$5 Pattern of the Month - Crossing Paths!!!

It's May 1st and that means its time for a new $5 Pattern of the Month here at Happy Quilting!!!  And May is all about Crossing Paths.  And it is just $5 all month long!!!   

The  Crossing Paths 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 really allows you to show off so larger scale prints.  It is rated for Beginner quilters and is Fat Quarter Friendly.  

Crossing Paths has 5 size options.   It is an extremely versatile deign and would look fantastic in just about any Fat Quarter Bundle you choose :)  And of course, you don't have to stick to a white background, make it your own.    And don't you just love the scrappy binding!!  

Crossing Paths has lots of great technique builders in the pattern including, No Waste flying Geese, Stitch and Flip, and Square in a Square.   And the great thing is, most of the entire block floats, so you only have a few points to worry about lining up.   So great!!   And it is just so fun to get such a huge scrappy look by mixing and matching all of the prints in your Fat Quarter Bundle ;)   And you just know how I like to use a darker background to make all of the soft prints pop!!  

And you can always mix it up and use low volume prints with a dark background.  Such a fun way to use up some of those low volume fat quarters that are always piling up ;)   Truly, it is just a wonderfully versatile pattern that you can grab just about any Fat Quarter Bundle and have a stunning Crossing Paths quilt !!  

  

And that is my $5.00 Pattern of the Month!!!  May 2026 is all about the Crossing Paths!!!   You are going to have so much fun making this quilt ;)   And of course,  if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me ;)  And when you make your Crossing Paths 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 #crossingpathsquilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Quilts!!!

So are you ready to start making your Crossing Paths Quilts???  Pop over to my Etsy Shop, to pick up your Pattern and get Happy Quilting!!!!   

Happy 10 Years Sew Sampler!!!

Oh my goodness, I can not believe the Sew Sampler Box has been going for 10 Years!!  What an awesome milestone :)    And I am so looking forward to another year of these fantastic little boxes arriving on my doorstep, it really is just the best day of my month!!!   And so let's kick off a new year with the April 2026 Sew Sampler Box and the theme this month is Summer Sunset and it is just awesome!!! 

And I was just thrilled when I lifted the cover of my box to find Honeyed Horizon!!!   This line is so bright and happy and right up my alley!!   And to include 3 Honeyed Horizon Charm Packs, so incredible!!!  And how cute is that Honeysuckle Quilt Pattern.  I think this one is going right on the To Make pile, just adorable.   And for the 10 Year Anniversary, There is a bonus exclusive pattern from over the 10 years of Sew Sampler included in each of the boxes this year.   This Winding Path pattern is from May 2022 and is just so pretty.  

And the notions for this Celebration are so great!!!! The Exclusive 10 Year Stash n' Store is so going to come in handy.   And how adorable is the Pretty Pockets Sewing Machine Caddy kit.   That would be so perfect for when I am traveling, another great one to add to the To Make list.   And you know I just love Alphabitties, and this Sew Sampler set is just so cute with the little scissors.   And the bonus sticker is going right on my water bottle! 

And of course, With a new year of  the Sew Sampler Box, comes a new sampler quilt and this year it is the Spooled Quilt Along!!!!  There are limited Kits in the adorable Petals and Polka Dots by Bunny Hill Design.  But for my kit, I am using two layer cakes of Sandy Gervais beautiful Morning Latte line.  I might have to adjust things as I go along where I am limited by layer cake size, but I am not to worried.  It's always fun to make it work!   And I just love, love, love the prints and colors in Morning Latte and can't wait to see this Quilt Along come together.  

 And here is Block 1 of the Spooled Quilt along.  I have no idea what blocks are to come but I am so excited to see where this is going to go.   I am super excited about using the low volumes in the line for the background, I think it really is going to add some extra dimension to the blocks.  

And that is April's  Sew Sampler Box and I am so looking forward to May's Box ;)  I can't wait to see what the Box Theme and the Block 2 will be ;)  

And just a note, there was some openings for this new years Sew Sampler boxes but they filled up super fast.  It's a great time to jump in!!   

New Works in Progress!!

So I finished up a whole bunch of secret sewing last week for H and H.  (More on that to come when I can share it ;)   So with all of my "deadline" quilts done, I decided to start some new projects this week!!  I started off with one adorable Jelly Roll of Cozy Bebe by  Simple Simon and Co for Riley Blake Designs and cut out two new quilts!!  The prints and colors were just perfect for making all blue Square Dance baby boy quilt and an all pink Petal Pop baby girl quilt!!  I got it all cut out on Monday.  

And Yesterday and today I have been having so much fun sewing on these two baby quilts!!!  I just finished up both sets of blocks, so all that is left is to make the sashing and sew the quilt tops together :)  I gave away two more baby quilts on Sunday to friends and realized that my stash of Baby Quilts is getting a little low, (especially boy ones)  so these were the perfect new projects to start!! 

 

And the new Sew Sampler quilt along starts this month, so I told myself I had to get the one from this last year put together before I get a new box at the end of April.   This is the Flowering QAL and I am using the 50 Years of Moda Celebration line!!!  I added a little extra in my cornerstones to create a little break, as this is a pretty busy quilt.  But I just love the way it all came together.  So fun!!  Now to get it quilted and bound ;) 

And that is what I have been working on the last few days.   What are you working on?? 

Aurora in Le Petit Escargot

  Today I am thrilled to be sharing a new quilt finish with you that features the soft and sweet Le Petit Escargot fabrics for my wonderful friends at Poppie Cotton.   I knew right away when I saw this collection that it needed to be paired with a dark background to make all of those wonderful soft prints just pop!!   And here it is,  my Aurora quilt, from my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book, and isn't it just so striking!!  I love it ;)  

What I really love about the quilts in my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book is that they are all made from one Layer Cake and a background fabric and you can get right to cutting. I used Weathered Wood Dark Grey Country Confetti for my background, and it even has little tiny pink dots on it that go right along with the print.  A dark background is so great when you have a fabric line with lots of whites in it, then they don't get lost in a light background :)  

Aurora finishes at 68" x 68", so it is a great lap size to snuggle up in.  It is really a super fun quilt to make.   This quilt is made up of two blocks, that area actually pieced with the same units.  I love how you can create two totally different blocks with the same pieces, so cool!!!   Oh, and I always love adding a "chain" in my quilts, and this chain is subtle, but it is the perfect finish for this Aurora quilt.  

 Aurora might look like a little complex, but it truly is a beginner friendly quilt to make.  Especially with all of the tips and tricks I added in the pattern.  You will learn no waste flying geese, square in a square, and stitch and flip while making this quilt.  And a great little pin trick for lining up all of the points!!  And Aurora really lets you play with where you want the prints in each component of the design, my favorite part!

And Barbara once again did the piecing and quilting of this one for me.  (I have been doing some secret sewing for H & H so she came in clutch!)  She is so amazing!!!   She quilted an all over design of paisleys. I love how it adds so much movement to the quilt.  And using a dark grey thread makes it blend in the background and pop on the prints.  So fun!!

And that is a new Aurora quilt! I hope you have enjoyed this post. To see more of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book, you can visit this post and see all the quilts. And if you make your own Aurora Quilt, (or any of the quilts from Fast & Fun Lap Quilts) I would love to see them! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags  #happyquiltingwithmc and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can’t wait to see your Quilts!!

Thank you so much for popping in today and sharing this new finish with me.

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

Garden of Quilts 2026 - Registration is Open!!

 I am so excited to be returning to the Garden of Quilts this fall to teach and be immersed in so much quilty goodness ;)   And Registration is now Open!!!   So you can sign up for all of the wonderful Classes, Special Events and of course, the amazing Exhibit of Quilts hung throughout the gorgeous 50-acre gardens!!!    It has been such an amazing event to be a part of over the last few years and I am so excited to return for this 2026 year!!!   The Garden of Quilts will be held at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi Utah on September 16th - 19th, 2026.

And speaking of signing up for classes . . . I will be teaching 8 classes!!!  Here is a rundown of the classes I will be teaching :)   And yes indeed, those are quite a few sneak peeks of New Patterns, some coming very soon, and some coming in a little bit!!  So exciting!!  

    Home is Where the Heart is taught Wed. Morning                Playful Posies taught Wed. Afternoon

      

   

                 

       Twilight Stroll taught Thur. Morning                Turning Dusk into Dawn taught Thur. Afternoon

     

                  Turnovers taught Fri. Morning                                Alhambra taught Fri. Afternoon       

   

             Nordic Nights taught Sat. Morning                         Braided Irish Chain taught Sat. Afternoon

    
  

 It is going to be an amazing week and I can't wait!!!    Some of these classes have patterns that can can be found in my Etsy Shop, but some are Brand New Patterns that will be coming soon.   I am so excited to get to teach so many classes to so many wonderful quilters.  Just wow!!!   I can't begin to explain how much I love getting to teach and share the joy of quilting with so many amazing people!!  

So if you couldn't tell, I am just thrilled to be coming back to Garden of Quilts and hope to see you there!!!     You can see all of the details at the Main Garden of Quilts page .  

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

$5 Pattern of the Month - Moroccan Lullaby 2!!!

Well here we are in April!!  And I am so excited that we are starting to see some April Showers and Buds Blooming :)  It is just such a happy time of year.   And speaking of happy, it's time for a new $5 Pattern of the Month here at Happy Quilting!!!  And April is all about Moroccan Lullaby 2.  And it is just $5 all month long!!!   

The  Moroccan Lullaby 2 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 April.   This is such a fun quilt to make and really allows you to show off so larger scale prints.  It is rated for Intermediate quilters (because of a matching diagonal seam) and is Fat Quarter Friendly.  

Moroccan Lullaby 2 has 6 size options.   It is an extremely versatile deign and would look fantastic in just about any Fat Quarter Bundle you choose :)  The key is when choosing your Outline Print Fabric make sure it will stand out next to all of your print squares.  That really makes each block pop.   

Moroccan Lullaby 2 uses No waste lattice block, so you great all of of the awesome outline, without all the waste.  And they do get trimmed slightly, so you have wiggle room when sewing triangles :)  I have made this quilt quite a few times, as it always allows me to show off just amazing prints!! And because the blocks are on the large side, you can put together a queen size pretty quick.  

And you can always mix it up and use low volume prints in the centers and darker prints in the background.  Such a fun way to use up some of those low volume fat quarters that are always piling up ;)   Truly, it is just a wonderfully versatile pattern that you can grab just about any Fat Quarter Bundle and have a stunning Moroccan Lullaby 2 quilt !!  

  

And that is my $5.00 Pattern of the Month!!!  April 2026 is all about the Moroccan Lullaby 2!!!   You are going to have so much fun making this quilt ;)   And of course,  if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me ;)  And when you make your Moroccan Lullaby 2 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 #moroccanlullaby2quilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Quilts!!!

So are you ready to start making your Moroccan Lullaby 2 Quilts???  Pop over to my Etsy Shop, to pick up your Pattern and get Happy Quilting!!!!   

March Sew Sampler Box!!

Well, March was kind of quiet.  Sorry about that, between being out of town three times, finishing up the remodel, and a little secret sewing, I have been swamped.   But hopefully we can get things back on track in April.  But first, I need to share the March 2026 Sew Sampler Box!!!    This month's box is just so soft and sweet!!  The theme is Sweet Springtime and it is just bringing back my trip to DC last weekend where the cherry blossoms were all in bloom!!  

First off, is the oh so soft and sweet Jolly Bar of Pastel Prairie by My Sew Quilty Life.   I just love that you get every single print in this jolly bar.  I just love Heather's beautiful soft style of fabrics and I can't decide if I want to make the Taffy quilt, the Jolly Bar quilt, or make a baby quilt.   All would just look amazing.  So many options, so little time to sew ;)   But whatever I decide, I will for sure be sewing with this gorgeous line!!     

And the notions for this month are just so fun!!   Star with my all time favorite size ruler for trimming stitch and flip corners.  The 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" Creative Grids Ruler is just the best.  I have 4 or 5 of them, and I use them all between teaching, traveling, and home sewing.  And the little magnetic ruler holder is something I am intrigued to try out, especially with smaller rulers!   And of course, I always love, love, love some Aurifil Thread!!   Add it to the collection ;) 

And it is the last block of the Flowering QAL!!   For my blocks I am using the 50 Years of Moda!!!  I so love how this one turned out in navy.  I again had to rearrange a few fabrics to make what I had work, but I really like how it makes the center just pop!!   And now, I can start putting my Flowering quilt together.  Here's looking forward to an April finish before the new Sew Sampler BOM is released ;)

And that is March Sew Sampler Box.

Thanks for popping in again.  

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

My New Sewing Studio!!

It has been so fun the last few days moving into this new studio!!  And oh the sunshine, it is just so happy making.  I could stay in here all day, and lets be honest, that is probably what I will be doing most days ;)  So here is a little view of the new Sewing Studio.  I promise, I am going to figure out a video at some point, but for now, this gives you a pretty good idea of the space.

So first off, some basics.  Thee room is 24 feet by 11 feet now.  We took down a wall between two existing bedrooms so I have a lovely large space ;)  All of the cabinetry work is custom and done by R and R Cabinets and they did an absolutely amazing job!!  And Precision Development was over the entire remodel (we also redid our bathrooms and added a laundry room :) and they were amazing to work with!  

So, on the North wall is my Sewing space.  I have a spots for two sewing machines (just in case I have guests) and I use the sewing space next to the window.  After sewing in the basement for 15 years with no windows, I can not even begin to express how much I love having the sunshine.  The other sewing space is doubling as a trimming and pressing station when I am on my own.  Then all of my WIP are on the countertop ready to be sewn.   And the glass cabinets are filled with all of my pre-cuts.  So so fun to be able to see them all stacked up so pretty.  Now I just need a few more hours in every day to get to sew with them all ;)  

Then on the the East wall are my two lovely windows with amazing sunlight.  In front of one window is a new rocker (because ya know, Grandma to be in August!!)  And in front of the other window is a small loveseat, cause it's always nice to have a space for company.  And in the middle, my amazing new cutting/scrap storage table.  This was designed custom for my height so it is going to be so nice on my back.  I have my scrab bowl, binding bin, alphabitties, and my favorite rulers and cutting tools all right on my table nice and neat.  So handy!!  And then there are the scraps.  They are sorted by color, print, solids, and basics. And there is even room in the bins for more scraps, how awesome is that.  I found the William Morris artwork on Amazon and knew they would be the perfect edition to this space ;)  They just make me smile every time I come in the room.  

On the West Wall attached to my sewing table is my main storage space.  Half book shelf and half cupboard space.  In the top section is quilts, yardage pieces sorted by color, patterns, books, and the bottom shelf is more Works In Progress that don't have deadlines so they sit a little longer.  In the top drawers are rulers, applique, and paper piecing.  In the cupboards below are long term WIP (yes, I have way to many WIP) yardage on bolts, and all my accuquilt dies.  So nice to have so much storage!! 

And then farther down on the West wall, past the door, is my pattern/shipping station.  All of my patterns are organized nice and neat, and everything I need to ship is in the little coffee table.  I have never had this all in one place before and I am so excited to be able to do all of my pattern packing and shipping all in one place.  And on the South Wall, you can just see the corner of the computer desk.  Cause every good working space needs a computer desk, and then I can print the shipping labels right in this space as well and work on my patterns surrounded by so much quilty inspiration!

So that is my new sewing room.  What questions do you have??  I will make a list and then try to address them all in the video that will be made at some point.  

I am just so very blessed to be able to have such a wonderful space.  A huge shout out to my sweetheart for making this possible for me.  I sure love him!!

And now, I am off to do some sewing in the sunshine!!

Happy Quilting :) 

Sorting Scraps

I have spent the last few days sorting scraps.  You see, I am pretty good at keeping all of my scraps sorted, but in the last few months, I couldn't fit any more scraps in the old bins.  And now, with my soon to be new sewing studio, there is a new cutting/scrap table.  So I have been sorting, and sorting, and sorting.   And I am so excited!!!

The front on the new cutting/scrap table will hold 21 scrap bins.  So here are 21 prints in rainbow color.  The first bin is multi color prints that I just love and can't bring myself to toss.  Then its Red, Dark Pink, Light Pink, Coral, Orange, Yellow, Light Green, Dark Green, Teal/Aqua. Light Blue, Dark Blue, Navy, Purple, Brown, Light Grey, Dark Grey, Low Volume x2, and 2 color Low Volume x2.  Don't they look so fun in rainbow order!!

The two sides of the new cutting/scrap table will hold 9 scrap bins each.  So on the right hand side will be all of my basics/solid scraps sorted by color.  Then on the left hand side will be white solids x 2, white tone on tones, cream solids, cream tone on tones, batiks, black/white, black solids, and black prints.  So ya, one side a rainbow, and the other side a lot of neutral.  But I really think it is going to make finding the scraps I need so much faster going forward. 

And while I was working on the scraps, I figured I might as well tidy up my print yardage, solid yardage, grunge yardage and fat quarter shelves.  They get a little messy when I keep adding and taking away from them.  I'll admit, there were quite a few out of color prints just stacked on the top of the piles.  But now they are all ready to be transferred to the shelves in the new sewing studio.   I am being told we get to move in next Wednesday, I can't wait!!

So how about you.  Are you a super scrap saver and sorter, or just toss it all in a pile??