Nature's Gems at the Moda Bake Shop

I am so super excited that it is finally here!!!  Introducing Nature's Gems!! And you can see the free, beginner friendly, step by step tutorial over at the Moda Bake Shop!!  Ya,  it's my all time favorite "bakery" :)

I knew I wanted to design something for these amazing MoMo line, I mean who doesn't love a line called "Just Wing It"!!!  I just love the beautiful jewel tones and the adorable "nature" prints.  I really wanted to highlight those prints so I decided to go with large hexagons that aren't cut in half so they don't distort the design.  It took me a bit to figure it out but I love the results.   Doesn't it just look so fun to snuggle in :)

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

1 Just Wing It by MoMo Layer Cake
1 Just Wing It by MoMo Jelly Roll
2 Yards Bella Solids - Any Grey Tone
2 3/4 Yard of your choice for Backing

STEP 1 - CUTTING

Start by opening your Just Wing It layer cake.  You will be making 36 "Gem" blocks so you will have 6 extra "slices" of cake.  Go ahead and pull those out now.  I pulled out the solid repeats :)  Now the cutting in this tutorial is a little more involved than your basic squares but don't let it scare you off.  It is a lot easier to do than to describe how to do :)

To cut, you will be using the center square in your mat (the one with the angle lines that go through it),  Line the top of your layer cake square along the 5" line of that center square.  The center of the square will be along the 0 line of the center square.  The bottom of your square of fabric should be along the bottom of the mat (if it is the same as my mat).  The sides of your square will be lined up with the sides of the center square on the mat.  Now that you are all lined up, you are ready to cut.  You will be lining your ruler up along the 60 degree line (the dashed line the arrows are pointing to) making sure you intersect the 0 line at the side of the center of your block.

Just like this.  Once you have your ruler lined up go ahead and cut.

Now spin your ruler and line up along the 60 degree line on the other side of your center square.  Once you're lined up perfect, cut along the edge of your ruler.

Now spin your square of fabric and line up the other end and cut the two corners just as described above.  Repeat the entire process with all 36 of your layer cake "slices".  You will have some fun triangle scraps when you are done.  Note - Take care to watch for directional prints.  You want to make sure they are right side up and not sideward (I learned that the hard-way.  You will notice a few of my prints on the back are a little skewed :)

If you do not have a center square on your mat you can use the 60 degree line on your ruler to get the same effect.  See the directions for cutting the grey triangles for how to do this.  You will have to mark the back of your squares through the center to know where to line the edge up ;)

Now that your "Gem" Blocks are cut, you are ready to cut your grey yardage.  Start by laying out your grey yardage lining up the fold line along the 0" horizontal line on your mat.  Trim a nice straight edge to start with.  Then measure over 5 1/2".  Alight your ruler along the marks on the top and bottom of your mat and slice.  Continue this process until you have eight 5 1/2" x WOF strips.  (I do 4 at a time).

Trim your selvage edge off the top of your strips.

Now you are ready to start cutting your triangles.  You will be using the 60 degree line on your ruler.  Keep your strip folded.  You will be cutting 2 layers at a time.  Lay your first strip down so the bottom is aligned along any horizontal line of your mat. Align the 60 degree line up along the bottom of your strip.  Line the edge of your ruler with the corner of your strip. Cut along the edge of the ruler.  That first little half triangle is scrap.

Swivel your ruler and now you will look at the other 60 degree line on your ruler.  Align it along the bottom of your block again.  Align the edge of your ruler with the top corner of your strip.  Cut.   (Sorry, this picture is a little crooked.)

Continue this process until you have made 5 sets of triangles. You won't have enough room to cut another triangle.   You need 84 triangles for this project and you have 8 strips with 10 of each.  So on 4 strips you will need to open the strip, finger press your seam (I spray with a bit of water to help) , and cut one more triangle.  Continue this process with all 8 of your strips so that you have 84 triangles total!

And now for some final easy cutting.  Lay your remaining grey yardage out on your mat with the fold line along the 0 horizontal line of your mat.  Cut 26 1" wide x WOF strips.  Set 18 aside, they don't need any more cutting.  7 of them you will need to just trim off the fold line cutting them in half.  (I know there are only 6 in the picture, I miscounted when I took it, sorry)  And of your last strip, cut 2 pieces that are 12" long each.  The remaining piece will be scrap and the two 12" pieces can be set aside for a bit.  They will be used for the backing.  And that is it for cutting :)

STEP 2 - BUILDING "GEM" BLOCK

Onto some sewing :)  We'll start by building the "Gem" blocks.  We will be adding a grey triangle to the top left of each "gem" and to the bottom right of each "gem".  And these are equilateral triangles so don't worry about which side to line up, they are all the same.

Lay your triangles onto your "gem" piece with right sides together.  Align your triangle along the edge and center it so that you have the same amount of hang over on each side.  It should be about 1/4" overhang.  Pin.  Repeat the process for the other triangle.  Now repeat both sides on all 36 of your "gem" blocks.  You will have some left over grey triangles.

Now to the sewing.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge of the upper left hand side of each block.  When you start sewing, your needle should fit right in the groove of your criss cross pieces of fabric.  Remember to remove pins as you go.  Once you are finished with one block, don't clip your threads.  Just feed the next block through. This is called Chain Stitching and it saves a lot of time.  Continue chain stitching all your blocks.

Now go ahead and clip the threads between your blocks.  Spin your blocks and sew your 1/4" seam along the bottom right pinned seam of each block.  Continue chain stitching all 36 sets.

Once again, clip your threads between your sewn pieces.  Press your seams out on both sides of all 36 blocks.  You will have some dog ears to clip once you have pressed :)

STEP 3 - PIECING "GEM" ROWS

Now the fun part: the layout!!  Spend a little time and play with your blocks until you have a layout you like.  The colors are super fun to play with.  You want to make sure you have 6 rows of 6.  The last row will be used for the back.  (So if you made a slip with cutting something sidewards that might be the row where you want that block.)

Once you have a layout you like, you are ready to start sewing the rows together.  Once again, this is going to sound a lot harder than it is.  It is just hard to describe.  Take the first block in your row and lay  it over onto the second block of the row with right sides together.  The two blocks will make an sort of L shape.  The important part here is to make sure we get those triangle points nice and perfect.  The way to do this is to make sure your seams overlap.  You are going to want to nest your seams but that is wrong.  Keep sliding them together until you have a little "seam sandwich".

Go ahead and pin your center seam (your seam sandwich) and then pin the two edges of your block.  The edges should line up perfectly with the edges of the block below.  But if they don't, that's fine. It is more important to do the center right, as you will be trimming the edges anyways :)

Pin all of your rows and blocks.  In each row you will pin Block 1 and 2 together.  Block 3 and 4 together.  And Block 5 and 6 together.  Now back to the sewing machine.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge of each set.  Once again, chain stitch all of your sets.  When done, clip the threads between the blocks and press.  You will start to notice that your tops will not be lined up.  Like I said, no worries, we will be trimming them.  We just want to make sure the centers come out nice and crisp.

Lay your sets of 2 back out again.  It should look like this.  See how pinning those seam sandwiches gives you nice crisp points between the center of your grey triangles.

Now you are going to repeat the process just with sets of 2 instead of 1.  Lay your now sewn together blocks 5 and 6, onto your now sewn together blocks 3 and 4.  Align your edges making your seam sandwich, pin along the center and edges, sew your 1/4" seam along all 6 sets, clip your threads and press.

Now repeat once again, adding the final blocks 1 and 2 to the remainder of your row.  Use the same steps as above.

Now you have 6 rows that look like this.  Aren't they just fun!!!  Now you need to grab those leftover grey triangles.  You'll add one to the beginning and end of each row to fill in the "holes".

This time you will pin the ends a little different.  Align the edge of the triangle along the edge of the block.  This will make the other end overlap the already sewn on grey triangle.  Pin along the edge.  Repeat this process for all 12 of your remaining triangles.

Now to sewing.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge of your block.  You will start sewing only on one piece of fabric and sew onto your grey triangle.  Continue to the edge of the grey triangle.  When you reach the edge, you won't be at the end of the block.  Just stop there.  You can backstitch a stitch if you choose to lock it in place.  Clip your threads.   Repeat with all 12 pinned pieces.  Press your pieces.

Now your sides look like this and you are ready to trim them square.  You need to measure over a 1/4" from the point of your MoMo print.  Align the top and bottom along the lines of your ruler to make sure you are lined up straight.  (I found the Gem blocks to be a straighter measurement than the grey triangles.)  Once you are lined up, cut along the side of your ruler edge.  Repeat on both sides of all 6 rows.

Last, we are going to even up the tops and bottoms.  When your row is finished, it should measure 9 1/2" wide.  Now I wish I had a 9 1/2" wide ruler and this would be easier, but alas, I don't :)  So here's what you do.  Fold your row in half making sure to alight your corners.  Align your edges up along the vertical striaght lines on your mat and try to put your tops about a 1/4" over a horizontal line.  (The grey tops will be right about on that horizontal line.)  Now go ahead and align your ruler along the horizontal line your choose and trim your top nice and neat.  Measure down 9 1/2" inches on your mat and align your ruler along that mark on your mat and trim.

You should now have 6 rows with beautiful straightness and wonderfully crisp centers :)

STEP 4 - ADDING SOME SASHING

On to the sashings.  We'll start with the grey sashing.  Grab your 14 half strips (the ones that measure about 22" x 1:) and 14 of your 1" X WOF strips.  You are going to sew a half strip to a full strip to make them a nice long strip.  Put a set right sides together (doesn't really matter in this case) and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge making a 66" long strip.  Continue chain stitching all 14 sets.  Now grab 4 of the full WOF strips.  You will be sewing these in the same fashion making 2 strips that are 88" long.  Clip your threads and press.  Set your two 88" long sashings and 2 of the 64" long sashings aside for borders to be added on at the end.

Now we will add these sashing we just made onto the tops and bottoms of each row.  Easy enough!!  Just lay your sashing along the top of the row with right sides together (make sure your sashing is right sides together, in other words you should be able to see the raw seam on top).

You won't need to pin as there are no points to match.  Just sew a 1/4" seam along the entire edge aligning as you go.  Trim the excess at the end.  Repeat for the top and the bottom of each row.  Press your seams.

Your rows should now look like this.  Those little seams don't like to lay flat but don't worry too much about it, they will when you sew your rows together :)  You can go ahead and set that bottom row that will be used for the back aside now, we won't use it for a while :)

Now you are ready to move onto your next set of sashing.  It is time to open up that jelly roll!!!  Grab 2 prints from your jelly roll, don't worry too much about it, just mix it up.  Align the two blocks along the horizontal lines of your mat hanging the selvage edge over the 0 vertical line.  Trim the selvage edge along the 0 vertical line.  Now you are going to cut the strips so that when you add the 2 measurements together you get 60 (don't worry about seam allowance).  So I cut mine choosing from the following measurements.  (30 & 30) (31 & 29) (32 & 28) (33 & 27) (34 & 26) (35 & 25) and (36 & 24).  My mat doesn't go any farther than that so I called it good there :)  Repeat this process until you have a total of 12 sets that add up to 60.  (You will be using 24 jelly roll strips.) Go ahead and set the remaining pieces of your jelly roll strips aside.  They will be used for a scrappy binding.

Now you are going to repeat the process again with a slight change.  You need to make 4 more sets of strips but this time they need to measure 80" when you add them all together.  I used three strips for these so I didn't have 2 huge long strips.  Just use the measurements above and then add a 20" strip.  Or do whatever math you like, as long as three pieces add up to 80 :)  Add your remaining pieces of jelly roll strips to your scrappy binding pile  (You will have 4 whole jelly roll strips leftover that you can add to your scrap pile... you won't need them for the binding :)

Now you are going to sew your sets together.  Grab your first set of two (that equal 60) and place them right sides together.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Continue this process with all of your sets.  Make sure to add the 3 pieces together on your 4 sets that are 80" long.  When your sewing is done, clip your threads, and press your seams.

Now you are going to sew the now 60ish or 80ish strips into sets of 2.  So place one 60ish row onto a second 60ish row with right sides together.  Repeat for all of the sets, including the 4 sets of 80ish.

Once again, no need to pin, just align as you go sewing a 1/4" seam along the edge.  If the edges don't line up perfectly don't worry, you have some wiggle room for that :)  When done, you will have a total of 6 rows that are 60ish" long and 2 rows that are 80ish" long.  The 80ish" strips you can set aside with your backing pieces.

STEP 5 - FINISHING THE TOP

Lay your top out now with the 60ish" jelly roll strip rolls in between your "Gem" block rows.  Now it is as simple as sewing your rows together, starting from the top and working down.

Lay your Jelly Roll Row onto your "Gem" row with right sides together.  Start sewing a 1/4" seam along the edge (aligning as you go). Trim the excess at the end of the row.  Repeat this process for all of the rows.  Add the top and bottom jelly roll strip to the last row. Now just sew the rows together in the same fashion.

Your top now looks like this and you are ready to add the final borders.  Grab those sashings that you set aside way back when :)  Add the 64" long strips to the top and bottom first.  Use the same process you did to attach the other grey sashings.  Trim the excess and press.  Now just repeat on the sides using your 88" long sashings.  Trim the excess and press.

And your top is complete!! Aren't you just so excited!!!

STEP 5 - PIECING THE BACK

Grab that pile of backing pieces you have been setting aside.  Start with your "gem" row and your 2 12" grey sashing.  Add the grey sashing along each side of your row.  Use the same process as you did to add the grey sashing on the front.  Trim the excess and press.  See that lovely sideways tree, oops.  I am glad you can all learn from my mistakes :)

Now grab those 2 80" ish strips.  You are going to cut off a 20" piece from each strip.

Now grab the remaining 60" left on each set and add them to the top and bottom of your "gem" row.  Ya, you are a master at doing this now :)

Now you are going to add those two 20" pieces to the sides of the row.  This won't show up on the back hardly at all.  This is just so that you have the wiggle room you need for quilting.  Most LAQs prefer to have a few inches of overhang on the side to work with :).  So after you attach the sides, trim and press.

Grab your yardage.  Align the folded end of your yardage along the 0 horizontal line of your cutting mat.  Trim a nice straight edge.  Measure over 32" and align your ruler along the top and bottom of your mat and cut.  Repeat this process 2 more times so that you have three 32" pieces.

Take one of your 32" pieces and open it up.  Cut along the folded line to make 2 pieces that each measure 32" x 22".

Lay your back out as follows.

Lay the 22" wide pieces onto the full pieces with right sides together.  Stitch together using a 1/2" seam.  This way you hide your seam allowance :)  Press.

Now go ahead and sew the three "rows" together.  Add the "gem" row to the top first and then the bottom to the now pieced together "gem" row and top.  Press.  And your back is done!!!

STEP 6 - 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 ;)

One beautiful, fun, quilt that measures 54 x 72 perfect to fit a twin size bed or to have around just waiting to be snuggled with :)

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Nature's Gems Quilt I would love to see it!!  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 Nature's Gems Quilts!!!

       

It's Up, It's Down :(

So I had my Twitter account all lined up and was posting on it just great.  Then I went to check it later in the evening to find that my account has been frozen.  Don't know why???  I am working with Customer Service to get it fixed.  So just wanted to leave a quick note in case you tried to follow me and you weren't allowed :)  Hopefully it will be all fixed soon so I can get back to tweeting :)

And be sure to check back tomorrow.  I am so excited!!!  I have another Moda Bake Shop tutorial coming out :)  And since I am so excited, I will leave you a little sneak peak :)  Don't you just love anything by MoMo!!!!!  These colors are fantastic and so Spring!!!

Twitter

So I finally did it.  Happy Quilting is now on Twitter :)  I spent this morning surfing around trying to get the lay of the land over there.  I know there is probably way more to it than just posting, but for now, that seems to be my general understanding.  Just leave a little tweet here and there about what is going on.

I am going to try and remember to post there but I can't guarantee lots :)  Does anyone know if there is a way on twitter to do direct link-ups to your posts the way there is on facebook?? (EDIT - Thanks for the help guys, I know have it up and running :) So if you want to follow along with me over on twitter you can find my "profile" by clicking on this new little icon :)  (Cute huh!)

Someday Projects :)

So do you have some of those wonderful Someday Projects.  Ya know, the ones that you will "get to" when you have some spare time??  When you manage to complete the projects that have deadlines??  When basically you create an extra hour for each day that is dedicated to nothing but quilting??

I hope I am not the only one with these kind of projects.  I love making quilts but I find that in the process of bees, quilt-a-longs, and tutorials, that some of those "other" projects just get pushed aside.  Here are the 4 that are making me feel a wee bit guilty right now :)

The Park Avenue on the top left was a giveaway win and I had the perfect plan for it the moment I saw it.  It has been sitting in my basket of projects since then.

The Top right is the HST's I had leftover from the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long.  I have had a fun idea of what to do with them since it ended.  Hopefully that one won't be put off much longer :)

The bottom right is my homemade holiday charm pack that I was going to use to make a table center for each holiday.  Well we are 2 holidays down and still no table runners.

And last, the bottom right is some Sugar Pop that I have already cut in the appropriate lengths to make an Avignon Picnic quilt.  It has been cut for months.  I just got the backing and the binding material so maybe that will give me the motivation to get it put together :)

So here is hoping I can squeeze a few more quilting minutes out of each day so that I can get these from the Someday pile to the today pile :)  It might be wishful thinking, but its something :)

Not Easter Dresses but Dresses None the Less

So I didn't make the girls Easter dresses this year.  I am not much of a 3D sewer :)  I have dabbled in costumes, pj's, and shorts.  You know, the easy things that don't need to come out looking all that great.  So the idea of Easter Dresses has me running for the hills.

With that said, a few years ago (aka 2009)  I saw this tutorial over at Crazy Mom Quilts for Patchwork Dresses.  Now that is something I can handle!!  I made four, one for each of my 2 daughters and one for each of my 2 nieces (edit . On my side of the family.  If I had made them for the nieces on my husband's side I would have been sewing forever :).   I made a few adjustments to the tutorial, mostly for length purposes.  The tutorial was so easy to follow and I just love how they turned out!!

So ya, no Easter Dresses . . . But maybe next year they will get another patchwork dress as they have so grown out of these ;)  Sorry for the poor pictures, I didn't have a blog in 2009 so posing for pictures wasn't all that important :)

I can't get this picture to orient right.  Sorry :)

Spring Table Runner

I finished this table runner last week but I wanted to wait till it got to it's new owner to show it.  My Sister-In-Law wrote me yesterday that she had received it and loves it.  Yippee Skippee!!  I had so much fun making this little table runner and decided maybe I should do some more "small" projects.  It is so nice to have that super fast gratification of a completed project :)

Obviously, this is not the table it is for :)  I did HST's in alternating Pinwheels and Diamonds :)  Doesn't this just make you feel like Spring!!

 A little close up on the pattern.   This fabric is from the Sweet Divinity line by Amanda Herring from The Quilted Fish.  I just love it!!  I just can't get enough of those beautiful greens!!!

A close-up on the quilting.  I did my loops and flower quilting.  It has become a favorite and it gets a little better each time I do it :)

 I didn't have any Sweet Divinity yardage so I just grabbed a fun print from my stash for the backing :)

Corey's VIBee Block

This Month for VIBee Corey asked us to do a Dresden plate.  I have done made two other Dresden plates and loved them each time so I was super excited to do another one.  Corey sent amazingly beautiful prints that she had already cut into the Dresden wedges, thanks Corey :)  I was so happy with the finish result.  My plate laid down perfectly and who doesn't just love polka dots!!!! Isn't it just beautiful :)

Maybe I should go out of town again :)

Okay, so who knew going out of town and being offline for a week equaled the giveaway fairy shinning down on you??  Let me show you what I mean.

Right before I left I got word that I had won this from Bee in my Bonnet.   Don't you just love those unbelievably adorable cute 30's prints.  I am going to have to find a cute project for these.  She also sent an adorable pattern with them.  Thank you Lori!!!

While I was gone I got an email from Sue at Quilt Times that I had won this.  I can't wait for it to arrive.  I have heard so much about Schnibble patterns but have never had one.  I cant wait to whip a few of these quilts out.  Who knows, I bet the perfect pattern for those 30's prints is just waiting in the pages of this book. Thank you Sue!!!

And lastly, when I got back home, I got word from Darlene at SewCalGal that I was one of the winners of the Golden Quilter Awards.  Not one of the winners of the category but one of the winners of the giveaway :) Immediately I started getting excited wondering what I had won.  So I headed on over to check the winners list of prizes.  Now when I saw this prize, I started jumping up and down and screaming!!!  

Oh yes, I won the Fat Quarter Bundle of Amy Butler's Soul Blossom prints!!!  Ahhhh!!!!  Now I am stalking the mailman each day just waiting for it to arrive.  Thank you Darlene and Fabric.com (Sponsor of this prize.).  I am just thrilled!!!  

And VIBee Ladies, I am pretty sure this will be my fabric for my month :)  Won't it just be perfect!!!  Now to find a pattern.  Any suggestions for a great Bee month quilt with these amazing prints???

So ya, maybe I should go offline again if this is the result :)

Better late then Never

So I was organizing a bit in the sewing room yesterday to get ready to do some serious sewing :)  While organizing I realized I had 2 copies of the Pre Cuts magazine.  I thought to myself  "I thought I mailed this out before I left."  Then it hit me, I was supposed to pick a winner for the second copy on Monday.  Oops!!!  Sorry, Sorry, Sorry.  I blame it on a week being gone and second trimester brain lapses.

So, without further ado . . . the winner of the Pre Cuts magazine is . . . .

Congrats to Quilter In The Gap!!!!!    .  I have sent you an email to get your address.
Do you want me to sign my name right here? Tee Hee Hee :)

WIP Wednesday

So it is another Wednesday and I figure maybe writing down what I should be working on will help me to get things back together.  Ever notice when you go out of town for a while how long it takes to get back into the swing of things.  So, what's on the sewing desk now . . .

 I am working on a spring table runner for my sister-in-law.  I wanted to get it done before going to Utah but that didn't happen, le sigh.  But I need to get it done asap as it is Spring :)  I am Making it with Sweet Divinity that I won from Amanada at the Quilted Fish.  I love these prints!!!  More on it to come :)

I am also starting to play with some Christmas fabric!!!  I love Christmas and there is nothing like some beautiful Christmas fabric to brighten your day and make you cheery.   And when it is Kate Spain's new Flurry collection . . .Well lets just say Josh Groban's Noel CD is spinning right now :)

There are a few things put off that will probably stay that way at the moment.

I need to quilt up my Quilt-A-Long quilt.  How sad is that, it is my Quilt-A-Long and I can't seem to get the finished top turned into a finished quilt.

I also got way behind in Block-A-Palooza.  It's all done and I only have 1/2 of the blocks done.  Another project for another day :)

So that is it for today :)  Here is hoping I get my house all clean and ready for the showing I have tomorrow so that I can have a few minutes to get some sewing done.  Selling your house is tuff work :)

Project Modern - Challenge 2

I have been so excited to reveal this finish. So without all the story behind it, here it is!!!!

Now onto the story :)  This time the Project Modern Challenge was to create a Monocramatic quilt.  About a week after this challenge was posted I got an email from my Sister-In-Law saying that they found out that they baby they are expecting is going to be a little girl.  They have 3 little boys already and this is their last one so they were super excited to find out they were finally going to get their little girl.  Now these three previously mentioned little brothers love Super Heroes.  They can't get enough of Batman, Spiderman, and especially Superman.  So, wanting this new little bundle of joy to fit right in, my Sister-In-Law asked me if I could make her a Supergirl quilt.

As soon as I saw that request I started smiling to myself.  I instantly knew what I wanted to do and that it would be perfect for a monochromatic quilt.  You know how you just get that picture in your head.   Then it was just figuring out how to take that picture from my head and turn it into a design of a superman logo in a scrappy strip setting all in pink.  Super cute!!!  

I knew I wanted the logo to really pop so I decided to do it in light tones of pink.  And then I decided to use the dark tones of pink for the background to really make it stand out.  I was so happy with the result when it was all pieced together.  I decided to take the whole pop idea one step further by only quilting the background in a super small loopy pattern so that the symbol just jumps off the blanket.  I am so happy with the finished results. 

This quilt just fits my Sister-In-Law and her family just so perfectly!!  I got to give it to her and my brother this last week while I was in Utah.   And to say they loved it would be a vast understatement.  I wish I would have remembered my camera when I gave it to them :)

So in conclusion . . . . This quilt was a blast to design, sew, and quilt.  It will be greatly loved by it's new little owner that will be arriving in a few short months and her whole family.  Does it get any better than that??

I'm Back :)

Okay, so being off line for a week was difficult to say the least.  I missed reading everyone's blogs and chatting with you all through email. I missed all of the wonderful daily inspiration and the good laughs.  I missed posting what I was working on, even though I didn't have time at all to work on anything last week.  You see, last week was like this.

It started with a 25 hour drive.  Next was three whirl-wind days looking at over 30 houses and spending time with my husband's family (this part was awesome).  Then it was back in the car again for a quick jaunt up the I-15 to spend some time with my family , including my brand new niece (again awesome).  And then the bummer, back in the car again for another 25 hour drive back which turned into about 27 hours as our car broke down 30 miles from home and had to be towed in. (ya, a bit scary).

But in the end We found a wonderful house in Utah that we absolutely fell in love with, our offer was accepted, and we now have somewhere to go to when we finish up here in Indiana.  Yippee Skippee!!!  So my friends, I missed you.  I am sorry for the prolonged absence but I wanted to focus my efforts on our goal to find a house, and spending time with family.  It was a wonderful week!!

I would post more about projects finished earlier , pictures of the house, and such but I have a showing of my house here in South Bend in 1 hour and need to finish unpacking.  See ya tomorrow!!!

Be Back Soon :)

Hello All,

Just a quick note that I will be off line for the next week.  No worries, nothing is wrong, I will just be away from the computer for a week swamped with some other responsibilities :)  I'll miss you all and will be back soon :)

This was a quilt I did a few years ago but it sure makes me happy for spring :)

Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Parade!!!

First off, if you are looking for the giveaway it is here.

It's here!!!  The Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Parade!!!  I want to start by thanking all those that quilted a long with me.  I can't believe how many we ended up with.  It was so fun to get to know you all through this little quilting trip.  Some of your have been sewing for years and some of you this was your first quilt-a-long, and some even their first quilt!!!  I just had so much fun doing this quilt-a-long!!! THANK YOU to all of you that participated and made it so very enjoyable!!!

I love all the different prints.  Isn't it just amazing how different a quilt can look when done in different fabrics.  Each top is individual to its owner and they all look amazing!!!  Congrats to all!!!   These are the finished tops but there are many more in various stages of completion.  (no, worries, we can always have another parade in the future for those :)   So, let get to the parade!! 

Amy's from Vermont

Christine from New York

jbird05001 from Flickr

 Karen Riddell 

 Karen Vail from NW Washington State

 Kelly Chilmark from Orange, Massachusetts

 Linda from Greeley, Colorado

 Lindsay Dunn from Ivins, Utah

 Marta Antoine from Florida

Sandy Rowe 

Sarah Johnson  from Texas

 Shannon from Idaho

 Sharon Vrooman from New York

Staci in Arizona

Wasn't that fun!!!  I just love everyone's finish!!!  Once again, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for quilting-a-long with me!!  We will have to do it again in the future :)

And now for the moment these ladies have been waiting for . . . The winner of the Burgundy Buttons Gift Certificate.  Your top had to be completed to be eligible to win these ladies above are in the running.  I put all of your names in a hat and my daughter drew one out.

And the winner is . . . .  Sarah Johnson from Texas!!!  Congrats Sarah !!!

And one final Thank You to all those that have been quilting-a-long with me.  It has been so much fun!!  And if you aren't finished keep those machines a running.  We will have another parade some time down the line :)

It's another Giveaway.

First off, I want to thank those that left kind words and comments about my two newest tutorials.  I know it takes time to stop and say something and I want you to know that it really makes me happy to know that my tutorials are appreciated and liked.   ( I wish I would get as many comments on my tutorials as I do on my giveaways . . . but we all know it doesn't work that way, tee hee hee :)

So onto the 600 follower giveaway.  Let's keep this super simple.

Up for grabs . . .  A copy of Perfect for Precuts . . A brand new magazine full with yummy pattern goodness.

You remember when I posted how excited I was to have my quilt on the back of this magazine that I ran right out and bought one.  Well the lovely ladies at Moda were so excited for me as well that they also sent me a copy.  So sweet huh!!!  So now I find myself with 2 . . . so there is an extra for one of you :)

How to enter . . . Be a follower (or become a follower) and leave a comment.  Any comment will do.  That's it :)  Just one follower per person please.  And make sure I have a way to contact you.  

The giveaway will close on April 10th and I will announce a winner on April 11th.  (This is a little long but I am going to be offline next week so you have to wait till I am back on again :)