Trying Dress Making

 So out of the blue, my oldest daughter decided that she want's to try to make a dress.  Now, I can make 50 quilts a year, but I will admit, 3-d sewing scares me.   But it's always good to step outside of our comfort zone, right!!  So I told my daughter, Sure, I bet we can figure it out!    (And of course, I know we have Grandma Barbara just a phone call away, when I get totally lost ;)   So Jessi picked this Maxi Dress Pattern from Stella Pattern on Etsy.  

And we selected this gorgeous Botany Linen Print from Alli K for Moda Fabrics.  Did you know that Moda Fabrics makes Linen Prints!!  They are all so pretty and I am excited to see how it comes together in this dress.  I think the big print will go perfectly for this flowy dress!!   But first, I had to figure out how much fabric I needed because ya, this pattern is UK and I am not metric.   So a few conversions later, we guessed about 7 yards.  

And then, we printed the pattern.  And I have to say, while the pattern seemed super cheap on Etsy, I did not take into account the cost of printing 91 pages of a pattern.  Silly me.  But still, totally worth it because Jessi likes this dress pattern so much, she tells me it is very "on trend" right now!   And since she was so excited about it, she cut and taped all the pages together to make each pattern piece (it's tasks like this that I am grateful this is Jessi's project ;)   

And together, we managed to figure out where each piece goes on the yardage, got all the folds in the right place, and only had to recut one piece because Jessi accidently cut the notches inward instead of outward.  Ahh, the things you learn.   

Next up, Pinning and Sewing!!  We have taken a look at the first direction and it isn't totally confusing me so I think we are set to sew :)   But ya, can I say I am already scared thinking about the zipper, again, good thing for Grandma!!

Stay tuned, we will share progress hopefully soon!!  

Stardust Quilt Along - Block and Round 1!!!

 So I am playing a little catch up today.  The Stardust Charity Quilt Along started while I was in Germany, and I missed the kickoff!!!  But I spent yesterday sewing lost of lovely HST's and now I am all caught up!!  This is Fat Quarter Shop's 12th Charity Quilt Along and I am just loving it :)    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!!!!

So here is Block 1 and Round 1 of the  this beautiful Stardust Quilt!!!!   Isn't it just so pretty!!!   The pattern for this month can be found right here!!   And this year, the piecing is going super fast, so even if you haven't started yet (kind of like me :) you can jump in at any time and get caught up!!     The quilt is beginner friendly, so we can all make a Stardust Quilt  ;)  

The Stardust Quilt Along starts with this basic Block.  I just love it in all of it's starry goodness :)     Fat Quarter shop is encouraging a donation  for the use of the free quilt pattern.    Please give what you are able, every little bit counts towards granting a child's wish ;)   There has already been over 40,000 raised, and with Fat Quarter Shop and Moda matching those funds, it will go a long way to grant wishes!!  

After making the block, you add on Round 1, which starts to create the exploding star!!   If you want your Stardust Quilt to be just like the original there is a  Stardust Quilt Kit and Backing Set featuring Summertime Fabrics by Camille Roskelley for Moda Fabrics.    I am using Sagewood Fabrics by Crystal Manning and one of my new favorites for the background, Grunge Vanilla!!  Don't those bold prints just pop!!  I am so loving it.     

 

So pop on over and get your Release 1 of the Stardust Quilt Along and come sew for a great cause!!!  

GO! Bundle of Love Quilt and Free Pattern!!!

 I am so excited to share a new finish today!!!   I just love combining AccuQuilt BOB Dies and when the new GO! Merry Go Round Die, was released, the design reminded me of the GO! Weather Vane Die and I wondered what they would look like together ;)   And the answer was so awesome!!  And sashing up the smaller block and putting it on point, just added so much movement!!!    So ya, I just love this Bundle of Love quilt and there is a  free PDF Pattern for it, that you can download right here :) 

I used some beautiful Dainty Daisy Basics by Riley Blake  in  Riley Red, Peony, and Peony on Cloud.  I was going for an "all girl look" for this baby quilt (since back here I did all boy ;)    And the sashing is white just really makes this quilt pop!!!  And then of course, adding the red setting triangles so that the blocks are on point just gives each of those designs a new look ;)   And that is becoming my new favorite!!  It just amazes me how different the block looks when you spin it on point!!  

The  Bundle of Love Quilt finishes at 42" x 42" so it is a great baby size quilt.   It uses 2 blocks set on point, and of course, cutting them with the AccuQuilt BOB Dies makes it super fast.   And again, your blocks don't always have to be the same finish size, because adding a skinny border to make them all the same size just looks so great!!!  

  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 ;)           

PIECING DIES

GO! Merry Go Round10" Finished BOB Die (55680)

GO! Weather Vane 8" Finished BOB Die (55544)   

 GO! Setting Triangles 10" Finished BOB Die (55553)

GO! Strip Cutter-1-1/2” (1” Finished) (55024)

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

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 loose feather.  It's always a favorite, I can quilt is super fast, and it adds such yummy texture and movement.  Just so pretty!!!  

And that is my Bundle of Love Quilt!  I hope you love it as much as I do ;)   Isn't this picture AccuQuilt took of it just so great!!!  I just want to climb in that chair with a good book and this quilt ;)  .    And if you want to make your own, you can download the free PDF Bundle of Love 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 Bundle of Love Quilts

Oh, and fun totally squirrel note  . . .  AccuQuilt is bringing back a few favorite dies today and they shared on YouTube,  the Born to Shine Quilt on the Video at 19 minutes and then they shared my Up On The Housetop Quilt at 29:30 minutes.  And Pam said she is a "Fan Girl" of mine . . .  that I have to say, that just made me smile from ear to ear!!   Thanks ladies, that just made my day!!   

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

Happy Jolly Bar Day!!

Happy Jolly Bar Day!!!  This is the first ever Jolly Bar Day and it is so very exciting!!!  Just reminding you that today is the Livestream event at 10 AM CT with Fat Quarter Shop You Tube Channel celebrating this happy new day!!   They will be sharing quilts from this new Jolly Bar Book Vol 5, lots of quilty ideas for your Jolly Bars, and of course, some amazing savings!! 

  A Jolly Bar is a 5"x 10" precut exclusive to Fat Quarter Shop.  It's right between a Layer Cake and a Charm Pack and is a great size for making so many wonderful quilts!  And did you know that every Jolly Bar comes with an original pattern specifically for that Jolly Bar!!   So cool ;)   And you can't celebrate a Jolly Bar Day without a Jolly Bar Sale!!! Right now,  Save 25% off on all Jolly Bars with code JBDAY25  at Fat Quarter Shop for this special celebration ;)  

Need a little more Jolly Bar Pattern inspiration . . . Check out all 5 of the Jolly Bar Books!!   So many wonderful Jolly Bar patterns to choose from ;) 

I am planning to celebrate Jolly Bar Day by staring an new Jolly Bar Project!!  You might recall back here that I wanted to make a Holly Berry Quilt from the new Jolly Bar Volume 5 Book . . . Well today is the day to make it!!  I am excited to see how much progress I can get done today :)  I am planning on using a Berry Basket Jolly Bar with a Shabby Grey Background.  It is going to make the sweetest baby quilt!!   

So come join in!!   Grab a Jolly Bar and join me in celebrating the first Jolly Bar Day!!!

UPDATE . . . 

I finished the quilt top, backing, and binding and all before 1 pm ;)   Didn't it turn out so great!!  Now it just needs to be quilted, but that will have to wait as I have another quilt on the longarm.  What a super fun first Jolly Bar Day!!

$5 Pattern of the Month - Simply By Design!!!

Well, we have had lots of April Showers, so here is hoping for all of the May Flowers!!!  And with the new month of May it means a new $5 Pattern of the Month here at Happy Quilting!!!  For the entire Month of May the Simply by Design pattern is just $5!!!   

The  Simply by Design Pattern can be found in my Etsy Shop in both a Paper version as well as a PDF version and both versions will be marked down to $5.00 for the month May.   This is such a fun quilt to make and you can use it as a scrap buster or pull out a bundle ;)  It is rated Beginner Friendly and I just love it!!  

 Simply By Design  has 6 size options.  All 6 sizes have options for using your scraps!   The Baby, Child, and Lap sizes use Fat Eighths divided by color, and the Picnic, Twin, and Queen sizes use Fat Quarters divided by colors.   And once you have your blocks made, you can really play with the layout options by spinning your blocks.  It creates all new looks!   The pattern is great for mastering your quarter inch and lining up sashings.  

Need some ideas for your Simply By Design Quilt??  Here are some new arriving fabric collections mocked up . . .  Just to give you some fun ideas of what you can do with this pattern!!  

Here is the Twin Size in Cali & Co. by Corey Yoder.  This is a great line for easily breaking up colors to make a beautiful rainbow quilt ;)   The placement of each colors is normally based on how many fat quarters you have of each color, but it always comes out looking nice in a rainbow!! 

And  you don't have to stick with a white background.  This Precious Petites  rainbow has a fun vintage look to it.   And adding a Raisin Shabby background really makes all of those colors just sing!!   Isn't that just so chic!!   This is the lap size, it is made with the same amount of blocks as the twin size, but smaller block sizes and sashing ;)  

And how about a super jewel tone rainbow!!   I have just fallen in love with this Sagewood Fabric by Crystal Manning!!!  And isn't it just gorgeous in this pattern!!  I might just have to order some more Sagewood and make this one up because I just love it!!!  

Or, you can not worry about lining up colors, and just go Neutral or Monochromatic!!  There are so many great black and white lines out there, like this Midnight Meadow, and adding a tan background finishes off the neutral look.  Or just grab a scrap drawer in a specific color and pull all of the shades and hues from that color.  It looks amazing when it all comes together, and again, is a great stash buster!!!   Ya, I think I might need to make a purple monochromatic one very soon!!!  so fun :) 

  

     

And that is my $5.00 Pattern of the Month!!!   may 2025 is all about the Simply by Design Pattern!!!     I really think you are just going to love making this quilt ;)    Oh, and if you love the scrappy rainbow binding to match the blocks, you can see a tutorial for how to do that right here!!!    And of course,  if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me ;)  And when you make your Simply by Design Quilts I would love to see them!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to social media with  #happyquiltingwithmc and #simplybydesignquilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Quilts!!!

So are you ready to start making your Simply by Design Quilts???  Pop over to my Etsy Shop, to pick up your Patterns  and get Happy Quilting!!!!