February Sew Sampler!!!

Even with a bonus day in February, this month has flown by!!!  But that's okay because with with the end of the month comes a new Sew Sampler Box as well!!     The theme for this month is Trending Tradition and it is just such a cute box filled with gorgeous quilting goodness :) 

How pretty is this Thick and Think quilt pattern!!!!  It is made with a Thick and Think Quiet Grace 2 1/2" Strip set by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass Fabrics.   Kim's fabrics are always so pretty with their bright lights and dazzling darks ;)  

And the notions for this month are just great!! I am so excited about this Sewing Machine Light!!!  At the last retreat I was at, I was thinking, I need a travel light for open sew time.   And wouldn't you know, it just showed up in my Sew Sampler Box, so great!!!   And the quilting needles will go straight to mom, since she is the hand sewer :)   And you know, I just love me some thread, this is Gutermann thread and what a pretty Copper color!!!   

And just a note, there are currently some openings for Sew Sampler boxes, so no need to wait;)   A new year begins in April, so now would be a great time to join in and get ready for the new QAL!!  

And that is February Sew Sampler Box.  I am so looking forward to March, and hopefully quilting some of the projects I finished in February so I can add more to the pile, like this Thick and Think quilt ;)  

Happy Quilting!!! 

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

  It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First we need to pick a winner from last week ;)  

The winner of the Pick any Lou Lou  Bundle from Lou Lou's Fabric Shop  is . . .#693  . . Congrats . . nanaofcka!     I have messaged you ;) 

  

      

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Thousands of Bolts .   Thousands of Bolts has incredible prices that will have you super excited!!!  There are thousands of bolts to choose from and all at amazing prices, staring as low as $5.39 a yard!!!   And they have just introduced dozens and dozens of new fabrics to the inventory!!  Be sure to check it out :)    

And for Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Thousands of Bolts is giving one lucky winner at $25.00 Gift Certificate!!!  You can get just what you always wanted :)   And good luck picking because there are literally thousands of bolts to choose from!!!!   

You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 could live in a book, what book would it be??? 

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Thousands of Bolts some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook or Instagram.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Thousand of Bolts Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next March 5th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

My Favorite Purple Tools

 This morning I got working on a new project that is all grunge in all the purples!!!  You know how I love purple ;)   Well, I had to laugh when I realized that the three tools I use the most in my sewing room are also all purple, I mean, are you surprised??  

I love my Olfa Splash Rotary Cutter for cutting.  The blade is super easy to change and the grip fits perfectly in my hand.  Olfa Splash comes in lots of colors (and yes, I have all of them :) but the purple cutter is the one on my sewing room cutting table!!!   

And this is my all time favorite seam ripper!!!   It is a hand-turned wood seam ripper made by a wonderful couple from Gunnison Utah who vend at lots of the Utah retreats I teach at.  They are the Westenskows and they have a little etsy shop here ;)  Their hand-turned tools are just beautiful, and they have a "flat spot" on the underside so they don't roll off the table, I just love that!!!   They come in natural wood colors as well as dyed wood, and you know I needed a purple one ;)   And my favorite thing about these seam rippers . . . anytime my blade gets dull, the Westenskows will replace the blade with a new one at retreat.    So great!!! 

And finally, my favorite thread snippers, and lucky me, they just happen to be made in purple!!!  These are the Gypsy Quilter's EZ Snips.  I have tried so many thread snippers and these are by far my favorite.  They are a little pricey for thread snips, but they are well worth the cost.  I love that they are spring loaded so I don't have to "open" them each time I snip. And I have been using this pair for over 5 years now and they still cut smooth and quick.  

In fact, I love these tools so much, I know have 3 sets of all of them!!!    One set for my sewing room . . . one set for my traveling sewing machine case . . . and one set for my teaching bag of tools!!!    And can I just say, it is so nice to have the tools you love anytime and anywhere you are quilting ;)   And the fact that they are all purple . . .well that is just a super happy bonus!!!! 

What are your favorite tools and just because I am curious . . .  does anyone else collect their tools in their favorite color ??  Leave a comment below ;) 

GO! Pineapple Lemonade Quilt and Free Pattern!!!

  I am so excited to share a new finish today!!! Isn't it just so happy making!!!   I have always wanted to make a pineapple quilt, and when AccuQuilt asked if I wanted to make a project using their new GO! Lemon Die, I knew it was time ;)   I mean, what better than a pinapple quilt with added lemons so you can make Pineapple Lemonade!!!!      And there is a free PDF Pattern that you can download right here :) 

I used yellow print scraps from my stash for the pineapple blocks and yellow solid scraps for the pinapples.  I just love having all of the shades of yellow, and doing the lemons in solids really made them pop.   So fun, and a great scrapbuster!!!   And of course, cutting with AccuQuilt is super fast especially when working with so many scraps ;) 

I used 4 yards of White Paper Grunge for my background fabric.  You know how I love grunge, and White Paper grunge is probably my all time favorite!!!  And this project will use up about 2 1/2" yards of yellow print scraps and 2 1/4 yards of yellow solid scraps.   I can actually get my yellow scrap bin closed now!!!    The Pineapple Lemonade Quilt finishes at 50" x 60" so it is a great lap size quilt.   

I think the reason a Pineapple quilt has been on my list for so long is because all of the cutting in so many different sizes.   I just love my AccuQuilt for cutting scraps!!   And especially for applique.  Can you imagine having to trace and then cut out all this applique by hand.   You also attach the fusible before you cut, so it is super easy to layer and stack your applique to the quilt and then fuse it .   Below is a list of the dies I used, see which ones you already have in your die library and maybe add a few more ;)   

APPLIQUE DIE

 GO! Lemon Die (55630)            

PIECING DIES

GO! Pineapple - 10" finished (55485)      

   GO! Strip Cutter-2-1/2” (2” Finished) (55017) - Binding

And when it came time to quilt it, I wanted to do something dense because the applique was over the whole quilt and I did not secure stitch around each applique.   Rather I decided to secure stitch it with the quilting.  So a nice dense wavy crosshatch keeps all of the applique nice and neat.  I love all of the texture it adds to the quilt as well.   

And that is my Pineapple Lemonade Quilt.   I hope you love it as much as I do ;)   Isn't this picture AccuQuilt took of it just so great!!!  I love seeing it styled in a home setting.    And if you want to make your own, you can download the free PDF Pineapple Quilt Pattern Here.   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 Pineapple Lemonade Quilts!!

Oh, and fun little side note . . . if you want to see this shared on YouTube, you can visit the Die Launch video.  It is shared towards the end of the show at 27:45 minutes in :)  It is just so fun to see your projects loved so much, just makes me smile.   

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

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

  It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First we need to pick a winner from last week ;)  

The winner of the Promise Me Fat Quarter Bundle and pattern from Poppie Cotton is . . .#461  . . Congrats . . doeanne!     I have messaged you ;) 

  

      

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Lou Lou's Fabric Shop .    Did you know that Jamie makes a new Lou Lou Bundle every Tuesday . . . a Lou Lou Bundle is 8 fat quarters curated by Jamie and they are always gorgeous!  I love this new Country Chick Bundle, isn't it just so adorable !!!   And be sure to also check out all of Lou Lou's  Amazing Sale and use code "HappyQuilting" for an additional 10% off all sale products!!  Such Fun Shopping  :)    

And speaking of Bundles, for Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is letting you Pick any Lou Lou  Bundle for your prize!!!  That's right, the winner will get to choose their favorite  Lou Lou Bundle that Jamie has in stock!!!   Oh my goodness, how will you ever decide :)   What fun the winner will have this week!!!!   

You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 Country or City??  

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Lou Lou's Fabric Shop some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.  Or you can follow their blog or  visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Lou Lou's Fabric Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, February 27th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Quilt Swirls Equal Quilting Time!!!

 Well, I am happy to report that while I was at a quilt retreat last week, I got 3 quilt tops finished!!!!   This is so very exciting, and now it's time to do some Happy Quilting ;)  I worked on quilt back this morning so I could get these on the long arm soon, before they join the ranks of "to be quilted" tops ;)

The first quilt swirl has been a sampler of mine for sometime (I first used it for this class back in 2020) .   I had pieces of it pinned to boards, but I am pretty sure I have taught this class for the last time (since the book is going out of print) so I figured I might as well take all of those pieces and turn it into a quilt!!!   Can you guess what quilt it is from my Charming Baby Quilts Book (hint, it's on the cover ;) 

Next up, is the class I took while at the retreat ;)  We made Trixie by Hello Melly Designs, and if you couldn't guess by the Red, White, and Black, this is going to be another Alma Mater quilt ;)   I am so happy about this one, because while it was mostly strip pieced and chain stitched, I got it done, start to finish, while at the retreat.   So great!!!  

And you might recall the little sneak peek I gave last January on this quilt . . . well I am thrilled that those stacks got turned into a quilt top!!!   And the most exciting part of all . . . this quilt will actually be for me bed ;)   Now to quilt it up with lots and lots of wavy arches to compliment the Braided Irish Chain.    It's a king size so it will take a little while, but I can't wait to get it all done.  

So I best be off and start some Happy Quilting!!!

What are you working on today?? 

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

  It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First we need to pick a winner from last week ;)  

The winner of the Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake from Fat Quarter Shop is . . .# 336 . . Congrats . .  sew.many.happy.returns!!     I have messaged you ;) 

 

      

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Poppie Cotton .      Poppie Cotton is a newer fabric company started by my good friends Jina Barney and Lori Woods.  Their fabrics are just beautiful and are wonderful to sew with.   The quality is fantastic and I just love all of their pretty prints!!!  You'll want to check them out ;)  

And today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is an exciting one!!  Poppie Cotton is offering one lucky reader a Promise Me Fat Quarter Bundle and pattern!!!  That is 21 Fat Quarters of beautiful springtime goodness!! And those colors are just so happy making!!!!!

You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 color??

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Poppie Cotton some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.  Or you can sign up for their newsletter or  visit Poppie Cotton and share your favorite fabric collection ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Poppie Cotton Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, February 20th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Moonbeams QAL - It's Almost Here!!!

I am so excited for the Moonbeams Charity Quilt Along!!!  This is Fat Quarter Shop's 11th Charity Quilt Along and it's starting in just a few weeks :)    This Charity Quilt Along benefits Make a Wish, such a wonderful cause!!!!

I can't wait to make this beautiful Moonbeams Quilt!!!!   Isn't it just stunning!!!   

The Moonbeams Quilt Along starts on March 1st, 2024 and a new block/instructions will be released the first Friday of each month until September 2024.   Fat Quarter shop is encouraging a donation of just $10 for the use of each free quilt pattern or a one time donation of $50.  Please give what you are able, every little bit counts towards granting a child's wish ;)    

If you want your Moonbeams Quilt to be just like the original (and don't want to wait for the fabric requirements release :)   there is a  Moonbeams Quilt Kit and Backing Set featuring Strawberry Lemonade Fabrics by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda Fabrics.   The kit comes with all the fabrics you need for the blocks, background and binding and it even comes in a Bonus Keepsake Box with Magnetic Closure.   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 my Bountiful Quilt from last year done in with Meadowmere by Gingiber for Moda Fabrics and so this year, I am using  Gingiber as well!!!  I choose her new Imaginary Flowers Fabric and it is just so pretty.  I am using a similar color scheme with these fabrics, including a navy dot background.  I have all of my fabrics pressed and am ready to start cutting!!  Can't wait for March 1st!!! 

  

So will you be joining in and quilting along for a great cause??  There is still time to get ready and it's going to be so much fun!!! Pop on over to the Moonbeams Quilt Along Page for all the details and easy access links for the pattern releases :)  

I hope you will be joining in with me for the quilt along fun!!!!

Vintage Sunburst QAL - Month 2

It's Month 2 of the  Vintage Sunburst Quilt Along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop and I have 4 more blocks to share for this month.  I just love how happy and bright they are!!!  

Here are my 2 blocks made with the  8" Vintage Sunburst Paper Piecing pads and  Blossom Basics, in all of the warm tones :)    The first block in this one was a little wobbly in the center.  When I was piecing the final row together, my stitches started to come undone so I just tried to keep it together.   I thought about taking it out, but decided I am okay with it :)  I figure showing my ups and downs with paper piecing in this project is good and hopefully it will show how I get "better" with more practice ;)  

And here are my 12" Paper Piecing Pads and the  Blossom Basics, in cool tones :)  And I am super proud of these centers (of course, it is a little easier with the larger pieces).  I think they came together really well and one block the center point is almost perfect.   Happy Making!!!!   I shared some helpful hints that I have found while making this post in my Month 1 post that you can find here ;)   

 

  The quilt will finish at 64" x 88" so it will be a nice large throw size when complete.   The free pattern for this Quilt Along can be found right here ;)  And I am saving all of my paper piecing scraps and using them as my leaders and enders to make improv blocks.  Then there were 2, So fun :) 

So do you want to work on your paper piecing skills as well??  Pop over the the Vintage Sunburst Quilt Along page to get all of the details and join me in some paper piecing