Personalized Quilt Banners : :

Last week I shared in my Instagram Stories this fun personalized quilt banner project that is so perfect for this Alphabet painted letter panel by Bari J for Art Gallery Fabrics! This print is a must have for your fabric stash -- from simple monogramed tea towels to alphabet quilts and everything in between, my ideas for this print are endless!





To make these little letter quilts I mostly use up scraps -- batting scraps, fabric scraps and quilt binding scraps. I start by trimming up natural fiber batting rectangles to measure around 9" x 11". It's important to use natural fiber batting such as cotton, bamboo, silk or wool anytime you qayg so you can use a hot iron and press right onto the batting. Next I spray baste or use a little glue to stick each fussy cut letter to the center or slightly off-center to each batting square. Then using a variety of fabric scrap strips I use Quick Quilt As You Go and the log cabin style to make each letter quilt. I finish by backing each, attaching the backing fabrics by adding a little quilting, and then I finish with machine quilt binding. Easy and fun!



For the Quinn banner I made and shared in my stories last week, I combined each letter with a variety of my own painted florals and new Love Story prints!



This sweet banner is for my niece to match her big sister Sylvia's banner that I made for her Birthday party this past Summer. I'm excited for the girls to have these to hang in their bedrooms and to hang on special occasions that celebrate each of them!



To attach each little letter quilt I used a long length of leftover Soulful fabrics binding. I used pins to hold each letter quilt in place and sewed to attach, making sure to catch the inner edge of the binding on both sides.



On both ends of the banner I made a simple loop for hanging. I love how this Quinn banner came together!





For Sylvia's banner I used mostly scraps leftover from pillows I had made in Sew Caroline's Chalk & Paint collection for AGF, along with scraps from my own collections, Wild & Free and Fleet & Flourish!





I hope these personalized quilt banners inspire you to sew with these fun fabrics! I'm so behind on sharing here all that I've been sewing these past couple of weeks. I look forward to playing catch-up over the holiday!

xo Maureen

A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!   

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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  
 

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We hope you enjoy visiting the Lady Belle Fabric sites!! 

For this week's Fabric Giveaway Friday, Lady Belle Fabric is offering the winner their eight piece Summer Nights mix up fat quarter bundle including prints from my Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Garden Dreamer and  my most recent Soulful collections for Art Gallery Fabrics! This pretty bundle is also available for purchase and would make a wonderful quilt! Look for the Summer Nights Maureen Cracknell Mix Up Bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics in the Lady Belle shop!

Throughout this Giveaway, you're all invited to checkout Lady Belle Fabric wonderful SALE with some amazing deals on fabric! ALL Bundles are 15-30% OFF! Visit Lady Belle HERE --  www.ladybellefabric.com/collections/bundles

In addition, Lady Belle Fabric is offering TWO extra coupon codes! Coupon Code: FREESHIP will give you free shipping on any order placed this weekend OR use Coupon Code: LOVESTORY to receive an extra 15% OFF any Love Story pre-order purchase! Love Story is expected to ship in November and I hope you love this collection as much as I do! To view Love Story visit Lady Belle Fabric HERE --  www.ladybellefabric.com/collections/LOVE-STORY

We hope you enjoy these special discounts!

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Enter to win! 

Here's how,

 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! (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, October 2nd! 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 entered our Giveaway! This week's winner is commenter, 

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxes. Congratulations! Please check your email for a message from me! xo Maureen

Sewing Social : :

Sharing my great love for sewing with others in real life and building a local sewing community is something I have dreamed about since I began sewing several years ago. So when Sunday afternoon I packed up my sewing essentials and headed to my sister's cabin for our first sewing social, it was too wonderful not to share!



For this first get together we kept it simple, just Biz, Bri, and myself making my newest obsession -- zipper pouches! Both Biz and Bri are beginner sewists, so I decided to teach them how to make a useful make-up bag using the quilt as you go method that I teach on Craftsy and use so often. Along with my Janome and the necessary sewing supplies, I brought along several of my recently made zipper pouches to show several creative examples and the girls chose which style they wanted to make.





We decided on a herringbone pieced front and a simple stacked stripe for the reverse side, then began the fun part of choosing fabrics from my traveling stash!



Biz is a huge April Rhodes fan, so I made sure to bring along my bundle of Arizona after just for her. I love the combination of fabrics she chose, mixing prints from Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Soulful and Arizona After!



Soon the machines were buzzing and my sister's cabin was filled with making, laughter and heartfelt conversation. It was so special! I really enjoyed getting to guide a sewing project, step by step, and watching both Biz and Bri create something beautiful and useful to take home. I selfishly hope they are hooked so we can do this again and again!



Being a novice teacher, I completely forgot to take photos of the girls with their finished projects at the end of the night, but I did snag my sister's finished make up bag to snap a few photos to share today. Isn't it pretty?







Now I have a little news to share! Several months back I mentioned that I had been busy working hard at fixing up a space on main street in my town to rent as a studio space for my work and to have a place to teach others how to sew. Well, that turned into quite the sad and stressful debacle, and a BIG learning lesson for me. When it didn't work out I had to cut loose that dream for a little while. Well, an opportunity to try again just presented itself on Monday and it feels right and necessary, as I've completely outgrown my studio space at home, to give this another try. Having a well equipped workspace for myself and one that I can educate, support, and inspire those who are interested in sharing our love of fabric and sewing would be such a dream come true. Pretty please say a little prayer and send some positive vibes my way that this time it works out!

Tomorrow I'll have a special Giveaway to share, so be sure to stop back! xo Maureen

Bundle Inspired & GIVEAWAY!

Choosing colors and fabrics is one of my favorite parts of sewing! This Summer I was ridiculously happy when I pulled together this group of fabrics. My new Swifting Flora BOHO had recently arrived and the intense aqua color had me looking at this fabric design in a new way. I started pulling from my various collections, new and not so new and I fell in love with this grouping of fabrics! So much so, that every week or so I plan to curate a custom bundle to share, along with an inspirational project and Giveaway. I'm hoping it'll inspire you to combine prints from my various collections for fun new patchwork!

So for this first bundle, we have: Swifting Flora Boho (BOHO Fusions), Clarity Moments Stellar, Deepest Purpose Intense, Crystal Awakening, Mandala Harmony Vivid, Stay Humble Sunset (All from Soulful), Lunation Dark, Bird of Night Mist (Both from Nightfall) and Wreathed Whiff (Fleet & Flourish) -- All fabrics are linked and available at Fabric.com!



The sewing time I enjoy during the school year came to a halt like never before this Summer, and so a chance to create something with this pretty bundle was put on hold until just yesterday. Since making a pillow is always so satisfying and a doable afternoon project, this was just what I needed to revive my quilty soul!



I trimmed four cotton batting scraps to 8.5" squares and cut a variety of fabric string widths from my bundle. Using Quick Quilt As You Go, I added my strips to the batting, trimming the access length away and attached my four qayg string squares to finish my happy, colorful pillow top!



I prefer to bind my pillows and I love the way my Stay Humble little half moons print looks as binding cut on the straight grain!



The pillow back is finished envelope style with overlapping layers of cotton batting and my Here & Now Purpurite print from Soulful. Peach & Plum is one of my favorite new Fall color combinations, I love it!



Stitching up this beautiful pillow was the simplest way to instantly regain my sewing mojo and express the creativity that this bundle inspired!



And I didn't stop there! I also whipped up another little drawstring pouch for holding our collection of amethyst crystals, featuring more of my crystal Awaking print because it's just too perfect!









Since my Giveaway for this bundle was first offered on Instagram and many of you don't use IG, I saved one bundle to Giveaway right here when I shared the projects these fabrics inspired, and TODAY IS THE DAY!

TO ENTER: Simply leave a comment letting me know what you'd make with this bundle! One commenter will be chosen at random this Friday (9/1) and will be contacted via email, so be sure to include an email with each comment.

Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway. This week's random winner is commenter, Brenda. Congratulations, I will be in touch shortly!

xoxo Maureen

The Sewcial Bee Sampler: My Finished Quilt Top!

Before I share my finished Sewcial Bee Sampler, one last time Sharon and I are asking for all SBS makers to take the 8-answer survey we've prepared! This quick questionnaire is completely anonymous and the answers will give us better insight into how you've enjoyed this sew-along. To ensure the most accurate results, please only take the survey once. A BIG thanks to those of you who've participated in the SBS questionnaire already! If you've not yet had a chance to take the survey, please do so as soon as you can, we're only keeping it open now through the end of the SBS sew along. The link provided on both our blogs will link to the same survey. So, if you access the questionnaire from either Sharon's site or mine, your answers are compiled to the same place. Thank you in advance for your help. This has truly been a wonderful experience for both Sharon and I!

Now it's time to show off my finished Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt top!

For those of you who just discovered our block-of-the-week bee and for those of you not yet finished, you can continue to access all of the pattern and instruction pdf's on my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page so you can find everything you need to make an SBS Sampler right in one place, anytime!

For my version of the Sewcial Bee Sampler I have used prints from each of my fabric collections with Art Gallery Fabrics: Wild and Free, Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Garden Dreamer, & Soulful!  For me, this chance to see how my own prints from the collections I've created would interact with one another depending on how they were paired and positioned in each block of the week has been so fun and rewarding. With each new fabric collection comes a new story, theme and color palette needed to create something unique, all while wanting to hold onto a style and quality that will effortlessly bridge each of them together with past collections. This can be challenging and so for me to have made this quilt top that I really love, pairing all of my current prints together, it has been extra satisfying!




I put together this mosaic of my twenty-five blocks, in order of when they were made, not how I pieced them together in my final quilt top. Before I began adding my sashing strips to connect my blocks and rows, I had to remake just one block, my week 17 block: Spools, which provided a chance to add in a little Soulful to my Sampler, so I was happy to remake that one! Along with my own fabric designs I used The Denim Studio Soft Sand Linen for each of my block frames and for the final sashing, AGF's Solid Smooth Denim in Cool Foliage, a vintage looking blue that pairs perfectly with the colors I love to use when coloring my fabric collections! 

For these finale photos I had to return to my favorite local spot for quilt pictures. Isn't this barn amazing? I love the worn, white washed wood! The Sewcial Bee Sampler is just a little too big for Kevin to hold up without losing some of the blocks from view, so thankfully a couple of pins in the old wood grooves did the trick. Pretty, pretty!

I also took the quilt top with me out to my sister's beautiful new cabin in the woods. The lighting was so gorgeous, but the lush surroundings  made it a little challenging to get great shots of the full top. It was one of those times where you really had to be there to appreciate just how beautiful the quilt top looked amongst the overgrown field and fading sunlight!

Truly, although this is totally biased, I do believe that the Sewcial Bee Sampler will look incredible photographed just about anywhere! Sharon and I have both been admiring each new finished SBS that is shared in the #SewcialBeeSampler hashtag pool, so keep them coming! It was been such a joy to see all of the weeks of work we've put in on beautiful display!



It's bittersweet to see this journey come to and end and it's impossible to put into words just how much this entire sew-along has surpassed all of our expectations. This is a first time sew-along for Sharon and myself, both joining and hosting. The entire thing has been such a highlight! But I have to share that getting to work with Sharon as a fellow AGF design sister and on this sew-along has me feeling like the luckiest girl. Sharon's process of creating and planning is like nothing else, and she does it all so effortlessly. Everything she does comes out of her heart, down to every last detail, and it's so special. Thank you, Sharon. Thank you for your wisdom, your generosity, and patience with your own process (and with me). You are an inspiration, a dear friend, and I am personally grateful that you took the time to do this with me.

I'm excited to see all of the finished SBS Quilts this week! If you're blogging about your finished SBS, feel free to leave a link where we all can see in the comment section below. Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special FINALE Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday!

  XO Maureen     

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 25!

Before I share our week TWENTY FIVE block, once again Sharon and I are asking for all SBS makers to take the 8-answer survey we've prepared! This quick questionnaire is completely anonymous and the answers will give us better insight into how you've enjoyed this sew-along. To ensure the most accurate results, please only take the survey once. A BIG thanks to those of you who've participated in the SBS questionnaire already! If you've not yet had a chance to take the survey, please do so as soon as you can, we're only keeping it open now through the end of the SBS sew along. The link provided on both our blogs will link to the same survey. So, if you access the questionnaire from either Sharon's site or mine, your answers are compiled to the same place. Thank you in advance for your help!

Now it's time for the very last block release of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Today's free download is for block #25: Prairie Queen. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns. It's a great place to start for those of you just discovering our bee, where you can easily find everything you need to begin the SBS Sampler right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's Prairie Queen block I used several prints from my various collections including Nightfall, Garden Dreamer, and Fleet & Flourish. The 3.5" center of Prairie Queen was perfect for fussy cutting a pretty pink owl from my Nightfall print, Bird of Night Mist. The rest of the prints were chosen to add balance to my sampler quilt once I laid out all of my blocks to see which colors I needed to bring into this last block. I really LOVE this combination!

I snapped a few photos of this one before I added the frame because I love it SO much! I think this is such a wonderful block for featuring my Bird of Night owls. And now I'm wondering this morning how this block might look if I eliminated the bottom, center four-patch to include a complete fussy cut owl. I might have to give it a try!



Finishing up this last block of our Sampler has me excited to add the sashing, but first I'm going to remake my week 17 block: Spools. For this block I had introduced more of my eggplant purple Lunation Dark Nightfall print and it turned out to be too dark when arranged with the rest of my blocks. I'm excited to redo this one in Soulful and will be sure to share it on Instagram later this week! Sharon and I encourage you to remake any blocks that you think might need a little tweaking in next few days because next week we'll have instructions for adding sashing and finishing up our Sampler quilts!



I can't wait to see all of the Prairie Queen blocks this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with the Needle and Foot!

Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen