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

Soulful + Boho + Nightfall Zipper Bags : :

I've enjoyed making zip pouches so much these past few weeks that I decided to order more zippers to keep on making! In the future I plan to make more of the Love Story & Indie Folk bags that I shared last week, I love that fabric combo so much, but this week I decided to switch up fabrics to include the custom bundle I had put together a few months back, choosing a pretty combination of prints from Soulful, Nightfall & Boho Fusions!



For these bags I'm quilting fabrics to a layer of batting using my herringbone qayg on one side, a fussy cut owl with patchwork on the reverse side, and a colorful zipper with a handmade felt and Soulful fabric zipper pull. I spend hours making these flowers for my Soulful Qult Market booth and I'm so happy to have found the perfect use for them!





I love the scrappy style of these bags and I hope you do, too!



Each one measure a little bigger than 8" x 8" finished and have a boxy bottom making them perfect for makeup, travel, art supplies, knitting & epp project, and more!






I offered these new bags yesterday on my Instagram as my last Holiday Bag Sale of this season and I still have a few left am SOLD OUT! Hooray! A BIG thanks to everyone who has purchased from me during my sale, I appreciate it so, so much!!

Up next, I plan to share a special sale for the personalized crowns that make and sell in my Etsy shop! If you have a little girl in your life who would love a pretty crown to wear, be sure to stop back!  

xo Maureen

Bundle Inspired & GIVEAWAY!

Choosing colors and fabrics is one of my favorite parts of sewing! This Summer I was ridiculously happy when I pulled together this group of fabrics. My new Swifting Flora BOHO had recently arrived and the intense aqua color had me looking at this fabric design in a new way. I started pulling from my various collections, new and not so new and I fell in love with this grouping of fabrics! So much so, that every week or so I plan to curate a custom bundle to share, along with an inspirational project and Giveaway. I'm hoping it'll inspire you to combine prints from my various collections for fun new patchwork!

So for this first bundle, we have: Swifting Flora Boho (BOHO Fusions), Clarity Moments Stellar, Deepest Purpose Intense, Crystal Awakening, Mandala Harmony Vivid, Stay Humble Sunset (All from Soulful), Lunation Dark, Bird of Night Mist (Both from Nightfall) and Wreathed Whiff (Fleet & Flourish) -- All fabrics are linked and available at Fabric.com!



The sewing time I enjoy during the school year came to a halt like never before this Summer, and so a chance to create something with this pretty bundle was put on hold until just yesterday. Since making a pillow is always so satisfying and a doable afternoon project, this was just what I needed to revive my quilty soul!



I trimmed four cotton batting scraps to 8.5" squares and cut a variety of fabric string widths from my bundle. Using Quick Quilt As You Go, I added my strips to the batting, trimming the access length away and attached my four qayg string squares to finish my happy, colorful pillow top!



I prefer to bind my pillows and I love the way my Stay Humble little half moons print looks as binding cut on the straight grain!



The pillow back is finished envelope style with overlapping layers of cotton batting and my Here & Now Purpurite print from Soulful. Peach & Plum is one of my favorite new Fall color combinations, I love it!



Stitching up this beautiful pillow was the simplest way to instantly regain my sewing mojo and express the creativity that this bundle inspired!



And I didn't stop there! I also whipped up another little drawstring pouch for holding our collection of amethyst crystals, featuring more of my crystal Awaking print because it's just too perfect!









Since my Giveaway for this bundle was first offered on Instagram and many of you don't use IG, I saved one bundle to Giveaway right here when I shared the projects these fabrics inspired, and TODAY IS THE DAY!

TO ENTER: Simply leave a comment letting me know what you'd make with this bundle! One commenter will be chosen at random this Friday (9/1) and will be contacted via email, so be sure to include an email with each comment.

Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway. This week's random winner is commenter, Brenda. Congratulations, I will be in touch shortly!

xoxo Maureen

The Sewcial Bee Sampler: My Finished Quilt Top!

Before I share my finished Sewcial Bee Sampler, one last time Sharon and I are asking for all SBS makers to take the 8-answer survey we've prepared! This quick questionnaire is completely anonymous and the answers will give us better insight into how you've enjoyed this sew-along. To ensure the most accurate results, please only take the survey once. A BIG thanks to those of you who've participated in the SBS questionnaire already! If you've not yet had a chance to take the survey, please do so as soon as you can, we're only keeping it open now through the end of the SBS sew along. The link provided on both our blogs will link to the same survey. So, if you access the questionnaire from either Sharon's site or mine, your answers are compiled to the same place. Thank you in advance for your help. This has truly been a wonderful experience for both Sharon and I!

Now it's time to show off my finished Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt top!

For those of you who just discovered our block-of-the-week bee and for those of you not yet finished, you can continue to access all of the pattern and instruction pdf's on my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page so you can find everything you need to make an SBS Sampler right in one place, anytime!

For my version of the Sewcial Bee Sampler I have used prints from each of my fabric collections with Art Gallery Fabrics: Wild and Free, Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Garden Dreamer, & Soulful!  For me, this chance to see how my own prints from the collections I've created would interact with one another depending on how they were paired and positioned in each block of the week has been so fun and rewarding. With each new fabric collection comes a new story, theme and color palette needed to create something unique, all while wanting to hold onto a style and quality that will effortlessly bridge each of them together with past collections. This can be challenging and so for me to have made this quilt top that I really love, pairing all of my current prints together, it has been extra satisfying!




I put together this mosaic of my twenty-five blocks, in order of when they were made, not how I pieced them together in my final quilt top. Before I began adding my sashing strips to connect my blocks and rows, I had to remake just one block, my week 17 block: Spools, which provided a chance to add in a little Soulful to my Sampler, so I was happy to remake that one! Along with my own fabric designs I used The Denim Studio Soft Sand Linen for each of my block frames and for the final sashing, AGF's Solid Smooth Denim in Cool Foliage, a vintage looking blue that pairs perfectly with the colors I love to use when coloring my fabric collections! 

For these finale photos I had to return to my favorite local spot for quilt pictures. Isn't this barn amazing? I love the worn, white washed wood! The Sewcial Bee Sampler is just a little too big for Kevin to hold up without losing some of the blocks from view, so thankfully a couple of pins in the old wood grooves did the trick. Pretty, pretty!

I also took the quilt top with me out to my sister's beautiful new cabin in the woods. The lighting was so gorgeous, but the lush surroundings  made it a little challenging to get great shots of the full top. It was one of those times where you really had to be there to appreciate just how beautiful the quilt top looked amongst the overgrown field and fading sunlight!

Truly, although this is totally biased, I do believe that the Sewcial Bee Sampler will look incredible photographed just about anywhere! Sharon and I have both been admiring each new finished SBS that is shared in the #SewcialBeeSampler hashtag pool, so keep them coming! It was been such a joy to see all of the weeks of work we've put in on beautiful display!



It's bittersweet to see this journey come to and end and it's impossible to put into words just how much this entire sew-along has surpassed all of our expectations. This is a first time sew-along for Sharon and myself, both joining and hosting. The entire thing has been such a highlight! But I have to share that getting to work with Sharon as a fellow AGF design sister and on this sew-along has me feeling like the luckiest girl. Sharon's process of creating and planning is like nothing else, and she does it all so effortlessly. Everything she does comes out of her heart, down to every last detail, and it's so special. Thank you, Sharon. Thank you for your wisdom, your generosity, and patience with your own process (and with me). You are an inspiration, a dear friend, and I am personally grateful that you took the time to do this with me.

I'm excited to see all of the finished SBS Quilts this week! If you're blogging about your finished SBS, feel free to leave a link where we all can see in the comment section below. Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special FINALE Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday!

  XO Maureen     

A Sewcial Bee Giveaway with Circa 15 Fabric Studio!

It's Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday!  

Each Friday, throughout the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along community event that Sharon Holland and I are hosting together, we've lined up a new, special Giveaway with amazing sponsors! This week celebrates our last week of releasing patterns, but if you happened to miss the launch of our Sewcial Bee Sampler you can follow this link for all the info to make your very own SBS quilt anytime!

Aurifil      Circa 15      The Intrepid Thread      Fat Quarter Shop      Omnigrid      Llama Fabrics      Color Girl     Lady Belle Fabric      Needle in a Fabric Stash      Dritz      Knotted Thread    Needle and Foot   Thread Cutterz   Stash Builder Box    Hobbs Batting

Today's featured Sewcial Bee sponsor is Circa 15 Fabric Studio!

Circa 15 Studio is an extraordinary fabric shop for the modern sewist located in Kirkland, Washington. They carry a variety of high end, high quality fabric and notions, including many of our favorite manufacturers -- Art Gallery Fabrics, Cotton + Steel, Free Spirit, and Moda, just to name a few! Circa 15 Fabric Studio goal offers the most gorgeous fabric as quickly as they can!

Shop  *  Instagram  *  Facebook  *  Pinterest  We hope you enjoy visiting Circa 15 Studio!

For this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway, Circa 15 Studio is offering the winner a generous TWENTY-piece fat quarter bundle including prints from both my Nightfall and Garden Dreamer collections for Art Gallery Fabrics! You can find these pretty fabrics available for purchase in the Circa 15 Studio shop, HERE!



In addition, Circa 15 Fabric Studio is having a wonderful SALE on ALL Maureen Cracknell fabrics available in the shop with an additional 20% OFF! There is no coupon code needed and the sale runs now through Sunday night, enjoy! Visit Circa 15 Studio HERE -  https://www.circa15fabricstudio.com/shop/DESIGNER/MAUREEN-CRACKNELL.htm

Enter to win! 

Here's how,

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (one entry)
2. Follow Circa 15 Studio on Instagram and/or Facebook! Just let me know that you do by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (optional extra entry)
3. My followers get a third entry! If you follow here, on Instagram, or on Facebook just let me know 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 Instagram, tweet, Facebook, pin, blog, etc... (optional extra entry)

That’s 4 possible entries! Enter now through Monday, July 31st at 4pm EST! The winner will be picked next week at random and I will announce their name 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! 

A BIG thanks to all joining the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along and to those who entered our Giveaway! This week' lucky winner is commenter, Bluefigquilts! Congratulations, I will email you shortly!

XX Maureen  

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 25!

Before I share our week TWENTY FIVE block, once again Sharon and I are asking for all SBS makers to take the 8-answer survey we've prepared! This quick questionnaire is completely anonymous and the answers will give us better insight into how you've enjoyed this sew-along. To ensure the most accurate results, please only take the survey once. A BIG thanks to those of you who've participated in the SBS questionnaire already! If you've not yet had a chance to take the survey, please do so as soon as you can, we're only keeping it open now through the end of the SBS sew along. The link provided on both our blogs will link to the same survey. So, if you access the questionnaire from either Sharon's site or mine, your answers are compiled to the same place. Thank you in advance for your help!

Now it's time for the very last block release of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Today's free download is for block #25: Prairie Queen. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns. It's a great place to start for those of you just discovering our bee, where you can easily find everything you need to begin the SBS Sampler right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's Prairie Queen block I used several prints from my various collections including Nightfall, Garden Dreamer, and Fleet & Flourish. The 3.5" center of Prairie Queen was perfect for fussy cutting a pretty pink owl from my Nightfall print, Bird of Night Mist. The rest of the prints were chosen to add balance to my sampler quilt once I laid out all of my blocks to see which colors I needed to bring into this last block. I really LOVE this combination!

I snapped a few photos of this one before I added the frame because I love it SO much! I think this is such a wonderful block for featuring my Bird of Night owls. And now I'm wondering this morning how this block might look if I eliminated the bottom, center four-patch to include a complete fussy cut owl. I might have to give it a try!



Finishing up this last block of our Sampler has me excited to add the sashing, but first I'm going to remake my week 17 block: Spools. For this block I had introduced more of my eggplant purple Lunation Dark Nightfall print and it turned out to be too dark when arranged with the rest of my blocks. I'm excited to redo this one in Soulful and will be sure to share it on Instagram later this week! Sharon and I encourage you to remake any blocks that you think might need a little tweaking in next few days because next week we'll have instructions for adding sashing and finishing up our Sampler quilts!



I can't wait to see all of the Prairie Queen blocks this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with the Needle and Foot!

Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen