF Smooth Denim as the background to create this beautiful quilt. Navy Chenille-it was used for the horizontal strips as long as the center hexagons and for binding to create a luxurious custom looking quilt. Be sure to follow Terri on Instagram @quiltingrubies and you’ll be in awe of all the beautiful quilts she makes and quilts for others from her long arm business called Quilting Rubies.

Lily Pad quilt made by Elaine Satterfield

Summer, sun, and sand is what I think of when I see Elaine Satterfield’s Lily Pad quilt make! How stunning is this quilt!?!?! Elaine used AGF Smooth Denim for the background and a mix of red, cream and blue prints from Art Gallery Fabrics along with Natural chenille accent and Shannon Cuddle fabric backing. You could feel like you’re on vacation every day of the year with this quilt. See more of Elaine’s work on Instagram @createjoyquilt.

Lily Pad quilt made by Victoria Newmyer

Victoria Newmyer drew inspiration from Paris flower markets for the color palette for her quilt. The Pure Solids Icy Mint background is the perfect match to the mood board water pitcher and the spring-fresh floral prints in teal, pink, and fuchsia create a sweet bouquet across the quilt. Victoria owns the Midlife Quilter shop where you can find these beautiful AGF fabrics and more and get personal help curating your next bundle for a quilt project. Kits are available for this Lily Pad and Chenille_it quilt HERE and be sure to visit Victoria’s beautiful Instagram account @midlife_quilter.

Get this KIT at Midlife Quilter!

Lily Pad quilt made by Tracey Taber-Parry

This gorgeous, Boho-inspired Lily Pad quilt was made by Tracey Taber-Perry and she uses jewel tones of Pure Solids Very Berry coordinated with Bari J’s 365 Fifth Avenue collection from Art Gallery Fabrics to create a sumptuous look. Tracey backed her make with Shannon Cuddle and combined two colors of Chenille-it between just the hexagon rows for the added accent—what a stunning look! To see more of Tracey’s beautiful work and you can follow her feed @ttabes80 on Instagram.

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Lilliput Look Book

Back on April 23rd, Art Gallery Fabrics released the Lilliput Look Book but between Prickly Pear and Lily Pad pattern releases and a family emergency I never wrote a blog post about my newest collection release. So, the next post you receive from this blog will be a Lilliput Look Book Review so be prepared to be inspired by projects and more detailed behind the scene looks at the projects I made for the virtual publication.

Happy sewing!

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.

Chenille Pillows

Chenille Pillows

Chenille pillows by Sharon Holland

It’s been a pretty intense couple of weeks here as I’ve been sewing and photographing for the Spirited Look Book coming out December 2, 2019. The Art Gallery Fabrics Look Books are a virtual magazine of inspiring projects made with fabrics from the newest collections. I’ve got about one more day to wrap everything up and take a little breather so this seemed like a good time to share my Chenille Pillow project with you before Thanksgiving week rolls around. Who knows, you may be looking for a quick decorating project to spruce things up before the holidays.

This is one of those projects that looks super high-end and difficult but is SO easy! I guarantee once you add chenille to a project you’ll want to chenille everything—the texture it adds is amazing and the application is as simple as doing a straight stitch on your sewing machine.

Here’s How to Make Chenille Pillows

Gather your supplies to make two pillows:

• 5/8 yard SPT-85229 Trail Marker Range print fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics Spirited

• 5/8 yard DEN-L-4000 Soft Sand Linen blend from Art Gallery Fabrics

• Two rolls 3/8’’ -wide Chenille-It in Natural

• Off-white thread (to match chenille)

• Two 22’’ squares of cotton batting

• Two 16” invisible zippers to coordinate with print or linen

• Two 18’’ pillow forms (I used feather pillow inserts)

• Spray baste

Chenille-It Blooming Bias

When I designed my Trail Marker print for Spirited I envisioned embellishing this print with embroidery or some sort of extra details to enhance the geometric-global design.

First I experimented with embroidery but wasn’t in love with the results and it was very time consuming. Then I tried needle punch embroidery but because of the tight weave of Art Gallery Fabrics cotton it was a big fail. I really wanted to see my vision come to life and remembered the wonderful Chenille-It product I used when sewing for my Signature collection Look Book. See the pillow tutorial made with Signature fabric and Chenille-It HERE.

Chenille-It is a blooming bias tape that gave me EXACTLY the look I wanted and is incredibly fast and easy to apply.

Chenille the Pillow Tops

• Cut two 21’’ squares from the printed fabric. These will become the fronts for two pillows. Layer in this order: 22’’ square batting and 21’’ print square right side up. Spray baste according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Working in one diagonal direction at a time and starting near the center of the layered fabric, apply the chenille by stitching down the center of the blooming bias tape, sewing through both fabric and batting layers. There’s no need to pin the bias tape down, I just eye-balled the diagonal line as I sewed. Trim bias to edge of fabric then start a new row parallel to the first.

• Continue adding parallel bias strips that run in the same diagonal direction.

• Repeat to attach blooming bias to the diagonal lines running in the opposite direction by crossing the tape right over the previously applied diagonal lines.

• Once all the chenille bias tape has been sewn to the foundation, follow the instructions on the package to “bloom” the chenille. I lightly wet the stitched pillow top under the faucet to get it damp-wet and vigorously rubbed the chenille with my hand to fluff it before tossing into the dryer with some damp towels to bloom and fluff further by tumbling. In the photo above, the pillow top on the right has been fluffed lightly. I ended up fluffing it more when I bloomed the second top on the right that hadn’t been bloomed yet.

• Carefully press the dried, bloomed pillow tops. Trim and square to 19’’.

Assemble Pillows

• Cut two 19’’ linen squares for the pillow backs.

• Referring to my Hidden Zipper tutorial, to finish the pillows using the 19’’ linen squares and 16’’ invisible zippers. Again, a hidden zipper sounds super intimidating but you’ll be amazed how easy this technique is and your pillows will have a professional, high-end look when finished.

Chenille pillows by Sharon Holland

Be watching for the Spirited Look Book coming the first week of December and find more inspirational sewing projects for your home and family.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Spirited fabrics by Sharon Holland