Blogger's Quilt Festival -- Applique : :

If you follow me regularly, you'll remember seeing this quilt a bunch this year! It was so long in the making, changing many times, but thankfully turned into a finish I'm very happy with. This is the project that taught me how to quilt, and was made extra special by it's story and recipient. I'm excited for this chance to share it in the Blogger's Quilt Festival!



I wasn't sure which category it fit best, but decided on Applique since those elements are my most favorite parts of this quilt. The idea of a Little Folks voile, yo-yo flower garden is what started this project after-all!







The rest came together piece by piece, all unplanned. My "sketch stitch" girl, the patchwork, the appliqued butterflies.







It's made up of Anna Maria Horner prints with a few Pure Element solids, is both machine quilted with variegated Aurifil and a few of the decorative stitches my Janome offers, and hand-quilted with floss. Ans, it now lives happily with my friend Jodi!





I have started a new quilt with a similar vibe that I hope to focus in on finishing after the holidays. This type of slow-moving quilt work is something I really enjoy and plan to continue to develop. Making a quilt each year that includes one of my "sketch stitch" thread drawings and favorite fabrics is one of my personal goals for each year!



 Quilt Stats

name: An Applique Art Quilt
size: lap size
fabrics: Art Gallery Pure Element solids & Anna Maria Horner fabrics
quilting: straight line & decorative on my Janome 12000, along with hand-quilting
backing: Anna Maria Horner's Coreopsis in Lime from her Loulouthi collection
binding: Anna Maria Horner's Hugs & Kisses in Wine from her Loulouthi collection

Thank you so much for stopping by today! ♥ Maureen

Blogger's Quilt Festival -- ROYGBIV : :

One year ago today I shared my Bloggers Quilt Festival post, entering my Scrappy Improv Quilt into the Favorite Scrap Quilt Category. My entry was one of only a few quilts I had finished since I began sewing, and was the only finished piece I really had to enter. When my quilt actually made it into the final five voting stage, I was so thrilled! A year ago I wasn't a confident quilter at all. I struggled with following quilt patterns and even more with turning my own quilt pattern ideas into tangible quilts. Entering and receiving such a positive reply was one of the big uplifts I received that encouraged me to keep on trying. This year, I'm excited to be able to enter two quilts into the Bloggers Quilt Festival. Two that I'm really proud of mostly because to me they symbolize the growth and progress I've made as a quilter this year!

First, I'm entering my Butterfly Quilt into the ROYGBIV category. This one started as a late night idea, quickly sketched out, and then Instagrammed!







It's made with lots of fussy cut butterflies from Anna Maria Horner fabrics and Valori Well's Cocoon collection, along with AGF Pure Element solids. My idea was to use the rainbow of color beginning with the earthy, muddy colors to those shiny & bright and all the butterflies to illustrate metamorphosis and growth. More than anything I just wanted it to be pretty, since it's a Christmas present for my niece who's four! Haha











Quilt Stats

name: A Butterfly Quilt
size: 43" x 60"
fabrics: Art Gallery Pure Element solids, Anna Maria Horner Field Study & Loulouthi, and Valori Wells Cocoon
quilting: a dense wavy stitch using Aurifil dark gray 50wt for all the quilting at the bottom, an Aurifil bright, lemon yellow 50wt throughout the center, finished with a bright white 50wt on the top portion of my quilt
backing: Anna Maria Horner Loulouthi Clippings
binding: Pure Element Solids in Crystal Pink, Raspberry Rose, & London Red

Tomorrow I'll be back with my second entry! How about you, are you entering this year?

Happy quilting! ♥ Maureen

Handmade ♥ : :

Hello! Gosh, I'm so behind on photographing my things to share here! I have a quilt finish, some more Making Rows quilt panels, a new quilt pattern in the works, and lots of Birthday Crown & Fox pillow orders all waiting for me to share, but instead today I want to show off a few of the wonderful handmade things I've received or have collected for birthday/holiday gift giving recently!



First, there's this beautiful fabric organizer/portfolio gifted to me by my friend Heidi. It was a complete surprise when it arrived yesterday in the mail, I love it! This Fort Firefly fabric by Birch Fabrics is one collection I can't wait to stash. It's so pretty!





To have received something so special from my talented friend made my week! Thank you so much Heidi!!





This sweet, pieced Fox Zip Pouch is made by Small Town Thread. I ordered this one for my little girl Haila, who's ready to start sewing!



This summer she got to play around on my machine a little and has asked for a machine of her own for her birthday in December. Having this chance to pick out some sewing supplies with her in mind is about as awesome as it gets!



Sew Fantastic makes these super cute Crayon Wallets, along with an amazing & colorful variety of pouches and other handy wallets! The best place to shop Terri's things is here, on Instagram. I bought myself a wallet from her a month or so ago and it's one of my most favorite things ever!





These Crayon Wallets I'm saving for Christmas, they go so perfectly with the new sketchbooks I ordered from Stubby Pencil Studios!



This year, I'm making an extra effort to make & support handmade even more than in years past. I'm getting so close to reaching my goal of making each of my children, nieces, and nephews their own quilt to give at Christmas, and I'm hoping to have enough time to make at least one more for whoever I get in our family gift exchange. How about you, are you planning to give a little handmade this holiday season? I'd love more ideas, so feel free to share your shop link or one you happen to favorite! I have lots of people on my gift list!!

♥ Maureen

A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

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It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!

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Skye Reve Fabrics is the lovely fabric shop of Natasha, a freelance fashion designer who has taken up the fabric business full time. Natasha has a love for fabrics of all kinds, but especially beautiful shabby chic designs. She absolutely loves picking out fabrics to show all of us and packaging up our orders like a present for us to receive. Take a look around and enjoy all the eye candy! 

Lots of new fabrics are always on the way!!!

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

 

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We hope you enjoy visiting their sites!!  

For this week's Giveaway Skye Reve Fabrics is offering this pretty HALF YARD bundle of Rosemont Gazebo by designer E. Vine for Benartex Fabrics!

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post. (one entry)
2. Follow Skye Reve Fabrics on Facebook. 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! Whether you follow me here, on Instagram, or on Facebook, 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 tweet, facebook, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry) 
  

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday, October 28th. I will pick a winning 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 so that I can contact you should you win!

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Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway!!

   From 786 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is... 

Comment #423 --   * Vicki H *   

Congratulations! I will be in touch shortly!   

A Halloween House Pillow : :

With each new holiday it's always my hope to make at least one new, handmade decoration. Halloween is a favorite of ours! While I don't have the time to make the Halloween quilt in my dreams this year, I do think a few small projects can be made in time! So, when Therm O Web asked if I'd be interested in putting a little Halloween spin on my House Pillow Tutorial to share on their blog this week, it was just the motivation I needed to cross some new decor off of my to-make list!

 
At first I pulled from my stash a stack of traditional orange and black, with a few cute Halloween prints leftover from this project. Then I asked myself, if I were planning to make that Halloween quilt what fabrics would I use? And, the answer is these fabulous MicroMod fabrics, paired with Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in Black, Cloud9's Dem Bones by Sarah Watson, and some solids! I love purple for Halloween just as much as I do orange and black. With those little touches of that golden yellow, I think MicroMod works perfectly!



My Halloween House Pillow came together quick using the MicroMod bundle & Essex Linen I had on hand, with HeatnBond and SpraynBond for easy applique and basting, combined with some fun sewing notions, and a pretty eggplant purple Aurifil 50wt from my Simply Color Thread Box!







You can find the tutorial for this project on the Therm O Web blog a little later today!



Happy Halloween Sewing!!
♥ Maureen

This Week : :

Yesterday I shipped out lots of crowns orders, including my new favorite design and color scheme, these cute little Fox & Bunting Crowns!





I'll be listing it in my etsy shop today and then I plan to share a little Giveaway for one on my Facebook Page right HERE!



Last night I worked a little more on my Making Rows Quilt in progress, adding in my Stacked Windmill block from Modern Bee and lots of pluses & flying geese!



I'm completely hooked on making geese these days! I recently designed a geese quilt using Cloud9 Fabric's soon to be released Up, Up, & Away collection. My quilt will be displayed in their booth at Market this weekend, and then we plan to share that free pattern sometime next month! I just can't stop making them, they're so much fun!!



After last night's sewing session I have a few more rows finished, with just a couple more to go before this quilt top is completely done, I can't wait!

How about you, what are you working on this week?

A Decending Zig Zag Quilt { Tutorial } : :

Today I'm sharing my newest quilt tutorial! I'm still seeing such wonderful feedback, lots of pins, and comments on my recent Herringbone Quilt Tutorial, I owe you all a HUGE thanks!! Tutorials are a lot of work, and receiving such an amazing response always makes the effort worth it! Seeing that first Herringbone QAYG finish, made by one of you, was the best! Thank you!

You might remember seeing this quilt shared here back in July, along with a special Nordika fabric Giveaway. Well, I'm excited to finally share that I've created a free pattern/tutorial to share with all of you and with Janome fans, as a Janome Artisan!


This project tutorial is for a simply pieced, descending zig zag quilt pattern made by separating darker value fabrics from lighter ones to reveal a fantastic design!



These quilt blocks sew up quick to an 8.5" unfinished square, a wonderful size for making both small and large quilts!







You can find this new tutorial on the Janome Project Center page right HERE!



I really hope you all enjoy this quilt tutorial! As always -- be sure to let me know if you give this one a go!!

Happy sewing!!
♥ Maureen