April Sew Sampler and a new QAL!!!

 Its a new month and the Sew Sampler Box is also celebrating 9 years!!!   How fun is that!!  And I am super excited because that also means a new Quilt Along . . . and I am so excited for this years!!!!  The theme for this month is Just Desserts and it is just filled with happy and bright quilting goodness!! A wonderful box to celebrate Sew Sampler  9th Birthday!!   

I was so excited to see Raspberry Summer by Sherri and Chelsi in this box!!  It is just such a happy line with it's bright, saturated colors.  It truly just makes me smile!!   And this Dessert Roll is going to be so fun to cut up for that gorgeous Dahlia Quilt!!!   Isn't it jus so pretty, a great way to feature these fabrics!!   

And the notions for this new year of Sew Sampler are just perfect!!!   I love the idea of keeping my fabrics (especially the solids) organized with these cute Fabric Label Stickers.   Such a great idea!!  And the Charming Dresden Enamel Chain has already been put on my travel bag!  It is just so cute ;)   And of course, I can always use more Needles, and Thread!!  They are the bread and butter of our quilting game ;)  

And with a new Sew Sampler year comes a new QAL!!!  This year is Flowering.   I am so excited for these new blocks, as I just love making variations on flower blocks.  I am hoping each month has a little "green" in it for leaves as I really think that will be what ties all of my blocks together ;) 

You see . . . the original Flowering QAL is being made in Summertime Fabric by Camille Roskelley, and there are Kits Available.   But I had this plan to make a quilt for the Celebrate 50 Years of Moda ;)  I got all of my fabrics, and thought up a design, and then realized, the wedding was the same month as the quilts were due for Celebrate 50.  So ya, needless to say, that quilt never happened.   So a few days ago I figured, what better way to Celebrate 9 years of Sew Sampler than with 50 Years of Moda!!!  So my blocks will all have 2 tones of colors (there are 4 prints on each of those 1/4 yard strips), a green or teal leaf,  and a low volume background from the line.  I am super excited to see how it comes together!!  

And that is April Sew Sampler Box.  I can't wait for May to make another Flowering block, I started in the purples with my favorites, who knows what color I will pick next month ;)  

Happy Quilting!!! 

Square Dance in a Rainbow of Shades Basics

I always love working with Basics because you have so many color options. And when Riley Blake recently released a whole new color lineup of Shades Basics I just knew it would make the perfect Square Dance Rainbow Quilt! I absolutely love making quilts with a rainbow of piecing. I mean, doesn't that just make you smile to see all of those happy, bright colors all lined up. And really, it is so much fun to play with the endless color options you have for layout. I went with a diagonal rainbow, but you can do vertical, horizontal, exploding from the center, or even totally random, just have fun with it!!

The Square Dance Quilt uses 2 1/2" strips, so I just used 1/8 yard of each of these 36 Shades Basics. And just because I know it's going to be asked . . . here are the 36 Shades Basics I used listed in their layout of rows.

Row 1 - Sugar Pink, Peony, Lipstick, Orange, Tangerine, Alpine,

Row 2 - Coral, Cayenne, Autumn, Marmalade, Lettuce, Sweet Mint,

Row 3 - Santa, Paprika, Sunshine, Green, Hint of Mint, Mermaids Tail,

Row 4 - Wagon Red, Honey, Basil, Songbird, Twilight, Nighttime,

Row 5 - Butterscotch, Treetop, Aqua, Celestial, Coastal Blue, Grape,

Row 6 - Mountain Green, Dark Teal, Light Teal, Cobalt, Lavender, Plum

And I have to say, I just love the names of colors that are given to these basics! So fun ;) I used Shades Phantom for the accent and Shades Snow for the background. It is always great to pair black and white with the rainbow, it just makes all of the colors pop!

And while this might look a little complex, the Square Dance Quilt Pattern is truly is a beginner quilt with basic quilting techniques.   The block is super fun to make and super fast, and then you just use pieced sashing (that will totally nest on all the seams) to interlock the secondary squares. And you wind up with a super fun geometric quilt every time! This is the Queen Size quilt, but the pattern has multiple size options so you can make whatever size works for you.

And this was quilted with a gorgeous all over loop de loops in different scales and grouped in double loops. My amazing MIL, Barbara did the quilting on this and it is just beautiful. And I purposely shared this part of the quilting to show the bottom corner. Have you ever thought of labeling your quilts with the quilting? Such a fun way personalize your quilts!

And that is my Square Dance Quilt featuring the new Shades Basics! Have you made a Rainbow Quilt in Basics before? They really are such a joy to make, you can't help but smile when you are playing with all of the colors! And if you haven't made a Basics Rainbow Quilt, hopefully this will inspire you to do so :) And if you happen to make a Square Dance Quilt, I would love to see it! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags #happyquiltingmc and #squaredancequilt and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can't wait to see your Square Dance Quilts!!

Thank you so much for sharing this finish with me!! Piecing with Basics is always a joy and I especially love making large quilts with Basics so I can play with so many Shades of all the colors ;) 

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Stardust Quilt Along - It's Coming!!!

 I am so excited for the new Stardust Charity Quilt Along!!!  This is Fat Quarter Shop's 12th Charity Quilt Along and I can't wait for May 1st to get started :)    This Charity Quilt Along benefits Make a Wish, and there have been so many wonderful Wishes granted from this Quilt Along in the past, and I can't wait to see what Wishes come true this year!!!!

And not only do you help Wishes come True by quilting along . . . but you also get to make this beautiful Stardust Quilt!!!!   Isn't it just so pretty!!!    I just love it and it finishes at a great lap size, and as you can see, is beginner friendly, so we can all make a Stardust Quilt  ;)  

The Stardust Quilt Along starts on May 1st, 2024 and patterns will be released leading up to the finish of the quilt along in September.   Fat Quarter shop is encouraging a donation  for the use of the free quilt patterns.  Please give what you are able, every little bit counts towards granting a child's wish ;)   There has already been over 30,000 raised, and with Fat Quarter Shop and Moda matching those funds, it will go a long way to grant wishes!!  

If you want your Stardust Quilt to be just like the original (and don't want to wait for the fabric requirements release :)   there is a  Stardust Quilt Kit and Backing Set featuring Summertime Fabrics by Camille Roskelley for Moda Fabrics.   The kit comes with all the fabrics you need for the blocks, background and binding and it even comes with a bonus cloth bag.   And one other bonus . . . The Kit comes with all of the patterns so you don't have to wait each month for them to be released, and yes, it's the only place to get them early ;)    

     

 

But you can always branch out and choose your own fabrics as well ;)   I loved the bold rich colors of my Backgammon Quilt so much, I decided to use the same fabrics for my Starbust Quilt!!   So I will be using Sagewood Fabrics by Crystal Manning and one of my new favorites for the background, Grunge Vanilla!!  It is going to be so fun.   And if you can tell by the number of prints I have, I am going for a little more scrappy look :)  

  

So will you be joining in and quilting along for a great cause??  You still have lots of time to get ready and it's going to be so much fun!!! Pop on over to the Stardust Quilt Along Page for all the details and easy access links for the pattern releases :)  And another little bonus, the first 500 donors to donate an amount of $75 or more will receive a special Stardust Bear as a thank you gift!!  Isn't he so cute with those little stars embroidered on his paws!!  

   

I can't wait for some Happy Charity Quilting starting soon and I hope you will be joining in with me for the quilt along fun!!!!

GO! Sparkle and Shine Quilt and AccuQuilt-Along!!!

 I am so excited to share some secret sewing today!!! It's always fun to play with tiny piecing,  but it is equally fun to do Super Big Piecing!!!  And when AccuQuilt shared they were making a 16" Cube Set, I was all over designing up something big and bold!!!!   And here she is . . . Sparkle and Shine :)    Isn't it just so fun!!!    And there is a  free Sparkle and Shine PDF Pattern , that you can download right here :) 

I used some beautiful Speckled Basics by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Moda  in Metallic Black and Metallic White.  You know I just love the shiny!!   And with such big and bold piecing, the shiny really makes all of the negative space pop!!  

  The Sparkle and Shine Quilt  finishes at 72" x 72" so it is a picnic size quilt.   And just in case you want to see it in an opposite layout . . . here is a dark background and light piecing!!  Or you could always go two toned . . . truly, the options are endless!!  But any fabrics you choose are going to make for a great quilt!!  

  

For the Sparkle and Shine Quilt you use the entire 16" Cube Set!!!  So the Cube Block Set, as well as the Angles and Corners Companion Sets.  And of course, the pattern will work for any size GO! Cube Set, it will just make for a smaller quilt.             

And when it came time to quilt it, I wanted to do something with lots of curves and flow to accent all of the points in the piecing.   So I opted for a large swirls.  It's always a favorite and adds such yummy texture and movement.  Just so pretty!!!  

And that is my Sparkle and Shine Quilt!!    I hope you love it as much as I do ;)    And if you want to make your own, you can download the free Sparkle and Shine PDF Pattern and get piecing.   And when you are done I would love to see it!!!    You can share a picture on social media with #happyquiltingwithmc and tag me at @happyquiltingmc or you can always email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  I can't wait to see your Sparkle and Shine Quilts!!

Oh, and did you notice that AccuQuilt-Along part in the title . . . Well I have some fun news to share!!!  While Sharing the Launch of the new 16" Cube Set, Erica and Pam shared that AccuQuilt will be using my Sparkle and Shine Quilt design to host an AccuQuilt-Along.  How exciting is that!!!  You can see the announcement on the YouTube Video at about 1 hr 13 min.      You can also see all of the details on the AccuQuilt-Along here!!!   I am so excited, I am totally thinking I might just have to squeeze in this quilt along and make another Sparkle and Shine Quilt!!  (I am thinking scrappy low volume prints and a dark background, how fun would that be!!)  

Thanks for popping in and sharing this quilt finish with me today!!

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!! 

Backgammon Quilt!!

Today I am excited to share another new quilt finish, the Backgammon Quilt!!!   When my wonderful friends at Fat Quarter Shop  asked if I wanted to try out this new design of theirs that features the Starburst Ruler and you know I just had to say yes, I mean, how fun is this quilt!!!  And it is always fun to mix things up and piece triangles instead of rectangles ;)  

The Backgammon Quilt is made by sewing together a long row of triangles alternating background and print, and then just laying out all your rows into these fun scrappy diamonds!!  And yup, the Starburst Ruler makes cutting all of those triangles a breeze :)  And yes, there are quite a few points to line up, but if your nervous about that, check out Kimberly's Backgammon Video Tutorial for lots of extra pointers on perfect points!!      The quilt finishes at 62 x 64 so it is a wonderful lap size quilt :) 

The Backgammon Quilt is Fat Quarter Friendly.  You use 12 Fat Quarters and a background fabric to whip up this quilt :)   I used Sagewood Fabrics by Crystal Manning  for Moda.   And I just love the deep rich colors in this line!!  And the prints are just gorgeous with lovely florals, playful dragonflies, and cool geo designs!!   And I used a new to me grunge for the background!!!  I paired these prints with Grunge Vanilla, it has a little more "texture" for a white background and fit these prints perfectly!!   I just love the way it all came together, so chic!!  

When it came time to quilt it, I decided on an all over swirl.   You know, this is my go to when I can't decide, and it always looks awesome!!  And I love all of the texture the swirls add!!   It is a great design to go with such angled piecing :)  And ya know, it s always a fun and fast one to quilt, so that is a double bonus! 

Isn't this just such a great quilt design!!!   I love how the added quilting texture just makes the design pop all the more :)  Doesn't that picture just make you want to snuggle up in this and take a nap in the sunshine :)  

 And that is my Backgammon Quilt!!!  If you would like to make your own Backgammon Quilt you can find the Free Pattern Here    You can find the original Backgammon Quilt Kit here if you want a happy bright version, or just pick 12 favorite fat quarters and go to it!!    Oh, and be sure to pop on over to the Jolly Jabber for lots more Backgammon quilting inspiration as there are a few bloggers making this quilt!!! 

Thanks for popping in today and sharing this new quilt finish with me!!!

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!