Friday, January 29, 2016

Fall In Line - A Secret Share!!!

Last summer I had to wonderful opportunity to work on a special secret project.   I am sure you have heard a lot about it recently, as it has been hoping along . . . so I am so excited to get to share it today!!   I had the wonderful privilege to make one of the Gallery Quilts for the newly released Moda All-Stars, All In A Row book and here it is, beautifully photographed by Brent Kane!!  I am calling it Fall In Line :)


I absolutely loved being a tiny part of this book!!  The rows are so much fun to make and each of them are so very different and yet they all pull together so nicely.  I obviously took up the fall themed quilt and I just love it!!! 



I wanted to give it a beautiful fall theme, but not in traditional fall fabrics.  So I choose to use your normal autumn colors of yellow, orange, green, and browns, but did them in bright tones of the colors.  The fabrics are selections from Tucker Prairie by One Canoe Two, Meadowbloom by April Rosenthal and Prairie by Corey Yoder.    Doesn't it just give it such a happy fall feel ;)  


And the fun thing about a Row quilt is there are no rules!!!  I, in my need for symmetry, decided to repeat some rows to create a central focal row and then do a giant row border of what felt like a million flying geese ;)  It was just so fun to really just play with each row and see where the design evolved.  The book has so many awesome examples of how you can really mix it up and make each quilt your own quilt.  


When it came time to quilt, I decided on an all over curly q.  My goal was to have one more element that tied each of the rows together and I think it did just that ;)  


And I just love all of that yummy texture.  Doesn't it just make you want to snuggle up in it!!!


And that is Fall In Line ;)   I hope you just love it as much as I do and check it out in All In A Row ;) 
And just in case you haven't heard, Moda is going to be doing a Row Along starting February 1st!!!!  I am so excited and this time will be making a Christmas quilt ;)   More on that to come.  


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

Linking up this finish to Amanda's, Quilt Story, and Sarah's ;)




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Thursday, January 28, 2016

Cutting and more Cutting

So remember how I posted about all of the fun Quilt-Alongs I have coming my way . . . We'll between going here and there to teach this month (more on that soon) I have been trying to squeeze in some cutting so I will be ready for all of these to start :)

I mentioned earlier that I decided for the Splendid Sampler to do monochromatic blocks in a rainbow layout.  The fun thing about that is I can just pull open the appropriate color drawer for each new block and cut as I go ;) I love having my scraps sorted by color, this rainbow just makes me smile :)


For the All In A Row "Row Along" I finally managed to narrow my row choices down to 6 and then cut some additional pieces for the border prints.  I have all my pieces cut and am ready to start Rowing Along ;)    I am so excited to be making a Christmas Quilt using Winterberry by  Kate and Birdie for Moda.  I have had a Fat Eighth stashed away for a while now and it is going to be just perfect for this festive row quilt!!!


For the Bloom Sew Along, I decided to do something a little different and am using this fun new line called Dot and Dash by Doodlebug Designs for Riley Blake.  I am making 3 blocks for my "guest blogging day" and have them all cut out.  I can't wait to see this one come together.  So fun!!!


And finally, I started getting all of the print fabrics cut for my Crossroads Quilt Along.  Aren't those colors just gorgeous!!!  I love the soft tones of Fig Tree Quilts!!  I still have to cut the red chain block pieces, and then the background instructions are sent with each block.  But I feel like I have a really good start ;)


So that is what I have been up to . . . how about you??  Any marathon cutting sessions as of late getting ready for new 2016 projects ;)

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day . . . let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!   The winner of the Happy Quilting 3 PDF Patterns is . . .   Number # . . . Congrats Cary!!!   I have emailed you :) 
      



  
And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop.   Fat Quarter Shop is taking this week and making it Lori Holt Week!!!  Every day be sure and check out the Sweet Lori Holt Deal of the Day!!!  Lori amazes me with everything she does and it is all so adorable!!!  Love it!!!



And the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a $50.00 Gift Certificate to Fat Quarter Shop!!!!  WOW!!! There is going to be some happy shopping going on for one luck reader ;)  



You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.  Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me if you have ever made one of Lori Holt's designs or played with some of her beautiful fabric ;)  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterestYou Tube or at their Blog.  You can Sign up for their Newsletter which will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales, or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Fat Quarter Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, February 2nd  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Monday, January 25, 2016

Aunt Eliza's Star Mini from Sister Sampler Quilts

I was so excited when I was asked by Anne Marie Chaney to participate in her Sister Sampler Quilts Blog hop!! Her new book Sister Sampler Quilts is oh so much fun and filled with lots of amazing blocks done up a la Sister Style ( paired blocks) in three fun modern layouts.  I decided to follow the Vice Versa Sampler Layout with the Aunt Eliza's Star Block and came up with this little mini!!!


I know, Sister blocks are normally a pairing of blocks, but I figured, there are 4 sisters in my family, so two sets of pairings seemed the right fit to cover everyone.  I love the Vice Versa layout as it gives the blocks such a great movement.


These blocks are so much fun to put together, as are all of the great blocks from Sister Sampler Quilts.  And of course, you know I just love purple.  I used  Kona Hibiscus and Kona White in the mini and the binding is Kona Berry.  Love!!!


When it came time to quilt it, I couldn't decide between a dark thread or a light thread.  I knew either way one would stand out on one fabric and completely blend in with the other.  And then I realized, why not use both.  I have this super fun variegated black and white thread from the
Fantastico Thread line by Superior Threads.  It was the perfect fit!!  And a simply crosshatch just played up all of those  fun angles from the piecing :)


Anne Marie's Sister Sampler Quilts is a fantastic book for anyone's quilt library.  It has 24 blocks in it  all with two different size options.  And with the super fun and distinctly different layouts  you can create and recreate endless quilt possibilities.


 published by Fons & Porter/F+W; is $19.99 and available at  http://www.sistersamplerquilts.com.  To find out more about this awesome book, and see lots more Sister Block Eye Candy be sure and check out all of the stops along the Sister Sampler Quilts Hop!!!  

Monday, January 18  
AnneMarie Chany / Gen X Quilters - Introduction
Sara Lawson / Sew Sweetness
Tuesday, January 19 
Leah Day / Free Motion Project
Brenda Ratliff / Just A Bit Frayed
Wednesday, January 20
Faith Jones / Fresh Lemons Quilts
Angela Pingel / Cut To Pieces
Thursday, January 21
Lynne Goldsworthy / Lily's Quilts
Amy Friend / During Quiet Time
Friday, January 22
Christa Watson / Christa Quilts
Violet Craft
Monday, January 25
Lee Heinrich / Freshly Pieced
Melissa Corry / Happy Quilting
Tuesday, January 26
Karen Lewis / Karen Lewis Textiles
Amy Gibson / Stitchery Dickory Dock
Wednesday, January 27
Sherri McConnell / A Quilting Life
Melissa Mortensen / Polka Dot Chair
Thursday, January 28
Heather Valentine / The Sewing Loft
Friday, January 29
Cindy Wiens / Live A Colorful Life
AnneMarie Chany / Gen X Quilters - Wrap Up


My Mini is now added to the Purple wall of mini's.  So fun to see it growing ;)  


Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!  

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

Rainbow Strings & Inspiration

So I am about to head out to Logan Utah to teach at the Winter Quiltfest Retreat!!!  I am so super excited!!!   Now only do I just love getting to teach, but I also get to catch up with lots of friends that I only get to see once or twice a year ;)  Yippee!!!!   And on my way there, I figured why not stop at another friends house on the way.   April Rosenthal was this month's Bees Knees gal and so I got her fun little string blocks all made up so I can drop them off to her on the drive and also get to say Hi.  Double bonus!!!!


These blocks are made using a mix of April's amazing fabric lines, Meadowbloom and Best Day Ever!!   I just love how happy and bright they are.   I always love sewing with bright colors as they just make me smile!!!  And I loved these string blocks.  They are so fun and easy to make.  Good Times!!!


And playing with these fun rainbow strings made me put two things together that I am so excited about.  I have always wanted to make one of those fun Rainbow Sampler quilts, mostly I was thinking a Dear Jane as that is what you see all the time.   But while I was sewing up these strings it hit me . . . Bam!!!  I am going to be doing the Splendid Sampler that I mentioned on Monday,  and what better time to do a Rainbow Sampler than this one that has 100 adorable blocks!!!  Yippee!!!   I plan on doing Monochromatic Blocks and then putting them in some fun rainbow layout when I am done.   So it's time to open the scrap drawers and hopefully bust through some of these over the next year and in the end, have me Rainbow Sampler :)  Here is hoping I can keep up!!!   So excited!!!


I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!
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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Sun Sea & Sand - A Finish and Tutorial

Today is my day for the Riley Blake Design Team Wednesday, which means I have a fun new quilt finish and a tutorial to share with you all today.  So, here is the quilt!!!  I call it the Sun Sea & Sand Quilt and I am so loving it!!!!



As soon as I saw  Offshore by Denna Rutter for Riley Blake  I just knew I needed to make a "beach" quilt with it.  I love the amazing "beachy" colors and prints!!!  They have a great summer sun feel to them and just make you want to go to the Beach ;)  



So I came up with this adorable quilt design that uses two basic blocks to create a fun ocean wave effect.   The Wave is just simple Half Square Triangle Blocks and then a Four Patch Block border.  I love how those little squares just set off that wave and highlight all of the awesome prints in the line!!



To make your own Sun Sea & Sand Quilt You Will Need:

1  OFFSHORE 10" Stacker for 4 Patch Blocks
or
3 OFFSHORE 5" Stackers for 4 Patch Blocks

1 1/2 Yards of Offshore Main Blue  (C4920 - BLUE) for HST Blocks
1 1/2 Yards of Offshore Main Aqua (C4920 - AQUA) for HST Blocks
2/3 Yard of Offshore Sailboat Tan (C4924 - TAN) for Appliqued Strip
1/2 Yard of Offshore Dot Red (C4926 - RED) for Appliqued Letters
2/3 Yard of Offshore Main Blue  (C4920 - BLUE) for Binding
5 Yards of Backing Fabric - I used Swiss Dot Creme
1 Yard of a Fusible - My favorite is Heat N Bond Lite



STEP 1 - CUTTING

The cutting for this tutorial is super easy and super quick

From the 10" Stacker Cut:
(24) pieces into (4) 5" squares for a total of  (96)  5" squares 

Or if you are using 5" Stackers :
        Choose out (96)  5" squares 
In both cases, I choose not to use the Main Blue and Aqua yardage I used for the HST's. 

From the Main Blue and Aqua Yardage Cut
        (17) 10" x 10" squares from each of the 2 fabrics for a total of (34) 10" x 10" squares

From the Sailboat Tan Yardage Cut
        (2) 9 1/2" x Width of Fabric strips

From the Binding fabric cut (8) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric strips.

You do not need to cut anything from the Dot Red yardage at this time.



And with that, your cutting is done and you are ready to get stitching ;)  The Sun Sea & Sand Quilt is made from 2 basic blocks - The Four Patch block and The Half Square Triangle Block.  We will start with the Four Patch Block ;)


STEP 2 - MAKING THE FOUR PATCH BLOCKS

Grab your stack of 5" squares.  Place one square onto another with right sides together.  Align the squares and sew a 1/4" seam along an edge.   You will need to make 48 sets of these 2 patch units so I suggest chain stitching to speed things up and save thread.



If you have never chain stitched before, it is simply not cutting your threads between pieces.  So stitch your 1/4" seam along the edge of two pieces, then, without clipping your threads, feed the next set of 2 patches through your machine.  Continue in this fashion until you have stitched all 48 sets and have a nice long snake of 2 patch units.



Then, clip your threads between each of the units and press the seams in all of the units towards the darker fabric.  I never set out for any particular fabric in the grouping to be a light or a dark fabric, most of the medium fabrics play as one or the other, so don't stress to much when you are paring them up ;)



Now, you can turn your two patch units into Four Patch blocks.  To do this, simply layout 2 two patch units alternating the light and dark fabrics as shown below.  The reason for alternating is so that you can nest the two seams together when you place them right sides together.  You can also pin the seam if you like.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the nested or pinned edge.



Once again, it will save you a lot of time and thread to chain stitch all of your sets at once.  Clip your threads and then press the seams open once you are done stitching. You will make a total of 24 blocks that will measure 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" square.


And with that, your Four Patch Blocks are done and you are ready to move onto The Half Square Triangle Blocks.


STEP 3 - MAKING THE HALF SQUARE TRIANGLE BLOCKS


To start, you will need to draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of your Aqua 10" x 10" squares.  I like to do this on the Aqua print as it is hard to see the line on the Blue print.  I use a Frixon pin that will disappear with heat.



Place an Aqua 10" x 10" square onto a Blue 10" x 10" Navy square with right sides together.  Align the edges and place a pin on either side of the drawn line. Now stitch a seam 1/4" away from the line you just drew.  You will stitch on either side of the drawn line.  



Once again, it will save you time and thread to chain stitch all 17 of your sets.  I like to align and pin all of my blocks first.  Then I stitch a 1/4" seam along the left hand side of all my sets.



Then, I clip my threads, rotate my blocks 180 degrees, and chain stitch along the other side of my drawn line for all 17 sets. Then once again, clip your threads between your blocks.



Now, align your ruler along the drawn line and then use your rotary cutter to cut directly on the drawn line creating two triangles.   Press the seam towards the dark blue fabric.



And finally, trim your block to 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" square.  The easiest way to do this is to place your 9 1/2" square ruler onto the block aligning the diagonal line on the ruler with your seam.  Then simply trim around all 4 sides of your block.



Trim all 34 blocks to 9 1/2" x 9 /2" square.


And now your blocks are done, and you are ready to do some Applique!!!  Yippee!!!


STEP 4 - MAKING THE APPLIQUE STRIP

Well start by making our Applique strip.  Sew your 2 Sailboat Tan strips together end to end.  Press the seam allowance to one side.  Then trim the strip to measure 9 1/2" x 54 1/2".  Set this strip aside for a moment.



Click here to get the Applique Letter Templates.  Print them off and cut them out.  I like to print these on cardstock so they aren't super flimsy.   Following the products directions, attach your fusible to the wrongside of your Red Dot yardage.  Trace the templates for all of the letters in Sun Sea & Sand.   Remember, always trace your appliques on backwards so that when you turn the letters over to the right side of the fabric they will be correct.



Cut your traced letters out.  Remove the paper backing from the fusible on each letter.  Align them across the Appliue Strip.  I found that the S in each letter is perfectly aligned if you put it 1 1/4" from the top and bottom.  Adhere them in place using your iron.



Now, secure stitch around each letter.  My favorite stitch on raw edge applique is a blanket stitch but you can do a straight stitch or a zig-zag stitch.  Choose your favorite.   I choose to use a matching Red thread, but you can always do a contrasting thread if your prefer.  Black would really pop!


And just like that, your Appliqued Strip is all done and you are ready to put the quilt top together!!!  If you are new to applique and a littler nervous, you can always check out my Applique Video series.  It goes through the process it in lots and lots of detail :) 


STEP 5 - MAKING THE QUILT TOP

Layout your Blocks and Applique Strip as shown below.  Play with the placement of the Four Patch Blocks until the color layout is pleasing to the eye.   I like to take a picture and then look at it on my camera, that is the easiest way to see that your colors are balanced.  Take special care to make sure the "zig-zag" in your Half Square Triangle Blocks is going the right way.  It is easy to get it mixed up.



Once you have a layout you like, you are ready to sew the blocks and strip into rows.  Place the second block in the row onto the first with right sides together.  Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge. (Row 1)  Then, place the third block in the row onto to now sewn together first and second block.  Align, Pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.   (Row 2)  Continue in this fashion until you have sewn the entire row of blocks together.



Repeat this process for all 8 rows in the quilt top.  Obviously, the applique strip row will be the quickest ;)    Once sewn together, press the seams of each row in opposite directions.  This will allow you to once again nest your seams in the next step.  So press rows 1, 3. 5, and 7 to the left and press rows 2, 4, 6, and 8 to the right.



Then all that is left is to sew the rows into a quilt top.  This is just like sewing the blocks into rows only on a larger scale.  Place the first row onto the second row with right sides together.  Align and pin all of the seams.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.



Then, place the third row onto the now sewn together first and second row.   Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.



Repeat this process for all of the rows.  I find it is easiest to stitch the first 4 rows together into a group, then stitch the last four rows together into a second group.   Then place the bottom half onto the top half, align and pin the seams, and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.



Press the seams open and then give yourself a pat on the back.  Your beautiful Sun Sea & Sand Quilt Top is all done!!  Isn't it just so fun!!!!



STEP 6 - FINISHING THE QUILT

Now all that is left is to Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It!!!  Yup, that is a whole lot stuffed into one little sentence ;)   If you are new to quilting and not sure on any of these processes, you can check out my Finishing Your Quilt Video Tutorial Series.  It will walk you through each of these three things, step by step ;)  



When it came time to quilt mine, I had some fun and really played up the beach theme.    You can see it best from the back of the quilt.   I quilted a little ocean wave in the center.   And around the border I did these fun "rolling hills" in the four patches that kind of look like star fish.  And finally, around the applique I did pebbles to make you think of sand on the beach.



STEP 7 - ENJOY  

And just like that, you are done and you can sit back and enjoy your new Sun Sea & Sand quilt!!!  The quilt finishes at 72" x 72" so it is the perfect size for taking to the beach and laying out with a good book or playing on with the kids!!  I just love this quilt and I cant wait for the sun to come back out again so I can break it in at the Beach.  So fun!!!



I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Sun Sea & Sand Quilt I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to my flickr group here or put it on social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  ;)



Thanks for sharing this finish with me today!!! 

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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