Starstruck Quilt Along - Cutting

**  NOTE  - This post is part of a series of posts for the Starstruck 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

September 4th - Intro, Fabric Requirements, and Prizes Announcement 

September 18th - Cutting (That's Today!!!)  

September 25th - Wall Hanging Piecing

October 2nd - Baby Piecing

October 9th - Lap Piecing

October 16th - Picnic Piecing

October 23rd - Queen/King Piecing

November 13th - Star Struck Parade and Grand Prize Winners

Now, first off for this week, we need to pick a winner for the Fabric Gathering Assignment.   And great job to everyone on sharing their fabric.  It is so fun to see what everyone will be quilting along with!!!!  And we certainly have an amazing group of quilters quilting along!!!!

The fabric gathering assignment winner who gets a $20.00 Gift Certificate from Bear Creek Quilting Company is

#10 - Veronica!!! - Congrats :)

  

So here we are at September 18th and I am so excited for everyone to get going!!!   So let's get right to it :)  And if you are just finding this QAL, it's never to late to join in the fun :)

THIS WEEKS ASSIGNMENT - CUTTING

We will cut everything out for the quilt in this first week.  That makes it easier as we move forward.  You will want to cut out all of the fabrics listed, up to the size quilt you are making.  For example, if you are making the Picnic Size, be sure and cut out the Print and Background Fabrics for the Wall Hanging, Baby, Lap, and Picnic sections.   Keep fabrics sorted by the section they are in.  And I found it easiest to cut one section, including prints and background, at a time.   

Each of the cutting directions for the Print Fabrics will be given in two formats.  First for those making a Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt, and Second for those making a Two Color Yardage Quilt.   Be sure to only use one set of directions for cutting your Print Fabrics as you don't want to end up with double ;)  The Background Cutting instructions are the same, regardless of if you are making a Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt or a Yardage Quilt.  

For those making the Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt, the following diagram will show you the fabric placement referred to in the cutting for each Fat Quarter. For Example, Fat Quarter 1 is the center star in the Wall Hanging section and the corner units in the Picnic section.   Fat Quarter 9 is the stars in the Picnic section.     And of course, you don't have to follow this to the letter.  You can mix it up and make it more scrappy if you like ;)  

And before you start any cutting, be sure to read through to the end of the post.  I added some helpful hints after all the cutting sections to aid you in your assignment this week ;)

So let's get to it!!  

WALL HANGING

PRINT FABRICS - FAT QUARTER FRIENDLY QUILT

From Fat Quarter 1 cut: (1) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square and (4) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares
From Fat Quarter 2 cut: (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and (4) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares
From Fat Quarter 3 cut: (4) 4" x 4" squares and (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares


PRINT FABRICS - TWO COLOR YARDAGE QUILT

Cut (1) 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.   From that strip subcut:
              (5) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and (4) 4" x 4" squares
Cut (1) 3 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares and (8) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares.  

BACKGROUND FABRIC

Cut (1) 6 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles
Cut (1) 5 1/4" x Width of Fabric Strip.   From that strip subcut:
              (2) 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" squares, (4) 4" x 4" squares, and (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares
Cut (1) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (12) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares 
Cut (2) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From those strips subcut:
               (2) 2 1/2" x 28 1/2" rectangles and (2) 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles
Cut (2) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From those strips subcut:
               (2) 2 1/2" x 24 1/2" rectangles and (2) 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangles



BABY

PRINT FABRICS - FAT QUARTER FRIENDLY QUILT

From Fat Quarter 4 cut: (8) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares and (8) 2" x 2" squares
From Fat Quarter 5 cut: (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and (4) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares
From Fat Quarter 6 cut: (4) 4" x 4" squares and (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares


PRINT FABRICS - TWO COLOR YARDAGE QUILT

Cut (1) 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.   From that strip subcut:
              (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and (4) 4" x 4" squares
Cut (1) 3 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares and (4) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares.  
Cut (1) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares and (8) 2" x 2" squares.  

BACKGROUND FABRIC

Cut (1) 5 1/4" x Width of Fabric Strip.   From that strip subcut:
              (1) 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" square, (4) 4" x 4" squares, and (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares
Cut (3) 5" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From those strips subcut:
               (16) 5" x 6 1/2" rectangles
Cut (1) 3 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (16) 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles 
Cut (1) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From that strip subcut:
               (16) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares 
Cut (1) 2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 2" x 2" squares 
Cut (5) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  Remove the selvages.


LAP
And if you are making the Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt in the Picnic, Queen, or King Size, I highly recommend skipping this section and cutting the Picnic and Queen size first and then coming back to the Lap size.  Then you know what scraps you have left for the Print Fabrics :)  

PRINT FABRICS - FAT QUARTER FRIENDLY QUILT

From the remaining Scraps and Leftover Fat Quarters cut: (36) 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" rectangles.  

PRINT FABRICS - TWO COLOR YARDAGE QUILT

Cut (9) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.   From those strips subcut:
              (36) 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" rectangles  

BACKGROUND FABRIC

Cut (5) 5 1/4" x Width of Fabric Strip. *You will use all 42" of these strips.  From those strips subcut:
              (36) 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" squares and cut them in half once diagonally to make (72) triangles.
Cut (6) 3" x Width of Fabric Strips.  Remove the selvages.


PICNIC

PRINT FABRICS - FAT QUARTER FRIENDLY QUILT

From Fat Quarter 1 cut: (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares and (4) 3" x 3" squares
From Fat Quarter 7 cut: (4) 5" x 5" squares and (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares
From Fat Quarter 8 cut: (4) 5" x 5" squares and (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares
From Fat Quarter 9 cut: (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and (16) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares
From Fat Quarter 10 cut: (8) 3" x 3" squares and (8) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares

PRINT FABRICS - TWO COLOR YARDAGE QUILT

Cut (1) 5" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 5" x 5" squares
Cut (1) 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares
Cut (1) 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares

Cut (1) 3" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (12) 3" x 3" squares
Cut (2) 2 7/8" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From those strips subcut:
               (16) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares and (8) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares

BACKGROUND FABRIC

Cut (2) 12 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.   From those strips subcut:
              (8) 8 1/2" x 12 1/2"rectangles
Cut (1) 8 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.   From that strip subcut:
              (8) 2" x 8 1/2" rectangles and (8) 2" x 5 1/2" rectangles
Cut (1) 5 1/4" x Width of Fabric Strip.   From that strip subcut:
              (4) 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" squares and (16) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares
Cut (1) 5" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 5" x 5" squares
Cut (1) 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From that strip subcut:
               (8) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares
Cut (1) 3 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From that strip subcut:
               (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares and (8) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares 
Cut (1) 3" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From that strip subcut:
               (12) 3" x 3" squares 
Cut (4) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  From those strips subcut:
               (8) 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles and (16) 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles 
Cut (8) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  Remove the selvages.


QUEEN

PRINT FABRICS - FAT QUARTER FRIENDLY QUILT

From the remaining Scraps and Leftover Fat Quarters cut: (44) 3 1/2" x 13" rectangles.  

PRINT FABRICS - TWO COLOR YARDAGE QUILT

Cut (15) 3 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.   From those strips subcut:
              (44) 3 1/2" x 13" rectangles  

BACKGROUND FABRIC

Cut (8) 7" x Width of Fabric Strip.  From those strips subcut:
              (44) 7" x 7" squares and cut them in half once diagonally to make (88) triangles.


KING

BACKGROUND FABRIC

Cut (10) 4 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  Remove the selvages.

And that is all the cutting!!!   So let's go over those cutting tips ;) 

CUTTING TIPS

Here are a few helpful cutting tips and tidbits .  This is the way I like to cut, but of course,  it is not the only way to cut, so if you do it different, great :)  Do what you are comfortable with.  There just might be some tidbits that could save you some time and/or eliminate waste.

First let's talk about cutting Fat Quarters if you are making the Fat Quarter Friendly quilt :)

Always press your fabrics first, it takes time but will help in keeping your pieces accurate.  I like to keep my iron at a super hot setting and use a little extra water from a spay bottle if I have any creases or folds that don't want to come out with a simple pass of the iron.  And hey,  this is a great time to watch a fun flick as well, bonus!

Next, square up your Fat Quarter to 18" x 21".    Squaring up your Fat Quarter just makes sub-cutting all your pieces that much quicker and is a helpful step to speed things up later down the line.  It also means you keep a nice selvage on the side, just in case you save those, although all my Fat Quarters were the "other" end of the strip, so no selvages for me.

When you sub-cut your pieces from a Fat Quarter, I like to cut a full strip from the top and/or side rather than trying to cut little squares out of the Fat Quarter.  From that strip, I will sub-cut my pieces.   And remember, sometimes your strip size will be the size of two pieces.  I am using Fat Quarter 1 as an example, because it is a little more trick as it has pieces in both the Wall Hanging size as well as the Picnic Size.   I cut my first strip off the top at 7" as this allowed me to cut the 3 1/2" pieces in pairs of 2 and helped eliminate waste.   I was able to cut all of my pieces from the 7" strip except for two of the 3" squares.   So those I cut from the side as that is a shorter strip and will have less waste than cutting another long strip from the top.  However you cut your Fat Quarters, you just want to keep in mind, trying to have the largest piece of scrap leftover for the lap and queen sections. 

And you don't have to do this, as it can get a bit confusing.  But in the Wall Hanging and Baby sections, you have some repeat sizing.   So Fat Quarter 2 is cut the same as Fat Quarter 5.  And Fat Quarter 3 is cut the same as Fat Quarter 6.  If you can keep it straight, you can stack both fat quarters on top of one another and cut the 2 and 5 and 3 and 6 pieces at the same time.   But again, if it causes confusion, just stick to cutting one section at a time ;)

And finally, when cutting the Fat Quarters, it is easiest if you cut the Queen and Lap size pieces last.  As mentioned in the cutting directions, this just allows you to know what scraps and leftover Fat Quarters you have.   And when cutting these pieces, I stacked several Fat Quarters on top of one another.  That will just speed up the process ;)

 So with that,  lets move onto some helpful tidbits in cutting your Yardage, both for the Two Color Yardage prints as well as the Background fabrics :)

Again, Always press your fabrics first!!!  Getting out all those wrinkles from hanging out on the bolt will ensure greater accuracy in your cutting which saves time and headaches down the line when we are piecing!

Whenever cutting yardage, I always like to cut with the fold in my fabric lined up along the 0 horizontal line on my cutting mat.  I always start by cutting a straight edge along the left hand side of my fabric.  If I am cutting a print fabric, I will also trim the selvages from the top of my fabric.  But I don't bother with that in the case of solid yardage :) 

All of the Yardage cutting is listed in Strips and then what is subcut from each strip.  I like to cut all of my fabrics into the strips that I need first.  I cut all the strips of each size and use the lines on my mat as cutting guides rather than my rulers.  (but you can always use another rulers as a double check as well which is super helpful with those trickier 7/8 cuts ;)

Then from each strip, I will sub-cut the pieces listed using the horizontal lines on my mat. I start but sub-cutting the largest piece first (they are listed this way)  and then if needed, trimming down the strip to the new size and then continuing to subcut the units given.

And if you have multiple strips of the same width, like in the case of the lap and queen sections, I find it super fast to cut all the strips side by side, and without moving them, subcutting horizontally to make the squares in all the strips at the same time.   And then, for those lap and queen sections, go ahead and do your diagonal cut as well without moving your pieces.  This saves so much time.    And the diagonals don't have to be perfect, we will be trimming the units they are used in, so don't stress to much if you are 1/8" from the corner of the square ;)  

Finally, you want to keep each section of fabric grouped together.   Label each section so that you know what fabrics go to where.   This will just make it so much faster from week to week, as you will know exactly which fabrics you are using for that assignment ;)   And just a side note, since it was asked in the comments . . . I use Alphabitties to label my pieces ;) 

And I think that just about covers it!!!

NOW GO START CUTTING :)

I hope these cutting tips help :)  I know that with so much cutting it can easily be confusing, so if you have any questions at all please don't hesitate to ask in a comment or email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com  :)   I hope you find this assignment enjoyable and that with the little helpful hints it goes nice and quick for you ;)  So sharpen your blade and go to it . . . and once you are done be sure to enter to win the weekly prize!!!

The Weekly Prize is being sponsored by the Green Fairy Quilts and a huge thanks goes to them for their support of the Starstruck Quilt-Along.

This weeks prize is a beautiful and just arrived Fat Eighth Bundle of Desert Song by Mara Penny for Moda Fabrics !!!  Oh, so fun for one lucky participant who gets all their cutting done this week ;)

So what do you have to do for a chance to win this beautiful bundle ?  Simple . . . Just link up your fabrics all cut up at the end of this post :)  You can link to a blog post, flickr picture, Instagram, Facebook . . .  or whatever.  Just make sure to link up by the end of the day on September 24th as I will be announcing a winner at the beginning of the next post :)

If you don't get your cutting by September 24th 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 cut up fabric to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group and to post it on social media with using #starstruckquiltalong.    I am so excited to see all of your beautiful fabrics all cut up ;)

So let's get cutting!!!  And if you have questions, don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

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

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway :)

The winner of the Bubble Pop Jelly Roll from  Fat Quarter Shop is . . .  Number #75. . .   Congrats Anna Brown !!!   I have emailed you :)    

 

        

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Happy Quilting!!!  Yup, little ole me today ;)  No need to tell you about any specials here, so let's get right to the giveaway ;)  One lucky winner will be receiving their choice of 3 Happy Quilting PDF Patterns.    

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 what is making you Happy today ;)  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Happy Quilting love. You can follow Happy Quilting on Bloglovin, Email Updates, or RSS to get daily updates.  Or you can like Happy Quilting on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Flickr.   Any one way will do . . . Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Happy Quilting Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, September 17th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Two Tidbits

I hope you all had a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!  I got to spend a wonderful weekend full of a Trunk Show with some amazing ladies, a whole lot of sewing, and of course, it was all mixed in with the kids weekend activities ;)  Sadly, I didn't take any pics of my trunk show, I am just so forgetful about that.  I am teaching this weekend as well, so I will try harder to remember to take lots of pictures ;)    But anyhow, Today I just wanted to pop in with two quick tidbits. 

First off, the Starstruck Quilt Along ;)  We only have two days left before I will announce the first assignment of cutting your fabrics ;)   So if you are quilting along, be sure and get your fabrics rounded up and take a picture of them to link up to be entered to win the weekly prize ;)   I am so excited for this quilt along, it is going to be so fun!!!  I know a lot more of you expressed interest in joining in than have linked up at this point, so I just wanted to give you a little reminder.  And no worries, I know how we quilter's always work best at the last minute ;) 

Second, did you know that this Saturday is National Sew a Jelly Roll Day!!!    This is the third year of this super fun event and I highly recommend participating, whether at your local quilt shop or at home!!  Last year I worked on 3 baby quilts and got so much done on that fun filled day.   But this year, I am working ahead a bit.   This Saturday we have so many kids activities going, so I don't see a whole lot of sewing time, so I have started my Jelly Roll Project ahead of time, and hope to get a few minutes to squeeze in some sewing on Saturday.    And what is my project . . .well it's some Vanessa Squared goodness!!!   I'm using the Smart Cookie pattern from Vanessa Goertzen's new Jelly Filled book, combined with the amazing goodness of Vanessa Christensen's  new Ombre Fabrics.   And I am so excited with how it is coming together.   Here is a little sneak peek ;)   I promise to share more in a few weeks, but isn't this just so fun!!!!  

So those are your two tidbits . . . Quilt Along and Jelly Along :)  Sounds like a super fun week to me!!!

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!! 

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Off Kilter!!

It's Thursday and that means another Tutorial Throwback feature.  And once again, this is coming a little later on in the day than I planned.  I have been packing up quilts this morning for a trunk show I putting on this evening.   And I tell you what, it is sure hard to choose which quilts to take and which quilts to leave at home when you have stacks and stacks to choose from.   But one quilt that always goes with me is this Off Kilter quilt, and as soon as I packed it I thought, it should totally be today's throwback!!!  So here it is. . . The Off Kilter quilt!!!  And this one throws back 5 years ;) 

I absolutely loved making this quilt!!  I have to say, I am pretty proud of the little stack and stash trick I came up with for making this quilt.  It is so easy and fast, and really makes piecing this quilt so incredible fun!!!   And I did the Off Kilter tutorial for both a lap size and a twin size, so that gives you a little more freedom in the size project you want to create ;)  

 I also loved designing this quilt.  I remember one evening while I was doing some pressing, getting the idea of an ombre look rail fench but adding a "step" in it.  I immediately pulled out the sketch pad I leave on my nightstand (sometimes inspiration comes and night and I can't go back to sleep until I get it put down on paper ;) and drew up this design.   I love the wonderful modern feel of this quilt.  The design is super geometric and yet it has great movement to it as well.   

And speaking of that Modern feel, I wanted to keep that going in the quilting as well.   So I tried something new for me at that time.   Just some orgainic lines on the longarm.   Organic meaning not perfectly straight, I didn't use the channel locks as I wanted it to have a flowing feel.   So I just started and wiggled every now and then.   And boy oh boy, did I get my exercise quilting this one!!!  Those lines are about 1/4" apart and you walk  back and forth the length of the quilt every time you stitch a line.   I can't remember how many steps I took  that day (I used to wear a pedometer then) but I remember my legs being a little sore afterwards.   But it's all good, because it was totally worth it for this awesome quilted look!!! 

But what really makes Off Kilter shine is the array of Solids!!!  I was fortunate enough to be able to use a pack of Denyse Schmidt Modern Solids on this quilt, right when they were released.  I remember the box arriving at my house and not wanting to take the Fat Quarters out of it, they looked so pretty all in a row.   But they were just perfect to have an entire rainbow of colors to work with and really give the ombre look I was aiming for ;)  

And a fun little story on this quilt.  After I had made it, the folks at Free Spirit Fabric asked if I would bring it to the upcoming Fall Market to hang in their booth.   To which of course, I was like, For Sure!!!    When I went to find my quilt hanging in the Free Spirit booth, I noticed right there beside it was Denyse Schmidt herself!!! It was incredible to get to talk to her about her solids and of course, get a picture of the two of us with the Off Kilter quilt ;)   That turned out to be the highlight of that Market for me ;)  

And that is the Off Kilter quilt for this Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!  It finishes at 72" x 86" for the twin size shown, or at 59" x 70" for the lap size, which has the same layout, just smaller piecing ;)  And I have seen this Off Kilter quilt done in so many wonderful variations from all of you out there.   From all one color, to every square being a different color.  And each one is just as awesome as the next!!!

I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Off Kilter quilt  just click on any of the quilt name links for the free step by step tutorial.   And when you are done, I would love to see your quilt!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Off Kilter Quilts!!!

Thanks for popping in today and have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Fat Quarter Flowers - A New Finish and Shortcut Quilt!!!

Today I am excited to share my newest finish, the Fat Quarter Flowers quilt!!!   When my wonderful friends at Fat Quarter Shop  asked if I wanted to try out their new Shortcut Quilt pattern I was all over it because you all know I just love these fun and fast quilts!!! And this Fat Quarter Flowers quilt was just that, so fast and oh so fun to make!!!  

The Fat Quarter Flowers quilt is put together in such a fun way that makes it so you don't have to worry about lining up near as many points, and that is always great when you are working on a fast finish.    The  Fat Quarter Flowers Pattern is actually 20 blocks, but I wanted to make my quilt a little larger so I added an extra block to each row and then an extra row.   It's just 10 blocks more and they went together in no time at all ;)    You know, I am always changing things up just a bit, tee hee hee. 

As you can tell by the name, this quilt is Fat Quarter friendly.   I used a Fat Quarter Bundle of The Print Shop by Sweetwater for Moda.   And I just love that this line had so many wonderful low volume prints.  It worked perfectly for a scrappy low volume background!!!   And of course, I am a huge fan of lines that have lots of red and black, because that means this will work as another Alma Mater quilt ;)    But of course, if you want to make the Fat Quarter Flowers in the original fabrics (awesome Harper's Garden that I am using for my Starstruck Medallion Quilt Along Quilt!!!)  then there is a quilt kit and the backing set for that as well ;)

When it came time to quilt it, I decided on an all over swirl in varying sizes  It is super fast, super pretty, and oh so much fun to quilt.   Swirls are always a good go to for an all over design.  And especially a design with so many sharp points, as it adds to the movement.    And I just love that my favorite 402 So Fine Thread blends so great, even in the red and black prints!!! 

And of course, between the thread and the design, it adds some really awesome texture to the quilt!!!   Doesn't that picture just make you want to snuggle up in this and take a nap :)    It sure does me!!!!    And with the added blocks, my quilt finishes at 65" x 78" so it is a perfect size to do just that ;)  

 And that is my Fat Quarter Flowers quilt!!!  If you would like to make your own Fat Quarter Flowers quilt you can find the free pattern here.  And as a special bonus, Fat Quarter Shop even has a You Tube video that walks you through making the quilt step by step.  How great is that!!!  Oh, and be sure to pop on over to the Jolly Jabber for lots more Fat Quarter Flowers quilting inspiration as there are a few bloggers making this quilt!!! 

Thanks for popping in today :)  I just love having this wonderful little corner of the internet to share my love of quilting with each of you and am so grateful for your visits each and every day!!!

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 :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway :)

The winner of the $30.00 Gift Certificate from Shabby Fabrics is . . .  Number #91. . .   Congrats Sherry!!!   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 did you know they have a 24 Hour Flash Sale every day with 2 Flash Sales on Tuesdays!!   And not only do they have a daily deal, they have a Fabric Basic, Pattern, and Notion of the Month!!!!    And this month you will score big on all of them!!!  All Essentially Yours Basics  are on sale and this basic is so wonderful with it's gingham and polka dots!!!  Also, All Sewline Products are on sale for the Notion, and All Cotton Way Quilts Patterns are on sale for the Pattern.    Save 20-30% off of all of them for the whole month of September!!  So great ;) 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away this super fun Bubble Pop Jelly Roll by American Jane for Moda ;)   I just love these happy prints, and it's just in time to get you all set for National Sew a Jelly Roll Day!!!   Are you ready to sew along on the 21st??

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 your favorite kind of chewing gum and if you like to blow and pop bubbles with it??  

 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, September 17th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Aqua, Lime, and Olive means only 3 Left!!!

I finished 3 more of my Scraptastic Star Blocks sewing them between other projects as Leader and Enders !!!  The first one is this beautiful Aqua!!  And it just has me wanting to jump in an ocean.  I just love playing around in the blue scraps, they are so calming.

The next block is Lime.   And I am just loving having this Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  to clean out some of my 2 1/2" squares stash.  But I am wondering on this block, if I should have edited out that top left hand square.   It just seems not to fit.   I am debating doing a little block surgery and replacing that one.  What do you think??

And finally, Olive.  And I just love these deep, rich greens.  And I love even more that with these 3 blocks done, it means I only have 3 blocks left!!!   I can't wait to see all of the Scraptastic Star Blocks laid out in a rainbow!!!   And now that I have a layout decided, it's even more exciting!!!

So I best get back to stitching ;)

Oh, and one last note before I go.   Speaking of a Rainbow of Colors . . . I wanted to remind you that there are only Two Days left on the Kit Discount for the Starstruck Quilt Along ;)   So if you wanted to pick up your own rainbow of fabric goodness, be sure and order before Sunday before the coupon code expires!!   I can't wait to quilt along with you all!!!  

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

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - On The Go!!!

It's  Thursday and that means another Tutorial Throwback feature.  And here I thought that when school started, things would slow down a bit.   But you guessed it, I am still totally On the Go . . . so it just felt natural that today's throwback should be my On The Go quilt!!!    And this one is throwing way back, like 7 years back :)

I designed On The Go when arrows were all the rage in the industry.     Arrows are fun to make and  I just loved the motion they created.  I remember the first time I designed it, all the arrows were pointing the same direction.   But hey, and at that time, I had a baby, a toddler, and 3 other kiddos all under the age of 10.   So ya, nothing in life at that point was going in one direction and it just felt like if it was going to be a baby quilt, it should fit the feeling of having little ones.   And every which direction totally fit that feeling ;)    

And I had some fun throwing a little applique on the back of the quilt.  I still love doing applique and find it to be a wonderful way to add a little punch to a project.   I even made a video on applique basics (although that is a throw back to as I still have long hair in the video ;)   But I should mention, I am still the world's worst hand stitcher, so all my applique is raw edge, machine applique. Which is nice for a baby quilt because it holds up wash after wash!!! 

 What I really love about On The Go is that it uses Charm Packs, and you all know how I love to collect Charm Packs, especially for baby quilts!!!     All you need is two Charm Packs, a background, and a pop fabric.  (and of course, binding and backing)   And if I could go back in time, I would totally have gotten more of these Ten Little Things Charm Packs.  It was the perfect "all boy" line and those don't come around all the time.      

And the quilting on this one is a super throwback.   This was pre-long arm days and I remember wanting to try something new so I did a squared off meander.   And boy oh boy, I remember thinking it was a good thing it was a baby quilt, because it took forever!!!   About 30 minutes into it I was kicking myself wishing I wouldn't have started out so dense.   But by the end, it totally worked out and was worth it after it's first washing when it was so warm and snuggly!!!   This was a newborn gift for a special family member and it was very well loved, just as a baby quilt should be ;)   

And that is the On The Go quilt for this Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!  It finishes at 46" x 46" so it is perfect size for a baby and they can keep dragging it around with them all the way through the toddler years.   And even though I have done it in an all boy fabric, it looks equally great for the little ladies as well.  I have seen it done in all red and pink and it is to cute for words!!!     And it truly is so fun and fast to make, whether it's for a boy or a girl, it is super to be a special treasure ;)

I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own On The Go  just click on any of the quilt name links for the free step by step tutorial.   And when you are done, I would love to see your quilt!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your On The Go Quilts!!!

Thanks for popping in today and have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!