A Tutorial: Whole Cloth Quilted Journal Covers!

I've been away from this space for a few weeks while family has been visiting and we all traveled to Corolla, NC for our annual beach vacation. While I was away I missed sharing here and today I’m so excited to jump back in with this fun, kid friendly tutorial that I created as part of Janome’s Summer Sewing Camp!

These Whole Cloth Journal Covers are a new favorite make of mine, are a great project to get beginner sewists of any age comfortable with machine quilting and in the end, you’ll have a useful and pretty project to enjoy!



For this set of Whole Cloth Quilted Journals I used my Sisterhood and Blooming Ground Luscious prints from my brand new Flower Child fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. I chose to make these covers whole cloth vs the pieced and stitched patchwork projects you're used to seeing from me to showcase the beauty of these favorite Flower Child prints of mine! I hope that choosing pretty fabrics to make your own journals will be your favorite part of the process!

In addition to choosing the perfect fabrics to feature as the journal cover fronts, you'll need a coordinating lining fabric, thread, Hobbs Tuscany 100% cotton batting and standard composition notebooks.





As a Janome Maker I recently started sewing with the Janome Horizon Quilt Maker Memory Craft 15000, an amazing sewing and embroidery machine full of built-in stitches and incredible features! For this tutorial I used a built-in wavy quilting stitch set at different stitch widths and lengths to give the look of free-motion quilting done effortlessly with my Janome machine!





You can follow this link -- Whole Cloth Quilted Journal Covers to download the complete instructions for my Summer Camp project! While you're there, be sure to check out the full list of Janome 2018 Sewing Summer Camp projects created by my fellow Janome Makers!



I hope you love making these journals as much as I do! Be sure to let me know if you give them a go and be sure to tag me @MaureenCracknell and add #MaureenCracknell & #JanomeCamp18 when you share. If you'd like to make some of your own using Flower Child, you can find these fabrics widely available in your favorite online fabric shop. If you're need of help finding any of my fabrics, you can leave me a comment anytime!



I'm so happy to back in this space, I've missed it! I hope you're all having a wonderful Summer!

xo  Maureen 

A Sparkler Fusion GIVEAWAY!

Today I have a special Sparkler Fusion GIVEAWAY to share from my wonderful sponsor, Lady Belle Fabric!

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My sponsor Lady Belle Fabric is run by husband and wife team, Rob & Brooke! In their shop you'll find both bundles and single cuts of handpicked fabrics that are fresh, modern, and fun! Designer fabrics include many of our favorites -- Art Gallery Fabrics, Cotton + Steel, Free Spirit, and Moda, just to name a few! Lady Belle Fabric's goal is to offer the most gorgeous lines of fabric, as quickly as they can! 
   
SHOP  *  Instagram  *  FACEBOOK  *  Pinterest  
 

We hope you enjoy visiting Lady Belle Fabric! 

For this week's special Fabric Giveaway Friday, Lady Belle Fabric is offering the winner a generous FQ Bundle of the brand new Fusion collection for Art Gallery Fabrics, Sparkler Fusion! This bundle will include a fat quarter cut of each of the TEN shimmery prints that make up this pretty new collection that includes newly colored prints from Amy Sinibaldi, Pat Bravo, Bonnie Christine and ME!

You're all invited to checkout SPARKLER FUSION, along with a special discount of  25% OFF ALL bundles, notions and pre cuts + FREE SHIPPING on orders over $75!! 

You can find Sparkler Fusion in the Lady Belle Fabric shop as fat quarter bundles and as half yard bundles, along with Lady Belle's exclusive Sparkler Fusion Basics Bundle and yardage of my Sprinkled Peonies Sparkler Metallic print! Be sure to visit this amazing shop!!

There is no code needed to enjoy any of these special discounts! Enjoy!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Enter to win!

Here's how,

1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! We'd love to know what you plan to stitch up with Sparkler Fusion? Feel free to share! (one entry)

2. Follow Lady Belle Fabric on Facebook or on Instagram! Just be sure to let me know you do by making a separate comment here for an extra entry! (optional extra entry)

3. My followers get a third entry! Just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)

4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Whether by Instagram, tweet, facebook, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry)

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday, July 9th. The winner will be picked at random and I will announce their name at the bottom of this post here on the blog. 

Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment. 

A BIG thanks to all who enter our Giveaway! xo Maureen 

Flower Child Journal Covers : :

I have a new Summer sewing obsession: Flower Child Journal Covers!





While brainstorming Flower Child LookBook projects that would showoff each pretty Flower Child print, fabric journal or notebook covers were at the top of my to-make list! For my LookBook projects, I like to recreate and use a combination of my own tutorials with those created by other makers in our community to share and link up to. A quick Pinterest search landed me on my friend Svetlana's blog: s.o.t.a.k handmade! Svetlana is incredibly talented and I was confident that I could trust her tutorial to be well written and easy to execute, so I gave it a go and I was hooked! Recognize this project from the LookBook?



Since this first one, I've been experimenting with my own ideas for making these journal covers and as a result my stack keeps growing! These covers are all designed to fit the standard composition notebook that are widely available, although I think I've cleaned out every store that carries them in this little town!



To add a bit of the boho flair that I love so much, I added a length of my handmade Flower Child Twine tied around a few of them. This twine is another addictive project that I shared in the LookBook! It's a wonderful, simple project perfect for keeping your hands busy when you're not able to sew. I definitely recommend that you give making fabric twine a try!




For the Journals that feature my Sisterhood print, I created a quilted patchwork panel, similar to the Journal Cover free pattern that Sharon Holland shares on her blog. The main difference in the covers that I made verses those that both Svetlana and Sharon have shared is that I quilt mine to a layer of Hobbs cotton batting and my measurements and instructions differ slightly. Below you can see all the variations I have tried so far. The options are endless!

For these two I used a modified version of Svetlana's tutorial that include a feature fabrics, a contrasting fabric for the spine of the notebook, and a lining fabric. Such a great way to show off my Flower Child Meadow print!

These Quilted Whole Cloth Journal Covers are my favorites yet! I'll be sharing a tutorial for making these on the Janome blog later this month or early next month, as part of the 2018 Sewing Camp with Janome happening ALL Summer long, where we'll share fun, skill-building projects each week that are designed specifically for children in mind. I think these journals are perfect!









And, since I already have several finished and I'm totally obsessed, I've decided to offer them FOR SALE for just $22 each! I'll be adding them to my Etsy Shop or you can leave me a comment here or email me anytime at maureencracknell@hotmail.com if you're interested!

Thanks in advance for your support and for stopping by! xo Maureen

The AGF Community Sampler!

I'm so excited to share the AGF Community Sampler with all of you today!



When Sharon and I were planning out this year's sew-along, we reached out to Art Gallery Fabrics to invite them to sponsor our event. They happily signed on as a generous sponsor, offering several bundles for us to Giveaway, and we were extra thrilled when the talented ladies who make up the AGF Team let us know that they planned to follow along and make a Community Sampler quilt, as well!

Throughout the sew-along AGF has shared there beautiful blocks using Art Gallery's Splendid Fusion collection. How could there sampler be anything but gorgeous with this colorful, pretty collection!



Each week, in addition to seeing the blocks made by Sharon and all of you who joined us, I so looked forward to seeing AGF's beautiful Splendid Fusion blocks and which of the AGF Team members would be stitching it up with the help of Meli, who took the lead with this sew-along!



It was so nice to see all these happy faces and their gorgeous blocks. For some of these ladies, it was their first time sewing a quilt block! Be sure to check out the AGF Blog to see their Sampler posts and to read a little bit about each of the AGF Team members who joined the sew-along. It was great to get to know them all a bit better throughout the Community Sampler!



Their Splendid Fusion blocks are SO pretty, it's impossible to choose a favorite!



I'm so in love with this quilt top and I can't wait to see how it looks quilted!



Happy Monday! xo Maureen

The Community Sampler Grand Finale GIVEAWAY!

Each Friday, throughout the Community Sampler sew-along community event that Sharon Holland and I have hosted together, we lined up a new, special Giveaway with one of our amazing, participating sponsors! If you happened to miss the launch of our Community Sampler you can follow this link for all the info to make your own Community Sampler anytime!

Art Gallery Fabrics  *  Aurifil  *  Bloc_Loc Rulers  *  Fat Quarter Shop  *  Omnigrid  *  Lady Belle Fabric  *  Dritz  *  Hobbs Batting

Today's Community Sampler Grand Finale Giveaway sponsors are Art Gallery Fabrics, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Quilt Batting & Maureen Cracknell!

Art Gallery Fabrics was started in 2004. Since then creativity, beauty, and design have been their passions, and to this day they have not changed, bringing a chic and modern perspective to the quilting industry. When it comes to designing a fabric collection AGF always keeps originality and uniqueness on the top of their list. AGF has the pleasure of working with a talented fabric designers who create enticing color palettes and artful, intricate prints that make collections that are one of a kind. Art Gallery designs modern fabrics that keep up with ongoing trends and at the same time it encourages customers to use new colors and patterns so they venture out of their usual comfort zone. Art Gallery Fabrics believes strongly in the quality of the fabric and that is transcended in their superior thread count and fine weave. This makes their premium cotton as soft and smooth you can get. You really feel the difference with just one touch!

Be sure to follow Art Gallery Fabrics on their --

Blog  *  Facebook *  Instagram  * Pinterest  *  YouTube

For the Finale Giveaway, Art Gallery Fabrics is offering TWO gorgeous ten-piece fat quarter bundles with prints from various AGF designers!

Aurifil is a wonderful thread company dedicated to developing amazing, new products based on quality and solutions. Established in 1983, Aurifil is an accomplished Italian company based near Milano, with a full- grown experience in producing superior quality threads for professional and domestic quilters. The company headquarters is the ground where new ideas generate original items, always more refined and advanced, to provide assistance to all the quilting needs through a wide range of threads in several weights & accessories. Aurifil's success is based on developing projects carefully, always looking for high quality and great style, with a commitment to create contemporary products that will appeal to everyone!

Aurifil.com  *  Instagram  *  Facebook  *  We hope you enjoy visiting Aurifil!

For the Finale Giveaway, Aurifil is offering the lucky winner the Maureen Cracknell Bohemian Garden Aurifil Thread Collection! This hand-selected set of threads includes TWELVE large colorful spools of Aurifil thread, in 50wt 100% cotton, in colors chosen to coordinate with my Art Gallery Fabric collections!

Hobbs Quilt Batting has manufactured high-quality batting for hobbyist, commercial, art and show quilters since 1978. They're proud to come from a family of quilters and are committed to providing the same quality Hobbs batting that provide to their own family of quilters. At Hobbs Batting, they never forget that quilts are gifts from the heart - an expression of love, commitment and caring for a specific recipient - or an expression of artistry and skill - artistry and that's submitted and judged in quilt shows and events around the word - or both! At Hobbs they're committed to doing their part to enhance our #JoyofQuilting!

Hobbsbatting.com  *  Blog  *  Instagram  *  Facebook  *  We hope you visiting Hobbs Quilt Batting!

For the Finale Giveaway, Hobbs is offering the lucky winner a generous $100's worth of Hobbs Batting!Queen size package of their Tuscany Silk batting! Both Sharon and I LOVE using Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting that is soft and drapes like no other batting. The luxurious feel is ideal for quilts, with it's natural ability to breath, making it an excellent choice for airy, lightweight quilts and coverlets!

Maureen Cracknell is a self-taught artist living in beautiful Potter County, Pennsylvania, a proud wife and mother, Art Gallery Fabrics designer since 2014, Crafty Instructor, Aurifil thread designer, Janome girl, and blogger here at Maureen Cracknell Handmade where you'll find lots of sewing + quilting inspiration! I love having you visit me here, receiving a comment is even better - so please do both often!

Blog  *  Instagram  *  Facebook  *  Bloglovin'  We hope you enjoy following along!

For the Finale Giveaway, the lucky winner will receive this 20-piece Fat Quarter bundle from my brand new Art Gallery Fabrics collection, Flower Child!




WOW!!! This Grand Finale Community Giveaway is quite the prize! Sharon and I send a BIG Thank You to all of the sponsors who have generously offered their products in our Grand Finale Giveaway and to all of the wonderful sponsors that offered amazing prizes throughout the Community Sampler sew-along!

Enter to win! 

Here's how,

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (one entry)
2. Visit and follow the participating sponsors! Just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
3. My followers get a third entry! If you follow here, on Instagram, or on Facebook just let me know by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Whether by Instagram, tweet, Facebook, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry)

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday, June 11th at 4pm EST! The winner will be picked next week at random and I will announce their name at the bottom of this post, here on the blog.

* Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment! 

In addition, be sure to stop by my Instagram for a chance to win our Community Sampler Instagram Grand Finale Giveaway that includes the Sharon Holland Signature FQ Bundle, Sharon's Color Story Aurifil thread collection, TWO Art Gallery Fabrics 10-piece fabric bundles, and $100 worth of Hobbs Batting prize pack! How cool is that -- TWO chances to win two amazing prize packages!



A BIG thanks to all who joined the Community Sampler sew-along and to those who entered our Finale Giveaway! The lucky , random winner of this blog prize package is commenter, Beach Quilter! Congratulations!! Please check your email for a message from me!  xo Maureen  

Community Sampler Week #16

It's the final week of the Community Sampler sew-along!



For those of you that are new to my blog, Sharon Holland and I have been co-hosting this block-of-the-week community sew-along for sixteen weeks. You can visit my Community Sampler Page above in my tabs bar to retrieve all of the released PDF's to make your own Community Sampler anytime!



For the past Fifteen weeks Sharon and I have released a new PDF each Wednesday that includes a new sampler block with all of the fabric requirements and instructions needed for each, and ended last week with a PDF on finishing, that includes step by step instructions for finishing up our quilts!

This week we've reached the finale of our quilt-along and I'll link below to my Community Sampler Page, where all of the PDFs will remain for those of you still finishing up your quilts, or for those of you who are new here and would like to make your very own!



For my Community Sampler I used my Love Story fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics, with four coordinating colors AGF's Pure Element solids in Grapefruit, Sienna Brick, Denim Blue and Mediterraneo. I'm so happy with how it turned out and I can't wait to have it quilted!





My co-host Sharon finished her Community Sampler quilt with quilting on her home machines and it is so gorgeous! I've been sending all of my non quilt-as-you-go quilts out for longarm quilting for the past couple of years. I could never achieve the look of a beautiful allover floral and geometric quilting pattern that I prefer, so my plan is to send my Community Sampler out to Lady Belle Fabrics who will be adding longarm quilting services to her wonderful fabric shop this month! I'm so excited!!



To prepare my quilt to send to Brooke at Lady Belle Fabrics, I made sure my quilt top was trimmed to size and I pieced together my quilt back to send for her to longarm quilt with an edge to edge quilting design. Both batting and thread options will be included in Lady Belle Fabrics new quilting service, so there is no need to send those things. Brooke has already quilted a few of my quilt tops and I'll be sharing those this month, as well as all the details with those of you looking for a wonderful longarm service to use. You're going to LOVE the quilts she recently finished for me! I can't wait to photograph them to share!

Last night Kevin and I took my quilt out for a few new photos to my favorite spot. The sun was fading fast, but I snapped a few nice, new shots and a pretty video that I'll share in my Instagram stories later today, so be sure to stop by my Instagram to see!





I'm so excited to see how our quilts will look finished! As always, when you share on Instagram use the hashtag #CommunitySampler and be sure to tag @sharonhollanddesigns and myself @maureencracknell so we can be sure to see your beautiful Community Samplers!

Using #CommunitySampler hashtag will also automatically enter you in the weekly IG Giveaway pool! Remember that your Instagram account does need to be a public account for your post to show up in the Instagram hashtag pool. But please don't worry, if you don't have Instagram or you'd like to keep your account private, we will also be hosting the same giveaway prize, alternately between Sharon's and my blog, so you can choose how and where to enter each week!



Be sure to check back here on Friday for this week's Community Sampler Grand Finale Giveaway! You won't want to miss this one!!

xo Maureen