Baking up some Sugar Pop N Change

I am so excited!!!  It is here!! My Sugar Pop N Change tutorial is fresh out of the oven over at the Moda Bake Shop. This is my third tutorial and I have to say it is still every bit as exciting as the first one!!  And I just love this happy fun take on a traditional coin collecting quilt ;)  

And now that this Moda Bake Shop Tutorial has been published for quite a while, I am now able to post it here on my blog as well for easy convenience ;)   So just follow along below for the full step-by-step tutorial.  And if you just love it, you can get the printer friendly version here :)  

Materials Needed:  

1 Sugar Pop Jelly Roll

1 Sugar Pop Charm Pack

1 Yard of Bella Solids White

1 1/4 Yard of Coordinating Print for Pieced Backing

STEP 1 - CUTTING

Grab your jelly roll and open it up. Separate your jelly roll into two piles.  One pile with 22 strips and one pile with 18 prints. Try to evenly distribute the colors and prints. And don't feel like you have to follow my print piles, do what pleases your eye :)

First we will work with our pile of 18 prints. These pieces are for your binding so when you have cut them, go ahead and set them aside for a while. Lay your first jelly strip roll out of your mat. Line your ruler up so that the end of the jelly roll is on the 15" line of your ruler. Cut so you have a 15" strip. Repeat this process with the remaining 17 strips. (You could stack them up, but honestly I found it faster to just hurry and whack them verses taking the time to try and line up the strips perfectly.) Set the leftover portion of the jelly roll strips aside, we will be cutting them up in a minute (or 2 or 3 depending on how fast you cut.)

Now we will turn to our pile of 22 jelly roll strips. Lay several strips at a time out on your mat lining the edge along the 0 edge of your mat. Then line your ruler up with the 25" strip on your mat. Go ahead and cut. This gives you a 25" strip and some leftover. Repeat this process with all 22 of your strips. Once again, set the leftover aside. This time it probably will only be a minute before you cut them up :)

Grab your leftover jelly roll pieces. You are going to be cutting them into 5" long pieces. You cut these the same way you did your 15" piece. Line your ruler up so that the end of the jelly roll is on the 5" line of your ruler and cut, then slide your ruler down another 5" and cut, and so forth. You should be able to get 3 pieces or "coins" out of each strip in your 22 pile (the pile that you cut 25" off before) and 5 pieces or "coins" out of each strip in your 18 pile (the pile that you cut 15" off before) You'll have a little scrap off of each strip. Yippee, everyone loves scraps!!

Grab your charm pack. You are going to be using 30 charms now and setting 12 aside with your 25" long jelly roll strips to be used for the pieced back. Hint - To get an even distribution of prints on the front of your quilt, get the 22 charms that you were only able to cut 3 coins out of your leftover jelly roll first. Then choose your next 8 favorites. Now take your 30 chosen charms and cut them in half .

Grab your "coins" from your jelly roll and your "coins" from your charm pack and you have a beautiful pile of "change" ready to be sewn together.

Now onto your sashings :)

Grab your yard of white solid and lay it out on your mat, aligning the fold line with the 0 horizontal line on your mat. Align your ruler along the last line of your mat and trim a nice straight edge. Measure in 1 3/4". I like to normally just use my mat for this, but if the 3/4" throws you, you can always double check your measurement by placing another ruler along the side of your long ruler and ensuring that the edge of your fabric is lined up with the 1 3/4" mark on your second ruler. Go ahead and cut. Now without moving your fabric, slide your ruler over another 1 3/4" (use your second ruler to double check if necessary) and cut.  Repeat this process until you have 12 strips.

Lets cut up the 12 strips. Start by aligning your ruler along the horizontal mat line at 21 1/2 inches (just below where the selvage edge ends). If you don't have a 21 1/2" line on your mat, line your 1/2 mark on your ruler with the 21" line on your mat. This should make your ruler edge now at 21 1/2". Trim off the selvage edge.

We need 16 1/2" strips, so move your ruler down to the horizontal 5" line on your mat. Align your mat along the horizontal 5" line and cut. Go ahead and set 6 of those little 10" strips aside (the ones under the ruler :) . The rest can go into your scrap pile :)

Now grab the last of your yard of white. Lay it out on the mat just as before and cut another 6 strips measuring 1 3/4" wide (See previous instructions if confused on how).

These strips will be used for your center strips between rows and your borders. However, they need to be a little longer. Remember those six 10" long pieces I said to set aside? Grab them. Lay a 10" piece on top of your WOF strip. Sew a 1/4 seam along the edge. Keep doing this with all 6 of your strips. Press. Now you should have six 54" x 1 3/4" strips. And cutting is done and onto more sewing :)

STEP 2 - MAKING CHANGE ROWS

Making the change rows is a super fun and easy process. We'll start by taking our single coins and making them into sets of 2. Grab 2 coins. I like to make sure I don't have similar prints here. Also, I like to align the two cut edges and sew my seam along that edge. It helps to fix cutting boo-boo's :)

So with that said, lay your first coin on top of your second coin, right sides together. You are going to match up your pinked edges. If this causes your cut edges to be slightly off no worries, that is why we are sewing them first. I don't pin these. They are small enough to just handle while sewing but if that makes you nervous, feel free to pin away :)

Now go ahead and sew 1/4" seam along the cut edge of your two pieces. After you have sewn one set of coins don't stop. Don't cut your threads. Just feed the next set of coins through your machine. This is called Chain Stitching and it saves tons of time! So go ahead and Chain Stitch all of your sets of 2 coins.

This is what you will have now: a huge pile of attached sets of 2. Now you can cut the threads between each of your sets.

You should now have a few stacks that each look like the set of 2 on the bottom. Aren't they cute! So here is where your personal preference comes in. I don't iron here. I don't feel it is necessary for me and I like how fast and easy it makes this quilt go together. With that said, if you don't like working with pieces that aren't totally flat, feel free to iron your seams.

Now the process starts over again, but this time we are turning sets of 2 into sets of 4. Once again, when grabbing your pieces, try to avoid the same prints next to each other. Now just repeat the process! Lay your sets of 2 right side together, chain stitch you 1/4" seam, and cut your threads.

You have sets of 4 and you guessed it, we are turning those into sets of 8. You are a pro at this now, huh! Repeat the same process of lining up right sides together, chain stitching and clipping threads.

Now, I go ahead and press all of my seams in one direction. Do this on all 27 of your sets. Yes, that is right, you should have 27 sets now. If you don't look around on the floor, you have lost a few in the process.

And there you have it. 27 beautiful Change Rows.

STEP 3 - MAKING BLOCKS

This is the layout for your block. You will be making 9 of them. Just a side note before we get started... I liked to make sure that each time I line up a row that I don't have an identical print across from each other and that I am keeping an even distribution of color. I love the look of random, but I tend to try to control the random a bit :).

So we can start by attaching the center strips to the coin stacks. Go ahead and set aside 9 coin stacks. On the remaining 18 stacks, lay a 16 1/2" white strip on the right side of your strip making sure your edges line up. Once again, I didn't pin here but if you prefer to, or if you find your edges aren't lining up, go ahead and pin. Chain stitch a 1/4 seam on all 18 stacks, clip your threads.

Now pressing. I went ahead and pressed toward the white, I did this to avoid bulk. With that said, there are some prints that you will be able to see through the white strip to the print below. So if that bothers you, go ahead and press toward the prints. Once again, this is a personal preference thing.

We are going to take those 18 strips that you just sewed and sew them together to create 9 total pieces. So this is how you are going to line up your two pieces. (You will be doing this with 9 sets).

Lay your right hand piece on top of your left hand piece with right sides together. Just flip it over, don't spin it or anything. Go ahead and pin making sure your edges line up. Oh and double check you flipped it right. You know you are aligned correctly if you are pinning the coins to the white strip underneath. Now go ahead and chain stitch your 1/4" seam along the 9 sets, cut your threads and press.

Now you should have 9 sets that look like this. You are now ready to add on the last row of change. So grab those 9 rows you set aside.

Lay the final row onto your pieced block with right sides together. Pin along the edge. And once again, chain stitch your 1/4" seam, clip your threads, and press.

You now have 9 beautiful blocks! Don't they just POP!!

STEP 5 - COMPLETING THE QUILT TOP

Now that your blocks are done, you are ready to get your top all sewn up. Well start by laying out the rows. Go ahead and play with your blocks until you get a scheme that you like. Make sure that your block alignment matches this picture. (ie Row 1 and 3 blocks go vertical, horizontal, vertical while Row 2 blocks go horizontal, vertical, horizontal.) You will want to mark your blocks so that as you pick them up and sew you don't loose this layout. I find the easiest way is to take a picture that you can refer back to. Done :).

We want to attach the vertical sashings first. Lay your 16 1/2" white strips on the right hand side of your first 2 blocks in each row. Once again, I didn't pin, but you can if you want. Sew a 1/4" seam along the indicated line. Press.

Sew your rows together block by block. You will do this the same way you sewed your blocks together. Sew blocks 1 and 2 of each row together first and then press. Then add block 3, sew and press. If you get confused look back to the instructions of Step 3, its the same just on a bigger scale.

Yippee Skippee!! Your rows are done. Add your long sashing strips and border, and you are done. Grab those 6 super long white strips that you made back when you were cutting. They are a little long but no worry, we'll trim any excess.

Lay a white sashing along the bottom of your row 1 and another white sashing along the bottom of Row 2. Make sure that you have right sides together. (Seriously, I had to do some unpicking because I wasn't paying attention here, arghh!!) I didn't pin, I just lined it up as I sewed it (again, personal preference). Sew 1/4" seam and press. Go ahead and clip off any excess overhang.

So now you are here! You are ready to sew your rows together!

Take Row 2 (the center row) and lay it up onto Row 1. Go ahead and pin. ** See the next 2 pictures for a note on pinning**

When pinning, you want to take care that you are lining the sashing between your blocks up. To do this, pin your seams on either side of your sashing first.

Double check that they are lined up by flipping up the edge and making sure that the pin are in line with the seams of the sashing. Nice and lined up, okay! Sew your 1/4 seam along the entire row and then press.

You're here now! Isn't it just beautiful! Now you are going to add the bottom row the exact same way. Go ahead, you can do it!

You are almost done with the top. Now it is just adding on the borders and they are a snap! Add your two side borders first. Lay a long white sashing along the right side of the quilt and one along the left side of the quilt. Once again, make sure that the right sides are together. ( We don't want raw seams on quilt tops :). I didn't pin. Line up your strip as you sew your 1/4" seam and then trim the excess at the end. Press.

Add the top and the bottom border. And you do it the exact same way you did the side borders. I know you can barely sit still. Go ahead and sew and press!

And there you have it!!! A beautiful stunning quilt top!! Don't you just love your Sugar Pop N Change!

STEP 6 - MAKING YOUR QUILT BACK

We'll start the pieced back by making the corner blocks. You need 4 corner blocks. Start by pulling out those 12 left over charms. Grab 4 and cut them in half. Now remember those scraps you had left from your jelly roll? Go ahead and get 4 scraps and cut four 2 1/2" squares out of them.

That's all the prep. Now you are ready to sew your 4 corner blocks together. Here is the layout.

First you start by placing your rows right sides together and sew 1/4 seam and press. This is what they should look like now. Remember, you are making 4 :)

Lay your top row onto your bottom row. Make sure that you line up your seam. Pin and then sew your 1/4" seam and press.

Your 4 blocks are ready to be trimmed down to size. The corner blocks need to be 6 x 6. You don't want to trim on the sides that has the 2 1/2" block. Line your 6" ruler along the side of your block and trim.

Turn your block 90 degrees clockwise, line up your ruler for 6 inches, and trim again. There you have it, four corner blocks :)

Okay, onto making your coin rows. We are going to do this the easy way! It isn't quite as random but turns out super nice for a border. Layout your 22 25" jelly roll strips. Play with the layout until you get a nice flow of prints and colors that is pleasing to the eye.

Once you have them the way you like, stack them up right to left. Now you are going to stitch all of the rows together. Start by getting your first two strips from the pile, align them right sides together. Sew 1/4" seam. Don't worry about pressing, it can wait. Oh, and if your ends don't match up perfect no worry, I left some wiggle room in the cutting for that. Go ahead and grab the next row on the pile. Align it to your pieced set and sew your 1/4 seam. Keep repeating this process until you have sewn all 22 of your strips together.

Press your seams in one direction. This is what you should have.

Now we are going to turn this strip into your 4 borders. Fold your strips in half so that they fit on your cutting mat. Line the fold line up along a horizontal line of your mat. Now you want to make a straight edge so line your ruler up along the vertical line of your mat closest to the edge of your fabric and cut. Measure 6 inches over on your mat. Align your ruler and cut. Repeat this 3 more times.

You now have 4 beautiful change rows for your border. Wasn't that easy?? And now you are ready to put the back together. Get your 1 1/4 yard piece of coordinating fabric. Make sure it is squared up. (I cut mine to 43 3/4" inches square so that the selvage wouldn't be left on.) Sorry, My photography skills are not near what my quilting skills are :)  Here is the layout for the back.

We'll start by adding the side borders to the back. There might be a little bit of overhang. No worries, we'll just trim later. Lay each of your borders along the right and left side of the quilt. Pin, sew your 1/4" seam, and press. Trim off the excess overhang.

Add your top and bottom border. If you had to trim your sides, it is most likely that you will have to trim your top and bottom as well. However, this time you have to trim your sides first, so your corner blocks will actually end up in the corner :) Lay your top and bottom border out. Now, go ahead and trim off any excess so that you only have 1/4" overhang from the center back piece. Sorry, that doesn't make a lot of sense but the picture make it a lot easier to understand. Trim all 4 of your border edges as such.

Now you are ready to add your corner pieces. Lay your corner piece so that the 2 1/2" block is in the center.  Lay the block over onto the border. Pin. Do this with all 4 blocks. Sew your 1/4" seam and press.

So this is where you should be now. You are so close. Now it is just adding the top and bottom border.

Lay your top and bottom border onto your center panel. Make sure to align your corner block seams (where my scissors are pointing.) You know what to do: Pin, Sew, and Press!!!

And Ta Da!! Your back is finished!!

STEP 7 - FINISHING UP

So now it is time to turn that finished quilt top into a finished Quilt ;)  Time to  Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It!!!  Which is a whole lot in one little sentence.  If you are new to quilting, you can see my Finishing Your Quilt Series of video tutorials that will walk you through Basting, Quilting, and Binding step by step ;)

Baste. The more pins the merrier :)

Quilt. The gloves really do make a difference, I highly recommend them :)

And bind! Remember those 15" strips you set aside. Put them in a mixed up color order and sew them up to make your binding strip. There is a great tutorial here on binding if you haven't done it before.

One super fun and bright Sugar Pop N Change Quilt that measures 53" x 53" and even has a cute pieced quilt back!!! Happy Quilting!!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Sugar Pop N Change Quilt I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to my flickr group here or post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc ;)  I can't wait to see your Sugar Pop N Change Quilts!!!

Thanks so much for popping in today and every day ;)  I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Brown Bag Block

Say that three times fast :)  I was able to squeeze in a few minutes of sewing over the last week, but only a few :)    I got some of the basic piecing done for my Brown Bag quilt and put together a few blocks just because I was so excited to see how they would come together.  I fussy cut the centers as I wanted that beautiful "medallion" fabric to be highlighted.  I can't wait to see the blocks put together with the sashing as it creates a beautiful secondary design.  (We'll at least it does on my design, we'll see how it turns out in fabric :)

My mother got me this adorable mug for Christmas.  Doesn't it just ring true!!!  I have decided that I need to fill it with mini Snickers and keep it next to my sewing machine for mini burst of energy :)  Don't you just love the colors!! I think it will need a little mug rug before too long :)

  

Merry Christmas

The last few days have been filled with lots of time with the kiddos as they are out of school.  We have played numberless games of Uno and watched lots of family movies with popcorn and hot chocolate.  I finished wrapping gifts the other night so we are all ready now.    I am so looking forward to tomorrow morning :)  I can't wait to see their little faces light up with the wonder of the season!

Wishing each one of  you a very Merry Christmas filled with love and happiness!! 

And since I wouldn't want to leave without a picture, and since I forgot to post this at the last holiday, I will post it now.  This was my Black Friday purchase.  I figured at 50 % off and then another 20% off that, I might as well just buy the roll.  Saved me time standing around at the cutting table :)

Brown Bag Revisited

So do you remember when I showed you this amazing fabric way back in September for my Brown Bag Quilt.  We'll it has been sitting on my pile of  "to do's" for quite some time.  We'll no longer.  Yesterday I sat down and created a design.  It was a super fun challenge to design something that used up at least 90% of what was sent.  Talk about fabric limitations, but I really enjoyed it.  When I was happy with the design I immediately whipped out my mat and rulers, it had been in the "to do" pile long enough.  So here it is, all cut up, and ready to be pieced.  Stay tuned . . . :)

The green floral print that you don't see will be used for the backing :)

The Sun . . . Again

So do you remember Robin Hood Prince of Thieves??  Ya, clear back from 1991.  There is a part where Robin and Azeem are standing on a wall and Azeem turns to Robin and says "Is there no sun in the cursed country?!".  So that line has been running through my head all day.  I just need 10 minutes, that is all I am asking for.  But no, nothing but overcast grey as far as the eye can see.  Maybe tomorrow :)

P.S.  My husband and I watched this for the first time in years the other day after finding it at a garage sale.  It truly is an oldie but a goodie!!

Oh yes, Central Park

So I just have to add the binding and then I am done with my to finish before Christmas list.  This last project is actually a little "baking" due to come out at the end of January.  I am so excited about this new design!!! And oh yes, that is Kate Spain's newest line Central Park!!  It is amazing, I absolutely have fallen in love with these prints!!!  So here is a sneak peak to hold you over until January.  (Tee Hee Hee)

And since we are on the subject, do you remember this sneak peek from way back in October???  The tutorial for it will be coming out on the 28th!!  That is just 9 more days!!!  I can't wait :)

Winner and Me a Winner :)

Hello Everyone!!

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments left for my Sew Mama Sew giveaway.  I am sorry I didn't write back to each individually.  We have been fighting stomach flu as it ran rampant through everyone in the house this last week.  But we are on the mend so it is back to usual posting and replying :)  

So the winner according to Mr. Random.Org is . . .  #188  Who is Jenn Miyamoto who said - "These would be so fun to make stockings out of!!

Alright Jenn . . . .  I am looking forward to seeing those stockings :)

Now , To the next part of my title . . .How about making me a winner :)  I entered my Christmas Around the Year Quilt into the weekly quilt contest at the Quilting Gallery!!  So if you happen to love this quilt as much as I do, take a second and click on over here and vote for my Christmas Around the Year quilt.  I will love you forever :)

Christmas Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Okay, I know everyone has lots of surfing to do let's keep this short and sweet.

What's up for grabs??  2 yards of adorable Christmas Bears fabric and 3 1/3 yards of Poinsettia Christmas fabric.  Yes that is right, over 5 yards of fabric!!!

How to enter??  Leave a Comment - Anything at all :)

How to get a second entry??  Become a follower or be a follower and leave me a comment saying so.

I will use Random.org to pick on winner on December 17th :)

So there you have it, good luck and Happy Quilting.

Now head back over to Sew, Mama, Sew! for more giveaway day fun.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

So I know I just finished a giveaway but how was I supposed to know that Sew, Mama, Sew! was going to have another one of their spectacular giveaway day's??  I love when Sew, Mama, Sew! does this.  It is a week of super fun surfing, finding new blogs, and maybe, just maybe, winning something :)  So if you haven't yet, head on over and sign up to have your own giveaway :)  Things start Monday so check back to see what I will be giving :)  Want a hint - Christmas.

Quilting Bee

I am so super excited to say  that I was invited to be in a Bee!!!  Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.  I will be sewing with some super amazing and talented women.  The group is called the VIBees.  I have to say, it makes me feel pretty important to be among these women.  So starting in January, I will be learning new techniques, sewing with all sorts of fun fabrics, and showing off the new creations here :)  I can't wait!!!!

Christmas Project #3 - Check

I finally made some Mug Rugs!!  I have been wanting to make these for some time, but I was planning on using the scraps from my advent calendar, so I had to finish that first to get the scraps :)  I made these pretty simple.  My scraps were pretty limited, and when I started playing around with different design ideas I just kept coming back to something and straight-forward.  They went together pretty fast and they will make wonderful little gifts for a few special ladies around here :)

What a cute little Trio :)

I always love a scrappy binding :)

So I know the snowmen mugs don't really match the mug rug, but I just couldn't pass up those adorable mugs.

So as you can see, I am pretty hooked on quilting swirls.

Christmas Project #2 - Check

I made this advent calendar for my sister.  While making it, I remembered why I love quilting so much :)  Creating and attaching the pockets was a little finicky, and I am learning more and more, that while I will do that kind of sewing, it isn't my favorite :)   With that said,  I was really happy with the little pockets when they were done and I think my niece will really enjoy it.

I decided to quilt it the same way I had quilted Christmas Project #1. I really like the way it makes the pictures pop :)  I went with a pretty small swirl and just love the way it turned out.

This picture is horrible as far as lighting but I think it makes it a little easier to see the quilting as it stands out a bit more :)

Giveaway Winners :)

Thank you to all that entered the giveaway and to those that follow.  It is so fun to have this little corner of the quilting world to share my quilting adventures :)

Okay, without further ado . .

The winner of the Natures Pathway's Fat Third is #25 which is . . . . Lee Ann

The winner of the Breakfast at Tiffany's Charm pack is . . . .#32 who is MaryAnne

Congrats to both of you ladies.  I have sent you emails for your addresses :)

Quilted Christmas Ball Ornament Tutorial

 I guest posted this adorable Tutorial over at Stash Manicure  I am so excited to be posting there!!  So click on over to check out the tutorial there or follow below to see the tutorial here :)

What you will Need

( 1 ) 3 inch Styrofoam ball                                           1 foot lace or ribbon                                   

(12) 2.5 inch square pieces of base fabric                    Lots of straight pins with flat heads      

(16) 2.5 inch square pieces of middle fabric                 Hot glue 

(16) 2.5 inch square pieces of border fabric                 Ribbon or sting for a hanger

 Instructions

Step 1 - Begin by selecting the fabric that you want to be the center of the design. Place 2 squares wrong side together and pin to the ball at the four corners

Step 2 - Grab another base square of fabric and fold in half and then in half again. (Right side out). 

Open it up and place a pin from the wrong side of the fabric through the center of the square. Pin this to the center of the square on the Styrofoam ball.  (when pushing in the pins, it helps to use the eraser of a pencil, trust me, your finger will thank you :)

Step 3 - Fold your square down into a rectangle with the pin on the inside of the fabric.  Then fold the 2 corners of the rectangle down to the opposite edge. Place 4 pins along the bottom edge.

 Step 4 - Turn the ball 90 degrees and repeat steps 2 and 3 three more times.  Your ornament should look like this.

Step 5 - Find the opposite side of ball and repeat steps 1 through 3.  Finding the opposite side can be a little tricky and it is important so that it turns out the same.  The best guideline is to measure from one pin to another on both sides of the ball.  You want it to be the same distance apart :)

Step 6 - Pick your second fabric or middle fabric. Continue with the same folding pattern but start the second row approximately 1/2 inch out along the centerlines of the first row.  Place all 4 pieces.

Step 7 - Once the 4 main pieces are down begin placing the pieces on the diagonal. The easiest way to figure out the placement is to draw an imaginary line between the two points of the folded fabric already placed.  Then place the point of the fold about a 1/4" below that line.  Repeat for all 4 diagonals.

Step 8 - Flip the ball over to the other side and repeat steps 4 and 5.

Step 9 - With the final fabric or border fabric repeat steps 4 through 6, once again measuring out about 1/2".  All of your pieces on both sides should meet around the center of the ball or close too.

Step 10 -  Hot glue the ribbon around the ball so that it hides the unfinished edges and pins. Make a hanger out of ribbon or string and secure it to the ornament with pins or hot glue.

 And you are done!!  Now you have an adorable Scrappy Quilted Ball Ornament that didn't require any quilting.  Super fun and super cute!!

The combinations are endless.  I made this one for my daughter's first Christmas and added a cute little Pillow Tag to remember it by.  

I think next I will be making an all scrappy one in different reds, greens, and whites.  I would love to see what you make.  When you are done your Scrappy Quilted Ball Ornament feel free to upload a picture on to my Tutorial Flickr page.  

Off The Virtual Map :)

So we spent the weekend in downtown Indianapolis while my husband attended a conference.  When we got to the hotel we found out that there was no internet in the rooms (well I guess there was if you were willing to pay for it, however, we were not willing to pay for it).    So I found myself  for 3 whole days without the internet (minus two 20 minute intervals when my husband stayed in the room with the kids and I ran down to the lobby and answered emails as fast as my fingers could type.) It is amazing how out of touch you feel after only 3 days!!!  

So what do you do for 3 days in a hotel room from 8 -5 with no internet and 4 small children???  You sew, sew, sew!!!  This was my set-up

And this was the kids set-up.  When you don't have cable at home, all day cartoons in your pj's is like a little piece of heaven.

And yes, we did see more of Indianapolis then just the inside of the hotel room.  Each night when dad got down we went out and had a great time.  It really is a fun city!!

So now I feel a little more update . . . See ya tomorrow :)

It's Giveaway Time!!

Today is the day to giveback and celebrate!  I want to thank all of you wonderful people who stop by, read my quilting ramblings, and leave such sweet comments.  You all make my day, each and every day!!  So, Let's have a giveaway!

So first, to giveback . . . there were so many comments when I posted my Nature's Pathways quilt about how lovely the prints and colors were,  so I decided to make a little bundle of those prints to giveaway.  There is a 1/3 of a yard of the 8 prints I used in the quilt top.  So would you call that a Fat Third??

And now, to celebrate.  Why are we celebrating you ask??  Because last night, we reached 200 followers here at Happy Quilting.  I think that calls for 2 giveaway's.  So the second giveaway will be a Breakfast at Tiffany's Charm Pack.

So what do you have to do to have a chance to win.  Simple, leave a comment. (one per person, please)  Anything will do :)   I will choose 2 winners Monday morning on the 6th.  Oh, and you don't have to be a follower, but if you want to follow, it will get us all the closer to a 300 follower giveaway :)  GIVEAWAY CLOSED :)

Happy Quilting!!

Feeling the Fabric Love :)

Man, oh man, I am totally perma-grin right now.  I got up to check my email and my quilting blogs (like I do every morning) and come to find that I have won not 1 but 2 fabric bundles.  Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness!!  

I won a beautiful Park Avenue jelly roll and 2 yards of coordinating fabric from V and Co. sponsored by Burgundy Buttons.  V and Co. always has lots of great stuff on her blog including tons and tons of great tutorials.  Burgundy Buttons is a wonderful online store with lots of great sales and Leah (the owner) is one of the nicest people in the world.  Thanks to both of you wonderful ladies!

While at Stash Manicure I found that my Chubby Stars in Fall quilt was chosen as the November Banner of the Month quilt!  Ahh,  totally on cloud 9 right now.  And if I wasn't already feeling super honored, Madamm Samm is having another giveaway just for saying congrats to the winners of her giveaway's today, so now I get to spend the day reading sweet, nice, and wonderful comments about my little quilt.  I am so very touched. I keep jostling between super smiley and touched and weepy.  It is a pretty great emotion :)

Oh, and ya, For winning the banner of the Month quilt, I also won this beautiful collection of Victorian Suite in Ivory from Jennifer and Shabby Fabrics.  Thank you to both Stash Manicure and Shabby Fabrics.  You ladies have made my day!!

So ya, I am totally feeling the fabric love.  So much that I want to give some of that fabric love back!!  Check back tomorrow and maybe you can get some fabric love luck as well :)

Long Weekend

We'll even though it was a long weekend there wasn't a whole lot of sewing going on.  We had family and friends in town for Thanksgiving and we had a blast!  The holiday weekend was filled with great company, lots of laughs, a local hangout in the kitchen and lots and lots of food and pie!  I managed to remember to take one picture, and ya, it turned out blurry.  What ya gonna do?

Thanks again to family and friends who came to spend the holiday with us.  We had such a great time!

After our company departed we turned to the next holiday tradition.  So once again, no sewing, but we did manage to put up the trees :)  Yes, that is trees as in plural.   I have 2 trees, I love Christmas :)

The kids call this Mom's tree and they are pretty much spot on.  I put on the lights and ribbons and they put on the ornaments.  Then when they leave the room I redo the ornaments and spread out the clusters :)  This is the first year I have done the ribbon going down the tree instead of around and I love it.  I know, I am a few years behind on this trend but I still love it!

This is the kids tree.  I let them put on the ornaments and then I leave them where they put them.  Ya, this is so hard for me, especially since this year they decided it would be fun to group similar ornaments.  But it is theirs, and they reminded me every time I tried to give "helpful" hints that this was their tree and I couldn't tell them how to do it.  The two kiddos in front are my two youngest, as soon as they saw I was taking a picture of "their" tree they just had to jump in :)

So now, (after a mountain of laundry and a lunch appointment) I am hoping to get back to my sewing room :)