A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

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It's Friday Giveaway Day!! 

My sponsor, Canton Village Quilt Works, has a wonderful offer today!

 

 

Canton Village Quilt Works was born out of a passion for quilting. Owner, Jacqueline has been a quilter for 18 years, a long-arm quilter for 12 years, in business for 12 years, a fabric shop owner for 2 years! She's designed for Quilt Magazine, is a quilting podcaster, is an avid quilt blogger, and she even has a Youtube Channel with design tutorials. Her shop carries an extensive Kaffe Fassett Collective selection, as well as TONS of Batiks, Australian Aboriginal fabrics, Art Gallery fabrics, Black and White fabrics, and TONS of Kona Cotton Solids… all at extremely reasonable prices and speedy shipping!

Website * Shop * Blog * Facebook * Podcast

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We hope you enjoy visiting Canton Village Quilt Works!!  

For this weekend's Giveaway, Canton Village Quilt Works is offering a  
10 fat quarter bundle of these gorgeous print from Art Gallery's Modernology Collection!

And, you're all invited to... 

Enjoy an additional 15% off any purchase this weekend by entering coupon code : : handmade15

 

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,

1. Simply add a comment to this post. You can include what you'd make if you won. I love reading all of your ideas! (one entry)
2. Follow Canton Village Quilt Work blog, facebook page, or sign up to receive the Newsletter. Just let me know that you follow Jacqueline, by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (one optional entry)
3. Followers of Maureen Cracknell Handmade get a second entry! Whether you follow me here or on Facebook, just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (one optional entry)

Please, enter now through Monday morning, April 2nd. Mr. Random will pick the winner and I will announce their name in a new post here on the blog.

* Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or an anonymous commenter, remember to include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you, should you win! Please check to make sure you can be contacted!

  
Wishing a wonderful weekend to all!!!

Celebrate Color { Voting! }: :

Today marks the end of the Celebrate Color event hosted by Rachel of Stitched in Color, along with Emma Lamb, Mollie of Wild Olive, and Shannon of LuvintheMommyhood. As promised it was packed full of color and crafting inspiration, tutorials, and of course, contests and prizes during these past three months. I loved it for many reasons, but mostly for bringing fiber artists of all kinds, be it embroidery, crochet, knitting, quilting, home decor, and clothing all together to share and inspire each other.

I was thrilled when Rachel asked me to put together a little tutorial for a project geared towards little helping hands. As a family, we spent a weekend back in late September, just as the leaves here were turning, putting this Felt Leaf Garland Tutorial together to share here and as a guest post for Celebrate Color.



Throughout September, October, and November I made sure to have at least one item to enter. Carefully choosing what would fit the theme of celebrating with projects in full color.

In September, I chose to add both my Simple Children's Scarf (tutorial here) and my Fall Fox Pillow. I was overjoyed to learn that my Innocent Crush Fox had been chosen as a finalists and ended up winning second place in the Home Decor category that month!



In October, I entered two different items in the Wearable category. Which I truly couldn't believe myself. I am not a garment sewists at all! My only explanation would be that after Rachel's Bloggers Pillow Party, I just felt like I needed to do more than to keep making pillows. I entered my Fall Owl Tote, which I love using, and of course, My Little Red Riding Hood costume. Little Red made the finials in October, and again I took home second!! I let my daughter, Haila pick out her own flannels as our prize for some new pj's!



Now here we are at the end of November, the third final month of what turned out to be such a wonderful event to follow and join in. This month I entered my new Half Dresden Pillows in the Home Dec category and My Little Apron in the Wearables. To my complete shock and amazement, my apron was chosen as a finalist again this month!!!



I am feeling a bit of blissful deja vu, as I was a three time finalists in the Pillow Party, as well. I can not tell you how much this means to me!!! You can all vote for your favorites in all four categories until midnight tonight. Truly, I feel like I have already won!!

Thank you Rachel, Emma, Mollie, and Shannon, for creating such a wonderful event and for all the hard work and time you put into organizing the fun! And, Thank You for voting, friends! ~ Maureen

A New Fall Tote {and Giveaway Winner} : :

You might remember this owl from last week. I had asked your opinion whether to continue this project into another pillow or a new tote bag. Well, almost everyone said tote, and here it is! The front is made up of my new Community Critters, a little more of my Fall fabric stash, along with a few others.



The lining is Critter Birds in Bermuda and the back is Critter Owls in Retro. This fabric is so sweet! This was intended to be something just for the kids to use. They each loved these fabrics so much.



But, I accidentally made it a little larger than I had planned, oops! I guess the kiddos and I will have to share it.



You all do know how I love my owls!



I plan to enter this new tote of ours in the fabric wearables category of Celebrate Color.

And now, we have a winner! 

First, I want to say a big THANK YOU to Moona Fabrics for being so very generous!!! If you've fallen in love with these fabrics, you can find the entire Pat Bravo Bespoken Collection in the Moona Fabric shop right now!



Thank You to all of you who entered, I'm so glad you all liked our Giveaway! I know that not winning is not much fun at all -- my apologies for that! So, good news -- I'll be hosting a new giveaway here again this Friday and as often as I can, hopefully each Friday! Be sure stop back. I think it's such a wonderful way to end each week, I hope you think so too!

So without further ado, from the 864 entries that came in before 10 pm, Mr. Random says our lucky winner is comment # 795, Phyllis!!! I hope you enjoy your winnings! Both Moona Fabrics and I will be in touch!

Thanks again and Happy Monday everyone!!!

Oh, and don't forget to vote!

I forget to mention in my last post that the voting is now open for the September Celebrate Color entries! My little Fall Fox Pillow is in the running for the Home Decor category, hooray!

You don't have to vote for me, but you do have to vote!!! : ) 

Go ahead...what are you waiting for!

~ Maureen ~

A Felt Leaf Garland Tutorial : :

Fall is the perfect time to get out and get creative by doing nature-inspired art projects with your children. Today's project is all about using the natural beauty in the colored leaves of this season to create and inspire an art project for the kids and you to do, together!



What you'll need : :

• A variety of wool blend felt pieces in Fall colors
• A variety of Fall leaves for color and shape inspiration
• Card Stock for making the leaf shape templates
• Markers
• Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Double Folded Bias Tape
• Sewing Machine
• Thread 
• Pins

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Gathering Leaves and Inspiration : :

While most of the leaves around the house are still green, we were able to find all that we needed to guide us in our color choices and leaf shapes for this project.



1. Trace a variety of the leaves onto a heavy paper such as card stock, and cut those out to make the leaf pattern templates 2. Trace the leaf templates onto the felt (this is the perfect job for kiddos) 3. Cut out the felt leaf shapes (This might be a job just for the adults, depending on how old, and handy with scissors, the children are.)



4. Keep tracing those leaves. I left the more simple shapes for my youngest. They each ended up picking a favorite 5. Using just a little bit of glue, have your little one attach the cut out leaf to another piece of felt of a different color 6. Cut away the felt again, until you have have a double-sided leaf



7. Continue until you have a nice variety of shapes and colors. Seventeen was the perfect amount of leaves for a standard package of double sided bias tape. You can use less or more depending on how full you want your garland to be.



8. Now it's time to sew! I let the kids help with adding a simple, straight stitch to a few of the leaves (pic 1), then I showed them how to do both a straight stitch up the center with stitches coming out from that center line (pic 2), and a few with free motion quilting (pic 3).



Continue until you've added the stitching to each of the felt leaves.



Assembling The Garland : : 



9. Create a loop at the end and pin, this is for hanging the garland 10. About every 2 1/2" or so, open the double-sided bias tape and insert a leaf 11. close bias tape and pin leaf in place



12. Continue repeating this step until all the leaves are pinned to the bias tape, alternating leaf colors and shapes, spacing them out evening.



13. Begin sewing with a thread that matches the bias tape color, starting at the loop, back-stitching when you begin 14. Make your way down the bias tape, removing pins as you go, keeping your seam close to the edge. Make sure to catch the leaf end with your needle 15. Finish by back-stitching at the end loop



You're finished!  

Wishing a wonderful Fall Season to all!!! 

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Tuesday Inspiration : :

Purple + Green + Yellow + Blue

Photos via Pinterest

I really never buy purple anything for myself (for my daughter yes), but me? Nope, never. So I really surprised myself last week when I saw this lightweight, cream fabric with shades of purples, yellow, greens and blue at the fabric shop and had to bring it home. After I pulled some coordinating quilting weight cottons from my stash, right away I started sewing.



Using this palette and my new Simple Scarf Tutorial from last week, with just a few measurement adjustments, I made myself a new Fall scarf.



It's not very heavy and I like that. I'm not ready to layer on the wool until after the leaves have fallen. And, this way I can reach for it in the Spring again. The front is just an improv patchwork piecing of some of my favorite fabrics in these colors. I kept the width of the front 9" and kept piecing until the scarf length measured about 73". The back is made up of two pieces of the lightweight fabric sewn together to measure 9" x 73". I sewed the front and back pieces together right sides facing each other using a 1/2" seam allowance all the way around, turned it out, pressed and stitched all the way around again -- when finished this scarf measures 8" x 72".

It's not something I'll wear everyday. But making scarfs whether by knitting or sewing is just
so easy, quick, and satisfying it's just nice to do every once in a while, wouldn't you agree?



I'll be entering this scarf in the Wearables category of Celebrate Color. Which makes me giggle because I know that I am not a very good garment sewist. Regardless, it's fun just to join in! You should too!!!

How about you? What color combinations are you loving these days?

Let's Celebrate Color! {My Fall Inspiration} : :

 
Have you seen? Rachel of Stitched In Color has organized a fabulous three month long celebration, starting September entitled CELEBRATE COLOR, partnered alongside emma lamb, luvinthemommyhood, and Mollie of wild olive!

Celebrate Color is for fiber artists of all kinds -- embroidery, crochet, knitting, quilting, home decor, clothing and any kind of wearable fiber creations.

Fall sewing has already begun for me, as you may have noticed. The colors I've been pullling are deeper, warmer shades of the brights I usually work with. I find this time of year more inspiring than any other! In additon to all the lovely changes that occur outdoors during this beautiful season, there are many other things that define Fall to me -- sewing with warm colors, casting on with wool, baking, stone fruits and pumpkins, flannel pajama pants, layers of cozy clothing, quilts, and blankets, painted furniture, rustic woods, harvest decor, indoor crafting, and lots of pillows (naturally). Here's a little mosaic of images and inspiration of the plans I have for sewing and knitting this Fall.

1. Thread Heart, 2. Granny cover, 3. star mini quilt, 4. Vintage A-line dress, 5. Fall Colors Quilted Stripes Pillow, 6. tufted, 7. Stacked, 8. new table, 9. sur la table, 10. sweater birdie, 11. Fabric and Felt Fox Pillow WIP, 12. owl pillow, 13. My new Folksy Flannel

I'm linking this up with the start of Celebrate Color...and now it's your turn! Get creative, get crafting, start thinking cozy fall and join in the celebration!