The Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour : : Amanda Jean

It's been so much fun seeing what my Fleet & Flourish fabrics have inspired others to make for the Blog Tour this week! Today's stop is quilt blogger, author, pattern and fabrics designer, Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts. I love Amanda's happy, colorful, scrappy style and am so thrilled to have her as part of the tour! On her Instagram Amanda shared several Fleet & Flourish photos while she worked on her project ~ from the cutting mat, to her design wall, to basting, and quilting day, it was so exciting to watch Amanda's beautiful quilt come together!!







Today on Amanda's blog you can read and see all about her Fleet & Flourish quilt project, so be sure to hop on over. It's so beautiful!! I want to make the exact same quilt for myself...to keep! ♡



I really hope you're enjoying the Blog Tour so far! Be sure to stop back tomorrow to see Brooke's project and to enter a BIG Fleet & Flourish Giveaway!!

Here's a scheduled list of the talented folks that are sharing their Fleet & Flourish projects! 

Feb 22nd ~ Amy Friend : During Quiet Time { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 23rd ~ Heidi Staples : Fabric Mutt { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 24th ~ Amy Smart : Diary of a Quilter { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 25th ~ Amanda Jean: Crazy Mom Quilts { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 26th ~ Brooke Sellmann : Silly Mama Quilts { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Lady Belle Fabrics!!

Feb 29th ~ Amber Carillo : One Shabby Chick { Instagram & Blog }

March 1st ~ Nicke Cutler : Kiss Kiss Quilt { Instagram & Blog }

March 2nd ~ Nicole Daksiewicz : Modern Handcraft { Instagram & Blog }

March 3rd ~ Christopher Thompson : the Tattooed Quilter { Instagram & Blog }

March 4th ~ Alexis Wright : My Sweet Sunshine { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Llama Fabrics!!

March 7th ~ Jessica Stewart : Izzy & Ivy Designs { Blog & Instagram }

March 8th ~ Stephanie Kendron : Modern Sewciety { Blog & Instagram }

March 9th ~ Heather Bostic : House of A La Mode // Citizens of Textile { Instagram }

March 10th ~ Ali Brorsen : Because of Brenna { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

March 11th ~ Melissa Kelley : Sew Shabby Quilting { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with the Intrepid Thread!!

March 14th ~  Maureen Cracknell Handmade { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

 ♡ Maureen

The Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour : : Amy Smart

Today's stop on the Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour is my friend, the very talented author & quilt blogger, Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter! I have been such a fan and follower of Amy's work since I began quilting a few years ago. I had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time in Pittsburgh at Spring Quilt Market, and she is the nicest, most genuine person. It's an real honor to have her join the Blog Tour!



When Amy received her bundle of Fleet & Flourish she was busy preparing for her teaching gig at this past weekend's Quilt Con ~ a class on advanced piecing techniques, including Y-seams. When she began sharing peeks of her Fleet & Flourish Diamond Stars on Instagram I was in love!



Today on Amy's blog you can read and see all about her Fleet & Flourish quilt project, so be sure to hop on over. It's absolutely AMAZING!!



For a chance to land an extra little pile of fabrics on your sewing table, be sure to follow along with the Fleet & Flourish blog tour! There will be plenty of chances to win fabric + thread prizes, and loads of sewing inspiration along the way! I promise!!

Here's a scheduled list of the talented folks that are sharing their Fleet & Flourish projects! 

Feb 22nd ~ Amy Friend : During Quiet Time { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 23rd ~ Heidi Staples : Fabric Mutt { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 24th ~ Amy Smart : Diary of a Quilter { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 25th ~ Amanda Jean: Crazy Mom Quilts { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 26th ~ Brooke Sellmann : Silly Mama Quilts { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Lady Belle Fabrics!!

Feb 29th ~ Amber Carillo : One Shabby Chick { Instagram & Blog }

March 1st ~ Nicke Cutler : Kiss Kiss Quilt { Instagram & Blog }

March 2nd ~ Nicole Daksiewicz : Modern Handcraft { Instagram & Blog }

March 3rd ~ Christopher Thompson : the Tattooed Quilter { Instagram & Blog }

March 4th ~ Alexis Wright : My Sweet Sunshine { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Llama Fabrics!!

March 7th ~ Jessica Stewart : Izzy & Ivy Designs { Blog & Instagram }

March 8th ~ Stephanie Kendron : Modern Sewciety { Blog & Instagram }

March 9th ~ Heather Bostic : House of A La Mode // Citizens of Textile { Instagram }

March 10th ~ Ali Brorsen : Because of Brenna { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

March 11th ~ Melissa Kelley : Sew Shabby Quilting { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with the Intrepid Thread!!

March 14th ~  Maureen Cracknell Handmade { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

I hope you're enjoying it! ♡ Maureen

The Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour : : Heidi Staples

Today's stop on the Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour is my friend, blogger & author Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt! Heidi and I have been friends for years, I just adore her and her work! She has the most amazing gift for creating unique & special patchwork accessories, pillows, & quilts, she's a total super star! For the blog tour Heidi stitched up the sweetest iron cover, something I never realized I needed until now, I'm so inspired!



The inspiration for Heidi's iron cover came from a tea cozy pattern shared in Natural Patchwork by Suzuko Koseki - you can read all about it today in Heidi's blog post, HERE!



Besides creating the new cozy for the blog tour, I wanted to share a few other inspiring items Heidi made with my Fleet & Flourish strike-off for my space at International Quilt Market in Houston this past Fall.

Many of these items were created using the free tutorials that Heidi so generously shares on her wonderful blog. You can find all the details in my Fleet & Flourish LookBook, HERE!

I love everything Heidi makes and I know you will, too!

For a chance to land an extra little pile of fabrics on your sewing table, be sure to follow along with the Fleet & Flourish blog tour! There will be plenty of chances to win fabric + thread prizes, and loads of sewing inspiration along the way! I promise!!

Here's a scheduled list of the talented folks that are sharing their Fleet & Flourish projects! 

Feb 22nd ~ Amy Friend : During Quiet Time { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 23rd ~ Heidi Staples : Fabric Mutt { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 24th ~ Amy Smart : Diary of a Quilter { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 25th ~ Amanda Jean: Crazy Mom Quilts { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 26th ~ Brooke Sellmann : Silly Mama Quilts { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Lady Belle Fabrics!!

Feb 29th ~ Amber Carillo : One Shabby Chick { Instagram & Blog }

March 1st ~ Nicke Cutler : Kiss Kiss Quilt { Instagram & Blog }

March 2nd ~ Nicole Daksiewicz : Modern Handcraft { Instagram & Blog }

March 3rd ~ Christopher Thompson : the Tattooed Quilter { Instagram & Blog }

March 4th ~ Alexis Wright : My Sweet Sunshine { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Llama Fabrics!!

March 7th ~ Jessica Stewart : Izzy & Ivy Designs { Blog & Instagram }

March 8th ~ Stephanie Kendron : Modern Sewciety { Blog & Instagram }

March 9th ~ Heather Bostic : House of A La Mode // Citizens of Textile { Instagram }

March 10th ~ Ali Brorsen : Because of Brenna { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

March 11th ~ Melissa Kelley : Sew Shabby Quilting { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with the Intrepid Thread!!

March 14th ~  Maureen Cracknell Handmade { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

I hope you enjoy it! ♡ Maureen

The Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour : : Amy Friend

Today kicks off the very first day of my Fleet & Flourish Blog Tour with my very talented friend, Amy Friend! When I asked Amy to join she had a very specific quilt vision for my Roadside Guides in Aster log cabin print. Right away I was excited, because I knew Amy would create the most perfect quilt pattern to showcase this fabric.

WOW did she ever!!





Today, we invite you to visit Amy's blog ~ During Quiet Time to see more and to read all about this gorgeous quilt "Possibilities" she created using my Roadside Guides in Aster print as her inspiration!

It's amazing and is such an honor to have Amy lend her incredible gifts to my Blog Tour!

For a chance to land an extra little pile of fabrics on your sewing table, be sure to follow along with the Fleet & Flourish blog tour! There will be plenty of chances to win fabric + thread prizes, and loads of sewing inspiration along the way! I promise!!

Here's a scheduled list of the talented folks that are sharing their Fleet & Flourish projects! 

Feb 22nd ~ Amy Friend : During Quiet Time { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 23rd ~ Heidi Staples : Fabric Mutt { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 24th ~ Amy Smart : Diary of a Quilter { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 25th ~ Amanda Jean: Crazy Mom Quilts { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 26th ~ Brooke Sellmann : Silly Mama Quilts { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Lady Belle Fabrics!!

Feb 29th ~ Amber Carillo : One Shabby Chick { Instagram & Blog }

March 1st ~ Nicke Cutler : Kiss Kiss Quilt { Instagram & Blog }

March 2nd ~ Nicole Daksiewicz : Modern Handcraft { Instagram & Blog }

March 3rd ~ Christopher Thompson : the Tattooed Quilter { Instagram & Blog }

March 4th ~ Alexis Wright : My Sweet Sunshine { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Llama Fabrics!!

March 7th ~ Jessica Stewart : Izzy & Ivy Designs { Blog & Instagram }

March 8th ~ Stephanie Kendron : Modern Sewciety { Blog & Instagram }

March 9th ~ Heather Bostic : House of A La Mode // Citizens of Textile { Instagram }

March 10th ~ Ali Brorsen : Because of Brenna { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

March 11th ~ Melissa Kelley : Sew Shabby Quilting { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with the Intrepid Thread!!

March 14th ~  Maureen Cracknell Handmade { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

I hope you enjoy it! ♡ Maureen

A Scrappy Film Strip Pillow : :

Throughout this week, Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side is hosting her second annual Pillow Collective series to inspire fun, fresh, patchwork pillow making! You can find my last year's pillow tutorial contribution right here. As you know, I love making pillows for their quick, yet satisfying finish! Creating a new pillow is such a great, functional way to test out a new quilt idea or fabric pull and so, this year Amy asked us to use one of the blocks in her new book Think Big as the inspiration for our pillows!

I decided to use Amy's Film Strip block pattern for my pillow design inspiration, with a super scrappy twist, choosing a fabric mix of Art Gallery's Wild & Free, Wanderer, Winged, and Prisma Elements!



Each of the blocks in Think Big are 18"x18," a perfect throw pillow size, but since I happen to only have 16" inserts on hand, I had to play with my measurements a little. I love how it turned out so much that if I hadn't needed to finish this block as a pillow to share here today, I would have kept on going until I had a new quilt top!

 

I quilted up the pillow front with straight lines every 1/4" in a pretty sky blue Aurifil 40wt cotton!



For the back I used one of my most favorite Wanderer prints, Crocheting Crops, with some scrappy bits leftover from the pillow front patchwork. I love these colors!



After finishing with Emmy Grace quilt binding, I added in my insert, and I really love how it turned out!









Be sure to check out Amy Ellis' blog this week to see all the other Think Big pillow creators. I was so excited to see Amy Smart's Wild & Free pillow! Amy Ellis is offering 30% off all copies of Think Big purchased from her online shop, now through March 1st, just use the coupon code: ILOVEPILLOWS at checkout! There's also a fun Giveaway including fabric bundles and even a quilt made from Amy's Moda Modern Neutrals fabric collection! To enter to win, all you need to do is Pin (via Pinterest) any pillow image from this week's Pillow Collective tour using the hashtag #ThinkBigBook and #PillowCollective. You can visit Amy's blog for more details. Enjoy! 

♡ Maureen    

A Wanderlust Quilt Top : :

Today is my stop on April Rhodes' Wanderer Fabric Tour that I am so, so excited to be a part of! At Fall Quilt Market I completely fell in love with this new, inspiring collection and have been so looking forward to it's release!

 

A couple of weeks ago I shared a peek of my plan for a flying geese quilt featuring each lovely Wanderer print with a mix of complimenting AGF Pure Element solids in a layout that I was really excited about. I'm calling this my Wanderlust Quilt. The name is inspired by the prints themselves that tell a story of World travel, adventure and dreams. And, is equally inspired by the flow and movement of my flying geese pattern!



I love the impact of separating each of these beautiful Wanderer fabric colors!





Here we are at Cherry Springs Vista, an amazing place to view the rolling hills of Potter County, even in sub-zero temperatures!



I'm definitely not finished playing with this beautiful collection! I have several more Wanderer projects and plans in the works that I'll be sharing throughout the next few weeks, I can't wait! In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of the Wanderer Tour stops! Here's the full list...

Sunday Feb. 15 - Nicole Morgenthau - finchsewingstudio.com
Monday Feb. 16 - Holly Hughes - hollygetsquilty.com
Tuesday Feb. 17 - Shannon Cook - veryshannon.com
Wednesday Feb. 18 - Becca Bryan -  bryanhousequilts.com
Thursday Feb. 19 - Rochelle New - luckylucille.com
Friday Feb. 20 - Kate -  http://seekatesew.com
Saturday Feb. 21 - Amber - oneshabbychick.typepad.com
Sunday Feb. 22 - Caroline Hulse - sewcaroline.com
Monday Feb. 23 - John Adams - quiltdad.com
Tuesday Feb. 24 - Maureen Cracknell - maureencracknellhandmade
Wednesday Feb. 25 - Delia - deliacreates.com
Thursday Feb. 26 - Kelly - cutcutsew.com
Friday Feb. 27 - Christopher Thompson - thetattooedquilter.com
Saturday Feb. 28 - Jen - www.littlewifepowerhouse.com

Of course there's also an amazing Giveaway!



Enter to win! --> Here's how, simply follow April (@aprilarhodes) on IG and repost any of the Wanderer Tour photos with #wanderertourgiveaway and she will randomly choose a winner from the hashtags pool on March 1st! You can find my Wanderer, Wanderlust quilt top to share on Instagram right HERE!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Just For You Book & GIVEAWAY : :

Long ago I was invited to contribute a project for the new book Just for You: Selfish Sewing Projects from Your Favorite Sew Can She Bloggers: 24 Simply Stylish Projects by authors Sarah Markos and Caroline Fairbanks-Critchfield of SewCanShe. Over the years the SewCanShe blog has so kindly featured many of my own tutorials and I was thrilled to have been asked. To celebrate it's release there's a fun blog hop happening all month long, featuring all the book contributors, including a sneak peek of each project, with lots of chances to win your very own copy of Just for You! This is my very first book contribution, so it's all very exciting!



The book is a collection of "selfish sewing" projects from bags & totes to skirts & tops to scarves & aprons and more, all designed by many of your favorite bloggers! The projects are arranged into twelve chapters, one chapter for each month, so you can sew along with the book throughout the year. In October, you'll find my project for a Pretty Pocket Apron!



This apron is made using just five fat quarters of fabric, a denim linen, my favorite English Garden Serene print by Bari J, Art Gallery Fabrics Flumes in Citron and PE solid Nocturnal, with several scrappy bits for the colorful pocket applique!



Today, Stash Books is offering a copy of Just For You to one of my readers!

Enter to win!  

Here's how,  

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (one entry)
2. My followers get a second entry whether you follow here, on Instagram or Facebook! Just let me know by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
3. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do so, I've added sharing as another way to enter! Whether by instagram, tweet, facebook, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry) 

That’s 3 possible entries! Enter now through Monday, November 24th! 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. U.S. winner will receive a hard cover book, International winner will receive the eBook version! 

In addition to this chance to win, Caroline is also giving away Just For You plus fabric for four projects! Enter HERE and be sure to click through the blog hop to see the other project previews from the book!

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway!! From 339 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is...

Comment #159 --   * Linda Nelson *  Congratulations, I'll be in touch shortly!   

Solid Beginnings : :

RJR Fabrics recently invited me to join in a blog hop to celebrate their solids collection, RJR Cotton Supreme Solids. I had a lot of fun looking through the color card and deciding what to choose for my project. There's so many color options, you can find many of them available here at Pink Castle Fabrics!



Usually I receive or purchase fabrics and then decide what they should become once the arrive, when I can see them up close, feel them, play around with grouping certain prints together, and separating their color values. With solid fabrics it's much different. Designing a project using only solids is something I haven't tried until now, although I've always wanted to!



I began by simply choosing a stack of colors that I've been feeling lately. Optical White, a bright crisp neutral. One the Rock, a light stone-y gray. Flamingo, a medium peachy pink. Tropicana, a radiant coral. Slate, a muted dark blue. And Navy, an inky ultra-dark shade. By beginning with colors that I really love, it eases any worry I feel over not having a project plan, like I'm guaranteed to make something pretty if the fabrics are beautiful!



I stitched up just one block in the time I had to begin yesterday and still haven't committed to a solid plan.





Since this solid only project is a first for me, I thought it might be fun to make something new and different than a quilt. Maybe. An extra-large quilted floor pillow, a new Summer tote bag, a modern table runner, or even a baby quilt are a few of the possibilities I've been imagining.  Any suggestions?

A Garden Gate Pillow Tutorial : :

Today I'm sharing a new tutorial for a 20" Garden Gate Quilted Patchwork Pillow, a project I designed as part of Amy's Creative Side's Pillow Collective! Amy invited me to join in this fun blog hop, asking that I put together a new pillow tutorial to share, inspire, and motivate you to create a handmade pillow of your very own, as well! Now let's get started!!

What you'll need : :

• 6  - 6" squares of dark fabrics of your choosing (I'm using Blythe fabric by Rebecca Bischoff for Robert Kaufman)
• 24 - 3.25" squares of light fabrics of your choosing (I'm using these Blythe prints)
• 2 - pieces of fabric measure 3" x 20.5"  
• 2 - pieces of fabric for the backing measuring 14" x 20.5"each
• 1 - piece of batting measuring a 22" square
• 1 - 20" pillow insert
• Coordinating Thread
• Rotary Cutter/Mat/Ruler

Cutting and Piecing the Fabrics : :

For this pillow I made lots of Flying Geese using my favorite method that yields four flying geese quickly! Each block begins with a 6" square of dark fabric, cutting one of these to yield four flying geese units. For the light fabric cut 3.25" squares, you'll need to cut four of these to yield four flying geese units.

1. Lay two of the light fabric squares onto the larger dark square with right sides facing. The light squares will overlap slightly in the middle. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the two light fabric squares. Pin in place.



2. Sew 1/4" away from the marked line, through all the layers, on both sides of the marked line.



3. Cut on the marked line to make two units.



4. Press open with the seam allowance pressed in the same direction for both.



5. Working with one unit at a time, lay one of the remaining light fabric squares onto one unit.



6. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the light fabric square again and sew 1/4" away from the marked line on both sides of marked line.



7. Cut on marked line.



8. Press open and you'll have two finished Flying Geese. Repeat with the other unit and you'll have four Flying Geese. Repeat with the remaining 6" dark fabrics and 3.25" light fabrics until you have a total of 24 Flying Geese.



9. Layout your pattern and begin by sewing two flying geese together at a time using a scant .25" seam allowance to create the diamond pattern. Trim each diamond block to measure a 5.25" square.



10. Using a 1/8" to a very scant 1/4" seam, sew together four diamond blocks to create a panel.



11. Repeat for a total of three panels of four diamond blocks each.







12. Connect the three panels together using the two 3" x 20.5" fabric strips.





13. Baste the pieced pillow top to the batting using basting spray or pins.



14. Add the quilting stitches in a style of your choosing. Trim away excess batting to square up.





15. Prepare the backing fabrics with a double seam or bound edge and finish the pillow with an envelope style closure. Insert the pillow form and viola!! Your pretty patchwork pillow is finished!









Be sure to stop by the blogs listed below to see all of the amazing pillow ideas being shared during the Pillow Collective!

• Amy Ellis
• April Rosenthal
• Lisa Calle
• Natalia Bonner
• Megan Bohr
• Amanda Woodruff
• Heather Valentine
• Amy Smart
• Vanessa Christenson
• Maureen Cracknell  -- me!
• Amanda Jean Nyberg
• Dana Bolyard
• Christina Lane
• Heather Bostic
• Audrie Bidwell
• Amanda Herring

If you do give this tutorial a go at anytime, be sure to share on my Facebook page, in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Flickr group, or on Instagram tagging me @maureencracknell with hashtag #pillowcollective -- I love seeing what you create!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!   ♥  Maureen