Hello, 2018!

Happy 2018, friends!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and brought the new year in with good health and happiness! We had a quick bout with the flu and have been snuggling in here keeping warm, it's been so cold in Pennsylvania, enjoying a few relaxing days after the holidays together resting up and eating the last of the treats before those resolutions begin. I meant to pop in here last week to share a few of my favorite Cracknell family photos, but I was right in the thick of it all, so better late than never!

The things I most love and look forward to over the holidays are with out a doubt our family traditions -- a trip to Wending Creek Tree Farm, decorating our tree with hot cocoa and Christmas music, Christmas Eve gifts of new pajamas and nutcrackers - fifteen years strong has grown quite the family of nutcrackers! It's so wonderful to see how our traditions have taken root. These things that we started all those years ago, that initially felt 'made up' when we decided to do them, are now ours so fully and deeply. It's a beautiful thing!











Yesterday I went to the studio for a few hours for the first time since before Christmas to stitch up a few Etsy orders all while thinking about my intentions for the coming year. I have some exciting new plans already in the works that I'll be sharing more about soon, as well as lots of sewing to be done with Love Story, my brand new collection for Art Gallery Fabrics that began arriving to shops right in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm really looking forward to giving some creative time to these pretty prints, I have so many projects planned! My Love Story LookBook should be out any day and I'll be back to share those details just as soon as it is!

From my family to yours & from my heart to yours, I wish you all a very happy, healthy and creative 2018!

An Extra One : :

Yesterday our beautiful baby girl turned NINE! It was a busy weekday night, so we celebrated simply with a nice family dinner of her request - spicy chili, cheddar biscuits, and old fashion apple crisp! Almost every time we go out to eat she orders a side salad and a cup of chili, it's the funniest thing! There was a little bit of sewing for her birthday - a crown, of course! This year I had offered a new special Holiday Crown design and sale, and when Haila saw me sewing them up last week she asked if I could make an extra one for her birthday. Absolutely!



I love this shade of spice berry red! It's pretty and festive and is one of those colors that just looks good on everyone, don't you think? Adding in bright corals and red, dusty pink, and aqua blue made such a great color combination!



Our birthday girl loved hers and looked so beautiful!







My hope is that each of the little girls who will be receiving one of these crowns this year lights up like my girl!

♡ Maureen

For Now : :

After sharing my scrappy bear paw block plans last week, to turn these 25" blocks into two Euro sized shams, one for each of my boys beds. I started to really love them right here on my wall!



Your comments even encouraged that I do the same! And so...



When we Christmas-ified the boys rooms over the weekend my pillow plans were left behind, and thankfully, the boys didn't mind one bit! When we celebrated my son Kaiden's thirteenth birthday (oh my!) this past Sunday, you can see those bear paw blocks still hanging on the wall!



In case you happen to be wondering what's happening in the photo above, those candles are in what we call in our house the "mega sandwich," which is just a fancy pressed sandwich that Kaiden requested I make for his birthday dinner to put his candles in. Just to humor me, he let me put candles in his cheesecake, as well!

After a wonderful weekend spent decorating and celebrating, I didn't get much sewing done, besides the pair of Quick Quilt As You Go stockings I made for my twin baby nieces yesterday!



Using the same quilt as you go method I teach in my new Craftsy Class, a festive stack of Art Gallery fabrics, and Aurifil thread I stitched these up in no time! The stockings are made neat and sturdy from the layer of cotton batting and lining them to finish. You can see the others I've made for my brother David's family here and here!



While making these stockings, I decided that I will simply quilt those bear paw blocks up into mini quilts to hang them right back up on the wall! What do you think?

How about you, are you busy making anything handmade for the holidays?

Happy sewing! ♡ Maureen

Special Days : :

This morning, after a stretch of days already filled with so many amazing moments for our family, my kids are all officially on Summer vacation, and my husband, after six long years of working the night shift, is finally working days. It's such a special first day for all of us! Over the years we never quite adjusted to that crazy schedule. Although he worked with amazing people and loves his job, it's been hard him and he's always struggled with getting enough sleep. As for me, I've just missed him. Most nights after he'd leave for work, I went to the sewing machine. The big secret of how I get so much done each week. So many nights I've stayed up way too late sewing, all because of my own struggle with not being able to sleep without him here. Adjusting to the new routine of having both the kids and my husband here so much more is going to take a little time, but I'm so excited and know I'll work some time in at the sewing machine each day!

On the kids last day of school I took a photo out on the porch swing, just as I did the morning of their first day of school back in August. What a difference, I have to share! Our oldest son, Kaiden, graduated from Elementary school this past Thursday. That means he's a high schooler now, since our little town doesn't have a middle school. I can't believe that I'm the Mom of a high schooler and soon-to-be teenager. How can that be?





Saturday marked another very BIG milestone for our little family. A day my husband has dreamt about since he ran in his very first marathon just four years ago. After months of the most intense training he has ever done, Kevin ran the local God's Country Marathon in 3:11! A personal best that qualified him for Boston, this time guaranteeing him a spot in that race. He won 3rd place overall in one of the toughest marathons in the World and surpassed his highest expectations. It was emotional and inspiring. I've never felt more proud, honored, grateful, and blessed!



Tomorrow I promise to be back with more fabric goodness! I wish you all a wonderful beginning to this new week!

♡ Maureen

With Love : :

The celebrations have begun, with lots of Christmastime crafting and family gatherings in the days ahead. This year, our home is looking more colorful & festive than ever before!







There isn't much snow on the ground, I'm sad to say, so we've been making our own!





Today, there is still much making and baking being done! I'm excited the kids are all healthy and ready to soak in all the goodness and beauty of this season!

I am really, really hoping to squeeze in just one more quilty project myself. If not the Christmas tree quilt I so wished to find the time to make these past few weeks, then at the very least a mini version turned wall-hanging or pillow!





I wish you all a magical holiday!

With love always,  Maureen

Busy Days : :

This time of year is so busy for all of us preparing for the holidays. For my family December is a month overloaded with the extra celebration of two Cracknell kid birthdays, as an etsy shop owner who receives a much needed high volume of custom handmade orders, and I'm unfortunately adding many doctors appointments and tests to my schedule these days. With each December that passes I promise myself to do better. To not take on so much, to be more prepared and organized. This year, for once, somehow I actually feel like I'm succeeding in that. At the end of each long day spent cutting, ironing, sewing, cleaning, cooking, wrapping, mailing, parenting, etc.. my only feelings of falling short comes from this blog and missing out on my plans for it.Typically I'd simply save all my unfulfilled goals for the slow Winter days of January. But after these holidays I'll be undergoing a Thyroidectomy and possibly a Tonsillectomy, still thinking about that one. While there's so much stress and exhaustion that comes with the crummy health stuff, I'm hopeful that all with be okay and in the end I'll feel much better. I'm grateful to be able to wait until after the holidays and to have all that I mentioned above to focus on and plan for. For once I'm finding these extra busy times extremely helpful for keeping me from worrying about the scary, unknown stuff. Today I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos from these December days of crown creating, birthday celebrating, and merry making!

















♡  Maureen

Favorite Day : :

It's on this day, each year that I feel a special joy and gratitude, a certain wonder and love that comes from celebrating our traditions.











I hope that your December is off to a lovely start! And that in the busyness of it all, you're finding a few moments to sit and stare at the beautiful things in your world too!

♡  Maureen

Getting Ready : :

This past week I haven't had much time to sew. I've been plenty busy playing catch up with the kids and housework since returning from Quilt Market. Although the trip flew by, it was such a long time for me to be away from home! Now this weekend is the memorial for my Dad who passed away in June, so we've all been preparing for that as well, gathering up all our family pictures and getting the house ready for guests. While we all miss him so much, it's been extra difficult to have to wait to have this memorial. I'm sure this weekend will be filled with far more joys than sorrow, as we celebrate his life together.



There's family & friends landing each day this week! Today my sister and family are arriving all the way from Hawaii. Her daughter Sylvia is my God daughter and now I have a new baby nephew to meet. I can't wait to see them all! I have a pile of handmade goodness to gift to them, including my recent Autumn Sun Quilt finish for Sebastian. I pieced it during the hours my sister was in labor and delivering him, so it had to be. Plus it matches the Sunset quilt I gave to Sylvia so perfectly!





Accompanying Sebastian's quilt are the set of quilted pillows I made in Sweet as Honey fabric with my favorite pillow pattern found in issue 8 of Love Patchwork & Quilting. The bright orange Gentle Breeze print binding really ties both quilts together, and I think these matching pillows will be perfect for them to share. I plan to harass my sister for a cute photo once they're back home!



I was lucky to catch a quick sale Bonnie had on Instagram a few weeks back for this sweet, super soft, organic knit Doe Pillow to add to the pile, as well. I think Sylvia's going to love it!

If there's time for sewing, I plan to break in the new Janome Skyline I just unboxed yesterday, photo above at the top. My friends at Janome were so kind to sent it to me to review and create a tutorial project with in the next week or two. As much as I'm looking forward to sewing again, I feel so inspired since Quilt Market, this weekend I'm hoping to find comfort in my family and friends most of all, sharing lots of tears and laughter as we share and listen to stories of how my Dad's presence influenced the lives of all who knew him.

♡  Maureen 

Emmy Grace Plans : :

It's the first day of the new school year. My children have been so excited which makes it all so much easier, and I'm equally ready to get back to a schedule! Here they are -- my 2nd, 5th, & 6th graders! Oh, how time flies!!



Today I plan to clean my oddly quiet house, but first I'm going to treat myself to finally cutting into my beautiful stack of Emmy Grace fabrics from Bari J.!



I plan to remake my Winter's Garden quilt, to draft the pattern to offer once I finish!



I've been waiting for just the right fabric collection to come along to make these quilt blocks again, and I think Emmy Grace is it!



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

♥ Maureen