Signature Quilt with Free PDF Pattern!!!

 I am so excited to share this new Signature Quilt along with a Free PDF Pattern for it!!    This is the quilt I made for Jessi and Trey's wedding reception.  Rather than having people sign a book when they arrived, they signed a signature block in the quilt.  Everyone just loved it, and now Jessi and Trey have a special keepsake with everyone's well wishes!!   It would work for just about any occasion that you want to have well wishes from people . . .wedding, retirement, hospital stay, baby shower, golden anniversary, etc.. etc.. etc..    And it is so fun and fast to make . . . you are going to love it!!  Here is where you can download the FREE PDF Pattern  so you can make your own ;)    

What I love most about this quilt is it is Layer Cake Friendly.  And you use all 42 squares of your Layer Cake, so pick out one you like, grab a coordinating neutral fabric to use for the signature blocks, and you are set to go!!   Jessi picked out a Folktale Layer Cake by Lella Botique for Moda.  It matched their wedding colors perfectly and it has always been a favorite of mine, so I am so glad she loved it too!!   And isn't it so great that you get a full representation of the fabric line, it's just so pretty just and is just how it was designed to be used!!! 

You are literally just putting a border of print fabric around a signature rectangle, and then cutting some of those blocks in half to make the offset layout.  Truly, you can whip one of these up for a special occasion in no time at all.  It finishes at 49" x 60" so it is a great lap size ;)    

And I used Micron Pens with archival ink for people to sign with.  That way I know the signatures will stay after it is well loved  They come in pretty colors and that really added to the prints in the quilt ;)   isn't it just so fun to see all of those sweet words of congratulations and love shared! 

When it came time to quilt this keepsake, I decided I wanted to keep the signature blocks unquilted so they would be easier to write on and would pop!  So I did a stitch in the ditch around the signature blocks and then a cute curly q in the print fabrics.  I just love all the texture it adds, makes it so soft and snuggly!!  

And that is my new Signature Quilt!!!  I wish I would have remembered to take a picture of it on the reception table, it looked so pretty ;)  Ah well :)   I just hope you love this Signature Quilt as much as I do and that maybe you have a special event that a signature quilt would be just perfect for!!  And if you do and make up this quilt, I would love to see it! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags  #happyquiltingwithmc  and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can't wait to see your Signature Quilts!!

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

Nordic Nights - The Wedding Quilt!!

So remember how I was working on the Wedding Quilt for my daughter and her sweet new husband . . . Well, it's been a month, but I am finally sharing it!!!  I am happy to report that this quilt was done for the wedding, I just had to get it back for pictures and such :) Jessi and Trey picked out my Nordic Nights quilt pattern for their wedding quilt, and I think it turned out so pretty.   And lucky for me . . . the Bride and Groom love it as much as I do ;)   

 I just love making this quilt!!!   It really is a fun pattern to make and uses my Modified Drunkard Path Templates.  And yes, It is curved piecing, but it truly is not as difficult as we fear it will be.    I have a step by step tutorial here for using these templates and sewing the units and it only takes a few blocks practice to really get the hang of it ;)  This is the queen size version, and it finishes at 95" x 95", you'll be an expert at curves by the time you are done this size quilt!!    

Jessi and Trey went through my Fat Quarter Bundle stash and picked Woodland and Wildflowers by Fancy That Design House for Moda Fabrics for their wedding quilt!!    This is such a beautiful line with it's rich colors and beautiful prints!!   And I love that each block really let's each print stand out, just so pretty!!  Jessi and Trey are pretty outdoors people, so I think the nature vibe of this line really fit perfectly for them.  

And when it came time to quilt it, Jessi specifically requested "pretty, but not to much quilting so it will still be soft".   So after debating for a bit, I decided on large all over feathers.  I kept the scale on the larger side to fill in the background space, and then the blocks are also quilted with large feathers.  And wow, It turned out beautiful, and passed the softness test as well!!

And what really made it soft . . . I used a 90" Cuddle in Juniper for the backing.  This was another request from Jessi and Trey and it was my first time quilting with Cuddle for the backing, so I was a little nervous about how it would work in the longarm.  But I shouldn't have been . . . it quilted up with no problems at all and it turned out so beautifully!!     And talk about amazing texture!!!   Cuddle truly makes the quilting just pop on the back!!   I think I will be using Cuddle for backings a lot more in the future, especially the 90" and 108" cuts, that make it so easy for a bed size quilt :)  

 And truly, I am just thrilled that Jessi and Trey just loved their wedding quilt!!!!  It was displayed at their reception at the gift table, cause ya know, everyone coming expected to see a wedding quilt.  You can't have a prolific quilter as a mom and not get a wedding quilt, tee hee hee.   And now the quilt is home with our newlyweds and is already being loved and cherished, and that just makes me so happy!!  

And that is it for today, thanks for popping in to share this finish with me!!!  I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!

Happy Wedding (a bit ago)  to Jessi and Trey, we love you both so much!!

Diamond Dash featuring Vera's Garden

Good Morning!!  Today,  I am so very excited to share this new quilt finish with you all. I just fell in love with the new Vera's Garden collection by Vicki McCarty. I was drawn to the classic calico look about it that just gives a vibe of timeless quilting. But the colors are still so rich, so it still has a modern feel to it . . . And of course, you know I loved all of the purple!!! And I knew right away it would be perfect for my Diamond Dash Quilt!! It has classic Churn Dash and Square in a Square blocks, but adds a fun modern twist in the piecing of each block. It's just a perfect fit for this fabric collection!!

Diamond Dash is one of the 9 quilts in my  Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book! All of the quilts in my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book use one Layer Cake/10" Stacker, but I wanted to make this particular quilt Queen sized, so I basically doubled the quilt, making 49 blocks instead of the original 25, and used two Layer Cake/10" Stackers!! The background fabric is Cream Shades, and it just goes perfectly with Vera's Garden. It is just a little softer than white, so it really plays nice with all of the bold colors in the prints!!

I know I already said it, but I really feel like this fabric is just the perfect fit for this design!!   Diamond Dash got it's name from taking the basic Churn Dash Block, and adding a Diamond to the center of it. Then for fun, I added a secondary Diamond block and I think it is the perfect compliment to the bedazzled Churn Dash block. And I just love that this design allows you to make your quilt look super scrappy, even though it is made with a Layer Cake/10" Stacker.  

And Diamond Dash might look a little daunting, but it really goes together fast and is so fun to make!!! You will mostly be making Half Square Triangles, with a few little Stitch and Flips thrown in. Add a bit of basic piecing and your blocks are done!!  And pay close attention to the pressing directions in the center of both blocks, as you can nest all of those angled seams making it so much easier to get perfect, pretty, points!! There is no sashing in this quilt and the Diamond blocks float, so once your blocks are made, it sews into a quilt top in no time.  It truly is great for beginners and experts alike. 

And this Diamond Dash Quilt was quilted with gorgeous echoed loop de loop design!! My amazing MIL, Barbara did the piecing and quilting on this and it is just beautiful. I love that she kept the quilting on a large scale so the quilt is super soft and cuddly!! Perfect for a bed quilt!!

And that is my new Diamond Dash quilt! I hope you have enjoyed this post and are inspired to make your own Diamond Dash quilt. To see more of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book, you can visit this post with all the quilts and all the details!!!    Truly, all of the quilts in this book are so fun to make!!   And again, to get started on any of the 9 quilts in the book , you just need one Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.   And as I have shown, you can easily add more blocks to make them bed sized quilts as well with two Layer Cake/10" Stacker.  

Oh, and if you make your own Diamond Dash Quilts, (or any of the quilts from Fast & Fun Lap Quilts) I would love to see them! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags  #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can't wait to see your Quilts!!

Thank you so much for sharing this finish with me!

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!

Come Cruise N Sew With Me ;)

  So I have gotten a lot of emails lately about Cruising and Sewing!! It is oh so much fun ;) And today I am excited to announce a new quilting cruise in January 2027!!!  So you have lots of time to plan and get your group of friends together to come :)    I am teaching on the Paradise Quilting Cruise  to  Western Caribbean.   So fun!!!!

I will be teaching my Crossing Paths Quilt.   This is a great quilt to get some practice on lots of techniques, while not having to worry about lining up a whole ton of point.   Great for quilting and cruising!!!    Crossing Paths is Fat Quarter Friendly and I know we are all going to have so much fun making this quilt while sailing the beautiful Western Caribbean!!

We will be setting sail from Miami Florida, on the new Icon of the Seas (an absolutely amazing ship)  on January 23rd of 2027 for a week long adventure through Roatan Honduras, Puerto Costa Maya Mexico, and Cozumel Mexico with lots and lots and lots of Sewing while we are on the Ocean .   

So pop on over and check it out.  I would just love to have you come and sew and sail with me!!!  It is going to be so much fun ;)  And if you decide to Cruise and Sew along, be sure and tell them I sent you, so they know I am pulling my weight, tee hee hee ;) 

Merry Go Round for SUU!!

 It's time for another SUU Quilt Share in my favorite Red, White, and Black color combo!!! I decided to make an SUU Fast & Fun Lap Quilts and how great is this Merry Go Round Quilt with the dark (and shiny) background!  I just love how it totally changes the look of the quilt ;)  Merry Go Round is made with a No Waste Lattice method that you are just going to love.  

For this version of Merry Go Round, I used Red and White prints from the Red Hot Fabric Line from Riley Blake.  It is another perfect match for an Alma Mater quilt and paired with a Black Swiss Dot, where the dot is metallic Gold, so awesome!!!  it really just gives the background a whole new vibe ;)  This print is no longer carried, so I am glad I got to play with it before it was all gone ;)  

And as always, an SUU quilt needs an SUU layered applique added to the corner of the quilt. The applique is the SUU Mascot, they are the Thunderbirds :)   And when it comes to a custom applique the sky is truly the limit.  It is such a fun way to personalize quilts!!   You can find the step by step tutorial here for layered applique :)   I have lost count of how many times I have made this particular applique, but I will say, I know make them three at a time so I can really streamline the process :)  

When it came time to quilt this Fast & Fun Lap Quilt  I decided on all over Swirls ;)  I just figured I wanted something to add texture that would quilt up fast, and this is always the ticket for that and adds so much great texture!!    And of course, a black thread was perfect for this quilt.   And you can really see the metallic dot in this picture, isn't it just so shiny!!! 

And that is my SUU Merry Go Round quilt from my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  Merry Go Round finishes at 76 1/2" x 76 1/2" so it is a great size to take to the big game and it has already found a new home with an SUU Alum ;)  I hope you love this quilt as much as I do and if you make your own Merry Go Round 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 quilt finish!!

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!