A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!  




The Loopy Ewe started in a little basement corner in St. Louis back in the summer of 2006, moved to Fort Collins, CO. in 2011, and just last Summer expanded once again to open up the fabric side of their business. Today The Loopy Ewe is a 7000 sq. ft. space filled with gorgeous yarns and fabrics for people to wander through (either in person or online)! They add new yarn to the website almost every Monday, and new fabric is added almost every Thursday. They ship most orders within 24 hours (Mon-Sat) and offer free U.S. shipping on all orders over $75. They have a fun rewards program which gives you a $25 Loopy Ewe credit every time your orders accumulate to $250! Plus other fun rewards that you can read about here! They sponsor Quarterly Challenges, a virtual Camp Loopy each summer, and a yearly Fall Fling retreat. They love having fun with their customers, whether in person or online!
Unique to The Loopy Ewe are: Loopy Short Stacks in the fabric shop, and The Loopy Ewe Solid Series, Seasonings Series, Loopy Legends, Celebrations, and Loopy Cakes in our yarn shop!

SHOP  *  INSTAGRAM  *  FACEBOOK

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We hope you enjoy visiting The Loopy Ewe sites!! 

For this week's Fabric Giveaway, The Loopy Ewe is offering the winner their choice of any Short Stack Collection available in the shop! Each stack includes fat quarter cuts of some of our most favorite fabric lines, each consisting of eight different, coordinating quilting cotton prints that will provide you with a nice array of fabrics from so many wonderful collections!

You can find The Loopy Ewe's Short Stack Collection right HERE in their shop!

In addition, the Loopy Ewe is offering 15% off any 1/2 yard cuts or larger now through Tuesday, June 2nd! Simply leave them an order note that you saw the offer on here on my blog and the discount will be applied when the order goes through!

Enter to win!

Here's how,

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! We'd love to know which Short Stack Collection you would choose, should you win?! (one entry)
2. Follow The Loop Ewe on Facebook or on Instagram! Just let me know if you by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
3. My followers get a third entry too! Whether 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 2nd! Winner will be picked at Random and I will announce their name at the bottom of this post, here on the blog.
Thanks to all who enter our Giveaway! From 785 entries, this week's winner is comment #198, Renata S! Congratulations, I will be in touch shortly! ♡ Maureen

Yellow Diamond Strings : :

Yesterday I finished up another Diamond Strings quilt top using my favorites yet again - April Rhodes' Wanderer and Pat Bravo's Indie, along with my Wild & Free fabrics!



The last one was made in a hurry for a local quilt raffle that turned out to be a huge success, hooray for that! It made it much easier to let that quilt go but, here I am just a couple weeks later already making another! This time I am changing up the design just a little. It's much more scrappy for one! I didn't use a single strip wider than 2."





I also didn't start and finish with blocks including the larger cuts to create the sharp angles you'll see at the tops and bottoms of my other Diamond String quilts. Instead, this time I began and ended each of my qayg blocks with a few strips of the warm, golden yellow that all three of these collections include.



Choosing that one color to begin and end with really makes all the wonderful diamonds that are created within this pattern pop!





I'm always so amazed at how the slightest change in a pattern can create something so new and different, even when using the very same colors and prints. These three collections just speak to me, I can't seem to get enough of them! Hopefully you all don't mind!



I'll be sending this one off to be photographed and shared along with an article I'm writing on quilt-as-you-go for a magazine due out this Fall, and then I have plans to make it our porch swing quilt!



♡ Maureen

Oh, and if you love these fabrics together as much as I do, the Intrepid Thread still has some of their custom bundles available that were inspired by these quilts right HERE!! XX

Something New : :

This morning, after a busy, beautiful, fun, exhausting long weekend, our regular routine returns. The weather's warm and cloudy and I do love Spring mornings like this, when it's so quiet and dim. After a few long days where much-needed yard work replaced any chance of sewing time, and since I'm still waiting on the backing and binding fabrics to arrive so I can finish up my new Diamond Crisscross quilt, this morning feels like the perfect time to begin something new. A few years ago, around this very same time, I put together a bundle of soft grays, blues, corals, yellows, and aquas called Sweet Summer Dreams. These fabrics became the quilt I made to share my very first quilt-as-you-go tutorial and is one of my most favorite color combinations and quilts to date.



This morning I can't get these same colors out of my head. Pretty little piles left on my desk from the kids crafting are inspiring me to start pulling fabrics in this color palette once again!



Plus, for once everything's all nice and organized! That never lasts too long in this room!



I'll be back to share what I come up with soon!

Happy quilt planning & sewing to you! ♥ Maureen

A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!

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My sponsor Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory is an online Fabric Shop inspired and named after the owner Chelsea's Grandmother, a master seamstress named Bobbie Lou, who would be quite amazed at the selection of beautiful fabrics available today! At Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory you'll find a wonderful range of the best designer quilting cottons, including an great selection of colorful florals, modern geometric, and so many more gorgeous brand new prints cut straight from the bolt when ordered!

Be sure to stop by Bobbie Lou's --

  * Shop  &  Instagram *

 

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 We know you'll enjoy visiting these sites!! 

This week, Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory is offering a very generous $50 Gift Certificate to her wonderful shop to one lucky MCH reader!!  In addition, at Bobbie Lou's you'll always find FREE Shipping on all U.S order over $50, as well as a $5.00 International shipping discount on orders over $50!!

Here's a little Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory eye candy to get you inspired! Be sure to visit the shop to see all her amazing offerings!!

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! (one entry)
2. Follow Bobbie Lou's Fabrics on Instagram! Just let me know if you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)

3. Followers of Maureen Cracknell Handmade get an additional entry, too! Whether you follow me here, on Instagram, on Facebook, etc... 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, Google, Tweet, Facebook, Pin, blog post, etc... (optional extra entry)

Enter now through Tuesday, May 26th! The number generator at Random.org will pick the winner and I will announce their name at the bottom of this post here on the blog!

Thank you so much for entering our Giveaway! From 609 entries, comment #409, Lynne Tilley  is our lucky winner! Congratulations, I will be in touch shortly! ♡ Maureen

A Felt SALE : :

This time every year I get the itch for handwork, projects that can easily be taken on the go for those longer road trips or just to have to work on while outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather. In the past for me that's either meant a simple knitting project or some kind of embroidery hoop work that I never seem to finish. Well, this year I'm planning ahead and I'm putting together a portable basket of my wool blend felt and embroidery floss with supplies for making all the beautiful felt flowers!



I recently restocked my Etsy shop with my favorite wool blend felt colors, adding a few new options to the mix that I'm really excited about! So today I thought I'd share a sale with those of you who might be looking for something new, portable, and fun to do, as well!!





Now through the end of May use Coupon Code: SUMMERLOVE for 20% OFF any Wool Blend Felt order in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade shop! I went ahead and added a few easy felt flower tutorials to my "Just For Felt" Pinterest Board to help you get started!

Thanks in advance to those of who support my little shop, I really appreciate you! Happy hand-working!!

♡ Maureen

Natalie's Wild & Free Quilt : :

This past weekend I was thrilled to have Natalie of Green Leaf Goods here for a visit! We met each other a few years ago through a quilting bee we both had joined. Her distinct modern improv style caught my eye right away! I was new to quilting then and was so inspired by her color, fabric, and block style choice when her turn to choose the bee quilt design would come around every few months. The Improv Chevron block pattern that she introduced to me is still a favorite of mine! Being just a newbie then, making these bee blocks was one of my first enjoyable experiences with quilting, and no doubt influenced my own style!



Over the years Natalie and I have kept in touch through social media and had made a few different attempts to get together that just never worked out. A few months ago I sent her a bundle of my Wild & Free fabrics to have some fun with, I love her style and knew she'd make something to inspire us all! I was so excited on Saturday when our plans to get together finally worked out, we had such a great time, and I was overjoyed to see her beautiful quilt work in person! My husband snapped this photo of us together with her Wild & Free quilt right in our backyard, what a surreal & special moment!



And then, we decided to have ourselves a Potter County quilt photo shoot at the park nearby, how could we not!!



Isn't her quilt beautiful?! I've been combining Wild & free with mostly other Art Gallery Fabric collections, so I especially loved seeing my collection used with so many different prints, by so many different designers!



Natalie's work is complete perfection! From her color & print selections, to the balance she created in her quilt design, to her wood grain quilting. It's all such flawless work!



I especially love these little red nine patch blocks and the green Lizzy House print binding!



I have to showoff her quilt back, too! The combination of prints and colors she chose is too amazing not to share!



I'm so grateful for this chance to share Natalie's quilt today, I hope you're feeling as inspired as I am!!

I wish you all a beautiful day! ♡ Maureen

A Fabric GIVEWAY : :

It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!  



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My sponsor the Knotted Thread is run by Jenn, a fabric lover with a passion for sewing! In her shop you'll find both bundles and single cuts of Fat Quarters, Half Yards, Yards, and Yardage, as well as some of Jenn's very own handmade items up or sale!! Designer fabrics include many of our favorites -- Free Spirit, Moda, and Riley Blake Designs just to name a few! 

Be sure visit the Knotted Thread blog to sign up for the new monthly Newsletter, HERE!
  
SHOP  *  BLOG  *  FACEBOOK  *  INSTAGRAM 
 

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We hope you enjoy visiting the Knotted Thread sites!! 

For this week's Fabric Giveaway Friday, the Knotted Thread is offering the winner a beautiful Fat Eighth bundle of Bonnie Christine's newest fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics, Cultivate! This bundle will include a fat eighth cut of each of the 20 fabric prints that make up this wonderful new collection!

You can find Cultivate available in The Knotted Thread's Shop as a Fat Eighth Bundle, a Fat Quarter Bundle, and a half yard bundle right HERE!!

In addition, the Knotted Thread is offering my readers 10% OFF any order from the shop throughout this Giveaway, just use coupon code "Maureen10" at checkout!!

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Enter to win! 

Here's how,

 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! (one entry)
2. Visit The Knotted Thread HERE and sign up to receive their new monthly Newsletter! Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that 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, May 18th!! 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!

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Thanks to all who stopped by to enter the Giveaway!! This week's winner is comment #79 --  Robyn Miller! Congratulations Robyn, I will be in touch shorty!!

♡ Maureen

A Herringbone QAYG Pillow : :

Last week, after finishing up my Ribbons Diamond Strings pillow - Mother's Day gift, I decided right away that I had to make at least one for us! I had planned to do something colorful and Spring-y for the porch swing, and maybe if I found some extra sewing time, for the pair of rocking chairs on the front porch, as well. Yesterday I kept this pretty pile of fabric and fancy ribbons nearby as motivation to finish up my orders in time to make at least one to share here today!



I could have just stared at these ribbons all day, they are that beautiful! It's impossible to pick a favorite, but the detail on those owls & foxes is pretty spectacular!

Using my Herringbone QAYG method, I quickly pieced together two 8.5" x 16.5" rectangles, adding a 1.5" wide strip of each of the fabrics I selected for my first pillow, added my ribbons, and then joined the two pieces to make a 16" finished pillow cover! Once my pillow top was finished, right away I noticed how perfectly the colors matched this corner of our living room!



To attach the ribbons I simply top stitch, using my straight stitch set at a 2.4 length, sewing close to each ribbon edge, this time using a fun yellow Aurifil 50wt! Adding the ribbons to this QAYG style of pillow, or quilt as you can see here and here, is so easy and it makes such a beautiful, fancy pillow! There's a sheen and amazing detail to them that is really hard to photograph, it's crazy gorgeous!



I finished this pillow with the last of my Canary yellow binding scraps, I love the pop of color!





My camera battery lost it's charge before I could get photos of the back. I used a favorite Sarah Watts print of mine, her Gerbera print in gray quilted with the same yellow Aurifil I used to add the ribbons. I'll be sure to add a photo later. It's so pretty!

Doesn't it look perfect in this corner? I think it has to live here for awhile, which of course means, I have even more pillows to make to now!



I'll be back soon to share those, and then we'll have to have a Renaissance Ribbons Giveaway! See you then!!

♡ Maureen

Arrow Stitching : :

For the past few weeks I've been working on my plan for a new Sketch Stitch quilt. I shared the fabrics I'll be using a few weeks back, my Wild & Free collection with Wanderer and Indie, two of my very favorites! Since I haven't done much of this "freehand machine embroidery" since the Fall and because I can't seem to decide on all the details, I thought it would be best to practice a little before diving in.

I started with this gorgeous Spring inspired fabric pull...



Building simple patchwork blocks in aqua, peaches & cream, and my Folk Plaid blue, a current favorite color palette!





Next I gathered up a few spools of Aurifil in coordinating colors and I started stitching up my first arrow. I love arrows, they're so much fun to draw and stitch, and are such a perfect motif to add in layers of stitched patterns!



With these beautiful threads, using a few of the built-in stitches on my Janome, in no time at all I finished my arrow and finally decided on a border plan for that Sketch Stitch quilt!



Here you can see close up of a few of my most favorite stitches to use -- A wide straight satin stitch for pops of color, a vertical triangle satin stitch for a wonderful graphic detail, and an Heirloom triangle stitch to emulate my arrowhead design.





I love how just a few simple stitches can create such a beautiful picture and remind me of how much I enjoy this kind of stitch work! Thanks for stopping to see my ➳ arrow stitching ➳ today, I'll have more to share soon! ♡ Maureen