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

A Soulful QAYG Quilt Top : :

Just about two weeks ago I started this new Quick Quilt As You Go using a combination of Soulful fabric strings and large triangle cuts of my Soulful print, Floral Universe Plum.



This new qayg is so much fun! The large Floral Universe triangles make quick work of these 12.5" (unfinished) blocks and took just a single work days worth of sewing to have this quilt top to share!



This new block is an even faster sew than my go-to herringbone qayg that I so often use since it's such a quick make and because that scrappy look will forever be my very favorite! The simple addition of a focal print with the two directions of the fabric strings is a really fun variation!



I'm so busy these days working on the new studio and preparing for this month's Quilt Market, that I don't have time to put together a pattern to share. Now this morning I've decided that I'm not quite sure that I'm done with this quilt top just yet. Currently it measures 48" x 72" and I don't think I like this size. After looking through the photos I took I last week, I'm leaning towards shelving this one for a little while, and when I have the time I'd like to add one more row of blocks to each side to make a 72" square throw quilt. What do you think?



This full shot gives you the best look. Let me know what you think, I always appreciate your thoughts!

This morning I'm heading out to the hardware store and back to the studio to finish painting the walls again, after a big paint mix-up/set back yesterday. I plan to snap some photos to share with you all soon!

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

Floral Universe and Soulful Strings : :

One of my recent Soulful zipper pouches inspired me to begin this new Quick Quilt As You Go project and I am loving it!



Over the Summer I spotted a similar traditionally pieced block to this one, likely on Instagram, and I put it away in my quilty brain for future quilt as you go use. If you happen to recognize this block pattern, please do share so I can update my post. I'm certain I saw something similar, somewhere.

While you can transform any quilt block into quilt as you go by simply quilting the finished block to a square of batting, I particularly love block patterns like this one that are perfect for the Quick Quilt As You Go method that I teach in my Craftsy class! With this method you sew your fabric strips and patches through the batting itself, creating the string patchwork and quilting it to the batting all in one step, with the quilting lines hidden on the reverse side of the cotton batting. Easy, fast and so much fun!



For my qayg blocks I'm featuring the Floral Universe Plum print from my Soulful collection with Art Gallery Fabrics with 1-2" strings cut from all twenty Soulful quilting cottons.





I love the combination of having a feature print paired with the super scrappy patchwork that I love so much! I'm not yet sure how I'll arrange my blocks, there are several great options, and I'm still undecided on if I'll use them for a new Fall table runner or if I'll have the time for a quilt. Once I finished the first four blocks, I particularly love the way they look set in this arrangement with the feature fabric on the outside. Just eight more blocks and I'll have a pretty great table runner! What do you think?



I'm excited to read your thoughts on this new project! In the meantime, I'm going to keep adding to my stack of blocks. Maybe I'll have enough for a runner and a quilt!



xo Maureen 

Zipper Pouch LOVE : :

I've been busy making zipper pouches and just as I figured after finishing up that first one, I am completely addicted! Each one inspires an idea for the next and so it goes... It was wonderful to take the time to sew these up this week, especially to have found the time to sew with Soulful! I LOVE my Soulful collection and haven't had much time to sew with it since it's release. I'm look forward to lots of Soulful sewing this Fall!



Out of all the zipper pouch making my favorites so far are these herringbone qayg bags. No surprise there, right? I made one using more colorful Soulful prints and a second using mostly the lower volumes. Both have fun added details -- colorful zippers, a denim loop with coral leather tassel keychain, cotton lace, and a Soulful fabric and felt flower zipper pull that I love. I made dozens of the tedious flowers for my Soulful Quilt Market display last Spring and I'm so excited to have found the perfect use for them!





These plus pouches are my first attempt at making mini quilt blocks to turn into zipper pouches! I used Nightfall and Garden Dreamer patch scraps paired with AGF denim to make these two reversible, quilted pouches. I think my two boys would happily use these!



I experimented with a sweet ruffle zipper pouch, as well. Quick Quilt As You Go made it super easy to add the ruffle detail. I'm excited to try this style again, perhaps with a Soulful and linen combination!



Each of these zipper pouches are lined with one of my prints and reverses to a different patchwork design. I think I found the perfect use for my endless scraps!







Soon I plan to add these to my Etsy shop, along with many more I'm sure. These are so much fun and will be perfect for gifts this coming holiday!

xo 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 Lady Belle Fabrics!

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 one of our amazing, participating sponsors! If you happened to miss the launch of our Sewcial Bee Sampler you can follow this link for all the info and can join us anytime - it's never too late to jump in!

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 Lady Belle Fabrics!

Lady Belle Fabric is run by husband and wife team, Rob & Brooke. In their shop you'll find both bundles and single cuts of handpicked fabrics that are fresh, modern, and fun! Designer fabrics include many of our favorites -- Art Gallery Fabrics, Cotton + Steel, Free Spirit, and Moda, just to name a few! Lady Belle Fabric's goal is to offer the most gorgeous fabric as quickly as they can! 

Shop  *  Instagram  *  Facebook  *  Pinterest  We hope you enjoy visiting Lady Belle Fabric!

For this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway, Lady Belle Fabric is offering the winner an eight piece fat quarter bundle including prints from my Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Garden Dreamer and  my new Soulful collections for Art Gallery Fabrics! This pretty bundle is also available for purchase and would make a wonderful quilt! Look for the Summer Nights Maureen Cracknell Mix Up Bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics in the Lady Belle shop!

In addition, Lady Belle Fabric is having a wonderful SALE with some amazing deals on Art Gallery Fabrics! ALL Bundles are 20% OFF and Christmas Bundles will be 25% OFF for their Christmas in July SALE! Visit Lady Belle HERE --  http://www.ladybellefabric.com/

Enter to win! 

Here's how,

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (one entry)
2. Follow Lady Belle Fabrics 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 17th 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! Congratulations, Karrie S, on being this week's winning commenter!

♡ Maureen