Homebody Favorites!

Hello and Happy Monday! Since I so enjoyed writing my last post about the nine patch sister quilts that Sharon Holland and I made, along with sharing the free Charming Nine pdf pattern so you can make your own, I decided I'd pop back in today with a long overdue Homebody favorites post!







Homebody is my latest and thirteenth collection to date with fabric manufacturing company, Art Gallery Fabrics. This sixteen piece collection at its core, celebrates the unspoken magic of being home! The concept and artwork for Homebody was created and submitted to AGF long before we were all "stuck" in our homes these past 365 days, so the somewhat ironic timing will always be something I particularly treasure and laugh about when it comes to this collection. For me, home means creating a cozy space with a calm, peaceful environment that nourishes and comforts. These designs full of cheerful florals, cozy feathers, boho blenders and soft textures colored in a pretty palette reveals exactly the style of our own home and the layers of prints, patterns and things we've collected over the years that have made our house a home. Homebody has been amazing to sew with these past several weeks, from small accessory projects to large quilts. You can find loads of inspiration in the the LookBook, a 68-page book filled with beautiful pictures and amazing projects, and today I thought I'd share some of my favorites!

I'm going to start with what I made as soon as my Homebody rolls arrived, this set of quilted cosmetic bags for my daughter and I to showcase some of the main florals in this new collection! Everything I've learned about making bags I've learned from Svetlana of sotakhandmade, so if you're looking to make something similar I suggest her Essential Pouch pattern. To make these extra lux I used two layers of Hobbs Tuscany silk batting, just scraps I had leftover from some previously made quilted pillows, and the two layers quilted with a combination of the straight stitch + the wavy stitch created such amazing quilty texture on these!



One of my favorite things when it comes to bag-making is shopping for unique tassel pulls and fun keychains to add. I found these amazing macrame keychains on amazon recently and they look so perfect with the boho style of Homebody!



Next up are some Homebody pillows! I made quite a lot and I have some that I haven't even photographed to share yet. I included the one in Fridays post that started my new nine patch obsession, but here's a second 18" pillow that's very similar, using the same nine patch pattern just without the binding. Again I used two layers of Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting with dense straight line quilting in a light tan Aurifil thread for yummy, cozy quilty texture. 



These pair of whole cloth quilted pillows I made for my LookBook to showcase the Homebody main florals -- Togetherness at Home (left) and Togetherness at Heart (right). A great tutorial for making your own whole cloth pillow covers can be found, again, at sotakhandmade. To quilt this pair I used a wavy stitch that comes built-in on my Janome that's become my first choice for quilting when I want something other than the straight stitch. I love it!



Patchwork pillows are always fun to make! This next one is made using 2.5" Homebody squares that I cut from scraps leftover from other projects. This is the first pillow I made to fill with a Hobbs Pillow Pal poly/down pillow insert. Hobbs Bonded Fibers has generously sponsored me with quilt batting over the past few years and recently sent me several of their pillow insert sizes to try out and folks, I promise you -- these are the absolute best I've tried! They have nearly twice the loft of the pillow inserts I previously purchased from Amazon and Joann over the years, which means they make for a very full pillow which in my opinion always looks and feels the best!

For the fun of it, since I'm still making things at home rather than my studio, I took my box of Homebody finished pillows that are eventually headed to the shop side of my studio and added them to our bed to snap some photos to share asking the question, how many pillows are too many? I'd love to know your thoughts on that!



I've made four quilts/tops now that include Homebody, two are the Charming Nines that I shared on Friday so I'll start with my forever favorite go-to quilt to make, a Quick Quilt As You Go Herringbone QAYG quilt! I'm going to be completely honest and share that the near perfect way my fabrics lined up was a complete accident with this one. One of my favorite things about this pattern is that because of the way it's made, the fabric panels don't typically match up and istead the fabrics are staggered, creating a super scrappy zig zag effect that is all about having fun and not having to worry about perfectly matched points. Imagine my surprise when this was finished, trimmed and laid out that my panels nearly all lined up, minus the one part, well, I decided that was totally okay with me. What makes this quilt extra special is that for the LookBook my daughter Haila modeled the finished quilt!







Ever since Art Gallery Fabrics launched The Denim Studio line of smooth solid and printed denims I've wanted to make a classic star block quilt. I took this pic of my stashed denims in 2017 and as it would turn out, I was just waiting for Homebody to finally make my denim quilt! 



Using just two Homebody prints -- my Togetherness at Home floral as the star centers and Domestic Charm Birch as the background fabric, I pulled out my denims and started with just one block!  



The Nectarine Sunrise Smooth Solid Denim is the only non blue denim I added because it's peachy pink color pairs perfectly with my floral. I used the Nectarine Sunrise denim to create an X within the repetitive star block pattern and I think it turned out so good. Using such a limited palette is not my typical choice when it comes to making quilts, but this truly turned out exactly how I had hoped it would all those years ago. when my denim star quilt was just a dream. 





The economy block centers of each star block yielded corner scraps that I immediately sewed into HSTs, so right after I had finished the quilt I had enough to make this matching pillow! 



I think this pillow is a great place to stop today with my Homebody favorites! Of course I have tons more, but I think I'll save those for another day, soon. I hope these projects inspire you and that you love Homebody as much as I do!

xo Maureen

My Enchanted Voyage LookBook is out!

I'm so excited to share the LookBook for my brand new collection with Art Gallery Fabrics, Enchanted Voyage and I hope you all love it just as much as I do!



Inside you'll find dozens of inspirational projects from quilts & home decor to lots of beautiful garments & bags made myself, my friends & AGF makers! Today I want to introduce the LookBook here on the blog and showcase the quilt projects I made to get you inspired for beautiful Enchanted Voyage sewing! I especially LOVED making quilts with this collection, BIG quilts and I hope you will, too!



As always, with each collection comes a free companion Quilt Pattern PDF created with just the collection prints in mind and for Enchanted Voyage I designed Polar Compass, a graphic quilt with a center design that looks stunning on a bed and will keep you warm in style this winter! The Polar Compass quilt pattern makes a large throw size measuring 72" x 72" and was such an enjoyable quilt to sew that I'm hoping to make another soon combining a few Enchanted Voyage prints with a few wintry prints from my past collections mixed in. I've seen a few folks who have already finished their own Enchanted Voyage versions and shared them on Instagram, so be sure to let me know if you give it a go, too!

As soon as I finished this quilt top and the Destination quilt top that's in the LookBook (that I'll share more about soon) I sent them both to Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Quilting & Lady Belle Fabric to work her longarm quilting magic and she did such a phenomenal job!

This is an up-close look of the allover quilt design that we chose called Gemma by Karlee Porter. Isn't it perfect? I love it so much!



It added so much wonderful texture to the quilt which I think is so lovely on a simple quilt pattern like this one!



I think what I love most about Polar Compass is the way it showcases the color palette of my Enchanted Voyage collection. It's a collection full of pretty blues paired with some of my favorite soft shades of pink, peach and creams. This is also my first true stripe print in all of my eleven collections. I love a good nautical stripe and creating this print was such a great way to marry all the colors I chose for my palette.



I'll be back soon to share another one of the quilts that I made for the LookBook, along with some maker projects and new projects ideas to get you inspired to sew with this new collection! 

Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement & love!

xo Maureen   

My SUN KISSED LookBook is Out!

Happy New Year! I'm so excited to kick off 2019 by sharing the LookBook for my brand new collection with Art Gallery Fabrics, SUN KISSED and I hope you all love it just as much as I do!



Inside you'll find this colorful new collection on display in the form of dozens of inspirational projects from quilts & home decor to lots of beautiful apparel & accessory projects! Today I want to start by showcasing some of my personal favorite features in the LookBook to get you inspired for happy Sun Kissed sewing. Yes happy, I truly believe it's impossible not to smile while sewing with these fabrics!



In the Lookbook you'll find projects made by myself, the AGF Studio and so many generous makers that were so kind to lend their talents to make something with Sun Kissed. I'm always blown away when I see it all come together!

With each collection comes a free Quilt Pattern PDF created with just the collection prints in mind and for Sun Kissed I designed Sun Spots, a fun mix of bright colors & white that creates a perfect quilt for beach trips and Summertime picnics! This pattern makes a large throw size measuring 72" x 72" and was a very enjoyable quilt to sew. I stitched it together from start to finish in just a few days time, which is perfect for my schedule & patience level, haha. In the weeks ahead I do plan to add some additional hand quilting using threads in Sun Kissed colors which will be something new for me, but I just can't get the idea out of my head, so I'm excited to give it a try. I've heard from several folks who are making Sun Spots already and that makes me so happy, be sure to let me know if you give it a go, too!



Whole Cloth pillows are such a perfect way to showoff a favorite fabric and my Sun Kissed Palm Island Escape novelty print is extra special to me. This past Spring I went to visit my sister in Hawaii for the first time, a magical trip with some of my favorite people! I love how it looks as this large Euro size sham and now every time I see this beachy printed pillow I will think of my Hawaii family and my wonderful trip to Oahu!



In the LookBook you'll also find gorgeous garment inspiration like this dress made by my friend Alexis Wright using the Sun Kissed rayon, Summerdress Dreams Flare. To me, this pattern and fabric combination couldn't be more beautiful & perfect to wear on vacation and hot Summer days!

This sweet garment was made using two of the three Sun Kissed knits, Hazy Daisies and Sunny Side Up by the lovely Florence Taylor who always makes such magic with my fabrics! For the LookBook Florence stitched up this adorable 2t sized twirly dress using a Little Lizard King pattern. For this dress and many more garment ideas you can find all the details by clicking HERE!



The bag making kick that I've been on this past year continues and I made some of my favorites to date using Sun Kissed! Simple whole cloth zipper pouch bags with fun quilting, brightly colored zippers and Hobbs Tuscany Cotton batting scraps is all I needed to make these for the LookBook. The happy vibe of this collection allowed me to have some fun shopping for the tassel keychains that decorate each of these new bags. A must make for sure!



My quilted journal making continues, as well, since these are such a fast, useful and rewarding sew. I especially love making these to give as gifts. These new Sun Kissed journals all turned out so pretty, I even quilted up some using the Summerdress Dreams rayon, a first for me!



These are just six examples of inspirational projects that fill the 72-page LookBook! I'm overjoyed that SUN KISSED is now shipping to stores and I can't wait to see all the things you're going to create with this collection! To ensure I don't miss a thing, please remember to use the collection hashtags #SunKissedFabrics + #AGFsunkissed and to tag me @maureencracknell when you share anything Sun Kissed on Instagram, or to upload your Sun Kissed stash and project photos to my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Facebook page!

I'll be back soon to share a more detailed look at some of the Sun Kissed projects that I made for the LookBook, along with many new projects ideas & tutorials to get you inspired to sew with these fabrics! In the meantime, be sure to visit Art Gallery Fabrics blog to enter for a chance to WIN a Sun Kissed Bundle by clicking HERE or by simply clicking on the photo below to be redirected!



Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement & love!

xo Maureen   

Hello, October!

I can't believe more than a full month has past since I last shared here on the blog. For several years now I've enjoyed blogging regularly. Starting my day with a quick blog post to share newly stashed fabrics, a project plan, a celebratory finish or exciting news has been habit for me. When so many of my personal favorite folks in this industry shifted to fast moving, visual platforms of social media and eliminated blogging from their daily routines, I completely understood but, I made a solemn promise to myself to try my best to keep up with this blog. At times it's been impossible to find a moment in the day to share what I want. Other days, the much lower engagement would discourage me from wanting to continue posting here. While on one hand I'm not quite sure how I inadvertently missed a full month of posts, I see the long list of today's to-do's before me and I have my answer. But I've missed it here, without a doubt, so it feels good to start today playing a little catch-up!

Just after my last post, when my Autumn Vibes LookBook was just about to be released, I got sick with a bad sore throat that quickly turned into pneumonia,  again. I had tons to share, but I was much too miserable. Project plans and posts came to a halt, and honestly those couple of weeks are a complete blur to me. So let's start there, have you seen my Autumn Vibes LookBook?

I'm excited to officially invite you all to browse through it's sixty-eight pages filled with beautiful sewing projects perfect for Autumn Vibes! From small patchwork to 90" square quilts, you'll find all the inspiration you'll need for Autumn Vibes sewing!



I made quite a few seasonal inspired projects, that I haven't yet had a chance to blog in detail, that I'm really looking forward to sharing more about in the days ahead. Between now and Thanksgiving I'm going to try my best to get through them all, since so many will make the perfect décor or hostess gift for the holiday!



In other news, Art Gallery recently launched a series of brand new Color Master products! It was such fun to be surprised by AGF with our Designer Palette's, did you see the announcements?



I'm so excited to share that AGF has created a collector’s box of fabrics like no other! Each Designer's Palette includes a hand-picked selection of fabric just perfect for makers to use for their creative projects. Each palette is a colorful, unique group of AGF’s signature quality cotton paired with an original and collectible box made exclusively for them! Color Master Designer’s Palette include some of the very best of each designer’s fabrics, in groups of ten prints available in two choices: Fat Quarters or Half Yards, as Bundles or Boxes!

The Maureen Cracknell Edition No. 1 includes ten pretty prints from Nightfall, Garden Dreamer and Flower Child that together creates a pretty color palette perfect for your sewing needs. I have plans to create a project or two with these select prints in mind, so stay tuned for that!



Lastly, today I need to share what I'm right in the thick of these days -- Quilt Market sewing! In just a little more than a week I need to complete, photograph and display all the samples I've been busy stitching up with my next collection due out this December, Sun Kissed! Although I'm not able to attend International Quilt Market in Houston, I'm putting together a studio display to showcase this line and I'm so thrilled with how it's coming together! I've been sharing little peeks when I can in my Instagram stories, so be sure to follow me there to get a first look at this upcoming collection. It's so much fun!



There's so much more I'd love to share today, but not to overwhelm you, I think that's a good start to my blog return. I hope you're as excited about these announcements as I am! The backlog of projects I have to share is in the dozens, so be sure to stop back on Monday when I'm planning a fresh start to a full week of blogging. I'll have to organize a Fabric Friday Giveaway for old times sake!

xo Maureen

My Flower Child Fabrics LookBook Is Out!

The LookBook for my brand new collection with Art Gallery Fabrics, Flower Child was just released last Friday and I hope you all love it just as much as I do! Inside you'll find each print of this special, colorful  new collection on display in the form of dozens of inspirational projects from creative bags, to beautiful garments and lots of quilty projects! Today I want to start by showcasing some of my personal favorites featured in the LookBook to get you inspired for Flower Child sewing!





In the Lookbook you'll find projects made by myself, the AGF Studio and so many generous makers that were so kind to lend their talents to make something with Flower Child. We all work very hard to provide projects that link to patterns and tutorials so you can easily make many of the things that fill the LookBook pages!

My Flower Child sign was a collaboration between myself and a local friend of mine, Cori Wagner of Mama Made Wood Signs, and these super creative floor pillows were made by the AGF Studio! Be sure to visit the LookBook for a tutorial for these pillows and many more!



These Flower Child pillowcases are such a perfect way to showoff your favorite prints and have me dreaming that one day I might design a line of bedding!



In the Block Corner of the Flower Child LookBook AGF Studio also share a how-to for this pretty Flicker & Fade block!



In the Lookbook you'll also find the free Flower Child PDF quilt pattern called Flower Crown, designed just for this new collection by Sharon McConnell of Color Girl Quilts! To me, this pattern couldn't be more perfect for this magical collection! You can download the pattern for yourself right, HERE!

I'm overjoyed that Flower Child & the inspirational LookBook is finally here, that it's shipping to stores and I can't wait to see all the things you're going to create with this new collection! To ensure I don't miss a thing, please remember to use the collection hashtag #FlowerChildFabrics and to tag me @maureencracknell when you share anything Flower Child on Instagram, or to upload your Flower Child stash and project photos to my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Facebook page!

I'll be back soon to share more amazing Flower Child garments & bags that were featured in the LookBook, along with more of my own projects to get you inspired to sew with Flower Child!

Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement & love! ♡ Maureen  

A Soulmate Blooms Table Runner : :

Hi friends! I can't believe last week flew by without a single blog post from me. Beginning on New Years Eve we've been taking turns having the flu in our home, and so the first three weeks of January are a bit of a blur for me. Last week was the first that I was able to make it to my studio for several consecutive days. I spent my time organizing, sewing and working on a new Love Story display. It was so nice! Once my Love Story LookBook was finished, AGF sent the samples I had made from strike offs and my advanced yardage. Since Love Story is one of the collections that I didn't show at International Quilt Market, I thought it would be fun to create a little "booth" display on my own, now that I have the space. I'll be sharing how it's coming together very soon, but first today I want to share one of the last projects I made for the LookBook -- my Soulmate Blooms table runner!



Because I LOVE patchwork, it's instinctual for me to create nearly everything I make using a mixture of prints and colors. But, more and more I've been admiring and sharing on my Instagram the things made with my fabrics that are more simple, showcasing just one or two prints. For this table runner I pulled two of the Love Story prints that I'd most like to see on our dining room table, allowing the pale peachy-pink Soulmate Blooms print to be the star, and I love how it turned out!

photo credit: Alexis Wright || My Sweet Sunshine

Table runners like this one, that are simple, quick and that can be made in any size, are so rewarding to make! I simply cut a piece of cotton batting measuring about 14" x 40" and spray basted that to my backing fabric. I use my Quick Quilt As You Go method for just about everything these days, including this project. I cut a piece of my Soulmate Bloom measuring 9" 30", centered and spray basted the fabric to my cotton batting and quilted it from top to bottom with narrow, long stitches using a pretty coral Aurifil 50 wt.



Next I framed the quilted Soulmate Blooms with AGF's denim in my new favorite Afternoon Sail colorway, added a border of Love Story Daring Tribal Sunset and finished with Darling Echoes Vert binding, a pretty green to make those florals pop!

This runner is so pretty for February decorating, a perfect setting for a beautiful bouquet of Valentine's Day flowers!



xo Maureen

Soulmate Blooms Boho Bag : :

On the last day before Christmas break I needed to make and photograph one last bag for my Love Story LookBook and I'm so happy with what I made!

I wrote last week how my skills and love for bag making has grown over the past year, but it's still fairly limited to simple and quick patterns. For this bag sample I wanted to stretch myself a bit, but because I was so limited on time, it still needed to be a quick-sew project. There wasn't much time to look for boho bag inspiration on Pinterest and definitely not enough to order a new pattern to follow. So, I looked through the bag samples that I have on display in my studio and these Wild & Free bags by Sarah Markos were the perfect shape & style and seemed simple enough for me to try!



To make this pair of Wild & Free bags for my Quilt Market booth, I purchased the Beautiful Belle Handbag pattern by Amy Butler to send Sarah, along with the fabrics. Since I had previously purchased the pattern myself I felt okay using the bags Sarah had made to be my guide, since I didn't have access to the pattern myself. Of course, my bags aren't exact Beautiful Belle bags, but the shape of both the body and handles are a pretty close match for those of you wanting to make something similar!



Rather than using all quilting cottons or my Love Story canvas, I had to use my Soulmate Blooms Passion knit for this bag! This red if SO pretty and since I don't make garments YET, I'll be using this print to make a variety of bags in the weeks ahead.



Most of the bag exterior is made in knit but for the center panel of both the front and the back I pieced together a striping of quilting cotton prints for one side and a patchwork for the reverse.



The details on the front get a little lost in the photos, but if you look close you can see that I added a little pleating, piping and gathering detail, as well. I think the addition of the red pompoms might just be my favorite extra embellishment of all! Experimenting with fun details and techniques is really what makes bag making so much fun for me!





I hope you love this bag as much as I do!

xo Maureen