New Boho Quilted Bags!

Sometimes when I'm not sure what to sew, I'll pull from my scrap basket pieces to make a stack of 5-¼" squares and four x's as many 2-⅞" squares in contrasting prints to make four-at-a-time flying geese that measure a 2-½" x 4-½" rectangle once trimmed. A very useful size for patchwork with endless possibilities. Recently I used my most recent batch of flying geese, along with prints from Flower Child, Soulful and various recolored prints of mine from Art Gallery Fusions collections, to stitch up some quilted zipper pouch bags and I LOVE how they turned out!





These prints and colors together are so pretty and cheerful!



I use Hobbs Batting for everything I make now and these quilted bags were made with Heirloom Natural Cotton. Because I use quilt as you go when I make my bags, I always choose a 100% cotton or natural fiber batting that can handle a hot iron with steam, and Hobbs brand quickly became my new favorite this past year. I love to use batting to foundation piece the bag fronts and backs and finished these with a little additional wavy quilting.



How fun are these yellow zippers with coral pink faux suede zipper pulls!



Each of the bags I made are lined with my Swifty Flora Boho water color floral, for an interior just as pretty as the exterior!



I love makin' stuff, and these days there's a particular excitement for putting gift sets together that include a handmade bag, fancy bag charm and handcrafted journal that tucks perfectly inside each bag. I think this harmonious set would make such a lovely gift!

I already have plans for my next batch. More on that soon!

Thanks for visiting! 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 Fabric GIVEAWAY : :

It's Fabric Giveaway Friday!   

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My sponsor 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 lines of fabric, as quickly as they can! 
   
SHOP  *  Instagram  *  FACEBOOK  *  Pinterest  
 

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We hope you enjoy visiting the Lady Belle Fabric sites!! 

For this week's Fabric Giveaway Friday, Lady Belle Fabric is offering the winner their eight piece Summer Nights mix up fat quarter bundle including prints from my Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Garden Dreamer and  my most recent 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!

Throughout this Giveaway, you're all invited to checkout Lady Belle Fabric wonderful SALE with some amazing deals on fabric! ALL Bundles are 15-30% OFF! Visit Lady Belle HERE --  www.ladybellefabric.com/collections/bundles

In addition, Lady Belle Fabric is offering TWO extra coupon codes! Coupon Code: FREESHIP will give you free shipping on any order placed this weekend OR use Coupon Code: LOVESTORY to receive an extra 15% OFF any Love Story pre-order purchase! Love Story is expected to ship in November and I hope you love this collection as much as I do! To view Love Story visit Lady Belle Fabric HERE --  www.ladybellefabric.com/collections/LOVE-STORY

We hope you enjoy these special discounts!

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Enter to win! 

Here's how,

 
1. Simply leave a comment here in this post! (one entry)
2. Follow Lady Belle Fabric on Facebook or on Instagram! Just be sure to let me know you do by making a separate comment here for an extra entry! (optional extra entry)
3. My followers get a third entry! Just let me know that you do 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, October 2nd! The winner will be picked 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 who entered our Giveaway! This week's winner is commenter, 

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxes. Congratulations! Please check your email for a message from me! xo Maureen

Sewing Social : :

Sharing my great love for sewing with others in real life and building a local sewing community is something I have dreamed about since I began sewing several years ago. So when Sunday afternoon I packed up my sewing essentials and headed to my sister's cabin for our first sewing social, it was too wonderful not to share!



For this first get together we kept it simple, just Biz, Bri, and myself making my newest obsession -- zipper pouches! Both Biz and Bri are beginner sewists, so I decided to teach them how to make a useful make-up bag using the quilt as you go method that I teach on Craftsy and use so often. Along with my Janome and the necessary sewing supplies, I brought along several of my recently made zipper pouches to show several creative examples and the girls chose which style they wanted to make.





We decided on a herringbone pieced front and a simple stacked stripe for the reverse side, then began the fun part of choosing fabrics from my traveling stash!



Biz is a huge April Rhodes fan, so I made sure to bring along my bundle of Arizona after just for her. I love the combination of fabrics she chose, mixing prints from Fleet & Flourish, Nightfall, Soulful and Arizona After!



Soon the machines were buzzing and my sister's cabin was filled with making, laughter and heartfelt conversation. It was so special! I really enjoyed getting to guide a sewing project, step by step, and watching both Biz and Bri create something beautiful and useful to take home. I selfishly hope they are hooked so we can do this again and again!



Being a novice teacher, I completely forgot to take photos of the girls with their finished projects at the end of the night, but I did snag my sister's finished make up bag to snap a few photos to share today. Isn't it pretty?







Now I have a little news to share! Several months back I mentioned that I had been busy working hard at fixing up a space on main street in my town to rent as a studio space for my work and to have a place to teach others how to sew. Well, that turned into quite the sad and stressful debacle, and a BIG learning lesson for me. When it didn't work out I had to cut loose that dream for a little while. Well, an opportunity to try again just presented itself on Monday and it feels right and necessary, as I've completely outgrown my studio space at home, to give this another try. Having a well equipped workspace for myself and one that I can educate, support, and inspire those who are interested in sharing our love of fabric and sewing would be such a dream come true. Pretty please say a little prayer and send some positive vibes my way that this time it works out!

Tomorrow I'll have a special Giveaway to share, so be sure to stop back! 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