It's Beacon Quilt Pattern Release Day!

My Beacon quilt pattern is now available in my shop! AND it's 25% OFF now thru Cyper Monday 12/2!!

First up, a little bit about it's name!

When you look up the definition of Beacon you'll read in it's meaning "a fire or other signal for guidance; a source of light of inspiration." It's this part that made me choose this word to name my new quilt pattern, Beacon. This year has been a very tough one for me with lots of health issues, a couple bad injuries and some personal struggles that I'm still working through, but now that I'm mostly on the other side of all of that, I can look back with gratitude for the solace quilting brought and continues to bring me. For me, quilting is something that I trust, it feels safe and therapeutic, is uplifting and motivating. So, for my very first quilt pattern on this new journey of offering my quilt patterns for sale, Beacon feels like a pretty perfect beginning!



My Beacon Quilt Pattern is a beginner friendly, downloadable PDF pattern including instructions to make a 60" throw size quilt. It's an easy-to-piece quilt made using pinwheel variation blocks with fabric placement of the background colors that creates a secondary pattern. It's chain-piece friendly making it super fast and very fun! I've already made FIVE versions, all of which I'll share in details in the days ahead, but since I chose my most recent fabric collection, Enchanted Voyage, to make my cover quilt, I'm starting with this beauty today!



All five of the Beacon quilts that I made were long arm quilted by Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric & Quilting and she always does such an incredible job! I love that I can pick a digital quilting pattern from her catalog of designs and it adds another layer of design and artistry to my quilts!



I bound this Enchanted Voyage version in my North Star Shine print, a pretty peachy cantaloupe color that I love so much!



To see more variations you can follow me on my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/maureencracknell/ where I share the most these days, PLUS you can check out #BeaconQuilt to see the Beacon quilts made by my amazing testers!

I'm also so excited to share that I've been collaborating with two different shops to offer a variety of Beacon Quilt Kits!

The cover quilt that features my Enchanted Voyage fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics is available as a kit at Lady Belle Fabric, as well as additional kits for versions made using the Merry & Bright Collective by select designers including myself for AGF and the Holiday Magic version that I made for Brooke with the Holiday Magic custom bundle available only in her wonderful shop!

For those of you who snagged the Winter Woods bundle by Fabric Stork, I'll have a Beacon to share using that Winter Woods Bundle and Nuria of Fabric Stork also made her very own Beacon with Sharon Holland's new Spirited collection that is SO stunning and will be available as a quilt kit only at Fabric Stork!

But first, you NEED this pattern! So head to my shop and grab the pattern while it's on sale for 25% OFF!



After the holidays, in early 2020, I have a Beacon quilt-along planned that will be full of fun and prizes, but I wanted to offer this pattern in time for making for the holidays because it's that fast that you could totally get one done in time to gift or use!



I sincerely hope you love this pattern as much as I do! I cannot wait to see all the beautiful Beacon quilts to be made, so be sure to tag me and use the hashtag #BeaconQuilt when you share!

xo Maureen

A Mandala Dreams Quilt : :

Photographed at last! Back in May I quickly pieced together this Mandala Dreams Quilt, the free pattern designed specifically for my Soulful collection. I brought the top along with me to Spring Quilt Market to send back to Florida with with the AGF girls to have it quilted and photographed for the Soulful LookBook. They did such a beautiful job finishing and styling this quilt for the LookBook! Since it was returned to me, I've been meaning to go out and take my own photos to share here on the blog. Last night my husband and I finally made the time to take pictures of Mandala Dreams and a second newly finished quilt top that I plan to share later this week.

It was the perfect evening at one of my favorite spots for photographing quilts!

I won't go into too much detail about the fabrics needed to make this quilt, since you can download everything you'll need with wonderful instructions to make your very own right here -- http://liveartgalleryfabrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mandala_Dreams_Instructions.pdf

Soulful seems to be selling fast, which is so exciting! Lady Belle Fabrics is currently sold out, but you can still find a few bundles and yardage available at Fat Quarter Shop and yardage at Fabric.com. Be sure to let me know if you make a Mandala Dreams quilt of your very own! And be sure to hashtag your Soulful sewing photos on Instagram with #soulfulfabrics & #maureencracknell :)

xo Maureen

A Winter Garden Quilt Block { Tutorial } : :

Today I'm excited to share a quick tutorial for my Winter Garden Quilt Block, a quilt I first made using Bari J.'s Emmy Grace collection for AGF that I'm currently remaking using as many of my own fabrics as possible! So many folks have asked me for this pattern over the years and I've always said that I would share one once I found the time to remake this quilt and here it is! First I'm sharing the block measurements and how-to, and once all of my blocks are finished I'll follow up with a tutorial for adding the scrappy sashing. Below is reminder of the finished quilt, it's one of my very favorites!



The block pattern begins with a large center square, perfect for showcasing those favorite prints. They're fun to make and sew up quick and I hope you'll join me in making them! If you do, feel free to tag me and to add #wintersagardenquilt and #MCHcollectionquilt or to share your photos with me on my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Facebook page!



One quilt block measures approximately 12.5"square.

You'll need:

• one piece of fabric measuring 6.5" square for the center fabric of each block (my center fabrics are fussy cut from the focal prints from each of my collections)
• four pieces of fabric measuring 2.5" x 6.5" to be added to the sides of the center fabric
• four pieces of fabric measuring 2.5" squares to be add to the four corners
• two pieces of fabric measuring 1.25" x 11" to be added to the top and bottom of the center
• two pieces of fabric measuring 1.25" x 12.5 to be added to the sides of the center

1. Cut your fabrics following the above measurements and lay them out following the image below.

2. First sew the three center fabrics together. Place side fabrics one at a time onto the center square with right sides facing and sew along the 6.5" side using a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat to add both side fabrics to the center fabric.

3. Sew the top and bottom row of fabrics together as shown below using a 1/4" seam allowance.

4. Finish the center of the block by sewing the top two rows together and them sew the last row to the top two using 1/4" seams throughout. If necessary, square up the center to measure an 11" square before adding the border fabrics.

5. Add the border fabrics one at a time beginning with the top and bottom pieces. Sew along the 11" side using a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat to add both the top and bottom border fabrics and again to add the side border fabrics.

It's as simple as that! Feel free to comment with any questions you might have regarding the instructions and if you have any questions about the fabrics I'm using! Each week I'll share my newly finished blocks here on the blog and on my social media pages. If you plan to join in, please do let me know! I look forward to seeing your beautiful work!!

♡ Maureen

The Nightfall Parade | | A Soaring High Quilt Pattern in Nightfall

For yesterday's Nightfall Parade project I had every intention of blogging the Easy Tote bags I recently made using my Nightfall canvas, Mystical Woods in Solar. Lately the mornings have been dark, and as I waited to take photos of my finished bags I moved onto my next plan -- a Soaring High quilt in Nightfall! Once I began work on this fun project, I didn't want to stop, and as a result I'm so excited to have a new quilt pattern to share with you all today!





I designed this quilt a few years back to showcase a Skinny LaMinx collection for Cloud9 and have been dying to remake it using one of my own collections now that I'm designing for Art Gallery Fabrics. Nightfall happens to be the perfect match to this modern take on the traditional flying geese block! This pattern is made simple and addictive with my "make four at a time" flying geese method and chain piecing, you're going to love making this quilt!

Let's get started!



This quilt is made up of thirty flying geese blocks using some of my favorite Nightfall prints. My son Kaiden picked this particular combo and love how gender neutral it is!





Follow these easy cutting and assembly instructions to piece together your very own Soaring High quilt. I made this quilt top from start to finish in just a little more than a day! It's truly one of the quickest, most enjoyable quilt patterns that I've designed!



After stitching up those last few final seams that were waiting for me this morning, my husband and I took my newly finished Soaring High quilt top to a nearby pond for some quick photos. The morning mist suspended above the water was stunning, I was lucky to capture such pretty photos to share so soon!





You can see that I arranged my quilt blocks alternating rows of geese pointing up and geese pointing to the left. When you make your own I encourage you to have fun playing around with other layout options. There really are so many possibilities for this particular block pattern!



I hope you love this project as much as I do! If you do give it a go at anytime, be sure to share on my Facebook page or on Instagram with the hashtag #NightfallFabrics & #NightfallParade -- I love seeing what you create!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! ♡ Maureen

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* You can find the list of online retailers currently carrying Nightfall under my SHOP my Fabrics page -----> https://maureencracknellhandmade.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

A Reverie Quilt Pattern { Tutorial } : :

I'm excited to share with all of you that you can find my newest tutorial on the Janome Blog today for my Reverie Quilt pattern!




This quilt tutorial features prints from my new Nightfall collection and the Playground collection by Amy Sinibaldi for Art Gallery Fabrics. A combination of simple half square triangles and patchwork in these pretty prints reveal a beautiful quilt design, that is fat quarter friendly, and is so fun to make!



Quilt blocks sew up quick to a cute 9.5" unfinished square, a wonderful size for making both small and large quilts!



You can find this new tutorial on the Janome Project Center page right HERE as a PDF for you to download and enjoy!







I really hope you all enjoy this quilt tutorial! As always, be sure to let me know if you give it a go! Feel free to find & tag me on Instagram, be sure to add #NightfallReverieQuilt or you're always welcome to share the things you make using my project ideas and/or fabrics on my Facebook page Maureen Cracknell Handmade!

Happy sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen

Reverie Quilt Top : :

Reverie: a state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing; a daydream.

After a busy Summer with very little quilt-making, along with the awaited release of Nightfall, that's exactly what creating this quilt was for me!



One week ago I felt the overwhelming amount of tasks ahead of me as we entered upon the arrival of the new school year for the kids and the return of a regular work schedule for me. But rather than working my way down the ever-growing todo list, I indulged in the making of this quilt. It was exactly what I needed! A little gift to myself, creative, colorful bliss.



I had just designed this pattern, along with a few others,  to consider as one of the free pdf quilt pattern to couple with my next fabric collection due to release this January.  When we chose one of the other options, I swapped out those digital print swatches with Nightfall and several of Amy Sinibald's Playground fabrics, just to see how it might look, and I fell in love with the combination of these dreamy colors and prints!



Making HST's using the method for making eight at a time has become a favorite of mine, you may have noticed! For me, the process of creating using repetitive steps is like a deep meditation practice. With it comes a clearer mind, and more often than not, a release from my problems, worry, & stress, even if for just a little while. A refresh and refocus that feels so good.







I plan to share that goodness in the form of a tutorial for making both these blocks & quilt top, so be sure to keep an eye out!



Finishing all fifty-six blocks and assembling the top took just a couple days sewing time, and by early Saturday evening my husband was helping me take these photos to share!





I should have the instructions finished and ready to share next week.  Until then, I'd love to know if you plan to make one for yourself!

♡ Maureen  

A Diamond Weave Quilt Block { Tutorial } : :

I'm excited to share with all of you that you can find my newest tutorial on the Janome Blog for my Diamond Weave Quilt Block!



This quilt block tutorial is from my Diamond Weave Quilt that I shared just last week, made using a variety of prints from my Wild & Free and Fleet & Flourish fabric collections. Just by separating red, peach, and coral value prints from ones colored navy, aqua, and blue, a fantastic quilt design is revealed!



These simple quilt blocks sew up quick to an 11" unfinished square, a wonderful size for making both small and large quilts!





You can find this new tutorial on the Janome Project Center page right HERE!



I really hope you all enjoy this quilt tutorial! As always, be sure to let me know if you give it a go! Feel free to find & tag me on Instagram, be sure to add #DiamondWeaveQuilt or you're always welcome to share the things you make using my project ideas and/or fabrics on my Facebook page Maureen Cracknell Handmade!

Happy sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen