My Fabric Stash Cabinet : :

Each time I go to begin a new quilt using my fabrics, I find myself tearing another half yard or so from the rolls of my prints that I receive from Art Gallery Fabrics.  My main fabric stash cabinet has become such a cluttered mess, that rather than sort through the piles searching for the prints I need to begin a new project, pulling from the rolls is the fastest way to begin.  The other day I noticed just how quickly these precious rolls of mine were thinning out, so I decided that this time I would take the time to search my big cabinet for all of my prints floating amongst the messy bundles. This became quite the project! I thought maybe you'd like to see, so I took some photos throughout the day to share!

The before...   Hopefully this looks much different, in a bad way, to you all compared to the photo above!



Where to being? Well, because I'm such a fan of so many fellow fabric designers and get just as excited today about new lines coming out as I did when I discovered this wonderful world of sewing, designer fabrics, and blogging - and since I've already tried out organizing by color and by manufacturer and by simply separating collections. Now that it's been several years that I've been "collecting" fabrics, I decided it was time to sort the big cabinet by designer.



Above you might recognize two of my favorite -- Pat Bravo and April Rhodes!

The only exception made was my voile stash, these beauties have to stay together!  I've always dreamed of making an ultra luxurious herringbone quilt using nothing but voiles for the top and something equally dreaming for the backing, a super soft plush perhaps. How heavenly would that be? 



I even set the voiles in my cabinet in a way that they're peeking out just a bit further than the other stacks so I don't forget that these are high on my to-make list!



I really enjoyed seeing all of my Sharon Holland prints together! I noticed that I'm missing her Gossamer collection and that I've used quite a few prints from Tapestry, but seeing these together has me so excited about her next line due out in March, Bountiful!



Below, at the center, is my Bonnie Christine collection and a look at my newly stashed bundle of her beautiful Wonderful Things line. I'm making plans for these and will be sure to share more next week!



So what do you think, better? I think it's so much better, definitely worth the time it took, and I found almost everything print I needed to begin my next quilt amongst the mess!



I shared a peek of it yesterday on my Instagram, did you see? I'm so excited about where this "collection quilt" is headed!



I'll be back soon with more to share! ♡ Maureen

Mad for Plaid & Nightfall : :

Since those big, beautiful snowflakes resulted in an early school dismissal yesterday, followed by a two-hour delay for school this morning, I didn't have the productive sewing day I was hoping for. I did however take the time to unbox and admire a special delivery from Art Gallery Fabrics that I'm super excited to show you!

Introducing Mad Plaid, a rich line of plaids with a modern twist to play with from AGF's new CAPSULES division!





As I folded each beautiful print I noticed right away how the variety of colors and designs worked so perfectly with my Nightfall collection, see...





And because I have always loved plaid so much, of course these brand new Capsules have stolen my heart! I'm already thinking ahead to pillow and quilt projects I'd like to make to feature these along side my own fabric designs!



Mad Plaid will be hitting stores a little later this month. I hope you'll enjoy getting to know these new AGF divisions and collections and might feel inspired by these same fabrics that are inspiring me!

♡ Maureen

AGF Stash -- Sketchbook : :

As an official Art Gallery Fabrics designer I'm excited to share with all of you a brand-new weekly ritual where I'll introduce the latest AGF collection I've added to my stash. There's nothing that sparks my creativity more than a fresh bundle of fabric! I hope you'll enjoy these posts and might feel inspired by the same fabrics that are inspiring me!



First up is Sketchbook, a lovely collection that looks as if the pages of designer Sharon Holland's own sketchbook beautifully came to life.  Including prints with swirling doodles and nature-study drawings, there's a hand-illustrated look and texture to this collection that I especially love.



Including indigo blues, rosey pink, and warm golden neutrals, the color palette is as unique as the prints themselves!









I'm really looking forward to turning these into a quilt! You can find these beautiful Sketchbook fabrics still available at Llama Fabrics, the Intrepid Thread, and the Fat Quarter Shop!

Happy stashing!! ♡ Maureen

Summer Sewing : :

Yesterday I took and shared this photo, after entering my sewing room for the first time in ten days, with a smile and thought that one of the very best parts of going away for a long vacation, is the coming home again.



I really missed this space and had been missing it even before we left. The busy Summer days never leave much time for sewing, do they? It's been a struggle to keep up with my shop, deadlines, and this blog these last several weeks, more so then I remember previous Summers being. I'm always reminding myself how generous the long Winter's are for work & sewing time, when I start to miss it or feel behind. These sweet days of Summer are not forever, they are happening now, and I need to enjoy them.



But today, since afternoon rain and thunderstorms are on the way, I will be sewing! I truly need it. I plan to head straight to the Monthly Sparks bundle I shared last week!



I've already decided on a simple, easy quilt. A quilt that isn't needed, that has no deadline to be finished, and no set pattern even. If at the end of today, I have a new quilt start to share tomorrow, that will be lovely. But really, in this particular case, a finished object will just be a bonus. It's the sewing that I'm really after, and the sewing itself that is precisely what I need and am so grateful for!

♥ Maureen

For Pillow Making : :

Thank you all so very much for the kind words wishing my family and I a great weekend together as we remembered and celebrated my Dad's life. It was such a wonderful and comforting weekend!

My sister and her family will be here visiting for another week and have some sewing work for me! We looked through my fabric stash last night, picking fabrics together for a set of six 11"x18" and two 16" square pillows for their built-in breakfast nook and I'm excited to get started today!



Like me, my sister loves color, and was immediately drawn to the Anna Maria Horner prints I showed her. Since we don't have time to shop, my pretty large AMH stash will be just perfect for this project.





I can use a number of quilting cottons for the pillow fronts, adding in some of the Drawing Room collection I've been hording as my backing. The sateen home decor weight will give each pillow an extra sturdiness, while tying them all together by using one united fabric print for each of my pillow backs.



I hope that working with these fun, colorful fabrics will give me the boost in energy I so need to get back on track here. Wish me luck!

And how about you, have you started anything new lately?  

♡  Maureen

Rainbow Bundles : :

Yesterday, while I read your very helpful suggestions and began to sort my fabrics by color, I looked across the table at all the colorful piles and I decided to begin my destashing with rainbow bundles!



Each bundle will be $8, weighs at least 5 oz, and contains eleven to fifteen different designer quilting cotton fabrics in cuts measuring on average 9" x 11" or more. I plan to share this detash on my Instagram at 11 am EST today. I will share my rainbow bundle photo above, with the amount of bundles I have available today, and ask that those interested simply leave their paypal email address for me to invoice. All bundles will be shipped first class with tracking at $3 for USA residents and first class international without tracking at $6 per package for those in Canada.

I'll continue to destash MANY more rainbow bundles, color bundles, volume bundles, designer/collection bundles (mostly AMH), and scrap bags, as I get them ready throughout the next couple of weeks!

As always, thank you so much for your amazing support!  ♥  Maureen

Fabric Destashing : :

With each finished sewing project & quilt comes more precious scraps that I tuck away into drawers, bins, and boxes!



I have so much difficulty letting go of anything usable and even more trouble admitting that lately it feels as though my fabric stash is stifling my creativity more than it is helping it. These days it feels a little overwhelming and so I've decided it's time to do a major destashing of fabrics, to quiet my shelves a bit, and I'm hoping you're up for it?!



I've started making piles and oh, committing is so hard! I love my fabrics or they wouldn't be here! Reading Faith's, Fresh Lemons Quilts, perfectly timed super helpful post this morning was just the encouragement I needed! Her tips are wonderful, especially since Instagram is where I plan to share my destash, as well!



It's going to take me some time to get everything ready and I'm still not sure on the best way to divide up my fabrics -- by color, theme, designer, manufacturer, all of the above? I know I'll have lots of scrap bundles, which would be my favorite if I were looking to stash! What would you find most helpful?



Be sure to follow me on Instagram if you're interested in joining in! I hope to start listing as soon as tomorrow or Friday if today's purging goes well! I'll be pricing to sell, including the hashtag #thegreatfabricdestash on each post, and the first person to leave me a comment including their email address will receive the stack.



Wish me luck!!  ♥  Maureen

A Really Good Sewing Day : :

Yesterday was such a fun day in my sewing room! It was a weird weather day, raining on and off, so we decided to spend the day sewing & crafting together. Kaiden worked on a collage he's been making, Jacob made a second Little Friend softie from our Sewing School book, Haila started a new crown for herself, and I finished up my Ant Farm quilt with some Lizzy House stripe binding.



I couldn't resist sharing a few photos on Instagram throughout the day! This one's my favorite, a little shot of the day's handmade finishes!

I spent sometime reorganizing my fabric stash, as well. And even found the room I need for the fabrics that should be arriving here any day -- some AMH Field Study Linen Feathers from Stash Fabrics & a bundle of Tule by Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics! I can't wait!



Once the kids were in bed, I was ready to jump right into my plan for that Kona Wine Colorstory bundle & Text Fabrics, but then I got new idea that I didn't want to lose! My niece Molly had requested that her quilt be a Butterfly Quilt, and I knew I wanted to somehow incorporate at least a few butterflies floating off, the way I did on my recent Applique Art Quilt. I quickly sketched out my design idea and I think it's going to be a good one!

So, I stayed up late working it all out. Since I'm fussy cutting butterflies from several different collections, that each has a different scale & I'm working only with fabrics I have on hand, with a Pure Element solid stash that's dwindling, yikes! I had some serious math to figure out before I began my cutting.

This morning I woke up, late, to my progress laid out on our dinner table and I was so excited with the sight of it! I made breakfast for the kids, then I had to make just one more block before sharing here today!









I'm excited to get back to work! Then this afternoon, if the sun starts shining, we plan to take my Ant Farm Quilt photos. Wish me luck!!  ♥   Maureen

A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

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It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!

    
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My sponsor Stash Fabrics is an online store full of fresh, modern fabric. They carry many of our favorite designer fabrics, including Riley Blake, Art Gallery, Free Spirit, Cloud9, Moda, and many more! They offer FREE shipping on all orders over $50 in the US!!

We invite you to visit Stash at their --

 SHOP  *  BLOG  *  FACEBOOK  *  TWITTER  *  INSTAGRAM
 

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We hope you enjoy visiting the Stash Fabrics sites!! 

For this weekend's Fabric Giveaway, Stash Fabrics is offering their very cool, custom Test Me Maybe Fat quarter Bundle! This bundle includes 14 Fat Quarters, one in each of the prints pictured, for a total of 3.5 yards of fabric! WOW, I LOVE these fabrics!

Be sure to check out Stash Fabric's wonderful variety of custom bundle, stash builders HERE!!

In addition,  Stash Fabric's is having a wonderful Spring Cleaning Sale! And don't forget to use Stash Fabric's coupon code SHIPFREE50, to receive free US shipping on any order over $50!! 

 
Enter to win!

Here's how,   

1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! (one entry)
2. Follow Stash Fabrics on Facebook, Instagram, or signup to receive the Stash Fabric Newsletter, you can subscribe by simply entering your email found on the right sidebar of the Stash Blog. Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
3. My followers get a third entry! Whether you follow me here, on Facebook, or on Instagram, 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 tweet, facebook, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry) 

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through midnight Monday, April 29th. The winner will be chosen by Random and I will announce their name Tuesday, 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!                    

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Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway!! 

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  From 1,825 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is...

*  Comment #591 -- Christine Slaughter *  

Congratulations!!! I will be in touch shortly!

An Aurifil & Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

Since first my blogging, and then my sewing, three-year Anniversaries came and went sometime since the New Year without much thought, and because I'm still considering all the wonderful suggestions given under my post on Monday, I think it's the perfect day for a little spontaneous, midweek Giveaway!



I stashed this lovely bundle of fabric from Bloomerie recently -- A few Type prints, Marmalade Stripes, several Lizzy House prints, and more! There are eighteen - 1/4 yd cuts in total, and I thought it would be a nice treat to chop these in half and share this bundle with one of you! 



Last week, the generous folks at Aurifil sent me these sampler packs of their wonderful threads to Giveaway to my readers, each containing five colorful spools! I'm thrilled to offer up five of these today, as well!!



There will be SIX WINNERS this time, five receiving thread, one receiving a shared fabric stashing from Bloomerie!!

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post. I'd love to know how long you've been blogging or sewing, if you don't have a blog of your own? (one entry)
2. You can follow Aurifil on facebook as an optional extra entry. Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
3. My followers get an extra entry, too! Since Google Reader is closing down, I'd love for you to find me on Bloglovin'! Just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)

That’s three possible entries! Enter now through this Friday, when I will announce the names of the winners 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!   

Good luck everyone and thank you so much for following along!!!  

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Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway!! 

 

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  From 2,145 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky Aurifil winners are...

Comment #835 --  Mary Beth

Comment #596 --  Lia*s Handmades

Comment #1037 -- Jess

Comment #627 -- Debbie 

 Comment #44 --  Tania Nelson 

and the lucky Fabric winner is...

Comment #196 -- Deb

Congratulations everyone!!! I will be in touch shortly!