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.

Asheville and Outfits

Asheville and Outfits

This August marked my husband and my 35th wedding anniversary. I suggested we take a long weekend and visit Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC.

This blog post is going to be uncomfortable for me because I’m not used to being the subject of so many pictures but I’ve no choice if I want to show you the pretty garments I made from my prints. Hopefully the stunning location will distract a bit—hehe.

I’ve been wanting to make myself some rayon dress for ages now but never seem to find the time or the perfect dress pattern—I’m super picky about what style of garments I like and what looks good on my frame.

Simplicity patterns

I found these two patterns online and loved the simple, yet interesting cut of the dress. For the two dresses I wore and modeled at Biltmore I used the Simplicity 8231 pattern by Sew House Seven in the two sleeve options of the knee-length cuts. On the Sew House Seven website, this dress is called the Mississippi Avenue Dress and Top and doesn’t have the cap-sleeve option.

Sew House Seven Simplicity 8231 pattern

My first make I went with the sleeveless version in my Flower Keeper - Everlasting rayon for Art Gallery Fabrics. When I designed this print I envisioned it to be made into dresses and I just had to make one for myself! I realize now that the photo of the dress above was taken before I added the shoulder ties to you can look for that fun detail in the following photos.

Maybe August isn’t the most spectacular month for the gardens at Biltmore but they were no less beautiful. The walled garden was my favorite—I could’ve spent all day there.

I felt absolutely transported as we visited the garden first thing in the morning and had it practically to ourselves. I tried to imagine how the Vanderbilt family would have relaxed and enjoyed these grounds everyday as a matter of their everyday life.

Walled Garden Biltmore Estates

Here’s just a few photos because I don’t want to ruin your experience if you go and if I shared all my shots this post would never have an end!

Walled Garden Biltmore Estates

Conservatory Biltmore Estates

Sew House Seven Simplicity 8231 pattern

The cap-sleeve version is made from my Tiny Dancer - Bachelorette Fusion rayon that has a champaign-gold metallic ink on the seed puffs. The smokey teal-green is a great color for any time of the year.

A rayon dress was so comfy to wear in the North Carolina in August!

For this make I hacked in side pockets which I absolutely love! My daughter liked this dress so much she requested one just like it and I stitched one for her (with pockets, of course) as soon as we got back home.

Biltmore Estates

So, enough about me in the pictures, whew! I have just a few more photos of the house I’d like to share and then a knit dress make done after our trip that I’ve not had a chance to photograph me wearing yet because I’ve gotten busy painting and using photos from our trip as subjects. I am planning a Part 2 post in a couple weeks to talk about my personal painting challenge and finding inspiration.

Winter Garden inside Biltmore Estates

Right off the main foyer of Biltmore is the glass domed conservatory called the Winter Garden and is in my top picks of favorite rooms in the house. But, that list would be a long one because there’s so many beautiful rooms!

Oak Sitting Room at Biltmore Estates

I believe this is Mrs. Vanderbilts family sitting room. Even though this is a grand home, each room felt intimate and inviting.

Gun Room at Biltmore Estates

Room after room was exquisite and I particularly loved the colors used throughout the house. It is all very much to my tastes, especially when the furnishings were less formal like here in the Gun Room.

I highly recommend you get the audio tour when you purchase tickets to view the house. It allows you to listen at your own pace as you do a self guided tour of the rooms. There’s an incredible amount to see and learn about the house and family!

Rooftop of Biltmore Estate

As well as the house tour we also took the Rooftop tour. This was an experience and we learned so much about the architecture of Biltmore as well as witnessed amazing scenes like these photos I took from the roof.

Yup, you bet I petted the gargoyles!

Grounds at Biltmore Estate

We had a wonderful trip and when normally it’s hard to get back to reality after an experience like that, I was instead energized and ready to get creative and hit the ground running as soon as we got home.

Simplicity New Look N6626 pattern

I hadn’t time to finish my knit dress before we left so once back I got right to work making a dress for my daughter from Tiny Dancer rayon and then the New Look 6626 knit dress from Art Gallery Fabrics Cherished Wishes - Everlasting for myself. There’s enough material left over I plan to make my granddaughter a dress too.

I hope you enjoyed this tiny, tiny tour of Biltmore—there’s so much more than what I’ve shown here including the winery, shops, more gardens, and beautiful grounds designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted who also designed a little park called Central Park in NY. I hope I’ve inspired you to do some garment sewing for yourself or skip the garment sewing and maybe some traveling! I’ve been very pleased with these patterns and feel both were great beginner-level dresses that look, feel, and fit great.

Everlasting Blog Tour

Everlasting Blog Tour

I’m so excited for next week when the Everlasting Blog Tour officially begins! Thirteen incredible designers and sewists from around the globe have been busy stitching behind the scenes to make this upcoming blog tour truly remarkable.

This May saw the release of Everlasting, my seventh fabric line for Art Gallery Fabrics. Romantic, summer-inspired prints make sewing easy with a classic palette of navy, red, turquoise, and blush. Everlasting has been a huge success and is available in shops everywhere. See FABRICS page for stock listings of online shops.

I knew right away I wanted this collection to have a blog tour and coordinated a list of wonderfully talented makers to share their love of stitching with all of us. Here in the States we’re enjoying summer and I know I’d love these long, lazy days to never end. So, to keep those summer vibes going, over the next three weeks you’ll find inspired sewing posts, exciting makers to follow, beautiful projects, and of course, weekly giveaways all focused around my Everlasting fabric collection—you won’t want to miss a day!

EVERLASTING BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Friday, July 12 - Sharon Holland

Monday, July 15 - Marija Vujcic

Tuesday, July 16 - Carolina Moore

Wednesday, July 17 - Dana Willard

Thursday, July 18 - Lisa Ruble

Friday, July 19 - Dritz Sewing

Monday, July 22 - Eleri Kerian

Tuesday, July 23 - Marisa Wilhelmi

Wednesday, July 24 - Sharon McConnell

Thursday, July 25 - Modernly Morgan

Friday, July 26 - Alexis Wright

Monday, July 29 - Priscilla Geissler

Tuesday, July 30 - Maureen Cracknell

Wednesday, July 31 - Elina Temmes

My Blog Tour Makes

You know I couldn’t host a blog tour without contributing so this pre-blog tour post is also my opportunity to share my new Everlasting makes with you.

I was originally planning on making a new free quilt pattern for the tour but decided instead to make hand quilted pillows. I’ve been wanting to make a Pineapple block for ages and pillows seemed the perfect application! Also, these pillows are going to be gifted to a friend and it’s a win-win when I can make a project, blog about it, and use the finished piece as a gift!

Everlasting Pineapple pillows by Sharon Holland

It was very tempting to use more than just one print from this collection but I wanted to keep these pillows very classic and slightly rustic. Red and white, or in this case natural with Art Gallery Fabrics Linen and the bold red Flutter Buds cotton print. Besides, you’ll see the rest of the prints in action during the tour from the other makers!

To get perfect Pineapple blocks I used the Bloc_Loc Pineapple Ruler and it was so easy! Simply cut strips to a desired width depending upon your ruler size. I have the 3/4’’ - 1-1/2’’-size ruler and cut according to the 1-1/2’’ size to make a 21’’ square for my pillow top. Bloc_Loc has a helpful video, cutting charts, and printable instructions.

Once the piecing was done and my block measured 21’’ (unfinished) I basted a 23’’ square of Hobb’s Tuscany Silk batting scrap to the wrong side of the blocks. I didn’t use any backing because it is intended for a pillow and not having the backing reduced the bulk for hand quilting.

I hand quilted with DMC #8 Perle Cotton thread in ecru for a more traditional look. Once both blocks were quilted I used my Hidden Zipper tutorial to add Dritz Sewing brass zippers, giving a professional finish to my pillow covers. The finished size of my pillows is 20’’ square.

24’’ Brass Upholstery Zipper by Dritz Home

With the insertion of feather pillow inserts these pillows have a high-end designer quality to them and I cannot wait till I can give them to my friend—she’s going to love them! She loves red, too!

Everlasting Pineapple Pillows by Sharon Holland

My next make to share was created because I love easy-to-wear summer dresses and had the strong desire to stitch something for myself. My daughter and I wear basically the same size and have similar tastes in clothing. In fact, our tastes are so similar that we bought the same dress, in the same print, on the same day, and we live a state away from each other. We both liked how it fit us so I had the big idea to use it as a template and try to make a knit dress with it.

Now, I don’t want to take any business away from pattern companies or Indie pattern designers. This project may actually do more to encourage you to BUY a pattern rather than make your own hack like I did because after finishing the first one I really want to make more adjustments to my pattern and try it all again. Never the less, I will quickly go over my not-so-skilled hack and let you be the judge.

1. I used the grid side of a roll of gift wrap as my template paper because it was wide enough to accommodate the store-bought dress (once I get my final templates I’ll transfer it to freezer paper, so it’s sturdier). With the dress inside out, I taped it down to the paper with washi tape, trying not to stretch it out of shape.

2. I drew the shape of the dress, adding a 1/2’’ seam allowance and marking the back and front necklines. I cut out the shape using the taller back neckline and then folded the cut out in half. Once folded I could do more cutting to mirror image the sides. After cutting the mirrored shape down the center (where it will be placed on the fold of the fabric) I went ahead and designated one side as the back (higher neckline) and the other I cut a lower neckline for the front of the dress. From paper scraps I cut out the pocket shape. For a great tutorial on sewing pockets into a garment visit Dana Willard’s Made Everyday You Tube channel.

3. Finally I took a piece of rope and roughly measured around the neck and arm openings to determine the length of binding needed to finish the garment openings. Use a straight ruler to determine the amount determined with the rope and add 1’’ to that total for seam allowance. Since I’m sewing with knit fabric I simply cut my binding on the straight of grain from selvage to selvage. I cut 1-3/4’’ wide strips.

Everlasting Flutter Buds knit by Sharon Holland

Overall it wasn’t a bad first attempt and some very minor tweaks may yield just the perfect fit.

I do love this Flutter Buds print in blue knit and so does my daughter so we’ll both have one to wear this summer. I also want to make myself one in the red Cherished Wishes knit print. There’s enough unused fabric from my dress attempt that my granddaughter will be getting a summer dress(s) to match!

Everlasting by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics

The extremely talented Marija Vujcic will be leading off the Everlasting Blog Tour on Monday, July 15th. Be sure to stop by each of the makers blogs to get the full story about their Everlasting makes and get to know these incredible women even more.

Blog Tour Giveaways!

I know you follow me on Instagram and I’ll be posting daily to keep you in the know about the tour. Each weekend I’ll have a weekly recap here on the blog and announce the special giveaway that week from one of our sponsors! Dritz Sewing, Bloc_Loc Rulers, and Fat Quarter Shop have generously offered fabulous prizes to be given away during the tour.

You’ll have two chances to win each week!

1. One chance is here on the blog by leaving comments on the weekly recap posts (see details coming next weekend).

2. The second chance is on Instagram. Starting today (Friday, July 12) if you repost any of the tour makers projects (including mine or any of the tour graphics) posted during the Everlasting Blog Tour, tag the project’s maker with their IG account, #ArtGalleryFabrics, and use the #EverlastingBlogTour hashtag on a public Instagram account and you’ll automatically be entered into all the IG giveaway drawings for this tour! Enter as many times as you’d like by reposting blog tour images—just be sure to give tour makers proper credit and tag them in your repost.

More details about giveaways, how to enter, and giveaway drawings will be announced at time of giveaways.