Splendid Saturday

It's been another fun Saturday morning making a Splendid Sampler block ;)   This week I only had one to make, as I posted my block, Lots of Love on Sunday, so I had it made a little early ;)  It has been so Splendid to see everyone's Lots of Love blocks!!!  Seriously, it has just been amazing and incredibly humbling to be a small part of everyone's Splendid Sampler.  You can see all of the Lots of Love blocks either in the Facebook Group, with #thesplendidsampler on social media, or at the links in this post.  So fun!!!

And the block I made this week was Happy Happy designed by Jen Kingwell.   I was so fortunate to meet Jen Kingwell last month and this block is just like her, so very happy ;)   I did raw edge applique instead of hand stitched, surprise,surprise.  I adjusted my  blanket stitch super tiny to go around the little circles and just love the added little pop it gives them.

And those are this weeks Splendid Sampler blocks.  Looking forward to next Saturday for another Splendid Morning of Saturday Stitching ;)

Happy Quilting!!!

Improv Bag

So you might remember that at the Cedar Retreat in January that I actually got to take a class, well today I am excited to share that my adorable little Improv Bag is done!!!  Isn't it so cute :)   And I have to give a huge thank you to Barbara, because otherwise it wouldn't be done.  My two bag halves have been sitting just waiting for me to sew them together and she took them with her on a  little weekend trip and brought them back a finished bag.  (So sweet of her ;)  

The class and pattern for this bag is by Sandra Workman.  I originally saw these adorable bags she designed at Market and have wanted to make one every since, so I was so excited when she came to Cedar to teach them.   It was such a fun class, a fabulous pattern, and it was so wonderful to get to know Sandra more.  She is an amazing creative genius!!!

This bag is a Quilt-As-You-Go bag and I had so much fun with it.  I was just in a zone slapping on pieces and then quilting away.  Such a relaxing little project and so fun!!!  And of course, we all know how much I love purple, so I raided my purple scraps for this little bag.  It will reside in my sewing room, so now it will match the walls and all the mini's on the walls ;)

And in the lining, Barbara even included two little pockets.  Now it is just perfect for toting along a project and all of the supplies I need to make it.   Can't wait for a time to get to sew away now so I can try it out ;)  

And in the mean time, I think this is now going to be the home of my cute little improv basket.  It is behind my sewing machine so I can sit and enjoy how cute it is every time I sew.  Just loving it.  

Again, a huge Thank You out to Barbara for helping me finish it and to Sandra for such an awesome little design and class.  I loved it and am so excited to use my finished Improv Bag ;)

Thanks for popping in today and each day ;)  I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend ;)

Linking up to Amanda's and Sarah's ;)

Fun Little Tidbits

I have a few fun things that I wanted to share with you today, so this is going to be just a little bit random and bouncy but it is all good Happy Quilting goodness ;)

First off, I want to give a huge thank you for you all for your wonderful comments on my planning for a Ruby Jubilee quilt ;)  I am happy to say that I finally made a decision.  I am going to do the red background and the white chain :)  Yippee!!!  I am using wonderful Grunge fabrics that arrived the other day and now I just can't wait to cut into them.  So pretty!!  And speaking of wonderfully fun things, oh my goodness, I just love the Moda Match Maker, especially my Grunge one!!!  It made choosing the red and white I wanted so much easier.  I knew exactly the tone, what color grunge was added to it, ect. ect.   Perfect!!!  Don't know how I ever got by without it!!  (Fat Quarter Shop  and Green Fairy Quilts carry them, just fyi :)

Second, Kimberly made kits of my Sugar Pop N Change Mini that I posted at the Moda Bake Shop in December!!!   So if you loved the mini and want to make one just like mine, or similar to mine but in green or blue, pop on over to Kimberly's Fabric Stash and get yourself a kit.  EEEkkk, I just love making Mini's ;)

And finally, My good friend Amy posted about these fabulous spreadsheets that her friends Holly and Dave of Stately Type made up.  I knew right away that they would be perfect for me.  I absolutely love checking things of "to do" lists, but the ability to check off each step of a quilt on a "to-do" list, fabulous!!!   I instantly went and grabbed a set, printed it off, and hung it on my desk by my machine.  They are downloadable and so fun and so very affordable!!!  There is also a Fabric Stash Inventory sheet that I will admit I am afraid to fill out, and a WIP to Finish one, but I added all my WIP's to my Quilts to Make in 2016, because I want to get them all done ;)     So anyhow, if you happen to like checking off lists as well, I highly recommend you pop on over and check out this trio of spreadsheets.  They really are amazing and I already have found myself squeezing in a binding or doing a little basting, just so I can check it off the list. Love it!!

And that is my fun little random tidbits for the day.  I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day ;)

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

Note - If you are looking for The Splendid Sampler Post, you will find it here ;)

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 Vintage Picnic Jelly Roll  from Fat Quarter Shop  is . . .   Number # 438. . . Congrats Kathy E.!!!   I have emailed you :) 

      

        

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by The Intrepid Thread!!  Julie has so many amazing fabrics and a wonderful eye for putting them together!   And Julie is also giving all Happy Quilting a fantastic coupon code for some fun shopping!! Use the code HAPPYQ15  until Wednesday at Midnight to get 15% off everything in your cart!!!  (excludes Pre-orders, Gift Certificate, and BOMs)

   

Today's  Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for this stunning Custom #HelloSpring Fat Quarter Bundle !!! Like I said, Julie has an amazing eye for putting colors together!!  Isn't it just so happy, makes me totally smile!!!  That is some wonderful Fat Quarter Goodness there!!!

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 telling me if you could say Hello to anyone in the world, who would it be ? 

 ENTRY 2 - Show your The Intrepid Thread love. You can follow them on Facebook, Bloglovin,  or Instagram.  You can Sign up for The Intrepid Thread Newsletter (right side bar) ,  Follow Their Blog, or you can Visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your The Intrepid Thread love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, March 1st when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Lots of Love Block - The Splendid Sampler

Today I am so excited to get share the block I designed for The Splendid Sampler.   If you are visiting Happy Quilting for the first time from The Splendid Sampler , Welcome!!!    I am so glad you popped in and hope you will come back often.  I have so much fun sharing my passion for quilting here with lots of  free tutorials, giveaways, fabric eye candy, finished projects and of course, lots of  Happy Quilting goodness!! 

Each of the blocks in The Splendid Sampler have a story behind the design.  I hope you get the chance to read each of the stories on the top of each block pattern ;)  Quilts are so special because they have the ability to wrap someone in Love!!  My block is a representation of the 6 people in my life that I always want to wrap up in Lots of Love.  The large heart is for my sweetheart, Jacob, and the smaller hearts are for each of my wonderful children, Spencer, Jessica, Kristian, Kamryn, and Jocelyn.

It is my hope that while you work on your own Lots of Love block, you will think of those special someone's that you want to wrap in Lots of Love as well ;)   You can find the block pattern in the The Splendid Sampler book :)   

So now, let walk through a few tidbits on how to make these hearts a little easier to piece ;)  

PIECING TIDBITS

First off, when working with small pieces, it is always helpful to starch your fabrics before cutting them.  I just use an inexpensive starch and a high heat setting on my iron.  It only takes a few seconds but will really help to keep your fabrics from stretching once you start piecing them on the angle. 

If you feel confident with your piecing, you can do two steps of the pattern at one time ;)  Both the inner small square and the large square can be stitched on without having to stop and press in the middle.  On the smaller 2" hearts, your squares will be touching but not overlapping, so you can still stitch both without having to cut and press in between.

When adding your outside small square, double check that it is overlapping the already sewn square by 1/4".  If it isn't, adjust slightly trying to balance the underage or overage between the overlap and the edge.   This will allow you to get those nice perfect points down the line.  

When sewing the two halves of the heart together, it is best to take the extra second and pin the seams in place.  They will be aligned right on top of one another, so if it isn't pinned, the bulk can easily shift under your presser foot.  Press the seam of the center heart open to help avoid bulk and give you reference for sewing your points when putting the block together.

When putting the block together, align and pin each of your seams first.  Then go back and pin the edges.  Finally, when sewing your seam, be sure to stitch directly through the center of the X created at each of the points of the hearts, even if that means not stitching a perfect 1/4" seam.  You will see the X in your previous stitching, and stitching right through the center of it will give you those beautiful perfect points ;)

Finally, and this is optional, If the waste of trimming bothers you in this block, you can always turn those trimmed bits into bonus Half Square Triangles.  You can either sew an extra seam 1/2" away from your first seam and then cut (on the dotted line) between the two seams or, once you have trimmed your blocks, simply sew a 1/4" seam along the trimmed triangles.   Both way will give you lots of fun bonus HST blocks ;)  

LOTS OF LOVE BLOCK

And just like that, you will have a beautiful Lots of Love Block!!!!   

Of course, I had to make another block for my own version of The Splendid Sampler :)  I am doing my blocks in monochromatic layouts and if you have been around here for any time, you will know that Purple is my favorite color, so of course, I had to make this Lots of Love Block in purple ;)

And I tell you, once you start making these hearts, you won't want to stop . . .so maybe, you will have a special someone to wrap in Lots of Love with a Bonus Lots of Love Mini!!!

BONUS MINI

This Mini was a special Valentines gift for my wonderful Mother In Law, Barbara.  Barbara and I live 2 doors apart and we love to quilt together.  There isn't a day that goes by that we don't have a few minutes to talk about what we are working on, upcoming projects, fabric choices, ect, ect. ect ;)

So as I mentioned earlier, my block represents my family.   Well this Mini represent's Barbara's family ;)   The two large hearts are for her and her husband (grandma and grandpa) and the 12 medium hearts represent their 6 children and their spouses, and you guessed it.  The 24 little hearts represent her 24 grandchildren.  (edit . . .and now I need to applique two more hearts on, because 2 more special little angles have arrived since I made this :)   It is a very special representation of everyone Barbara wants to wrap in love ;)

And if  you are feeling like you want to tackle your own Lots of Love Mini, here is the fabric calculations for the hearts ranging from 2" finished up to 10" finished ;)    So now you can make all the Hearts in any size you want!!!! 

And if you make a Lots of Love Mini, I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, add it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc .   I can't wait to see your amazing mini's!!!

And just for fun, here are my blocks for the Splendid Sampler so far!!!  I am so looking forward to working on this project throughout the year and can't wait to see everyone's fantastic blocks!!!

I am so very excited to see everyone's Lots of Love Blocks!!!!   Just think of all the people that are going to be wrapped in Love today :)

Thanks for popping in today and I hope that you have a very Happy (and Splendid) Quilting Day!!!

Splendid Sampler Saturday :)

So are you following along with The Splendid Sampler??  It is a year long Mystery Quilt Along with two 6" Sampler Blocks released each week ;)  And guess what, the first blocks were released this week!!!  You can find all of the details here, read along the top index for quick reference to everything you need to know :)   It is my hope to try and post my weeks blocks each Saturday.  In fact, I had such a lovely time starting my Saturday today with these super fun sampler blocks, that my plan is to save then for every Saturday Morning so that I can have Splendid Saturday's all year long ;)  

My plan is to do Monochromatic Blocks and then put them in an Irish Chain Layout.  I know, you are super surprised with my love for Irish Chain Quilts ;)   So when it is all done, it will look something like this, although I haven't decided on the final size I want it to be, so this could shift a bit, but it gives you the general idea.

 I hope to share blocks each Saturday (although, I know I am going to miss some ;)  and am so excited to watch this come together throughout the year . . . I hope you will pop in on Saturday's and share in watching this Splendid Rainbow take shape ;)   And with that . . . Let's get to this weeks blocks.

First off, the Hearts Aflutter Block designed by Pat Sloan.  I used fusible raw edge applique for the center heart and opted for a slightly different design of heart because I could cut this one out with my Slice, so it was super fast ;)  And of course, I didn't notice that little bit of lint on the picture until just now, oh well ;)

And Second, the Wings Block by Jane Davidson.  Those little blocks are 1" finished.  how cute is that!!!  I did free motion quilting for the little antenna on my home machine.  It was super easy and I always love the opportunity to do a little FMQing on my domestic machine since I mostly use the long arm now.  So fun!!!

And those are this weeks blocks!!!  And super fun news . . . Tomorrow I get to share the block I designed for this fun Quilt Along!!!  Be sure to pop in to see the fun story behind it, some tidbits on helping you to make the block, and a super cute bonus mini ;)  

I Couldn't Stop and Finished the Rows!!!

So yesterday morning I posted some more progress that I had made on my Moda All In A Row Quilt Along Christmas Quilt using Winterberry fabric by Kate and Birdie for Moda .  As soon as I was done posting I was so excited I decided to sneak in a little more piecing time.   And the a little turned into a lot and before you knew it, the kids were coming home from school and I was still in my pj's . . . but . . . my Rows were all finished and sewn together into a quilt top!!!  Yippee!!!  I am so just loving how it all came together!!

The first row I finished up was the Double Star Row by Barbara Brackman.  I just love piecing stars, I think they are my favorite thing to piece!!!  I am wishing I wouldn't have used the holly print in the background as it is reading more green than white, but what ya gonna do.

As soon as I was done with the Double Stars row I moved o to this adorable Snowy Day Row designed by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs.  I had so much fun appliqueing on those adorable snowman.  And we all know I am not much of a hand stitcher, so I did all of the eyes and nose on my machine a la free motion.   So fun!!

And since I was already in the applique mood, I finished up with the Birdies and Trees row by Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts.   I just love those little birdies!!  I have wanted to do the multiple free motion outlines on applique for some time that is so popular, and I figured now was the perfect opportunity.  The more I did it, the more I loosened up and stopped stressing about the lines that were stitched a little askew.  And I just love that in this method of stitching, they all look perfectly organic in the finish, so fun!!!

So yippee!!! Finished Rows!!!!  It should be noted that Josie and I did stop for a lunch break somewhere in there.  And my oh my, Josie made a lot of perler bead creations.  Every time I went to the ironing board to press, there was another one waiting to be ironed ;)   Anyhow,  Now the rows are all done and I think I am going to add a border to finish it off and make it a little larger ;)

And that is it for me today ;)  Thank you so much for stopping in today and every day ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

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

Some more Row Along Progress :)

I am excited for how much more Moda Row Along  progress I have to share since the last time I posted.  It has been a crazy busy week, but I love that I have all of these cut out so I can squeeze in a little sewing here and there and still see progress, even if it is only in 15 minute increments.

 I finished up my Bloom Row designed by Karla Eisenach of Sweewater.   Aren't those little petals just so adorable!!!  I actually really enjoyed stitching them all done and just admiring how cute they were ;)

And I also started and finished another row.  This one is called Garland Knot by Brenda Riddle but instead of the Garland she has in the design, I added a little appliqued Merry Christmas.  This is going to be the focal row of the quilt and I am so excited!!!  I just love appliqued letters ;)  And that patchwork is 1" finished, so cute and little ;)

And I got a decent start on the Double Star Row as well.  I decided to use my favorite no-waste flying geese method instead of the one in the book.  It  only took a second to reconfigure the math and before you know it I was sewing away.  Just a little bit of cutting and pressing and I will have a flock ;)

I am having so much fun with this!!!  It really is the perfect little project to crank out a step or two in a row when you can squeeze in a minute in the sewing room ;)  So excited to see it all come together ;)

Oh, and if you want Row Along as well, you can find all the details here ;)

I hope you have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

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 custom Canyon Bundle  from Kimberly's Fabric Stash  is . . .   Number # 242. . . Congrats Elizabeth!!!   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 amazing and they never cease to amaze me with everything they have going on at their shop!!!     And are you quilting along with them on their new Crossroads Quilt Along that benefits the March of Dimes??  Yesterday was the first block release day so there is lots of time to join in ;)

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving a highly anticipated Vintage Picnic Jelly Roll by Bonnie and Camille for Moda to one lucky winner!!!!  Oh, I just love this line!!!  The colors and the prints are just amazing!!!

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 what is your favorite food to take to a picnic?

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You 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 23rd , when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!