Swan Journal Clutch Gift Sets!

I'm so thrilled with today's finish, a small batch collection of Swan Journal Clutch Gift Sets! It's taken me way longer than expected to get photos of these beauties, so I'm extra excited about today's blog.

A few weeks back I wrote how much I've been enjoying creating in my new studio space. After working there for just a couple of weeks, I knew more than anything that I just wanted to make all the things! For the first time I have a big studio to work in and a great space to keep organized and on display an endless amount of finished projects. It took a short time for me to decide that I would spend this year making small batches of unique handmade items to sell in My Shop.

So far my small batch project has included a variety of  boho zipper pouch bags that work wonderfully for carrying everything from EPP projects to make-up. But for this next collection I wanted to create something a bit more special, and these swan fabrics were the perfect inspiration!

Dabbling Swan Plum  *  Mystical Woods Solar  *  Flower Dancer  *  Luminaries Silver  *  Swanlings Bevy Nightfall  * Swanlings Bevy Peach  *  Petit Checks Midnight  *  Baltic Swans Sky  *  Splendid Oath Rain  *  Scatter Apricot  *  Tomahawk Stripe Cloud  *  Subtle Journey East  *  Dabbling Swan Sage  *  Your Heart Pink Metallic  *  Terra Firma Humid

It was pure luck that I stumbled upon these beautiful swan soft cover journals that go so beautiful with my fabric pull. Add in some fun fuzzy poof keychains and I had the makings of something really special!

My Swan Journal Clutch fronts are made using my Quick Quilt As You Go herringbone pattern, with pretty narrow strips sewn to a layer of soft cotton batting.

The reverse side features one of Bonnie Christine's beautiful swans from her Hello, Ollie collection surrounded by pretty patchwork made with the same prints that I used for these Swan Clutch fronts, all quilted with Aurifil 50wt cotton thread. 

Each bag has a soft sand linen side loop that's perfect for hanging these giant poof keychains and a baby blue suede zipper pull.

I love these bags so much, they're high up there with my favorite makes, ever!



These pretty swan journals are a great size, they each have 384 pages and measure 6.5" x 8.5" and are 1" thick! To ensure that the journals fit perfectly inside each swan clutches, I used these 12" zippers (affiliate link) to finish as the largest size zipper style bag that I've made yet!






This photo of the fuzzy poof keychain is definitely my favorite shot of the day! I was a little bummed that my photos look a little overcast, but still I love how these turned out and I just couldn't wait any long to share them with you all!



I'd love to know what you think of this small batch gift set idea?

So far I've received a wonderful response, these are selling fast! I have just three left, one of each of the fuzzy poof keychain colors -- cream, pink and grey. I've added what remains of these Swan Journal Clutch Gift Sets to My Shop if you're interested in taking a look.

I hope you're inspired by this swan themed set! Next up I'm using AGF's new Capsules collection, Campsite. I'll be back next week to share those, but in the meantime ne sure to stop back tomorrow for details on how to enter this week's Community Sampler Giveaway! As always, ALL are welcome to enter!



xo Maureen

Swan Inspired : :

Last week I started a pretty sewing project that I'm so excited to share today! I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed making zipper pouch bags these past few months and I have no plans of stopping! I've already made over one hundred Love Story & Indie Folk bags, can you believe it?!

For my next batch I want to switch it up a bit and offer more of a limited edition gift set that includes a bag with a coordinating journal and maybe a few extra little things. I was so inspired when I spotted these pretty swan journals that I decided to purchase a half dozen to be my muse for this first gift set project!

These pretty journals are larger than the 8" bags that I've been making, so I purchased a bulk amount of 12" zippers (affiliate link) to be sure they'll fit perfectly. If you're looking to build a zipper stash, be sure to check out the link. I can't tell you how nice it is to have so many different colors on hand to choose from!

I already have a beautiful stash of swan themed prints, by fellow AGF designers Bonnie Christine and Jessica Swift, that inspired my fabric pull for this project. This color and print combination is so sweet, I think these bag & journal sets will be perfect for Spring and Easter gifts!

When I share a curated bundle like this one, from now on I plan to include a collage of each print with a link to where each fabric is available just below it. One of the questions I receive the most, almost daily, is where the fabrics I design and use can be purchased, so I'm going to make more of an effort to include that info for all of you. Fabric.com carries nearly all of my prints + almost the entire catalog of Art Gallery Fabrics and they recently become a sponsor of mine, so today I'm sharing an affiliate link to each of the pretty prints I'll be using to make these new swan themed bags!

Dabbling Swan Plum  *  Mystical Woods Solar  *  Flower Dancer  *  Luminaries Silver  *  Swanlings Bevy Nightfall  * Swanlings Bevy Peach  *  Petit Checks Midnight  *  Baltic Swans Sky  *  Splendid Oath Rain  *  Scatter Apricot  *  Tomahawk Stripe Cloud  *  Subtle Journey East  *  Dabbling Swan Sage  *  Your Heart Pink Metallic  *  Terra Firma Humid

Each bag will even have a fun furry pompom keychain. I think these swan gift sets are going to be really special!

I'm using my Quick Quilt As You Go to assemble the bag fronts and backs. Each bag will feature a beautiful swan on one side and my go-to herringbone qayg pattern on the other.



Seeing each piece quilted has me thinking a baby quilt in these prints would be so sweet! I'll be back soon to share the finished product, I can't wait!



Wishing all a creative new week! xo Maureen

Inspired Patchwork : :

I made half a dozen of these pretty patchwork pillows a few weeks back, but I've been so busy making since then that I'm just now finally sharing them here!



Each print that I pulled from stash to stitch up these pillows was inspired by a beautiful Swan Patchwork cushion by artist, Carola van Dyke. I completely fell in love with her lovely combination of color and the sketch stitching style of her applique that I often use myself. And, since I prefer my pillows to come in pairs, I decided to try my best to make my own patchwork pillows to match!





Right away I thought of AGF designer, Bonnie Christine's collection Hello, Ollie that's full of sweet swan motifs. From there I chose prints completely based on Carola's sense of color and in the end most of my stack included Bonnie Christine prints. A very happy discovery!



I even added my own sketch stitched applique swan to each pillow!



I've been using a variety of Hobbs batting for mostly all of my projects since they sponsored the Sewcial Bee Sampler. For this pillow I used their wool batting and it's extra squishy, which I love! Because it's a natural fiber I can use it for quilt as you go, which is how I made my pillow tops and finished my envelope style pillow backs.







I plan to keep a few of these Swan Patchwork pillow sets and to add a few to my Etsy shop soon. I really love how they turned out!

xx Maureen

An Hourglass Quilt Top : :

This weekend we made time to photograph two new quilt tops and I'm so excited to share both of them here on the blog this week!

First up, a scrappy hourglass quilt featuring Bonnie Christine's latest collection with AGF, Hello, Ollie!



Hello, Ollie is the very first certified organic cotton fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics and the quality is absolutely amazing! These truly are the softest, most luxurious organic fabrics I have ever used. Hello, Ollie is a beautiful mix of soft & delicate hues with fun pops of color, and is packed full of sweet feathered creatures and garden blooms!



When this collection arrived we were in the thick of Summer break, where a week would quickly go by with little to no sewing time for this mama to three. In an effort to begin a new Hello, Ollie quilt with very high hopes that I might actually finish it up, I settled on one of my go-to pattern favorites for producing a pretty but speedy quilt using the hourglass block. The "make four at a time" method I use makes for quick work, and in no time I had all the blocks needed for a generous throw size quilt top!





There's a beautiful maple farm about forty minutes from our home that happens to have pond where two swans actually live. The moment I finished this quilt top I've been waiting for the chance to photograph it at this perfect spot, and then a week ago when we ventured there for brunch I completely forgot about it! I'm still kicking myself for that one, but this pretty tree shot from Saturday almost made me forget about it. It's my favorite photo from the bunch!



Isn't it dreamy! When it comes to photographing these light, feathery quilt tops the slightest bit of wind can make it impossible to take photos while my husband holds it steady. Seeking out special trees like this one and the split rail wood fencing we're so lucky to have throughout the areas surrounding my hometown are perfect substitutes!



I plan to back this quilt with a sea of swans using Bonnie's Swanlings Bevy in Nightfall print!



And, once it's completely finished I promise to find my way to those swans!

You can find this beautiful Hello, Ollie collection newly available at Fat Quarter Shop, Llama Fabrics, and on SALE at Lady Belle Fabric!

♡ Maureen  

Quilt Top Progress : :

Over the weekend I shared a couple of photos on my Instagram and Facebook page of my Hello, Ollie Hourglass quilt top all finished! Full of elegant swans, sweet birds, and delicate garden blooms -- this quilt top is up there with the prettiest I've ever made. The combination of these colors & print designs makes it both completely adorable, but equally sophisticated, Haila & I may have to share this one! I can already picture it, one of us at each end of the couch with this beautiful quilt draped over us!



In an effort to keep up momentum and with the pace I was able to create my Hello, Ollie quilt top, I immediately made plans for the newest bundle to arrive at my door, April Rhodes' Observer collection due in stores early this month!



I wanted this quilt plan to be just as enjoyable as the hourglass blocks I had just been working on, something uncomplicated and fun! I decided on large half square triangle units, measuring 8" each, pieced to showcase the four main colors that make up this collection -- khaki, mustard, dusty blue, and dark navy, arranged in a pattern that would highlight the shibori, hand-dyed look of this gorgeous collection!



I used the HST method for making eight at a time, providing plenty enough for a generous throw size quilt top, with a pile of trimmed Observer HSTs to spare for pillow making!





Today's sewing time is going to be spend sewing the rest of this Observer top together. Two newly complete quilt tops in just one week, after a Summer of backpack & pillow making feels pretty great!

How about you, what are you working on these days?

♡ Maureen  

Hello, Ollie!

Sometimes a new fabric collection arrives at my door and it's so good, I have to cut into it right away! That was the case with AGF designer Bonnie Christine's newest collection, Hello, Ollie! This is the very first Art Gallery Fabrics certified organic cotton fabric collection and the quality is absolutely amazing! These truly are the softest, most luxurious organic fabrics I have ever used. It's so exciting!



My favorite Hello, Ollie print is Dabbling Swan, which I set aside to admire a little longer with a different project in mind. For the remaining, beautiful eighteen prints, full of sweet feathered creatures and garden blooms, I couldn't wait to see them come together in a pretty, patchwork project!

It's been awhile since I've had the time to begin a new quilt top, and I definitely didn't want to start one only to struggle to find the sewing time needed to see it progress. After a little thought, I quickly settled on making an hour glass quilt. The "make four at a time" method I've always used for making hour glass quilt blocks produces fast results, and in no time I had all the blocks needed for a generous throw size quilt top!



These hour glass quilt blocks began with a stack of  7" charms squares,



sewn together into four-patch quilt blocks,



and after a little more sewing & cutting, emerged sixty-four 9" hour glass blocks!





Now, all that's left to do is arrange them into a harmonious pattern and to sew them together. I can't wait to see this finished and to share it here just as soon as it's done!

You can find Hello, Ollie available soon at Fat Quarter Shop, Llama Fabrics, Lady Belle Fabric, and The Intrepid Thread!

♡ Maureen