Begin Again : :

Back in March, when it was still chilly and thoughts of colorful Summer flowers and days still felt distant, it was those musings combined with my first Monthly Sparks blogger bundle -- a bright collection of fabrics turned into dozens of flying geese that inspired the beginnings of my Modern Chrysanthemum quilt block!









I was so excited about where I was headed with this one and somehow still managed to bury it!

Then this morning I brought it out again, gave it and my remaining sixty flying geese units a good press, took lots of pictures to share today, all so I can begin a new plan for it.









There's a long drive ahead of us as we head to North Caroline tomorrow for our annual family vacation. I'm excited for the time to sketch out a final design plan and to have this beautiful beginning out awaiting my return!

♡ Maureen

New : :

There's been a lot of new this week!

New fabrics from Fabric Spark! Here we have my curated February bundle for the Monthly Sparks Club, a Fabric Spark exclusive club where members receive a beautiful new bundle each month including twelve unique fat quarters chosen by myself, Very Shannon, Fresh Lemons, Blue Elephant Stitches, Modern Sewciety + The Tattooed Quilter, and Thread Riding Hood. My picks feature several prints from of my own Wild & Free collection along with a few of my favorite Cotton & Steel offerings from the Fabric Spark shop!





A new fabric pull for a quick-make pillow project! I've had this idea to make triple striped geese for weeks now rolling around in my head, I even wrote out the math for a quick, no waste method. This week I chose fabrics in a color scheme inspired by one of my favorite Fossil pouches and late last night I tried out my plan with happy results! I hope to offer this new pillow in my upcoming sale!







And, I finished up my newest Diamond Strings quilt-as-you-go quilt top! I shared in my last post that I was indecisive as to which solid(s) to use for finishing. In the end I went with a Patina Green, Icy Mint, and Peach Sherbet combination that I. am. loving!



Today, I'm making plans for the bundle of April Rhodes' brand new Wanderer collection that just arrived at my door!



Happy sewing! ♡ Maureen 

A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

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It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!

My sponsor the Fat Quarter Shop was founded in 2003 by Kimberly Jolly. An avid quilter, Kimberly began her shop as a side business while still working a corporate position, cutting, packing and shipping right out of her house during evenings and weekends. From the very beginning, she was committed to delivering top-notch service for every single order and customer. As the Fat Quarter Shop's reputation grew, Kimberly decided to make it a full-time operation. Her husband Kevin joined her not long after, and with his help, lots of hard work, and a tireless commitment, the store began to grow. Over the past few years a few more people have joined the staff!

As a team, they continue to branch out with the best fabrics, exclusive kits, quilt clubs, BOMs, and more. And they will always be driven by the passion that Kimberly founded the store upon, 
which is always giving you the best products and service! 

SHOP  *  PINTEREST  *  TWITTER  *  BLOG  *  FACEBOOK  *  YOUTUBE

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We hope you enjoy visiting the Fat Quarter Shop's sites!!  

For this week's giveaway the Fat Quarter Shop is offering the Maureen Cracknell Blogger's Choice Bundle, including a selection of 12 prints and 3 solids from a number of gorgeous fabric collections and designer quilting weight cotton manufactures! 

I used this bundle to create my Follow the Arrow quilt!

You can find this bundle available at the Fat Quarter Shop HERE, with a detailed list of each of the fabrics I selected to create this custom Fat Quarter bundle!

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! Feel free to share what you'd make if you won my Blogger's Choice Bundle?? (one entry)
2. Follow the Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook or subscribe to their wonderful Youtube Channel! 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! 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 facebook, instagram, tweet, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry)

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday, May 26th. The winner will be chosen 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 1,170 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is... 

Comment #421 --   *  Cynthia Brunz Designs   *
   

Congratulations! I will be in touch shortly! 

A Flying Geese Quilt Top : :

I finished up my first new quilt top of the year early this past Sunday morning. I absolutely love it! It's made using the same flying geese measurements as I share in my Soaring High quilt pattern for Cloud9 Fabrics and my Blogger's Choice bundle for the Fat Quarter Shop!



When I was invited to create a Blogger's Choice bundle, I had no particular color scheme in mind, and found it a little difficult to choose from just those fabrics newly available this month. Knowing that it would be available for January, I wanted it to feel like Winter and in the end settled with a collection of icy blue-green, pale grays, creamy whites, dark teal, a few saffron yellows, black, and purples. It has a much different feel than the fabrics I've been using these past couple weeks, a welcomed change and chance to do something a little different!



To make this quilt, I made lots and lots of geese and sewed them randomly together going every which way. I was having fun and was working fast!





I plan to see about sending this one into Melissa of Sewing Shabby Quilting to work her quilting magic with something that will compliment all these flying geese. I can't wait to see it finished!



♥ Maureen 

Oh, Geese : :

When my FQS Blogger's Choice bundle arrived, a collection of twelve hand-selected newly released prints with three solids all in fat quarter cuts, I knew just what I would be making with them! I had designed this Soaring High quilt pattern for Cloud9 Fabrics back in November and enjoyed making these flying geese blocks so much, I've been craving another go at them ever since. Following the same fabric cut measurements listed in my pattern, yesterday morning I began making geese. And, lots of them!













I couldn't resist going super scrappy with these colors and prints. As it's all coming together the original arrangement I had in mind is vanishing more and more, but I'm having so much fun improvising as I go!

How about you, have you given flying geese a go? I honestly LOVE making them!

♥ Maureen 

Monday Plans : :

Today begins a first full week since before the holidays of school, work, and finally a revisit to our regular routine. Which for me, means that I will no longer have to scramble to finish up etsy orders during the sewing time I find and that I can finally focus some real energy on new quilty projects!  

Last Wednesday on my one and only free sewing day of the week, I accomplished exactly half of my Minimalista quilt top. I'm using the full collection in fat quarter cuts combined with coordinating Pure solids in Coral Reef, Honey, Cozumel Blue, and Ash. I had hoped to write up instructions for my quick pattern sketch as I went along, but things didn't come together as easily as I envisioned. I am really pleased with how it looks so far, but it involved a bit of tweaking to get it there!



I love how Art Gallery fabrics quilt up, especially combined with Aurifil! You might have noticed!!





With my Watermelon and Honeycomb panels complete, this week I plan to cut into the Noir and Turquoise colorways with high hopes up finishing up to share by this Thursday or early next week at the very latest!



But first, I'm super excited to work my Fat Quarter Shop Blogger bundle into something special! I LOVE color, but these colors are so, very me! If you'd like to take a closer look, be sure to visit the Fat Quarter Shop!



I'm off to jump in... Everyone have a wonderful Monday!

♥ Maureen 

An Improv & LillyBelle Quilt { A Quilt As You Go Finish } : :

I am so thrilled to have this quilt finished! To say that I took my time with it, is a HUGE understatement, and definitely shouldn't signify that creating it wasn't fun! I really enjoyed it and I'm so glad I took my time! I think it's honest to say that the main reason it did take until now is simply because I was making this quilt just for me, and you know how those things get pushed to the bottom of the list!

Well, since sharing my Quilt As You Go How-to, I've received so many questions on finishing a qayg quilt! I took lots of photos as I finished, to share today and link to as a Part 2 of that tutorial. My intention was to make the finishing of this quilt as easy as possible and I think it was!

For starters, I used 505 Basting Spray for the first time. That's the only part I didn't photograph. My husband helped with the spraying, I laid the quilt right side down, he sprayed the batting that was already quilted to the quilt top in smallish sections, and I made sure the seams were all nice and flat while I smoothed down the backing fabric. All in all it took maybe 20 minutes!

About a week later, I finally found the time to add my final quilting stitches. When adding this stitching it IS recommended that you do use a Walking Foot. I haven't found it necessary now that I am using my Janome. Working my way down from the top of my quilt to the bottom, with my stitch length set at 3, I simply sewed about 1/4" to maybe 1/2" from the seam line.





I continued this for both sides of each seam running from the top of my quilt to the bottom!



Here's a good look at just how these stitches will look from the backside of your quilt!



Now working from side to side, I decided this time to add my stitches by stitching in the ditch. This is a way of quilting that minimizes how much thread shows on the top of the quilt. Even though stitching in the ditch is somewhat invisible on the top of the quilt, it does secure all three layers of the quilt sandwich!



You can add your quilting stitches either way -- by stitching along the seams, by stitching in the ditch, or combining them as I did.  Any of these will be enough to set that backing fabric to your quilt as you go quilt top!

Here's a look at how those stitches will look from the back of your quilt, once you're completely finished!



But first, you have to bind the quilt using your preferred method! I know there are about a million ways to do so, my go-to is exactly the same as Allson's of Cluck, Cluck, Sews Machine Binding method! She has a wonderful tutorial!!

I also love using this super smart, time saving trick!



If you have a foot on your machine or extension table, the binding unrolls neatly and slowly, and out of your way, as you add it to your quilt. No need for pins -- LOVE it!!



Seriously -- between the quilting as you go, the basting spray, and this little binding trick -- quilting doesn't get any easier folks!!

And, in the end you have a pretty, handmade quilt!!

Since this quilt is just for me, yay ! I went a little crazy with the super sweet and girly LillyBelle Garden Rocket border and used nothing but Bari J.'s Henna Stripe for the back! I love it!! It's so colorful and fun on the front and has such a Wintery back, and I do LOVE Winter!!



In the end I think we'll all agree, regardless of your fabric taste or even how you make a quilt -- that this is the very best part!



I hope you do give qayg a try! Be sure to let me know if you do, ok? Feel free to share on my Facebook page or in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Flickr group, and of course you can share a link here or email me anytime, as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!   ♥,  Maureen