Meet the Testers

To truly test out a new pattern, I have a group of talented makers that test and make versions of the project. It’s really fun to see the beautiful creations in color ways and Art Gallery Fabrics of their choosing. Be sure to visit their social platforms linked in their project description to learn more about them, be inspired by their work, and visit their shops or services they offer.

Enchanted Voyage Projects

Projects made with Enchanted Voyage fabrics

I’ve been so busy sewing and doing life things I can’t believe my last post was September 5th but now that I’m here to write a new post about my makes—it does feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog. Sorry about that but to make up for lost time I have a real fun post today all about my Enchanted Voyage makes.

Photo courtesy of Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric

Enchanted Voyage is Maureen Cracknell’s newest fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. As in all of Maureen’s collections, she puts her dreamy-boho style into each of the prints. I had the great pleasure of working with some of these magical prints to make projects to share in the upcoming Enchanted Voyage Look Book.

It’s hard to know which project to start with so I’ll go in order of being made. First up is my Soul Mates dolls. This is a pattern I had developed and sold in my shop a few years back under the title “Sew Sister”. When updating my shop, it was one of the patterns that didn’t get reformatted and transferred to my current SHOP now on my site. I was waiting for just the right time for an update and Maureen’s collection was the perfect storm (teehee) to give the Sew Sister a tattooed beau.

I’m pleased to announce the 2.0 version of this pattern is now in my SHOP with a new name, “Soul Mates”, updated instructions, illustrations, and full-size templates to make this hip couple. I used the Ocean Notes print from Enchanted Voyage to give the guy a tattooed torso, arms, and legs.

Next up are the Gather Round Placemats. I originally designed this free pattern for my Bountiful Holiday Blog Tour and made them in my Bountiful fabric for Art Gallery Fabrics. Once again, Maureen’s collection of delicious blues was the perfect look for a remake.

Gather Round placemats by Sharon Holland

One of my favorite types of photography is shooting table scapes. I’m not sure which came first, the idea to make the placemats or how I planned to photograph them!

It was very tempting to add more colors besides just the blues and white/cream prints but I wanted to keep these placemats very classic—like blue willow dishes.

The Gather Round placemat pattern is a free pattern perfect as a beginner project and fast to make. With the holiday season just around the corner it’s always nice to have some new table decor to spice up your settings.

The original plan was just to make the dolls and the placemats but I still had some scraps left over and still wanted to play more with these beautiful prints! I’ve always wanted to try making a rope bowl and the cool texture and projects that could be made from this craft seemed the perfect fit for a nautical-inspired collection.

I used Mister Domestics You Tube video to learn how to make rope bowls and added leather handles for a more rustic look.

The clothesline rope I used for my bowls is 7/32” diameter Size #7. The brand I used is Evandale Cotton Clothesline and came in 150 feet hank. Look for the Amazon paid affiliate link at the bottom of this page for the actual product mentioned.

To get a sharp turn on the sides of your bowl, like mine, hold the the basket at more of a 45° angle when stitching the sides. To finish my basket I added leather strips with rivets for a more rugged look. See paid affiliate links at bottom of page for leather and rivets.

As accessories to my table scape I made some quick cotton napkins using Art Gallery Fabrics Smooth Denim in Infused Hydrangea. My go-to instructions for making raw edge napkins like this can be found at Martha Stewart.

Making the rope basket was so much fun I decided to use the same technique to make coasters. The hardest part about the coasters is stopping at around 4” in diameter. It’s so tempting to just keep sewing! Even after making the basket and coasters I still have plenty left for another bowl and plan to make more of these—maybe even as gifts, they’re just so darn cool!

Be sure to check out the Enchanted Voyage Look Book to see more about these projects and loads of other great sewing inspiration with Maureen’s gorgeous new collection.

Next month I’ll be sharing my new Spirited collection with you and all the fun projects I’m currently working on in preparation for the Spirited Look Book. Until then, happy sewing!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. I’ve bought and used these products to make the projects in this blog post and recommend to you.