Petite Point Quilt Top

I am so, so, so excited!!!!  I finished my Petite Point Quilt Top!!!!  That is 600 strings that finish at 1" all from my pink and red scrap drawers.   I do love a good scrappy quilt :)  I started this quilt in February in a class with Barbara  and I have been working on it here and there over the last two months.  But to see it all come together, so loving it!!!

The rows actually sew together like this, and I have to say, it was so hard to cut off the sides of those scrappy hexagons.  But I so didn't want to bind all of those angles, so off they came.

And I had this Quilt Top.   Only now, I am wondering how I want to finish it.   Originally I planned to just leave it like this and bind it.   Only, what color would I bind it in.  I think either red or pink will get lost in all of that scrappy goodness.

So then I started to think, should I add a border to give it a little restful place for the eye.   I found this red gingham print in my stash that I thought would work perfect for the binding, if it was next to a little white.   So I thought maybe this pink polka dot print for a border??

But then I wondered, maybe something that wasn't red or pink.  Like this fun gold metallic print.  Does that give it a little more interest??

And then I wondered, maybe something that has red and pink in it.  Would that tie it all together more.   I love the colors but is the floral to busy for an already busy quilt?

I want to finish this up just right and I am not sure how that is.  What do you think??  Leave it without a border and just use a bold binding??   Or add a border for a rest, and if so, which border, pink polka dot, gold polka dot, or floral???    Help a girl out here and leave a comment on which you would choose ;)

Regardless how I choose though  . . . I have to say that I am just so excited to see all of those wonderfully scrappy hexagons come together in such a wonderfully scrapilicous quilt top!!!  It's just so fun!!!

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

Linking this Quilt Top finish up to Amanda's, Sarah's and Myra's ;)

Happy Quilting Tutorials

Happy Quilting has been around for close to 8 years now, and over that time I have written a lot of Tutorials.  And by a lot, read over 65 Quilt Tutorials (with 2 more coming soon ;) and over 50 Other Project and Technique Tutorials.    That is a whole lot of Tutorials to surf through.  So the other day, I spent some time trying to make my Tutorials easier for you to find.    So of course, now I want to share those updates with you so you can make lots of Happy Quilting Projects!!!

So first, let's talk about Quilt Tutorials :)  As, I said, there are over 65 and you can find them all by clicking on the Quilt Tutorials tab at the top of my blog.   This takes you to a long picture list of all my Quilt Tutorials. 

But I realized that surfing through 65 Tutorials can be overwhelming, so I decided to group them by Pre-Cut.   I am hoping this will make it much easier to find just what you are looking for.    So the quilts are now separated into groups of Charm Pack Quilts, Layer Cake Quilts, Jelly Roll Quilts, Fat Eighth Quilts, Fat Quarter Quilts, Yardage Quilts, and Scrappy Quilts.    You can simply surf down the right hand side of the list to find the pre-cut you are looking for and then look through the quilt images in that section.  To go to the specific Quilt Tutorial, just click on the image of the quilt!!!  Easy as that!!  

And of course, there are more tutorials than just Quilts!!!  If you click on the More Tutorials tab at the top of my blog, you will find over 50 more tutorials walking you through some more fun Happy Quilting projects and techniques.  

And again, I realized it is overwhelming to just surf through 50 tutorial images, so I broke the tutorials down into main groups and then smaller groups with those main groups.   So first off, you have the Project Tutorials, which are then sub-divided into Totes, Table Runners, Holidays, For Kids, For the Kitchen, and For the Sewing Room. 

The next main group in the More Tutorials tab is Quilt Block Tutorials and it is subdivided into Scrappy, Holiday, and Pieced. 

And finally, there is a Technique Tutorials section and a Guest Tutorial section.    I really hope that breaking these down like this will make it much easier to find just what you are looking for ;)

  

And last but not least, did you know there is a Video Tutorials section at Happy Quilting ;)  Just click on the Video Tutorials tab at the top of the blog to see all kinds of videos that will walk you through the basics of finishing a quilt, applique, and lots of free motion quilting ;)

And that is my Happy Quilting Tutorials overhaul.   I truly hope you find my tutorials helpful on your  quilting journey.   I can't even begin to count how many hours are wrapped into all of these tutorials but I just love making them and then seeing your amazing projects that have been inspired by them :)     

Which speaking of, I truly do want to see your Happy Quilting creations!!!!   I can't tell you how happy it makes me :)    If you make any quilts or projects using any of my Happy Quilting tutorials or patterns, I would absolutely love for you to send me a picture!!!  You can post it on social media with #happyquiltingwithmc,  add it to my  Flickr Group  or email it to me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  And as always, if you have any questions on finding a tutorial, or following its instructions, please don't hesitate to email me ;)

And that is the new and improved Happy Quilting Tutorials in a nutshell ;)  I hope you find lots of new inspiration as you surf through the tutorial tabs!!!

Happy Quilting!!!

A Scrappy 4th Start ;)

So remember this stack that I had leftover from my Sew Sampler Baskets and Roundabout Quilt. Well I was just so excited about the stack, I couldn't wait to start sewing it together!!

So I started sewing the strips end to end, rotating the colored prints and low volume prints.  I am using my Ribbons Quilt  as inspiration, but I know I don't have the same amount of strips, so I decided to sew them together with a 1/4" seam instead of an angled seam to add a little more length.

Once all the seams were pressed in this long snake, the fun begins.   I just matched the beginning and end of the strip and started sewing along the long edge till I got to the end and then just cut the end and you have a new wider strip.  It was really fun to see how the color prints and low volume prints rotated through the strip.  All of the strips are different sizes so it was super random ;)

Then just rinse and repeat ;)  The 2 strips become 4, and the 4 become 8 and so on.  I pressed my seams open to help it lay flat and help avoid any of the stretching that you can easily get with so much strip sewing.

And before I knew it, super fun random strip goodness!!!  This measures about 34" x 72", which means I want to stop here or else it is going to be short and wide.   And 72" is a great width. I think I will add some more to make it about 72"ish by 76" to 80" long ;) 

I have a bit of scrappy strips of gorgeous Chambray left from my William and Jack quilt and I am thinking that would be super cute to add a bit of summer denim feel to the quilt.  I don't have enough for the whole quilt, but I am thinking of adding it somehow.  

What do you think???

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 the 3 Happy Quilting PDF Patterns from Happy Quilting  is . . .   Number #43 . . .   Congrats Alison !!!   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 they have just released their exclusive Spring 2018 Nesting Box!!!   This is a Limited Edition Mystery  Box, that comes with a over a $120 value for just $75!!!   You all know how much I love my Sew Sampler Boxes, and a giant Mystery Box is just so fun :)   And if the title has anything to do with it, my guess would be that there might be some of this fabric, which I have used in some secret projects and it is perfect for Spring!!!   Be sure to pop on over and check this out, as it is Limited Edition and when it is gone, it is gone ;) 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a Beautiful Harmony Jolly Bar by Sweetwater for Moda to one lucky winner!!!  Did you know that every Jolly Bar comes with a pattern???  So fun right!!!  I especially love the Blueprint Pattern that comes with this Jolly Bar ;) 

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 a favorite Candy Bar??  

 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, April 24th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

** This post contains affiliate links. 

Sew Sampler Baskets Finish

So after being gone for a week, the first thing I wanted to do when I got back to my sewing machine was finish up this quilt!!!  It went on the long arm the day after I got home, but then had to wait a day or two to be quilted because ya know, laundry and grocery shopping and a few other million things that have to be done when you are gone for a week ;)

But it was so worth the wait!!!  This pattern comes from the monthly Sew Sampler cards designed by Lori Holt for the Fat Quarter Shop.   I really enjoyed making 1 block each month and then when I got to the end of piecing it all together seeing how it all came out.  I originally thought to just use a white background when I started, but decided to use the leftovers of my Roundabout Quilt to make a fun low volume background and I love how it turned out.     It is not often that I make a quilt without a plan, but it sure is fun to just start playing and see what happens.   And the results just make me smile from ear to ear.  

I used Sweetwater's Freedom fabric and I love the colors and prints and as I mentioned especially, all of the great low volumes that really made this quilt shine ;)  As I mentioned this is the same fabric I used for my Roundabout Quilt so ya, I really like it.   And I have already cut up the scraps of these two quilts and have a fun plan to use up the last little bits.

I was originally thinking to quilt this with an all over fireworks design, but I decided the baskets needed something a little "prettier" to go with that feel, but I still wanted to keep it fun, so I decided that the Loose Feathers I tried back here, would be the perfect fit.   And I just love it.  I think that design is easily becoming one of my new favorites!!! 

And I have to say, I just love the scrappy binding!!!!   It was the perfect way to give the repeat effect of that scrappy print border and really finished the quilt off.   Scrappy is always so good!!!

And that is my Sew Sampler Baskets quilt and I just love, love, love it!!!!    And a very special someone just announced their engagement and will be getting married in July and wouldn't this just make the cutest July wedding present ;)  Something fun to snuggle with someone special while watching the fireworks!!

And now, I can't wait to see what the new 2018 pattern will be for the Sew Sampler Box!!!  2017's is officially all wrapped up now, and I am just waiting (not patiently) by the mailbox to see what 2018 will bring.   So excited!!!

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

** This post contains affiliate links. 

New Work in Progress

I started a new work in progress :)    It's a new Fat Quarter Shop Shortcut Quilt and you know how I love those!!!   As soon as I saw the pattern, I knew just the perfect fabric for it ;)   The pattern uses Fat Quarters and I had leftovers of Gingham Girls  from making the Crossroads Quilt, and I just recently finished up a quilt (haven't shared yet but here's a sneak peek) using Amy Smart's second line, Sunnyside Ave.  and had some leftovers from it as well.   So how perfect to combine the two lines for this new quilt!!!

I am just loving how well Gingham Girls and Sunnyside Ave. play together.   Isn't it so great when fabric designs do that!!!    The fabric combo's are just so fun and every new block combo just makes me smile :)

And I just adore the happy vibrant primary colors of these lines and the wonderful prints that take me back to my childhood.    All of the hand made clothes my mother used to make for me and my twin sister looked like these prints.    And my mom always made our clothes in matching prints, but my sister's clothes were in red and mine in blue so it helped to tell us apart ;)   I gotta admit, we looked pretty cute.  I will have to see if I can find some old pics next time I visit my parents.

I can't wait to get this one all finished up.   I have the blocks done and just need to sash them and get it all quilted.   So fun!!!   And it just makes me so happy that I am also using up more scraps.  Especially as these were larger pieces of scraps, so I still like to keep them in the bundle, but they sometimes get forgotten about when they get bundled back up.   So this just makes me smile ear to ear to be using up not 1 but 2 of those and they look so amazing together!!!!

I get to share the finished Shortcut Quilt at the end of the month so not to long to wait on this one ;)

So what New projects are you working on for this Work in Progress Wednesday??


** This post contains affiliate links. 

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 the A Cottontail Cottage Fat Eighth Bundle from Green Fairy Quilts  is . . .   Number #46 . . .   Congrats Susan Stanton !!!   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 your favorite subject in school.  (My little one is all excited that it is Art 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, April 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!!!

Spring Break 2018!!!

Sorry things have been a little quiet around here this last week, but it was Spring Break, and we were enjoying soaking up the sun, sand and waves of beautiful Oahu Hawaii!!! And it was absolutely amazing.  I want to have a record of it,  so here is a quick rundown of the trip for those that want to know ;)   If not, no worries, as of tomorrow we will be back to regularly scheduled quilting posts :)

  We decided about a year ago, that this was the year for a big Family Trip :)    Our oldest is 15 so he doesn't have a job quite yet, and our youngest is 6 so hopefully she will remember it.  So we grabbed my parents (after our last beach trip, I wanted a few extra sets of eyes ;)  and headed out for a week that we will remember for a lifetime!!   Jacob and I have visited Hawaii before but never the island of Oahu and this was the kids first trip.  My dad picked pineapples when he was 18 for a summer, and hasn't been back since so this was a fun return for him and a first for my mom.

We started with a visit to Pearl Harbor.  The day was sunny but as we arrived, the clouds opened up and we got some beautiful warm rains.   But because of that we weren't able to land on the  USS Arizona Memorial but we did get to take a nice (read very wet) boat ride out to it.  I have to say, it is kind of hard to explain to a 6 and 9 year old to be quiet and reverent when they feel like they are on a Water Park ride.   But we toured some museums and watched a film that better explained the history of the place.  It was very moving and a place that I have always wanted to visit. 

We also spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center where the kids got to learn all about the culture of the islands.  They did hula dancing, spear tossing, fire stick throwing (without fire of course), Hawaiian bowling, fishing, but most of all, I think they liked the tattoos ;)  

And we even did an 8 mile round trip hike to Laie Falls!!   The kids did amazing, I was worried they wouldn't make it but I should have been worried about me :)  My calves still feel that climb, but it was so worth it for the amazing views and gorgeous waterfall at the end.   We got to enjoy all kinds of terrain including some squelching mud that made for some good times for the kids.   They really did amazing, and I was super impressed with their mad hiking skills!! 

And of course, after all that activity, you need lots of yummy food.  The kids got to try all kinds of fresh mango's, pineapple, and coconut from the local stands.  And we found an awesome place for shaved ice that we made a few stops at.  So good on a hot day!!!   These two were a huge fan of the coconut milk, and with 2 straws, they didn't even have to take turns ;)  And our place had a grill, so we had a lot of BBQ throughout the week thanks to my sweethearts made grilling skills ;)

And we were also treated to some beautiful sunrises that, thanks to the 4 hour time change, were easy to wake up for.   We were so fortunate to find a little home to rent that was right on the beach so every morning we could enjoy stunning scenes like this.   This particular morning was Easter morning and I can't image a better way to wake up on such a special day.  

And the other great thing about being right on the beach, the kids could always be in the water!!!  They were down at the beach every second they could get.  In fact, this was when we first got there and they didn't even get swimsuits on.   I told them they could wade, which promptly turned into full on soaking in their shorts and t-shirts.  Should have seen that one coming ;) 

The kids all learned to snorkel and really enjoyed it.  But mostly they just loved played in the waves!!!  They chased them in and out of the water. They boogie boarded on them, and jumped them, and tubed on them, and overall just turned into little fishes ;)   We visited several beaches and I think we brought a pound of sand home from each.  And I couldn't be happier playing in the water with them or watching them from the beach, just perfect!!! 

All in all, it was our families trip of a lifetime and it was absolutely amazing!!! I am so grateful that we could all spend this week together and that my parents were able to come with us as well.  It was just the best to be all together in such an amazing place sharing an unforgettable week!!

Aloha!!!!