BOHO Heart Block of the Month - Month 6

 It's Month 6 with my good friends at Stitchin' Heaven  doing their BOHO Heart Monthly Block of the Month program and that means another month of fun tutorials!!

Month 1                Month 2               Month 3             Month 4            Month 5               Month 6

Month 7                Month 8               Month 9            Month 10           Month 11              Month 12

And since each month has Lots and Lots of Tutorials in them . . . Here is a list to jump right to the tutorial you need for this month 6:  

Half Square Triangle Block               Square In A Square Block                        Four Patch Block

Little Checkerboard Block             Sashed Half Square Triangle Block            Four Links Block

                              Courthouse Steps Block                    Framed Ohio Star Block                     

   Sewing Section 6                            Sewing Section 7                           Sewing Section 6 & 7       

                                   Sewing Group 2                         Sewing Group 1 & 2

So you have your Month 6 BOHO Heart Packet . . .  Lets get started!!! 

We'll start with our first block, and it's one we have already done, the . . .

Half Square Triangle Block

From your Month #6, Half Square Triangle bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list.    I cut my squares 3" instead of the 2.875" and will trim.   

Using the cut squares and the Half Square Triangle Block Directions from Month 1 make your 2 blocks.   The Half Square Triangle Block will be measuring 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" unfinished.    And save the second Half Square Triangle Block, we won't use it today, but we will use it in Group 3 Section 5 to form the bottom of the heart ;) 

And now we can move onto another familiar block , the . . .

Square In A Square Block

From your Month #6, Square in a Square bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list. 

Using the cut pieces and the Square in a Square Block Directions from Month 1 make your block.   The Square in a Square Block should be measuring 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" unfinished.   

And with that done, we will move onto a final familiar block , the . . .

Four Patch Block – 2 Blocks

From your Month #6, Four Patch Bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list.   Also, if you are using the "Gold Fillers" instead of the patchwork fillers, cut your Gold Filler.    But please note - The gold filler should be cut at 2 1/2" x 8 1/2", even though the cutting directions say 8", be sure to add that extra 1/2" ;)  

Using the cut pieces and the Four Patch Block Directions from Month 2 make your block.    The Four Patch Blocks should be measuring 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" unfinished.   

And now we get to move onto a new block, the . . . 

Little Checkerboard Block

From your Month #6, Little Checkerboard bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list. 

We will start with Strip Piecing some 2 Patch units.  Place the Black and Yellow strips with right sides together.  Align the raw edges and stitch a 1/4" seam along the long edge.  Press the seam towards the dark fabric.  

Now, place your strip set onto the cutting mat aligning the horizontal lines with the top and bottom of the strip set.  Cut a straight edge.   Then continue to measure in 1 1/2" and sub-cut 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" two patches.  Cut 8 Two Patches total.

Now we are going to make 4 Four Patch units.  To do this, simply place a Two Patch Unit onto a second Two Patch Unit with Opposite squares aligning and right sides together.  Align and Pin/Nest the center seam and stitch 1/4" seam.  Press the seams open.  Repeat to make 4 Four Patch Units total.  

  

Layout the 4 Four Patch Units as shown below, taking note of the color placement. 

Place the Units in the right hand column onto the Units on the left hand column with right sides together.  Align and pin the seams and then stitch a 1/4" along the pinned edges.  

Press the seams open.  

Place the top row onto the bottom row with right sides together.  Align and pin the seams.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.  Press the seam open.  

And just like that, you have an adorable Little Checkerboard Block  that should be measuring 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" unfinished.  

And now we get to move onto another familiar block, the  . . . 

Sashed Half Square Triangle Block

From your Month #6, Sashed HST Bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list.   I cut my squares 3" instead of the 2.875" and will plan to trim the HST's.  

Using the cut pieces and the Sashed HST Block Directions from Month 2 make your block.    The Sashed HST Block should be measuring 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" unfinished.   

And now, we get to make another familiar block, the  . . . 

Four Links Block

From your Month #6, Four Links bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list. 

Using the cut pieces and the Four Links Block Directions from Month 5, and taking care to watch the color placement, make your block.    The Four Links Block should be measuring 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" unfinished.   

And now one last Familiar block,  the  . . . 

Courthouse Steps Block

From your Month #6, Courthouse Steps bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list. 

Using the cut pieces and the Courthouse Steps Block Directions from Month 5, and taking care to watch the color placement, make your block.    The Courthouse Steps Block should be measuring 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" unfinished.   

And now one last new block,  the  . . . 

Framed Ohio Star Block

From your Month #6, Framed Ohio Star bag, cut the fabrics according to page 1 of the supplemental cutting list taking into account the following changes.   Note - There are a Few Changes to the cutting, but no worries, you will still have plenty of Fabric :)  From the Gold Print, cut (4) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares and (1) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square.   From the Blue print cut (1) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" square.  The Dark Print and Light Print are cut the same as listed.  

 Gather 2 Black 3 1/2" squares, a Light 3 1/2" square and a Gold 3 1/2" square.  Pair them into two groups as shown below. 

Using the paired Squares and the Half Square Triangle Directions from Month 1 make 4 Half Square Triangles but do not trim them.    

We will now turn the HST's into Quarter Square Triangles.  Align two different HST's with the black triangles opposite as shown below.  Place the Light HST onto the Gold HST with right sides together.  Align and Nest the center seam.  The Black Triangles should be on opposite sides.   Draw a line diagonally from corner to corner on the opposite side of the seam.  Sew a 1/4" seam on either side of the drawn line.  Repeat for both sets of HST's .  

Now cut on the drawn line of both sets.  Press the seams open to create 4 Quarter Square Triangles.  Using a 2 1/2" Square ruler, align the diagonal on the ruler with the diagonal seam and the center circle of the ruler with the center of the block.   Trim the block to 2 1/2" square. Trim all 4 Quarter Square Triangle units.  

Layout the 4 Quarter Square Triangle units, 4 Gold 2 1/2" squares, and the 1 Blue Center square as shown below.  

Place the units in the center column onto the units in the first column with right sides together.  Align and Pin and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the 3 pinned edges. 

Then, place the units in the last column onto the units in the center column with right sides together.  Align and Pin and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the 3 pinned edges. 

Press the seams in the first and third row out towards the Gold squares.  Press the seams in the second row in towards the Blue square.  

Now, place the First Row onto the Second Row with right sides together.  Align and Pin the seams and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.  When stitching, be sure to stitch directly along the bottom of the thread V's to give you perfect points.  

And now, place the Third Row onto the Second Row with right sides together.  Align and Pin the seams and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge catching the points of your thread V's.    Press the last 2 seams open.  

Now layout, the 4 light rectangles around the Ohio Star Unit as shown. 

Place the 2 short rectangles onto the sides of the Ohio Star Unit with right sides together.   Align and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edges.  

Press the seams outwards.  Place the 2 longer rectangles onto the top and bottom of the pieced center square with right sides together.   Align and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edges.     Once again, Press the seams outwards.  

And now you have made a Framed Ohio Star Block that should be measuring 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" unfinished.  

And now you are ready to start sewing the blocks into sections.  We will start with . . . 

Sewing Section 6

We will start by sewing the Strip Sets together.   Press the seam allowances to the Larger Number fabric.   

From Fabric 21, 22, 23, and 24, sew a 2 1/2" Strip Set together as shown. 

From Fabric 33 and 34, sew a 8 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.  

       (or cut out a 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" Gold Fabric Filler)

Now we will sew the Block to the Strip Set.   Press the Seams Open.   

Sew the Pink Four Patch Block and the 21/22/23/24 Strip Set together as shown.

Sew the Four Patch Unit and the Four Links Block  together as shown.

Sew the Courthouse Steps Block and the 33/34 Strip Set together as shown. 

And now to finish Section 6

Sew the Four Patch Four Links Unit and the Sashed Courthouse Steps Unit together as shown.

Press the Seam Open. 

And your Group 2 - Section 6 is complete.  It should measure 16 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high.

So now, we can move onto . . .

Sewing Section 7

Once again, we will start by sewing the Strip Sets together and there are a lot of them for this section.    Press the seam allowances to the Larger Number fabric.   

From Fabric 19. 20, and 21 sew a 24 1/2" Strip Set together as shown. 

From Fabric 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 sew a 19 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.

From Fabric 27 and 28 sew a 12 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.

From Fabric 27 and 28 sew a 2 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.

From Fabric 29 and 30 sew a 14 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.

From Fabric 31 and 32 sew a 12 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.

From Fabric 33 and 34 sew a 10 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.

Now we will begin to sew the Blocks to the Strip Set.   Press the Seams Open.   

Sew the HST Sashed Block and the 22/23/24/25/26 Strip Set together as shown.

Sew the 27/28 12 1/2" Strip Set, the Blue Four Patch Block and the 27/28 2 1/2" Strip Set together as shown.  

Sew the Square in a Square Block and the 29/30 Strip Set together as shown.

Sew the HST Block and the 33/34 Strip Set together as shown.

Sew the Four Patch Unit and the Square in a Square Unit together as shown.

Sew the 31/32 Strip Set and the Half Square Triangle Unit together as shown.

Sew the Sashed Half Square Triangle Unit and the Little Checkerboard Block together as shown.

Sew the Four Patch Square Unit and the Sashed HST Checker Unit together as shown.

Sew the 19/20/21 Strip Set and the Sashed HST Unit together as shown.

Sew the Four Square HST Checker Unit and the Sashed Ohio Star Block together as shown.

And finally, Sew the Sashed HST Sashed Unit and the Four Square HST Checker Star Unit together as shown.

Press the Seam Open. 

And your Group 2 - Section 7 is complete.  It should measure 16 1/2" wide by 24 1/2" high.

And now, we can move onto   . . . 

Sewing Section 6 & 7

Layout Section 6  and Section 7 as shown below.  

Place Section 6 onto Section 7 with right sides together.  Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Press the seam open.  

And your Group 2 - 6 and 7 is complete.  It should measure 16 1/2" wide by 32 1/2" high.

And now, all of the sections are done in Group 2 so we can now get to   . . . 

Sewing Group 2

Layout Sections 1-7 as shown below in the 3 groupings they are sewn into.  

Place Section 1&2 onto the top of Section 3,4,&5 with right sides together.  Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Then Place Section 6&7 onto the bottom of Section 3,4,&5 with right sides together.  Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Press the seams open.

And your Group 2  is complete.  It should measure 16 1/2" wide by 83 1/2" high.

And now, we get to sew half of the quilt top!!!  Let's get to    . . . 

Sewing Group 1 &2

Layout Group 1 and Group 2 as shown below.  

Place Section Group 2 onto Group 1 with right sides together.  Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Press the seams open.

And Half of your Quilt Top is Complete!!!  So Exciting!!!

It should measure 34 1/2" wide by 83 1/2" high.

And that is it for BOHO Heart Block of the Month, Month 6 :) 

If you have any questions on this tutorial, please don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or leave a comment.  

Hope you have so much fun making all of this months blocks and then sewing them all together:)

 Looking forward to Next Month!!

Dutch Days - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts

 It's Week 5 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing a second version of the Dutch Days quilt! You all just know I love a rainbow quilt, and when you can play with the rainbow in ombre, all the better!!!    

 And don't you just love how all of those colors just pop on the grey background!!!  For this version of Dutch Days, I was really trying to show how much fun it is to play with Ombre's .   It's so great that I am only using 1-2 fabrics per block, but yet they look totally scrappy thanks to the variations of color you get in an ombre piece of fabric.  And I even used Ombre in the background and love all the movement in color it gives :)

This version of Dutch Days was made using Ombre Galaxy Fabrics by V & Co.  for Moda Fabrics.  I have used lots of ombres in the past, and always find they give amazing results with a little planning ahead :)    All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.  It is very difficult to find Ombre in Layer Cake's but I just made my own from a FQB I had stashed away ;)   The quilt finishes at 72" x 72".  

Since I custom quilted all the quilts in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts  I thought it would be fun to do all over designs for these second versions.   For this Dutch Days quilt, I quilted all over fireworks.   It is such a fun design to quilt as it is a total mix-up from all the swirls and curls I usually do.  This one is all sharp edges and points.  And it gives such an awesome texture :)  I used a nice soft grey thread that has undertones of brown so it matched perfectly in the background, and still blended nicely in all of the blocks, although it does pop a little more on some of the darker blocks, and that is fun too. 

And that is another Dutch Days quilt, the fifth lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Dutch Days quilt, I would love to see it!!  You can share your quilts with me on social media using hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tag me @happyquiltingmc or you can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   

Thanks so much for popping in for another Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book day of fun.    And if you haven't had a chance to enter Andy's Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Giveaway for a beautiful Songbook A New Page Layer Cake that you can use to make your own gorgeous Dutch Days quilt like Andy's, be sure and pop on over and enter.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Dutch Days - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour

 It's Week 5 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing the Dutch Days quilt! This quilt is made up of one large block, and believe it or not, there are Zero half square triangles in this quilt.    I always love it when a quilt block looks harder than it actually is.  This one is quickly becoming a go-to quilt in a pinch because it truly is super fast, and super fun!!  

Here is the introduction I wrote about Dutch Days in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book.  "Dutch Days reminds me of windmills blowing in large fields of tulips which is how the quilt got its name.  I purposely chose fabrics with colors reminiscent of tulip fields.  Using the no-waste method for the flying-geese units makes this quilt super fast to piece, and mixing the prints in the units gives it a scrappy look without too much effort.  It's a wonderful quilt to whip up for any special occasion"

When writing this book, I tried to give you all of the tips and trick that I would share if I were teaching a quilting class.  This is my favorite tip from the Dutch Days quilt.  It is as simple as taking a picture, but if you have never tried it, you will find it makes all the difference in laying out your blocks.   And you can also look at the image in black and white to check that your lights and darks are balanced as well :) 

Dutch Days was made using Harmony fabrics by Melissa Lee for Riley Blake Designs.  All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.   You will use 40 of the 10" squares for this quilt so you really use up just about every last piece.  This quilt finishes at 72" x 72", making it a generous square lap size quilt.  

I had so much fun custom quilting each of the quilts in Fast & Fun Lap Quilts .  For this Dutch Days quilt, I quilted curly q's in the sashing and echoed wavy arches in the blocks.  Whenever I have a block with gridlines that are perfectly symmetrical, I always love to use the wavy arch.  It is so fun and fast to quilt and I just love getting the cool wavy orange peel look without having to use rulers.  And as is the trend with the quilts in this book, I used 402 So Fine thread to blend perfectly into the white background and all of the prints.   I just love how it all came together. 

And that is my Dutch Days quilt, the fifth lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops, C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Dutch Days quilt, I would love to see it!!  You can share your quilts with me on social media using hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tag me @happyquiltingmc or you can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   

And speaking of making a Dutch Days Quilt, my good friend,  Andy Knowlton has whipped up her own Dutch Days Quilt using one of my favorite new fabrics that releases this December.  Isn't this just gorgeous in Songbook A New Page by Fancy That Design House.     Isn't that just so amazing!!!!  And when I say whipped up, I truly mean that, Andy has been sharing her progress online and she put this together super fast.  You can see all the details at Andy's Blog, A Bright Corner. 

And while you are visiting Andy at A Bright Corner, be sure to enter her giveaway. Like I said, this fabric isn't out until December, but my good friends at Moda have shared a Layer Cake to giveaway!!  How awesome is that!!!  You can enter the giveaway at her blog.  

And that is it for today, thanks for popping in for Week 5 of the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book!

I am just so happy to share this Dutch Days quilt and be sure to pop back in on Friday when I will share a second version of the quilt (and I'll give you a hint, think ombre :)  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

   It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First, we are going to announce the winners of last week's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of the Slow Stroll Layer Cake from Fat Quarter Shop  is . . . #24   . . . Congrats to Chris K. !!!  I have messaged you :)

   

 

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Poppie Cotton .      Poppie Cotton is an amazing fabric company started by my good friends Jina Barney and Lori Woods.  Their fabrics are just beautiful and are wonderful to sew with.   The quality is fantastic and I just love all of their pretty prints!!!   If you haven't sewn with Poppie Cotton yet, I highly recommend you check it out ;)  

In Celebration of the release of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book , for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Poppie Cotton is offering one lucky reader a Betsy's Sewing Kit 10" Precut!!!   This is such a fun fabric line, you are just going to love it!!!!

You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 what is your favorite tool in the "Basic Sewing Kit"??

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Poppie Cotton some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.  Or you can sign up for their newsletter or  visit Poppie Cotton and share your favorite fabric collection ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Poppie Cotton Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 8th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

October Sew Sampler!!

Well here we are at the last day of October, and that means it's time to share my new  Sew Sampler box!!!   Which for me, is so way more exciting than Halloween!!!    The theme of this month's box is Everything Is Coming Up Roses and it is just with some rosy delight :)  So let's check out this amazing Sew Sampler Goodness!!  

I was thrilled to find a gorgeous Junior Jelly Roll  of Country Rose by Lella Boutique.   I have already made the Bloomers Quilt, as well as a second version of my Aurora Quilt from Fast & Fun Lap Quilts using this line.   It is just gorgeous!!  And, paired with the Polka Dot Black Background, amazing!!!  I so want to make the exclusive Star pattern with the same black background, I know it will be just stunning!! 

And the notions that  Fat Quarter Shop sent along this month are just great!!!! This new Riley Blake Binding Holder is just super great for keeping your bindings nice and neat.   And the Mini Soak Sampler Pack will be great for washing those super special quilts.   And of course, the Needle Twister will be super cool for my hand piecing friends ;)  

And since it is now October, and we are over half way through the Bliss Quilt Along I just don't see myself catching up.  So I decided, I think I am going to wait until it is all done, see the final layout, and then probably just get the   Bliss Quilt Along kit featuring Stitched Fabrics by Joanna Figueroa so I can make it as a nice long term project :)  

And just fyi, the Sew Sampler box Subscription now has openings!!!  So there is no wait list, and you can sign up and get a new box next month.  So fun!!!   This truly is my favorite Subscription and I just love when it arrives each month and I get to enjoy all of the quilty goodness in each aqua box!!! 

Hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Aurora - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts

 It's Week 4 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing a second version of the Aurora quilt! It's always fun to see how different a quilt can look by changing things up the fabrics, and wouldn't you know, Vanessa was my guest blogger this week, and she is also the fabric designer of this second version, to fun!!!    

 And doesn't it look just stunning in a dark background!!!  For this version of Aurora, I was really trying to highlight how much using a dark background can change up the look of the quilt.   Isn't it just incredible how the chain and the star centers just pop.   I love it so much!!!!    Using a dark background can really make your colors so vibrant, it is a great way to make the fabric stand out :)

This version of Aurora was made using Country Rose fabrics by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics.   This is the same fabric I used to make the Bloomers Quilt, and I loved it then, and I love it all the more with a dark background.   All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.  And like I said, Country Rose was the perfect Layer Cake to just pop on this black polka dot background.  It is just so happy making ;)   The quilt finishes at 68" x 68".  

Since I custom quilted all the quilts in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts  I thought it would be fun to do all over designs for these second versions.   For this Aurora quilt, I quilted all over swirls and paisleys.   These are two of my favorite designs to quilt all over, and I just love all the yummy added texture it gives the quilt.   And when doing an all over using a black background, with pretty print colors, I recommend a nice soft grey thread.  It will blend into the black, but not stand out as much on the prints :) 

And that is another Aurora quilt, the third lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Aurora quilt, I would love to see it!!  You can share your quilts with me on social media using hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tag me @happyquiltingmc or you can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   

Thanks so much for popping in for another Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book day of fun.    And if you haven't had a chance to enter Vanessa's Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Giveaway for a beautiful Christmas Eve Layer Cake that you can use to make your own gorgeous Christmas Version of Aurora, be sure and pop on over and enter.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Aurora - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour

 It's Week 4 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing the Aurora quilt! 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 one of my quilts from a book (see the reason here) and this chain is subtle, but it is the perfect finish for this Aurora quilt.  

Here is the introduction I wrote about Aurora in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book.  "I absolutly love designing Star blocks!  Truly, they are my go-to bread and butter of designing.  In Aurora, I added a pieced frame to a basic Ohio Star to create an amazing block.  Then a simple change n fabric placement and orientation made a wonderful new second block that forms a chain across the quilt top.  The two blocks combine to make a stunning quilt."

When writing this book, I tried to give you all of the tips and trick that I would share if I were teaching a quilting class.  This is my favorite tip from the Aurora quilt.  It is the same as the "pin trick" that I share here, and it a total game changer in lining up lots of points.  My pinwheels have never looked so great :)   And this quilt has lots and lots of points, and they come out so perfect with this little trick ;)  

Aurora was made using Beautiful Day fabrics by Corey Yoder for Moda Fabrics.  All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.  You will use 33 of the 10" squares for this quilt, and the Plan Ahead tip will help you divide your fabrics, so you know exactly where each fabric will go in your quilt and can plan accordingly.  This quilt finishes at 68" x 68", making it a great square lap size.  

I had so much fun custom quilting each of the quilts in Fast & Fun Lap Quilts .  For this Aurora quilt, I quilted swirls in the background, and then straight lines and pebbles in the blocks.  I left the center stars unquilted so they pop :)   And you know, it's my favorite 402 So Fine thread that I used to blend perfectly into the white background and all of the prints.   I just love how it all came together. 

And that is Aurora quilt, the fourth lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Aurora quilt, I would love to see it!!  You can share your quilts with me on social media using hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tag me @happyquiltingmc or you can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   

And speaking of making an Aurora Quilt, my good friend, Vanessa Goertzen has mocked up Aurora using her new Christmas Eve fabrics that will come out in May of next year!!!   Isn't that just so amazing!!!!  This design looks so amazing in Christmas and this has totally been added to my "to make" list.  You can see all the details at Vanessa's blog , Lella Boutique .

And while you are visiting Vanessa at Lella Boutique, be sure to enter her giveaway.  Christmas Eve isn't out until May of 2023, but Vanessa scored one Christmas Eve Layer Cake to giveaway!!  How awesome is that!!!  You can enter the giveaway at her blog.  

And that is it for today, thanks for popping in for Week 4 of the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book!

I am just so happy to share this Aurora quilt and be sure to pop back in on Friday when I will share a second version of the quilt (and it just so happens to be made with more of Vanessa's fabrics, so fun :)  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

    It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First, we are going to announce the winners of last week's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of the Pumpkins & Blossoms Layer Cake from Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is . . . #482   . . . Congrats to  sunnymorningdesigns!!!  I have messaged 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  and Precuts of the Week!!   You can also save big on the Basics of the Month!!!!     This month All Confetti Cotton Basics  by Riley Blake are on sale!!   Also, All June Tailor Products are on sale for the Notion, and all  It's Sew Emma Patterns are on sale for the Pattern.   Save 20% off of all of them for the whole month of October!!  So great ;)  

In Celebration of the release of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book , for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway, Fat Quarter Shop is giving away this stunning Slow Stroll Layer Cake by Fancy That Design House for Moda!!!   This is the fabric I used to make this Nature Walk quilt, and this Cascading quilt, and this  baby Swirling Leaves quilt . . . Ya, I just love it!!! 

You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 if you could take a Stroll anywhere in the world, where would it be??? 

 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, November 1st, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!