Boho Flower Child & Herringbone Patchwork Zipper Bags!

Ever since I found this amazing deal for a bulk order of colorful 9" zippers I've been on a zipper pouch kick, making the occasional batch whenever I get the urge and time. Now, whenever it comes time to begin making new items to offer in my yearly holiday sales, zipper pouches are #1 on my list!



Inspired by my love of Sharon Holland's brand new collection for AGF, Spirited, I pulled together a pretty boho fabric combination that includes her new prints with a few of my own and whipped up TWO dozen bags over the past week, and I LOVE how they turned out!



The front side of one dozen bags feature one of my Flower Child Flown Crown ladies and the second dozen is the herringbone qayg pattern I teach in my Craftsy class and use so often in a variety of the projects I make from bags to pillows to full size quilts. It will forever be my go-to for pretty much everything! I love sewing using this technique and I love the scrappy style of this pattern, especially when using thin strips of prints the way I did for these new zipper bags!



Each bag has a cushiony layer of Hobbs cotton batting, a colorful zipper, denim side loop to add your own embellishments to the Flower Child bags and the Herringbone Bags come with an amazing Anthropologie Tassel Charm attached, suede zipper pulls and each bag is lined with an AGF cotton denim for a really nice finish!



Each bag reverses to a striping of the same prints used for the bag fronts. I just can't get enough of this fabric combination. I think I'll make a few Spirited fabric pillows next!





Both the Flower Child and Boho Herringbone bags measure a little bigger than 8" x 8" finished and have a boxy bottom making them perfect for makeup, travel, art supplies, knitting & epp project, and more!





I've added all the bags that remain to My Etsy Shop and you can also email me at maureencracknell@hotmail.com if you're interested in ordering directly from me anytime and I'm more than happy to avoid the etsy fees by sending a Paypal invoice! :)

As always,  a BIG thanks to everyone who purchases my handmakes this holiday season! I appreciate your support more than I can ever share!

xo Maureen

For the Love of Shibori!

Last week I finished up my newest small batch gift set, Shibori LOVE!

I had pulled fabrics and carefully sourced coordinating supplies to begin making these weeks ago, just before I got sick again, so it feels extra good to have finished up this project!

Last week I shared a quick sale on my Instagram feed and this morning I added the few I have left to my Etsy Shop and I'm excited to share all the details here on the blog!





I have always loved the way Shibori looks, whether on clothing, home décor or accessories. The mix of white and indigo dye is always so beautiful!



To date, I've made two quilt tops using April Rhodes Observer fabrics for Art Gallery Fabrics. The main print, Indigo Window Crystal is a favorite of mine and has all the beauty of a hand dyed shibori textile without the work. Love that!



It was this print from Observer that inspired this gift set collection, and I was so thrilled to have found the perfect handcrafted sketchbook journal to include, with sixty blank pages perfect for writing and doodling with a beautiful Shibori dyed cover!







Along with each patchwork quilted bag and handcrafted sketchbook, I'm including a lovely indigo & white zipper pull, Fanned Tassel Charm that I picked up from my favorite store, Anthropolgie! These retail for $18 a piece but I was lucky to snag just enough during a recent sale for this Shibori Love collection!





Zipper colors include black, light blue and grey. Each bag is finished with a flat bottom making these perfect for cosmetics, craft projects and travel. These measure big, around 11"x12" and both sides are made of a similar patchwork pattern of flying geese and stripes. Some are lined with the Observer cotton canvas and others with AGF's heavy duty denim, making each bag sturdy and durable!



Follow this link to find them in my Etsy Shop -- Shibori Patchwork Gift Set

For those ordering today, I'll include one Fat Quarter cut of ANY of my Art Gallery Fabrics! Just add in the comment section of the order the name of the print you'd like to receive and I will be happy to include that as my gift to you for supporting my handmade work!

xo Maureen

New Boho Quilted Bags!

Sometimes when I'm not sure what to sew, I'll pull from my scrap basket pieces to make a stack of 5-¼" squares and four x's as many 2-⅞" squares in contrasting prints to make four-at-a-time flying geese that measure a 2-½" x 4-½" rectangle once trimmed. A very useful size for patchwork with endless possibilities. Recently I used my most recent batch of flying geese, along with prints from Flower Child, Soulful and various recolored prints of mine from Art Gallery Fusions collections, to stitch up some quilted zipper pouch bags and I LOVE how they turned out!





These prints and colors together are so pretty and cheerful!



I use Hobbs Batting for everything I make now and these quilted bags were made with Heirloom Natural Cotton. Because I use quilt as you go when I make my bags, I always choose a 100% cotton or natural fiber batting that can handle a hot iron with steam, and Hobbs brand quickly became my new favorite this past year. I love to use batting to foundation piece the bag fronts and backs and finished these with a little additional wavy quilting.



How fun are these yellow zippers with coral pink faux suede zipper pulls!



Each of the bags I made are lined with my Swifty Flora Boho water color floral, for an interior just as pretty as the exterior!



I love makin' stuff, and these days there's a particular excitement for putting gift sets together that include a handmade bag, fancy bag charm and handcrafted journal that tucks perfectly inside each bag. I think this harmonious set would make such a lovely gift!

I already have plans for my next batch. More on that soon!

Thanks for visiting! xo, Maureen

A Holiday Sample Sale : :

I'm having a special Sample Sale for holiday gift giving! Now through Friday use Coupon Code: FLASH20 for an extra 20% off ANY purchase in my Etsy shop --quilts, pillows, scrap bundles, stockings & more! Here are just a few of my favorites!

















Thanks for looking and have a great day! ♡ Maureen  

Welcome, December : :

Each December, I spend my days busy making things to sell for holiday gift-giving. This year I started with new a Holiday Fox Pillow and Personalized Crown design!









I have a few pillows and crowns still available, if you're interested just leave a comment or email me at maureencracknell@hotmail.com. I'm also having an Etsy Sale (20% off with Coupon Code: Cyber20) and Crown Giveaway HERE, in case you missed it!

We've been slowly decorating the house for the holiday, with various handmade & kid-made garlands hanging from each entryway, placing the decor and traditions we've collected here and there throughout our house. It feels magical and extra special this year. My favorite thing is to listen to the kids, as they pull out each decoration from the boxes, sharing all that they remember about each little thing.







This is and will be a beautiful season full of celebration and the love all around us, of that I am certain!



Wishing you much joy and excitement as this season begins! ♡ Maureen

October Love SALE : :

To celebrate October, the month I love the most, and because my Rock 'N Romance Skull Quilt is one of our very favorites, from now through October I'm offering the pattern for just $5 in my Etsy shop!



The pattern makes a generous throw size quilt measuring 62" x 84", comes with fabric requirements, cutting instructions, half square triangle (HST) & layout diagrams, plus finishing fabric requirements. I love the size! And because it's made using just square cuts of fabric and HST's, it's easy enough for a beginner!





I used Pat Bravo's Rock 'N Romance collection for AGF to create my version. If you'd like to use the same, I found many prints still available here! The combination of bright pinks & purples with all the gray & black was a perfect choice for me, but other's have made it using just grays & black with lots of low volume prints to gift to the special man in their lives and I love those versions just as much!

To get 50% off the pattern, just click on the image below and use Coupon Code: OCTOBERLOVE at checkout!



Thanks for stopping by today & a BIG thanks to all who purchase!! XOXO Maureen