15 Bindings means 15 Works in Progress!!

So I posted back here how I make my bindings first and that allows me to know how many current WIP's I have.  And this morning I counted 15 bindings!!! ( I also have 5  "just enjoy the process" projects that don't have bindings made yet, ya a little crazy :)   And sadly, a few of those bindings towards the bottom are the same from that earlier post,  oh dear. 

But it isn't quite as crazy as it seems.   7 of those bindings are all quilt tops that are already done and just waiting to be quilted!!!  2 are at the long arm studio and not pictured (the same two bindings that are still on the bottom of the pile :)  and these 5 just need backings made so they can be moved over to the long arm studio.  So a lot of quilting, but it will shrink the pile of bindings drastically as soon as I get my quilting groove on :)

And that red binding on the top, it is actually being put on a quilt just as soon as I am done typing here!!!  So that one is super close to being done and done, and I can't wait to share more of it next month ;)  It's a Shortcut Quilt and you know how I just love those!!!

So of course, because I was so close to finishing so many, I added another project to the list yesterday and dropped everything to work on it ;)   And could you blame me, it uses V & Co.'s 12 new Ombre Colors and I have been so waiting to find just the right project for these gorgeous fabrics ;)   I spent 2 hours yesterday figuring out the best way to cut them out to maximize the Ombre Effect and I can't wait to share it.   But it is going to be a bit as the project is for a blog hop in November, so ya, didn't need to be at the top of the list to work on, but sometimes, I just can't help myself!!!

Please tell me I am not the only one that totally drops so many projects to start another one because you are just so excited about the fabric and need to cut it up like yesterday???     Can I say "squirrel" much ;)  

But it's all good, because School Started Yesterday!!!!  Suddenly I have time to sew, and sew, and sew some more, and that stack of bindings is going to get super small, super soon. 

Here is to 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 Fat Quarter Pack of the new Zen Chic Spotted 2019 collection from Olie and Evie is . . .  Number #100 . . .   Congrats Susan!!!   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 Blossom Basics are on sale and this basic is just so great!!!  Also, All Pellon Products are on sale for the Notion, and All Coriander Quilts Patterns are on sale for the Pattern.  (and she has so many fantastic patterns!!!)    Save 20-30% off of all of them for the whole month of August!!  So great ;) 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a Beautiful Moda August Basics Bundle curated by Fat Quarter Shop with 12 Fat Quarters all a variety of wonderful Moda Basics in beautiful colors ;)   I just love how awesome basics are for blenders and backgrounds, and even all basic quilts!!  So fun!!!  

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 school time memory??  (Today is the first day back to school and I am so excited for my kiddo's!!!)  

 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, August 20th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Coral and Rose Scraptastic Stars!!

Okay, still working on lots of sewing that I can't quite show yet which means even more Leader and Enders sewing and two more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!    The first one is lovely coral!!!  And I have to say, I was blown away with how many gorgeous shades of coral I had in my stash.   This is such a pretty color and I am thrilled I had enough to make a block just for coral!!

And the second is Rose.   I had to look up what shade of pink you would call these little squares as there is another softer (blush) pink coming and I didn't want to have to call them Light Pink and Dark Pink.  No fun in that ;)    But Doesn't Rose just fit this block just so perfectly!!!  I just love that this little Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  is really a great little exercise in color for me and I am having so much fun playing with the rainbow!!!

And that means ten down and only 6 to go!!!   Seriously, it is getting so hard at this point not to just drop everything and stitch up the last 6 blocks.  Good thing I still have lots of sewing on my plate to help crank out those last 6 blocks.   And I should probably start thinking about layout options ;)    I will be sure to share more on that as I play with ideas!!

I hope you all are having a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Sun, Sea, and Sand!!!

Well it's another lovely Thursday and that means time for another Tutorial Throwback feature.  And since summer is winding to a close around here (we start school next Tuesday!!!) I thought it would be fun to do a little summer fun throwback.   So today's tutorial spotlight is the Sun, Sea, and Sand quilt!!! This one is only throwing back a few years and is perfect for taking along to all of your summer activities!!  Which means you will have plenty of time to get one ready for Next Summer :)

This quilt has some favorite basics building blocks in it.   Wonderful 4 Patch fun in the border, and easy, big,  Half Square Triangles in the center.    So it goes together super fast.   And then of course, you get to add the super cute applique that just finishes it all off.   And if you have never done applique, no worries at all.  You can check out this free step by step video  that walks you through the different types of applique and how to do it ;)

And Sun, Sea, and Sand is totally Charm or 5" square friendly.  You need 96 5" squares to make that cute four patch border and then just some matching yardage for your giant HST' and the applique strip and binding.    And while you will be hard pressed to find the original Offshore Fabric by Deena Rutter, she did make an Offshore 2 Fabric line which you can still find with a quick google search ;)   And of course, you can use any summer fun fabric to make your Sun, Sea, and Sand quilt!! 

This quilt is great for anyone from an expert to a beginner alike.   Because the HST's are so big, it makes them easy and totally manageable for even a first time quilter.   And learning a basic 4 patch is great for beginner.   And if you are an expert, it will go together in a wink :)     And of course, if you don't love the applique, it can always be left off.   Of you can change it out for whatever you like.  A little sailboat, a sunshine and some flip flops . . . the possibilities are endless ;)  

When it came time to quilt Sun, Sea, and Sand, I wanted to keep with the whole beach theme, so I decided on little waves in the center of the quilt.  Doesn't that just make you want to sit in the water and enjoy some rays ;)   I did pebbles in the back of the applique.  Whenever you want to make your applique stand out, it is always a good idea to quilt something dense all the way around it, and it doesn't get more dense than tiny pebbles.    And on the border I did a favorite of mine, the Wavy Peel, which just adds to that whole wave effect.   It is actually a design that is in the 180 More Doodle Quilting book that walks you through how to do the design ;)  

And that is my Sun, Sea, and Sand Quilt for this Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!  It is such a fun quilt to make and it finishes at a perfect beach or picnic size of 72" x 72".       And this is where II would normally say that my family takes it to the beach, but I actually gave this away as a gift right after I had finished it.   But I can say that family has enjoyed it for the last few years, and that makes me smile ;)   I just love being able to wrap people in quilty hugs!!!  

I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Sun, Sea and Sand 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 Sun, Sea, and Sand Quilts!!!

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

Making the Switch . . . EQ7 to EQ8

So one of the most frequently asked questions I get is how do I design my quilts??   And the answer is, EQ!!!!    I will see something that inspires me and either take a picture of it or draw a quick doodle, and then I sit at the computer and draw it up in Electric Quilt.  I have been using EQ 7 for about 8 years now and love it!!!  I can't imagine doing what I do without it.    But I will admit, I have been hesitant to upgrade to the new EQ8 because I assumed there would be that whole learning curve time of figuring out a new program.   Well, I can say now, I totally should not have hesitated because I finally switched over to EQ8 and it is so awesome!!!! 

My biggest concern with making the switch was thinking I would lose all of my old EQ7 files.  Silly worry, they totally made it possible to transfer the files and it was a piece of cake. There was even a step by step tutorial on EQ's site on how to do it.    Which was good, because I realized as I saved each file, that I have over 200 quilt designs in this program!!!  Wow, that is a lot!!!  And I have to say, it was fun to get to see each of the quilts I have done over the years as I transferred them ;) 

 Oh, and on a total side note, If you are looking at the names of my quilts and wondering what's up with the extra numbers . . .I label all of my quilts in EQ with them to make them easier to find.   My Pattern files start with a 1 (and you can spy 3 new working on patterns without numbers yet :)   My Book quilts start with a 2 (as well as an Acronym of the book title).  Published quilts start with a 3 (and MAG for Magazine or CB for Compilation Book).  Quilt-Along quilts start with a 4, and Tutorial quilts start with a 5.  And if I am working on something new I just label it with a name that leaves it at the bottom of the list.    It just makes it so much easier to find what I am looking for in the 200 plus names of quilts ;)    Just a little helpful hint in case you use EQ as well. 

Okay, random side note done, back to the new EQ!!   I love the new Fabric Library in EQ8!!!   EQ7 didn't have a whole lot of fabrics in the program so I got really good at Importing whatever I wanted to work with.    Which of course, EQ8 still has so that is awesome as I love being able to see exactly what a certain fabric line will look like in the quilt design.   But EQ8 also has lots of Basic fabrics already imported!!   Like my favorite Moda Grunge, and Kona Cottons, and Bella Solids and the list goes on.  And I just love the idea of being able to design knowing exactly what color solid I am using and not having to match up my best guess from the computer to a swatch card when I am done ;)   

And that whole learning curve I was worried about, silly of me.   EQ8 kept the same basic structure of program, they just made it more user friendly.  So you can design the same way you did in EQ7, but now the buttons are easier to find and flow with more sense.   And what I really love, when I find something new in this program that I have no clue about (like the new create serendipity button) there are Tips with explanations right below it to explain the new feature to me.   So smart!!!

And speaking of new features, I have been having so much fun playing around with the new Polydraw feature.  It is like a CAD program where you are designing pieces rather than lines.   And the Clone and Flip Left and Right options make drawing so much faster.  Just draw one piece and then paste it to another spot.    So fun!!!  I have a feeling I will be exploring this section a whole lot more :)  

So ya, I am wishing I would have made the switch a while ago ;)    I am sure I will be sharing more of the EQ8 stuff I learn over the next little bit.    I am so glad I was introduced to EQ way back when.   It really is such a wonderful program for anyone who has a desire to design quilts!!  It was a total game changer for me, and I am excited to see what new features EQ8 will add to my creative abilities.   Oh, and just in case you are in the same boat I was, I was happy to find that you don't have to buy EQ8 outright if you already have a previous EQ program.  You can simply pay a smaller fee to Upgrade your already existing program.  Isn't that just so sweet of EQ!!!  

So ya, in summary, So glad I made the Switch and looking forward to lots more designing!!!  

And now I am curious, do any of you wonderful readers EQ???  If not, have you thought about a quilt designing software??  Just wondering :)