A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

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It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!

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My sponsor The Intrepid Thread is a family owned and run business. In their shop you'll find Fat Quarters, Half Yards, Yards, and Yardage, as well as patterns and embellishments. Their designer fabrics include many of our favorites -- Art Gallery Fabrics, Moda, and Riley Blake Designs just to name a few! 
The owners work extremely hard everyday to bring their customers the best fabrics,
at the best prices, with high quality customer service!
  
SHOP  *  BLOG  *  FACEBOOK
 

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We hope you enjoy visiting The Intrepid Thread's sites!! 

For this weekend's Fabric Giveaway offer,  The Intrepid Thread is offering this lovely, custom bundle of SEVENTEEN Designer Fabric prints, the Intrepid Thread's Sun On Sea Bundle!!

This collection is full of beautiful aqua blues, yellows, and grey fabrics, one of my all time favorite color combinations, and is available in The Intrepid Thread Shop HERE!!

 

Enter to win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post. I'd love to know what you color combo's you're loving right now?! (one entry)
2. Follow The Intrepid Thread on facebook, their blog, or sign up to receive their Newsletter. 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, in your reader, or on Facebook, 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... (one optional entry)  

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday morning, December 10th. Mr. Random will pick the winner and I will announce their name at the bottom of this post, here on the blog, I always try to have that up by 9 am EST!
 
* 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!!! Have a great weekend!

* * * * *  UPDATE  * * * * *

Thank you to all who entered this past weekend's Giveaway!! 

 

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  From 1,609 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is...

Comment #599 -- Salamanda's Scrappy Adventures, who said...

I follow you too and have almost finished my quilt using your QAYG tutorial - so easy using your instruction!

Congratulations!!! I will be in touch shortly!

A Skull Quilt Top : :

I am so very excited to share this new quilt top with all of you today!



First, let's talk fabric!! I had so much fun making this! It's made out of some of my favorite prints from both colorways of Pat Bravo's newest collection Rock & Romance. Another amazing collection, I have to say!



When I first received these fabrics, I understood Pat's vision right away -- both sweet and dark, feminine and bold, girly-girl meets rocker. Perfect for that daughter, grand-daughter, sister, niece, friend -- who is too mature for anything cute, but still young and definitely fun! This collection is full of pretty florals, which Pat always does so beautifully, in many shades of grey, a little black, with pops of pinks, purples, and yellow. Each print is just gorgeous!!



Next up, the design! Well, what would be more perfect to explain Pat's vision for this collection than a skull quilt?! Oh yeah!

I am so honored to have been asked again to help tell her story for these fabrics through quilt making, just as I did with Indie.



Designing this quilt was such a treat for me. The skull pattern is a little taste specific, but I think it works so well with these fabrics, but the design is versatile enough that it would make a very cool boy quilt for a pretty wide range of ages, as well as the perfect Halloween quilt. Don't you think?

Soon, I plan to offer both this new pattern, and my Indie quilt pattern, here to all of you. I can't wait!!



And now, in case you are wondering where this crazy backdrop of a house is located? The answer is.. right in our little town, smack in the middle of Main St. While making this quilt, I just couldn't get the idea of these pictures out of my head. It just seemed like the most perfect place to go for this particular quilt, it had to happen.

So, last evening Kevin and I did a little innocent trespassing all for the love of Rock & Romance quilt top picture taking. And, it was SO worth it!!



They may look a little spooky, especially in black & white! Yikes!!



But we thought the end result was pretty special! I've seen photos of this "Old Hickory" house used in ads for horror movies shared on facebook, I found a popular photo on flickr from 2006, and even some on Pinterest. I'm glad to have finally found a reason to share it myself!

I do hope to turn this quilt into a pattern, but the truth is, the idea creating a quilt pattern scares me way more than this house? But that's a fear I really need to conquer! I have so many ideas for new quilts....and I'm really hoping you'll be interested in sewing them?!

♥,  Maureen 

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Mod Flower Pillow : :

Sorry I am late today! Since Friday afternoon, in-between volunteering, movie watching, soccer games, birthday parties, and packing, I have been in a Rock & Romance trance-like quilt making state! I have never been so focused on finishing something in all my days of sewing! I am very excited about this, but I have to wait just a little longer before all can be revealed...

So today, I'm sharing this cute, little applique pillow I whipped up the other day! I was inspired by an applique I saw in either Mini Boden or Johnnie B, and my Stockholm fabric from Contemporary Cloth.



Since I love combining felt and fabric, making appliques, and of course, pillows. I sewed up this new design to try. I love how stitchy it is. And the aqua, navy, yellow, and grey color combo is always a winner!



Right away, it reminded me of one of my very favorite color mosaics from a post I shared back in May!



Which I'm sure is why I especially like how the back of this one turned out! Simply Color + my favorite Bryant Park print (sorry, I can't find a source.)



I've listed it in my etsy, and I'm still deciding if I should make more in a variety of color combos?

I have to say.. I quite like this one with my new sewing chair! What do you think??
 

Wishing you all a late, but wonderful start to a new week! ♥  Maureen

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A Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

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It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!

  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *   

My sponsor The Intrepid Thread is a family owned and run business. In their shop you'll find Fat Quarters, Half Yards, Yards, and Yardage, as well as patterns and embellishments. Their designer fabrics include many of our favorites -- Art Gallery Fabrics, Anna Maria Horner, and Riley Blake Designs just to name a few! The owners work extremely hard everyday to bring their customers the best fabrics,
at the best prices, with high quality customer service!
  
SHOP  *  BLOG  *  FACEBOOK
 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We hope you enjoy visiting their sites!! 

For this weekend's giveaway The Intrepid Thread is offering a custom bundle including 10 Fat Quarters of Art Gallery Oval Element and Pure Element fabrics! This particular bundle was designed by me, which is always such a treat!! This stack of golden yellows, spring greens, aqua blues, and shades of gray is one of my most favorite color combinations! I've already ordered a bundle for myself. 
One of you is going to be very lucky!!

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The winner will receive one Utterly Inspired by Maureen Part 2 bundle (Julie really knows how to make a girl feel special :), including 10 fat quarters for you to use to create something beautiful! I know you will!!
 
You can find the bundle available in both fat quarters and half yards in The Intrepid Thread shop, and right now there just so happens to be a HUGE sale going on!!

In celebration of Market The Intrepid Thread is offering 20% off using Coupon Code  : :  MARKET20 : :
-- beginning today and running throughout Sunday. There are a few rules, so be sure to read those here!

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Enter to Win!

Here's how,
 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post. I'd love to know what your own favorite color combination is right now? (one entry)
2. Follow The Intrepid Thread on facebook, blog, or sign up to receive their Newsletter. 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 or on Facebook, just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
 
That’s 3 possible entries! Enter now through Monday morning, May 14th. 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 anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you should you win!
                                        

Good Luck everyone!!! Have a great weekend! And, Happy Mother's Day to all you wondering Mama's out there!!

Polaroid Bee Blocks : :

I finished up my two April bee blocks finally!! These are for the do. Good Stitches Love Circle. April hostess Rachel chose Polaroid blocks created by Little Miss Shabby. With fussy cut images of my cutest fabrics, framed in white, with gray sashing -- I imagine this style of quilt will be something both useful and fun for any child to receive. The Love circle makes quilts for children in need through Wrap Them in Love, so it's just perfect!



I snapped a quick photo the other night just before I started assembling my blocks. The white framed fabric images were so adorable! There is an obvious woodland/house theme happening here, hmn? Well, those plus a super hero, his chopper, and the robot he's defending all the forest critters from.



I didn't plan that, I promise, but it certainly tells a story!

We each pointed out our favorite picture and we pretty much all agreed, well besides my husband who chose the super hero. ( I'm still thinking he may be one after that half marathon on Sunday, sheesh, I'm still so impressed! ) For the rest of us it was an even toss-up between --

The sweet little house on the hill...awe...



And, the cute, little squirrel or chipmunk (which discussing proved to be an even toss-up as well)...eep...



We liked this little house, too! Which I put in the very center of my second block.



These blocks were definitely a lot of fun to make! I may even make more!



However, I did use up the last of my gray solid stash on these blocks. It is completely gone, which is why I wasn't able to go crazy with slanting my framed pictures and then squaring them up like some of the other Love circle members. I did add a slight wonkiness that I'm hoping is fine with Rachel?



This was my third month as a member of the Love Circle for do. Good Stitches and it has been a complete pleasure! I've admitted here several times now that following patterns is most definitely not a skill of mine! I was SO nervous while making my first Retro Flowers blocks and truthfully still have those nerves, especially once I send off my blocks. Is that normal?

Really I am so thrilled to have the chance to experiment with quilting in this way, but mostly I am just grateful to be a part of such an amazing charity!

Echo Pillow : :

I finished my Echo Pillow! I really love these fabrics and think this pillow looks pretty good sitting in my favorite chair!



My plan was to make pillowcases out of these for my bedroom, but when my very best friend told me how much she loved them, I had to make her a pillow!



It was a good excuse for me to practice my quilting.



Straight lines scare me!



I love the back. If I had enough fabric, I'd make a set using just these two prints as the front for another pillow.



And, maybe even one more for myself...



Happy sewing!

Color Love { and a Giveaway Winner! } : :

I've been reading everywhere that Tangerine will be the color of 2012. What do you think, do you like it?



Personally, I am loving it! Especially the combination of tangerine + grey + teal + black! I am seeing these colors everywhere on Pinterest.

images via pinterest

I combined this past weekend's giveaway bundle with my favorite bundle of Lotta Jansdotter's Echo Collection and it makes me so happy! My husband really likes them, too - Yes! I may have finally found my bedroom fabrics!



I still love grey with any and every color. And, I've always loved black.

So, what do you think? Is tangerine & teal the new red & aqua?



And now, a giveaway winner!

Thank You to all of you who entered this past weekends giveaway! I loved reading all your inspirational quotes, scriptures, stories of the things that keep you positive, and I appreciate your willingness to share them here. From the 503 entries that came in before 10pm, Mr. Random says our lucky winner is comment # 225, Jezibels ~ sproutbabysprout.blogspot.com!!! I hope you enjoy your winnings, I will be in touch shortly!

Wishing you all a new, wonderful week!

Tuesday Inspiration : :

Coral + Aqua

Photos via Pinterest

Coral and Aqua, such a beautiful color combination. So beachy and bright and fun and fresh. I really do love it!


Can you tell that Grey has become my new favorite neutral. It just looks perfect with so many colors!


And then if you add a yellow into the mix it's nice, too. What do you think? Yellow or no yellow?


I have no other yellow like this one in my stash, only brights and butteries. This one is a little special with a slightly lime greenishy thing happening. If used, the only other bits of yellow would be found there in the butterfly details. What do you think?


I'm actually planning to whip up something other than a pillow with these...can you believe it! That is usually how it starts, but you already know what happens.

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

Quilted Stripes Pillow Tutorial : :

Today I'm going to share a tutorial with you for a simple pillow cover -- My Favorite Colors Stripey Toss Pillow. A project designed to showoff your favorite color combinations that's quick, easy, and turns out super cute! It's a great project for a beginner quilter, if you want a project to practice sewing those perfect straight lines with your machine, and also great if you need to get a little hand quilting practice in.

What you'll need : :

• 1 - Pillow Insert measuring 12" x 16"
• 8 - 2.5" x 12.5" strips of quilting weight cotton fabric in your favorite color combination
• 2 - 9" x 12.5" pieces of fabric for the back of the pillow
• 1 - piece of cotton batting measuring 14" x 18" 
• 1 - piece of cotton muslin measuring 14" x 18"
• Threads and Pearl Cotton floss in coordinating colors
• Sharp scissors and an embroidery needle
• Embroidery Hoop or Quilting Hoop
• Note * Click on any of my images for a larger picture 

Cutting and Piecing the Fabrics : :

1. Choose eight different fabrics with a color scheme of your choice (you can find my inspiration for the Purple, Yellow, and Grey color scheme of my pillow here) 2. Cut the fabrics into eight 2.5" x 12.5" pieces (I recommend using a rotary cutter and mat set for cutting)


3. Leaving a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the fabric strips together. Sewn together, each color will measure 2", the entire piece 16.5" 4. On the reverse side, press all seams open. Once finished, give the front side a good press, as well


After these Cutting and Piecing steps, the pillow top should look like this : :

Layering and Quilting the Pillow Top : :

5. Cut Muslin and Batting to measure 14" x 18" -- Cutting these pieces larger will help when quilting. At a later point the excess will be trimmed away 6. Layer Muslin, Batting, and Pieced Pillow Top


7. Prepare for machine quilting. Pin layers together well, adding a few pins running down each of the eight different fabrics that makeup your pillow top 8. Stitch on either side of the seams as shown in the photo below (I used a pale purple and deep purple thread to match my color choices) 9. Once quilted, remove pins


After these Quilting steps, the pillow top should look like this : :


10. Using a large ruler or straight edge, trim away excess fabric, batting, and muslin. The pillow top should now measure 12.5" x 16.5"

Adding the Hand Quilted Detail : :

11. Carefully put the quilted pillow top inside the embroidery/quilting hoop, stretching it taught, but not too tight. 12. Cut a length of floss, thread strand onto embroidery needle, knotting one end


13. For a running Stitch : : Insert needle up through the bottom, pull the stitch through until the knot catches, insert down through the front and pull back through. Repeat leaving a little space between each stitch, like shown in the photo below. Try to keep those stitches even.


After these Hand Quilting steps, the pillow top should look like this : :
Sew pillow together : :

14. Prepare back pieces -- Using the 9" x 12.5" fabric pieces, fold over one of the sides measuring 12.5" just a 1/4", press, fold over again, press. Sew along inner folded edge and along the outer edge, staying close to the fold. This will create the double seam finish. 15. Place pillow top piece RIGHT side up on your work surface. Place both backing pieces RIGHT side down on top of the pillow top piece. Pin and sew along entire perimeter using a 1/4" seam allowance. 16. Zig zag stitch around the entire perimeter, as well


17. Trim all four corners


18. Turn pillow right side out (You can see here that I added my striped fabric running in different directions just for something different). Press well


19. Insert your pillow form and now you have your very own Favorite Colors Stripey Toss Pillow!!!

Wishing a wonderful weekend to all!!! 

Be sure to let me know if you give it a go!