PLUS, a bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics!

Sharon and I are excited to share that along with $50 worth of Hobbs Batting, Art Gallery Fabrics is offering this gorgeous ten-piece pastel fat quarter bundle with prints from various AGF designers!



Art Gallery Fabrics was started in 2004. Since then creativity, beauty, and design have been their passions, and to this day, they have not changed and bring a chic and modern perspective to the quilting industry. When it comes to designing a fabric collection we always keep originality and uniqueness on the top of our list. We have the pleasure of working with a talented fabric designers who create enticing color palettes and artful, intricate prints that make our collections one of a kind.

Art Gallery designs modern fabrics that keep up with ongoing trends and at the same time it encourages our customers to use new colors and patterns so they venture out of their usual comfort zone. At Art Gallery Fabrics believes strongly in the quality of the fabric and that is transcended in their superior thread count and fine weave. This makes our premium cotton as soft and smooth you can get. You really feel the difference with just one touch!

Be sure to follow Art Gallery Fabrics on their --

Blog  *  Facebook *  Instagram  * Pinterest  *  Youtube

Enter to win!

Here's how,

Since Sharon and I are taking turns hosting Community Sampler Giveaway Fridays, this week I'm sending you to Sharon Holland Design's blog to enter!

A BIG thanks to all of you who are joining the Community Sampler sew-along and to those who enter our Giveaway! Have a great Friday and weekend! xo Maureen

Using #CommunitySampler hashtag will also automatically enter you in the weekly IG Giveaway pool! Remember that your Instagram account does need to be a public account for your post to show up in the Instagram hashtag pool. But please don't worry, if you don't have Instagram or you'd like to keep your account private, we will also be hosting the same giveaway prize, alternately between Sharon's and my blog, so you can choose how and where to enter each week!



Be sure to check back here on Friday for more info on this week's Community Sampler Giveaway with our wonderful sponsor Art Gallery Fabrics!

xo Maureen  

Today I'm SO excited to introduce you all to Dixie Belle Paint as a new sponsor here on the blog!

I'm a HUGE fan of their Chalk Paint ever since Haila and I spent a weekend painting our dining room set together -- you can see that fun project HERE! Since that first project, I've been using Dixie Belle for all kinds of paint projects both small and really big, like transforming a gloomy, neglected office space into a colorful new sewing studio, where I happily go to work each day. These days I now find myself constantly on the lookout for old forgotten furniture pieces that I can transform with this magical paint! So when Dixie Belle Paint invited me to join their affiliate program, I happily accepted and I'm so excited to add sharing an occasional Dixie Belle before and after project with all of you all right here in the weeks ahead. My hope is that it will inspire you to join me in freshening up our homes and sewing rooms with some colorful Dixie Belle Paint projects!



For the past few weeks my big project has been to create a display for Autumn Vibes, my upcoming collection with AGF, since I was unable to attend Spring Quilt Market in Portland this past weekend. Before I could spend my time stitching up samples, first I had to find the perfect furniture pieces for showcasing this new collection. Enter: Dixie Belle's Apricot Chalk Paint!



Inspired by the changing leaves of Autumn, with colors ranging from deep scarlet to the softest apricot, I decided to keep the main furniture piece in my booth, the shelf that would be front and center, nice and soft to show the sweeter side of these colorful fabrics!





We've had this little bookshelf in our home, purchased from a local thrift store several years ago. It's either held children's books or supplies in my home sewing room. But the extra dark brown mixture of stained wood and paint has always been a little too harsh for me.  In person you can see well the rough paint and stain job. Still, it has serviced us well and I love it's size and details. It was time for a pretty update!



This paint is so easy to use, it's amazing! It requires no prep work, goes on smoothly, covers wonderfully, and dries quickly. What more can you ask for, right?! I would never be able to think of projects like this one with my limited time if not for this paint, because of the sanding and priming that is required with other paints. I'm just so grateful to have discovered Dixie Belle, and the colors are all so beautiful, too!



Once I was finished and I put my shelf in place, I began adding some accessories that would coordinate well with my Autumn Vibes fabrics. Pretty, pretty!



This first photo is a close-up look at how well this apricot color plays with the vibrant, saturated colors of my Autumn Vibes collection. And notice how smoothly the paint looks, like a brand new piece!



In this photo I was still sewing up samples and working on how the Apricot shelf would be styled. Even my new Opal House pillow from Target matched this color perfectly. It's nice to find new products in the stores in the colors that I'm currently working with. It's always nice to know that I'm on-trend with my choices. Yay!



Before I share the final display reveal, I have to share the little plant stand that I painted with the Apricot Chalk Paint, too. I bought this stand at a church rummage sale across the street from my studio for just $2. Major score! It was marked up bad and had a giant water stain on the tabletop that took up almost the entire circular surface and now you'd never know!



And, now I'm super excited to share the reveal of how this Apricot painted shelf at the center of my Autumn Vibes display turned out! You may have seen photos of my display posted on my Instagram and Facebook page at the start of Spring Quilt Market this past Friday. I received such an amazing, supportive response from so many, and now I'm thrilled to share these details about my Dixie Belle painted Apricot shelf. I absolutely love it!



I'd love to know what you think of this project and what kind of before and after Dixie Belle Paint projects you'd like to see me share? My plan is to keep the focus on sharing things that are functional for us sewers, as well as nice display pieces to showcase my fabrics and handmade items. I'd both LOVE and appreciate your feedback, so please chime in! Be sure to take a look at the colors that Dixie Belle offers and let me know which colors you love most and that you'd like to see me use! Click here to see -- Dixie Belle Paint Colors.

Already lined up I have plans to paint an interesting shaped wood coffee table that's perfect for displaying sewing books and has a bottom shelf that's holding extra pillows. I have a huge wall shelf unit that came out of a house built in the 1800's! It has been beat up pretty bad over a decade of use to store cans in an old basement, so I'm hoping to bring it to life! I also have a few little projects in the works and a newly painted sewing table that's already finished and just needs photographed. You're going to love this one!

I can't wait to read what projects and colors you'd like to see next!

xo Maureen

Each Friday, throughout the Community 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 Community Sampler you can follow this link for all the info and can join us anytime - it's never too late to jump in!



Today's featured Community Sampler sponsor is Fat Quarter Shop!

My sponsor the Fat Quarter Shop was founded in 2003 by Kimberly Jolly. An avid quilter, Kimberly began her shop as a side business while still working a corporate position, cutting, packing and shipping right out of her house during evenings and weekends. From the very beginning, she was committed to delivering top-notch service for every single order and customer. As the Fat Quarter Shop's reputation grew, Kimberly decided to make it a full-time operation. Her husband Kevin joined her not long after, and with his help, lots of hard work, and a tireless commitment, the store began to grow. Over the past few years a few more people have joined the staff! As a team, they continue to branch out with the best fabrics, exclusive kits, quilt clubs, BOMs, and more. And they will always be driven by the passion that Kimberly founded the store upon, which is always giving you the best products and service!

Enter now through Monday, May 21st! 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 of you who are joining the Community Sampler sew-along and to those who enter our Giveaway! xo Maureen

Using #CommunitySampler hashtag will also automatically enter you in the weekly IG Giveaway pool! Remember that your Instagram account does need to be a public account for your post to show up in the Instagram hashtag pool. But please don't worry, if you don't have Instagram or you'd like to keep your account private, we will also be hosting the same giveaway prize, alternately between Sharon's and my blog, so you can choose how and where to enter each week!



Be sure to check back here on Friday for more info on this week's Community Sampler Giveaway with our wonderful sponsor Fat Quarter Shop!

xo Maureen