Roundabout Quilt Along - Building Blocks

**  NOTE  - This post is part of a series of posts for the Roundabout Quilt-Along.  If you would like to join (and have a chance to win one of three $75.00 Gift Certificates from Fat Quarter Shop ) you can find a list of the post links here :)  Here is the schedule

August 30th -Intro, Fabric Requirements, and Prizes Announcement

September 13th - Cutting 

September 27th - Flying Geese

October 11th - Half Square Triangles with Goosed Corners

October 25th - Drunkards Path

November 8th - Building Blocks - That's Today

November 22nd - Piecing Top and Grand Prize Linky

December 13th - Roundabout Parade and Grand Prize Winners

  

Now, first off for this week, we need to pick a winner for the Drunkard Path Assignment.   And great job to everyone on their beautiful Curves!!!    I now those can be intimidating but everyone did such a fantastic job!!!

The Drunkard Path assignment winner who will be receiving a  First Romance Jelly Roll from Shabby Fabrics is . . .

#11 - Susan!!! - Congrats :)

  

And here we go!!!  I am super excited for today because now you get to see all of your work over the past month and a half come together into incredible Roundabout Blocks!!!   So, so, so fun!!!!   And just a quick note before we start, this weeks assignment is Big!!!  Especially if you are doing some of the larger layouts.   And the assignment on Nov 22nd is really small in comparison.  So . .  .if you can only get a few, or half , or however many of your blocks made in the next 2 weeks, no worries!!!  Link those up and then continue to work on them into the coming weeks ;)  But with that, I will say that finishing next weeks assignment early gives you more time to work on finishing your quilt for the Grand Parade, so try not to put off a majority of your blocks.  How's that for basically saying, do what you can :)

Okay, so let's get going.  

THIS WEEKS ASSIGNMENT - BUILDING BLOCKS


PICKING YOUR PIECES

Start by gathering the pieces you will need to make 1 Roundabout Quilt Block.  You will need 4 of the Goosed Half Square Triangles, 4 Flying Geese, 8 Drunkard Path units, and 1 Center Square.   All of the print fabrics in each of the units should be the same :)

BUILDING THE SIDE UNITS

And with that, we are ready to start sewing.  We will start with the Drunkard Path Units.  Layout 2 Drunkard Path Units as shown below.  Place the right hand unit onto the left unit with right sides together.  Be sure to Align the curved seams and pin in place.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   Press the seam allowance open to reduce bulk.

Repeat this process with your remaining 6 Drunkard Path Units to make 4 Half Circle Units total.   Then gather your 4 Flying Geese Units to move onto the next step.

Layout a Flying Geese Unit and a Half Circle Unit as shown below.  Place the Half Circle unit on the Flying Geese Unit with right sides together.  Align the edges and pin in place.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Press the seam allowance open to reduce bulk and give you a guide for later ;)

And when stitching your 1/4" seam along the edge, be sure and stitch right along the seam line where the background fabric and print fabric meet at the top of the curve, even if that means you have to move in or out a bit from the 1/4".  This will give you perfect little arches :)

Repeat this process with your remaining 3 Drunkard Path and Flying Geese Units to make 4 Side Units total.   And with that, you are ready to start Building the Block!!  So exciting ;)

BUILDING THE BLOCK

Gather your 4 Goosed Half Square Triangle Units, 4 Side Units, and 1 Center Square.  Lay the units out in a giant 9 patch or 3 rows of 3 units as shown below.   Take care that the Print Goosed Corner of the Half Square Triangles is on the inside of the block and not the outside.

Place the second unit in each row onto the first unit with right sides together.   We will be aligning the edges and pinning each set of units and then stitching a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   But see the 2 seams that say "Pin Trick"  . . . This is how you want to pin them. 

Stick a pin directly through the bottom of the background fabric "V:" that is created in the seam allowance of your Flying Geese Unit.  (If you pressed to one side, you can use the threads as a V guide).

Now, stick the same pin through the seam allowance of your Print Goose 1/4" in from the edge of your unit.  You don't have to measure this perfectly, just eyeball 1/4".  We are pretty good at being able to tell where that is after sewing a million 1/4" seams right ;)

And then stand the pin up straight so the points you just went through are aligned perfectly and then use a second pin to pin the units in place.  Then you can remove the pin that is standing up straight, and repeat the process for the second Pin Trick seam.

Then align and pin the remaining edges of your units as shown in the "pinning" picture and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the pined edges.  When stitching, be sure and stitch right along the bottom of the V that you used as a pinning guide.  This will ensure that the point you just lined up perfectly will be stitched perfectly as well and you will get a nice clean intersection of pieces. 

And also as your stitching and come to the end of your curved pieces, your stitching should end up right on top of your curved seam line.  If you have to move in or out just a bit from the 1/4" seam for the last 3/4"ish  of the unit, go ahead and move to make sure you are stitching right on top of the end of the curved seam line.

And once your three units are stitched, lay them back out again in your giant 9 patch.  Then place the first and second (now stitched together) units onto the third unit in each row with right sides together.   Once again, use the Pin Trick on the 2 designated seams, and then align and pin the remainder of your units.

And again, stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge of all three rows, taking care to stitch directly on top of the end of the curved seam and along the bottom of the background "V" to ensure everything lines up just right :)

Then move over to your iron to press.   Press the top and bottom rows Open to avoid bulk, and Press the middle row inwards, towards the Center Square.   And as always, if you don't like to press seams open, you can always go Outwards with the top and bottom row to allow the rows to next.  I just like mine nice and flat ;)

And now it is pretty much repeating the same process to Sew the Rows together as we used to make the rows, just on a larger scale.   Place the Middle Row onto to the Top Row with right sides together.  Once again, use the Pin Trick on the 2 designated seams, Align and Pin the seams of the Center Square, and then Align and Pin the remainder of the row.

Then stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge taking care to stitch directly on top of the end of the curved seam and along the bottom of the background "V" to once again,  ensure everything lines up just right :)

And then there's just one more pinning left.  Place the Middle and Top Row (now sewn together) onto to the Bottom Row with right sides together.  Once last time, use the Pin Trick on the 2 designated seams, Align and Pin the seams of the Center Square, and then Align and Pin the remainder of the row.  Then stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge taking care to use the same stitching guides as mentioned in the previous picture.

Now it just needs to be pressed.  Once again, I like to press my seams open to avoid build and give me my V guides for piecing the quilt top later on, but you can press to the side if you prefer ;)

DONE!!!

And just like that, you have an awesome Roundabout Quilt Block!!!

You can choose to continue stitching one block at a time, or you can move to assembly line style and add in a whole bunch of chain stitching.  Either way, just keep Pinning, Stitching, and Pressing and enjoy seeing your Roundabout Quilt Blocks come together ;)

And a quick note about your finished blocks . . . I know a lot of quilters like to "square up" their blocks at this point, but I highly recommend you don't.  There are so many seam allowances around the edge of this block that you don't want to accidentally cut off.   We will be using the same "pin trick"  when we sew the blocks into the quilt top to ensure that we get perfect points, so you really don't need to "square up".  With that said, if it is a step that you love, go ahead, just be sure to take extra care and watch that you don't lose the 1/4" seam allowances for the Flying Geese Points and the HST Points ;)

And with that, you are ready to now enter to win the weekly prize :) 

The Weekly Prize is sponsored by Olie & Evie and a huge thanks goes out to them for their support of the Roundabout Quilt-Along.

This weeks prize is for for some sweet treats!!!  The winner will get to choose 3 Moda Treats of their choice!!!   I just love these, so perfect for some cute patchwork!!!

    

So what do you have to do for a chance to win some sweet Treats?  Simple . . . Just link up your Roundabout Quilt Blocks. (However many you get done, notice I didn't post a pile of mine, ya, still working on it ;)   You can link to a blog post or a flickr picture, or whatever.  Just make sure to link up by the morning of Wednesday November 22nd when I will be announcing a winner in the next post :)

If you don't get any of your Roundabout Blocks done by November 22nd you can still link it up :) (just not in time for the prize :) The linky will remain open until the end of the Quilt-A-Long.  So if your out of town, or just had a busy week, no worries!!!  Just link up when you can :)

And Don't forget to add your beautiful  to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group and to post it on social media with using #roundaboutquiltalong.    I am so excited to see all of your Blocks, I just love seeing all of the pieces from the past weeks come together!!!

So Pedal to the Metal and let's get stitching!!!!   Oh, and if you have questions, don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Tablerunner Bliss - Sunshine Runner

**Note - If you are looking for the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day post, you will find it here :)

It's the final week of the Tablerunner Bliss Quilt Along and I am so excited to get to round things up with my Sunshine Tablerunner!! 

And yes, my Sunshine Tablerunner is a little less Sunshine and a lot more Christmas :)  I decided that those happy flowers also looked like poinsettia's and it's just the right time of year to be making a Christmas themed runner ;)   And I just love Sweetwater's Hometown Christmas so it was a perfect match ;)  You only need a few layer cake pieces and a backing and you are good to get started.

And before you know it, you have beautiful poinsettia's :)   And if you look close at the construction of those poinsettia's, you will notice that there is a y-seam, but that is the great thing about a table runner right!!!  You only have to do 3 y-seams, perfect for practice on a skill and not so much to stress you out ;)

And so worth it for the beautiful finish project!!!  I just can't wait for December to put this out on my dining room table, so fun!!!   And isn't it just so fun how the black just pops in that cute little patchwork, I just love it!!!

When it came time to quilt it, I decided on all over swirls, because really, Christmas things should just be quilted in swirls, right ;)  It just gives it the feel of snow swirling around on a wintry day ;)   And these swirls are nice and small to add lots of wonderful texture to the runner. 

I had so much fun making this Sunshine Tablerunner :)  And I even got to practice some 45 degree binding as well, so that was super fun and as you can tell, I am pretty excited with how it all came together and turned out!!  Bring on some more Christmas Tunes because decorating might not wait until after Thanksgiving ;)   Maybe I should look to make a Thanksgiving Tablerunner first!! 

Which would be easy because Sherri Falls has packed the Tablerunner Bliss Book  with so many beautiful, fun, and fast runners to make!!!  I realized while making this Sunshine Runner, that I want to make so many more tablerunners because your really can whip up a beautiful piece of decor in no time at all and get that wonderful feeling of finishing a project at the same time, double bonus!!!

And even though this is the last week of the Quilt Along, you can still go back and see all of the Tablerunners from fellow blogger friends.   (You can also click on the direct links from the Quilt Along page here ;) 

• Tuesday, 9/5 - Anorina (Samelia’s Mum) and Pam (Pam Kitty Morning)
• Tuesday, 9/12 - Sinta (Pink Pincushion)
• Tuesday, 9/19 – Lorna (Sew Fresh Quilts) and Connie (Freemotion by the River)
• Tuesday 9/26 – Amanda (Jedi Craft Girl) and Jennie (Clover & Violet)
• Tuesday 10/3 – Melanie (A Bit of Scrap Stuff) and Sherri (A Quilting Life)
• Tuesday 10/10 – Sinta (Pink Pincushion) and Lisa (In the Boon Docks)
• Tuesday 10/17 – Vickie (Spun Sugar Quilts) and Susan (yardgrl60 on Instagram)
• Tuesday 10/24 – Taunja (Carried Away Quilting) and Lorna (Sew Fresh Quilts)
• Tuesday 10/31 – Greg (Grey Dogwood Studio) and Melanie (A Bit of Scrap Stuff)
• Tuesday 11/7 – Melisssa (Happy Quilting) and Kim (Persimon Dreams)

And that is my Sunshine Tablerunner and a huge thank you to Sherri Falls and Fat Quarter Shop for having me a part of this fun Quilt Along.  I had so much fun and can't wait to make up some more tablerunners from this wonderful Tablerunner Bliss book!!! 

And that is all for today ;) 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

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

But first, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of a Hocus Pocus Jelly Roll  from Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is . . .   Number #141 . . . Congrats Joyce Carter!!!   I have emailed you :)        

   

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Four Peaches Fabric .    Did you know that Wendy has Featured Products every day with amazing deals!!!  And along with those deals, Wendy is having a special Give Thanks Sale now through the 26th.  There is huge discounts on Peach Blossoms bundles, Patterns, Notions, Holiday, and of course, Yardage and Pre-cuts throughout the store.  You are so going to want to pop on over and check it out!!!   

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for one of Wendy's gorgeous handpicked fat quarter collection, she calls them Peach Blossoms, so cute!!  Four Peaches Fabric is giving one lucky reader a I've Got the Blues Fat Quarter Collection :)  Such a pretty selection of fabrics!!!! 

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 something in your sewing space that is blue, other than fabric.  (Yup, today is a little like eye spy :)  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Four Peaches Fabric Love!!!!   You can Sign Up for their Newsletter.    You can follow them on  Facebook or Pinterest.    Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Four Peaches Fabric Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 14th when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Spending a few days with the Prairie Star Quilt Guild :)

At the end of October, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to St. Charles IL, and teach at the Prairie Star Quilters Guild.  This is an amazing guild blew me away!!!  They have close to 400 members, bring in an amazing guest lecturer every month (I was incredibly honored to be part of their lineup this year) and meet monthly in both a morning and evening to work with everyone's schedules.  Wow, just wow!!!  I tell you, I just love getting to teach and see amazing quilters from all over ;)  And this time, I got to teach my End of the Rainbow class to 11 amazing ladies and we had such a great time in class!!!

I was so excited when I first arrived at the guilds space to find so much room!!!  It is so much more enjoyable to quilt at a retreat when everyone has a little space to spread out and this classroom was amazing ;)  We slashed and stitched our way to some wonderful Improv Rainbow Chains and be the end of the class, everyone was well on their way to making their quilt ;)

Aren't all of their blocks just so fun!!!  I love seeing what colors everyone chooses to use first, normally their favorite or least favorite color ;)  And I had some first in this class with one student using reproduction fabrics, and another going with a Kafe Fasset look.   And it is just so fun to see everyone make it their own and really get into the improv fun of stitching with no rules!!!  I just had such a great day with these ladies, thanks so much for making this class a blast!!

After class, (and a bite to eat, so yummy) I got to share my Irish Chain Quilts Trunk Show with the evening gathering of the guild.  It was so much fun to share my quilts from my book and the special inspiration and stories behind the quilts ;)   And then to bed to get up the next morning and share the Irish Chain Quilts Trunk Show with the morning gathering of the guild :)   And it was so fun to be able to answer so many questions about my quilting and my love for it!!!

And one member, Jane, even brought a special treat for me ;)  Her quilt made using one of my first tutorials, the Sugar Pop N Change quilt I made for the Moda Bake Shop quite a few years ago.  In fact, it was extra special because this quilt inspired one of the quilts in Irish Chain Quilts.  So fun!!!
Thanks so much Jane for bringing your stunning quilt along and sharing it with me :)

And before you knew it, it was time to head back to the airport and fly home ;)   I had such an amazing time in IL!!!  I know I say it all the time, but I just love being able to go and teach and share my love of quilting with good friends everywhere ;)  And I want to say a huge thank you to the Prairie Star Quilt Guild for having me.  And a special thank you to Teresa and Chris for hosting Barbara and I for the weekend.  Everyone was just so amazing and I made so many new quilty friends!!!    If you live in the area you should really check them out as they are an amazing group of quilters!!!  

And now I get to look forward to a next week when I get to go teach in Las Vegas ;)  I can't wait!!!

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

Christmas Cheer Quilt

After last weeks share of a Spring Market quilt, I am being sure that this Fall Market quilt doesn't get forgotten ;)   I didn't go to Fall Market this year, but I was super excited to get to make a quilt that was there :)  My wonderful friends at Moda asked if I could make a Christmas Cheer quilt and I just loved sewing it up. I mean, how can you not love that first off, it's a row quilt which are always so fun and second, it's Christmas, and it certainly made me feel that wonderful Christmas Cheer!!!

This quilt uses Bonnie and Camille's new Vintage Holiday fabric that was shown at Fall Market.  It will be coming to shops in April of 2018 and you are so going to want to scoop some up.  I just love the prints and colors and there is even some silver metallic hints in the line.  So fun!!! 

And as I said before, I just love sewing row quilts!!!  I just love sewing all of the different blocks and seeing them all come together into the quilt.   Of course, they take a little longer to cut out, but luckily I don't mind that step to much :)   And aren't these rows just to cute!!!  Those stars finish at 4", I love little patchwork!!!   And those Santa Hats are just so fun, especially with the silver metallic stripe on the band and ball :)   I really had fun piecing each and every row and every row became my new favorite.

When it came time to quilt it, I decided for a favorite all over Curly Q.   This really lets each of the pieced rows stand out for itself, and it is nice and fast, and considering I was doing this quilt in that good ol' market time crunch, fast was important :) 

And I just love the wonderful texture it gives the quilt as well.  Doesn't that just make you want to snuggle up in front of a fire place and listen to some Christmas music :)

And that is Christmas Cheer :)   Thank you so much to my good friends at Moda!!!  I am so glad that I got to sew this incredibly cheerful quilt together and have a little part of Fall Market :)  And you better believe I was listening to Christmas Tunes the whole time I was sewing and now, I think they are here to stay until December, and I just love it!!!

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

Linking up this finish to Amanda's, Sarah's, and Myra's :)