Love Story Sewing : :

When I sat down to sew Wednesday morning, after the kids were all off to school, I was a little bit overwhelmed by everything I had been waiting to make now that I finally had the time. Where should I start? There is just so much to do! Other than stitching up my weekly Sewcial Bee Sampler blocks, preparing my Soulful booth for this past Spring Quilt Market and filling the Etsy order that come through each day, I haven't been sewing much these past several weeks. I've been dealing with severe and relentless autoimmune issues for months now and I've been so centered on designing, which is exactly where my focus needed to be when I was blessed with a little time to work during our busy Summer days. But now I have time, hours to create without interruption and I'm overcome with possibilities. And so, I decided to start with the most exciting task at hand -- Love Story sewing!



I won't be showing Love Story at Fall Quilt Market, I have a brand new collection due out in March to debut (hooray!) but I still need to make as many strike off samples as I can for the November LookBook. It's so exciting to sew with these little pieces of fabric! It's both exhilarating and hugely rewarding. Holding months of hard work in your hands feels like another dream fulfilled. I eased into my checklist, beginning with a couple of drawstring bags inspired by this tutorial by Svetlana of s.o.t.a.k. handmade. One with red pompoms from the Target dollar section and one in my favorite herringbone qayg. I love them both!





Whenever a new collection arrives I like the prints themselves to influence so much of what I decide to make, and my Flower Stamp print inspired me straight away!





Simple raw edge applique with navy Aurifil thread from my Bohemian Garden thread set worked perfectly for recreating my flower design. To pair with this Flower Stamped Applique pillow I made a second with a first attempt at a pineapple quilt block inspired QAYG. I love how this pillow duo turned out, especially with this pretty blue AGF denim!





I hope these project have you excited to sew with Love Story!! I am counting down the days and will have many more Love Story projects to share in the days and weeks ahead. I promise to be back Monday with some Soulful sewing!!

Have a great weekend! XX Maureen

A Sewcial Bee Giveaway with Aurifil Thread!

It's Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday!  

Each Friday, throughout the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along community event that Sharon Holland and I are hosting together, we've lined up a new, special Giveaway with one of our amazing, participating sponsors! If you happened to miss the launch of our Sewcial Bee Sampler you can follow this link for all the info and can join us anytime - it's never too late to jump in!

Today's featured Sewcial Bee sponsor is Aurifil Threads!

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 this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway, Aurifil is offering the lucky winner the Maureen Cracknell Bohemian Garden Aurifil Thread Collection! This hand-selected set of threads includes TEN colorful spools of Aurifil thread, in 50wt 100% cotton, in colors chosen to coordinate with my Art Gallery Fabric collections!

You can find both the small and large spool Bohemian Garden thread collections available on Amazon, Fat Quarter Shop, Checker Distributers, Red Rock Threads, and Pumpkinvine Corner!

Enter to win! 

Here's how,

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (one entry)
2. Follow Aurifil on Facebook and/or Instagram! 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've added 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 22nd! 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! 

A BIG thanks to all of you who are joining the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along and to those who entered our Giveaway! This week's lucky winner is commenter, Kathy! Congratulations, I will email you shortly! ♡ Maureen

A Sewcial Bee Giveaway with Aurifil Thread!

It's Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday!  

Each Friday, throughout the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along community event that Sharon Holland and I are hosting together, we've lined up a new, special Giveaway with one of our amazing, participating sponsors! If you happened to miss the launch of our Sewcial Bee Sampler you can follow this link for all the info and can join us anytime - it's never too late to jump in!

Today's featured Sewcial Bee sponsor is Aurifil Threads!

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 this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway, Aurifil is offering the lucky winner Sharon Holland's Color Story Aurifil Thread Collection! This hand-selected set of threads includes TEN colorful spools of Aurifil thread, in a variety of weights, in colors chosen to coordinate with her beautiful Art Gallery Fabric collections!

You can find the large spool Color Story thread collection available on Amazon, Fat Quarter Shop, Checker Distributers, and Red Rock Threads!

Enter to win! 

Here's how, since Sharon and I will be taking turns hosting Sewcial Bee Giveaway Fridays, this week I'm sending you to Sharon Holland Design's blog to enter!

A BIG thanks to all of you who are joining the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along and to those who enter our Giveaway!  ♡ Maureen

A Dragonfly Stitched Pillow : :

In addition to the Aurifil Stitched Owl pillow I made for next month's Quilt Market show where I'll present my newest fabric collection, Nightfall, I stitched up a second pillow, this time to illustrate my Nox Iridescence dragonfly print!



Just as I created the owl, I used my new Bohemian Garden Aurifil Thread set, choosing colors similar to those in the Moonset colorway of my dragonflies print, Nox Iridescence in Dim.

I actually sewed this pillow top together a few weeks back, before I had even received my strike offs. I used my Quick Quilt As You Go Craftsy class technique to make the pillow top, using a combination of Pure Element solids in Cabernet, Patina Green, and Nocturnal, Solid Smooth Denims in Frosted Sage and Infused Hydrangea, & Soft Sand Linen. For a little extra decoration I added some of the beautiful lace trims I had leftover from my Fall Quilt Market sample making and I top-stitched a few twists of recycled sari silk I had purchased years ago from Anthropologie that have been laying around the sewing room. I love the soft & tattered tassel look!



My plan was to use it to feature my Moon Stories ~ bunny & moon main print in some way, but last week when I decided to "sketch stitch" my Nightfall dragonfly, there my pillow top was hanging & waiting, looking too perfect not to use!



I started by stitching out a large version of the basic dragonfly sketch I created for my Nox Iridecence print, using a dark navy 50wt Aurifil. Once the dragonfly outline was all stitched out, I simple added in layers of additional stitching, changing thread colors and playing with a combination of straight, satin, and decorative machine stitches. It's a lot of fun, just like coloring with Aurifil thread & my Janome sewing machine!

To finish my pillow I used more AGF denim ~ Soft Smooth Wicked Sky for the binding and a large striping of Solid Textured heavy weight in Scarlet Brick & Evergreen Slate for an extra sturdy pillow back!



This 14" x 28" pillow size has become my absolute favorite! There's an ever-growing stack in my sewing room that I hope to offer in a pillow & quilt sale sometime soon!



Hoping to be back with a new photographed quilt to share soon! Unit then... ♡ Maureen

An Aurifil Stitched Owl : :

Sketch stitching up a special, new pillow or two for each Quilt Market is certainly becoming tradition for me! See here, here, here, here & here... Carefully choosing Aurifil thread colors and a motif represented in each new collection to stitch into a pillow to have on display is the perfect place for me to start! Once I get the go-ahead to reveal the new collection it's always so exciting, but having to wait for the strike offs to arrive to begin all the new creating can feel eager and antsy. This stitch work is a way I can begin right away with the making, while I wait for the actual fabrics. And for my new Nightfall collection, an owl was the perfect place to start!



I shared this little peek a few weeks ago when a bundle of Art Gallery's new denim arrived and I was giving away my Aurifil thread set, Bohemian Garden. I used my own hand-selected thread colors to create this owl, that makes this new "sketch stitch" pillow feel just a bit extra special to me!





Yesterday I finally got around to taking more photos of the finished pillow, along with my owl quilt as you go quilt in the works, so I thought I'd share a little more of the completed pillow here today before I move further down my Nightfall-quilt market-make list!







These detailed thread pillows always look so much better in person, so if you happen to be attending Spring Quilt Market next month, you'll have to stop by my booth space to see & to say hello!

Happy stitching! ♡ Maureen

A Little Peek : :

Last week when a delivery of assorted AGF Denims showed up at my door, I knew right away that they'd be perfect to stitch on using my new Aurifil for AGF thread collection, Bohemian Garden. The box of denim included a variety of weights, some 100% cotton, some a cotton/poly mix, along with a beautiful cotton/linen blend!



For my new "sketch stitch" project I pulled from the bundle the lighter tone denims in Infused Hydrangea, Frosted Sage, Adobe Clay, Nectarine Sunrise, plus the Soft Sand Linen. I finally ordered myself the new Olfa Rotary Cutter I've been admiring at Lady Belle Fabrics, I LOVE the aqua blue, and it came just in time! I'm embarrassed to admit how long it's been since I invested in a rotary cutter upgrade. What a difference, it sliced through all five layers of fabric at once!



Using the Herringbone QAYG method I teach in my Quick Quilt As You Go Craftsy class, I made myself a pillow top "canvas" to stitch on! My hope was that by having a defined center it would help to keep symmetry as I stitched away, all while adding to my design.



Using the colorful spools of Aurifil included in my Bohemian Garden thread collection, I started thread sketching! The combination of the 50 weight threads and the quality of denim & linen fabrics was even better than I imagined it would be. Sometimes I run into puckering issues when I stitch on regular quilting cotton, but this denim is just sturdy enough, while still being super soft, that it worked so perfectly!



Here's a peek of the little owl I stitched!



It's my own way of giving you a tiny hint about my new Spring collection! This afternoon Art Gallery Fabrics and I (instagram.com/maureencracknell) will be sharing a little bit more on our Instagram's, so be sure to stop by to tell us what you think of my collection name & theme! I'm so excited about this one!!

While you're there, be sure to enter my Giveaway right HERE, for the small spool Bohemian Garden thread collection that I'm giving away in celebration of my recent Fleet & Flourish fabrics Blog Tour & the reveal of my new Spring collection!



♡ Maureen  

Bohemian Garden : :

Things have been a little quieter than I'd like here on the blog as I continue to work on future fabric collections and new exciting endeavors, but mostly because each week since the New Year we've been taking turns being sick and/or injured! I've been sewing almost everyday, but am so behind on photographing my finished projects now. I promise I'll keep trying to share as much as I possibly can and hopefully things will chill out for us Cracknells soon so I can play catch-up!

Before the week ends with a new Giveaway, I had to pop in today to share more about my brand new, colorful thread collection with Aurifil! For years I have loved using Aurifil for ALL of my projects, so this is such a dream collaboration!



I blogged some pretty images that my Art Gallery family sent me last week to announce the exciting news, but today I want to share a little bit more! My collection is called Bohemian Garden and features my most favorite colors from both my Limited Edition Wild & Free and new Fleet & Flourish fabric collections with Art Gallery Fabrics!



I chose a cheerful assortment of 50wt cotton spools, my personal favorite weight for piecing and quilting, but I also choose colors that would be versatile and fun enough to be used for all sorts of sewing projects with any fabric, not just my own!



In the large box you'll find twelve 1422yd spools, and ten 220yd spools in the small box!



It was such a thrill to see my Bohemian Garden collection make it's debut at Quilt Market this past Fall! I used the pretty navy blue you'll find in my collection to create one of my favorite projects to date, this Stag & Flowers Fleet & Flourish Pillow!





I truly love doing this kind of stitch work with Aurifil, and I'm so excited to be able to begin more "sketch stitch" projects now that my threads are available! You can purchase them now at the Fat Quarter Shop, I hope you love the colors as much as I do!! I'll be sure to share more soon, along with a BIG Bohemian Garden Aurifil Thread and Fleet & Flourish Giveaway I'm planning for the end of my Blog Hop later this month!!

Happy Sewing! ♡ Maureen

Aurifil, AGF, & ME : :

It's an exciting week for Art Gallery Fabrics, Aurifil threads, & ME! A few months ago, AGF decided to re-brand their Aurifil thread boxes to better match with the identity of each AGF designer. As a brand new full collection designer for Art Gallery I was given this amazing opportunity to have my very own thread collection with Aurifil, my absolute favorite thread manufacturing company!



This is such a HUGE dream come true for me!! Each of the boxes, both large & small, come in a variety of thread weights and colors that were hand selected and curated by each designer to better match our designs and AGF collections. My collection is full of colorful 50 wt threads and is called Bohemian Garden!

Throughout this week I'll share more about my collection, but I wanted to share some pretty photos and to invite you to join in our big celebration!!

Art Gallery Fabrics and Aurifil are hosting a spectacular 10-day Giveaway to celebrate #AurifilforAGF, each day there's a new chance to win thread boxes and fabric from each of the AGF designers! Please visit the AGF blog for all the details -- HERE!

♡ Maureen