More Christmas Quilts!!

 I always love making Christmas quilts and I am excited to share 2 new quilts that I made late last year as a little secret sewing for my good friends at Moda Fabrics ;)      So let's start with the first quilt, Juniper Berries by Chelsi Stratton Designs!!! 

I just love how this quilt has a chain feel to it.  I always love quilts with chains, and when you tie in blocks, all the better!!! The happy Christmas prints and colors are just so festive and I love the pop of the pink and greys in there along with the reds and greens!!  I always love Sherri and Chelsi Fabrics, and this Favorite Things Fabric line is just such a classic Christmas collection!!!  

The piecing in this quilt went super fast with large blocks and some strip piecing :)   And I just love tiny stars, aren't they just so cute!!!  The quilt finishes at 65" x 80" so it is a great size to snuggle up in and have displayed each Christmas.  

And when it came time to quilt it, I decided to try and really highlight those diagonal chains!!  So I quilted a diagonal ribbon candy through the small stars and 9 patches and then an all over of swirls and echoed paisley through the blocks.  I just love the way it added so much texture to the quilt!!! .  Good ol' 402 Pearl blended perfectly in all of these light and dark colors, my go to for the win every time!! 

And this quilt is visiting quilt shops across the country now.   So the snuggling for me will have to wait , but you don't have to wait!!!  Favorite Things Fabrics are shipping now and Fat Quarter Shop has a Juniper Berries Quilt Kit available.  Just in time for you to do a little Christmas in July sewing :)

And that leads us to the second Christmas Quilt . . . the No Place Like Home Quilt.   And isn't this just gorgeous!!!  I love that when I am sewing for Moda I get to sew so many different styles of quilts ;)   This is for sure a more Classic Christmas quilt, and I just love the beautiful panels that are tied into the design.    

 Deb Strain is such an amazing artist and her Holidays at Home Fabric Line just shows it off.  I love all of the stunning woodland prints, and the gingham is the perfect basic to round it all out.   Oh, and there are red prints in the line, but they were not used in this quilt design, but don't you just love how that makes the red Cardinal in the panel just pop, so perfect!!!  

I really enjoyed piecing this quilt.   And It went together super fast as well, as the blocks are pretty large and don't need a whole lot of pieces.   And don't you love how the black pieced gingham bows just tie into the center panel again.  Just such a great quilt design!!   

And when it came time to quilt it, I just decided on an all over echoed paisleys and swirls.  I just love how much texture it adds to the quilt and these designs give me a Christmas feel every time!!  And you know, I used  402 Pearl again, my favorite!!! 

And this quilt kit is so popular, it is just flying out of shops!!!   I found a few kits still on Etsy, or you can check your local quilt shop for one!!!   It is worth tracking one down!!  This quilt is a joy to make and finishes at 55" x 63" so it will be perfect to display each Christmas!!!   There truly is No Place Like Home for the Holidays!!!  

And that is it for my Christmas Quilt this Summer ;)  I truly look forward to making these quilts each year, and it is always a joy to make them for my friends at Moda because Secret Sewing means I am actually making them around Christmas time!!!   Sew fun ;)  

And just a random question before I sign off  . . . How many Christmas Quilts have you made??   To be honest, I have lost count, but I will just keep making them.  They are my favorite gift to give ;)  

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

Matching Doll Quilt

So remember yesterday I mentioned I was going to turn these scraps into a new doll quilt??

Well I did, and I am just head over heels about it!!!   I wanted to use all of the prints so I decided to use the star pattern that I used for this block tutorial, I just used solid pieces of fabric instead of scrappy ones and scaled the size down just a bit.  I alternated the darker prints and the lighter prints to really make each blade of the star stand out.

Then to finish the quilt, I added a 1" white border around the star block, added a scrappy tile row to the top and bottom for length, and then one more 1" white border to the top and bottom.  I even had a little bit of the binding left from my daughter's Star quilt, so I used that to bind it.

 I am so excited how the quilting turned out!!!  I really wanted to star to pop so I stitched in the ditch around it and the scrappy tile rows.  I think it really helped to add definition to the blades of the star and I love the bit of puffy!!  (Although, there are a few places that aren't quite in the ditch, I still need to work on that :)

Then I quilted the the background in the same echoed paisley design (see video tutorial here)  that I did on the stars quilt but just did it in a micro size.  Isn't it just so stinking cute.  I love small stitching and I finished at about the same time I was starting to regret doing it so small.  That's such a perk of small quilts :)

So that's the last minute Christmas gift checked off :)  Yippee Skippee!!!

But you know I couldn't leave it at that, tee hee hee.  I am totally inspired.  With this cute new modern quilt the doll needs a cute little modern outfit.  And I talked to my MIL and she agreed to guide me along the way.  So sewing today will be tackling one of these.  Wish me luck!!

Winning, Quilting, & Shopping, Oh My!!!

I have a bunch of tidbits to share today.


First . . . a winner of the Shabby Fabrics Christmas Keepsakes  Blog Hop!!  The winner of a $25.00 Shabby Fabrics Gift Certificate is . . .   #112

   

Congrats to Kathy E!!!!!  I have sent you an email :)

Next up . . . I am quilting today!!  I know, it's hard to see because it just blends away so nicely.   It is 503 grey of So Fine Threads by Superior Threads and I am free motion quilting an all over echoed paisley design with it.   The fabrics are Cherie by Frances Newcombe and I am hoping to be sharing a tutorial tomorrow morning of this.   (Although today has just been crazy so far, so we will see how that all plays out ;)  

And last, a little weekend shopping special for you!!!   All of my kids are out of school this weekend for Harvest Recess (hence the crazy day mentioned above).  So Southern Fabric is giving all of my readers a little Harvest Recess special.   Use the code HAPPYQUILTING and get 20% off all of your full price items until 10/17 midnight :)   Have fun with your Harvest Shopping :)  

All right, I am off to quilt like a mad lady during nap time ;)  Wish me luck!!

Simply Plaid and Skyline!!!

A few weeks ago I was working on some secret sewing for my good friends at Moda Fabrics ;)  That led to some back and forth with the amazing Camille Roskelley!!!   And all the back and forth led to some pattern testing sample sewing.  And I tell you what, I just love working with other quilters!!!  This industry has so many amazing artist in it, and getting to work with others is just a joy :)   So I made 2 (plus the secret one I'm waiting to share) of Camille's new patterns and the first one was Simply Plaid!!! 

And isn't this quilt just so great!!!   I pulled from my stash to make this quilt.  I decided to use than older Pink B & C  Print as my "background" as I had the most of it.  The Red and White are both Blossom Basics and they make up the plaid.  I love how it really makes the pink just pop, so fun!!! 

The piecing in this quilt is mostly strip piecing so it went together so quickly!!!   I made the baby size, (37 x 45) but the pattern also has a throw and queen size quilt!  I so plan to make the queen size (90 x 90) next!!!  It is just so classic and wonderful!!!

And when it came time to quilt it, I used one of my favorites.   All over Swirls for the win.   So relaxing to quilt and I just love all the added curved texture!!!    And  good ol' 402 Pearl blended perfectly in all of these light and dark colors, it truly is my favorite!! 

 And now this quilt is just waiting for a little bundle of joy to arrive.   Do these colors together just totally remind you of Strawberry Shortcake??  She was a favorite of mine when I was a kid, and I just love the color combo for an all girl quilt!!!  

And we go from all girl, to all neutral!!!   A good friend just had a sweet baby boy and is doing the nursery in "neutrals" and so I knew right away that this new Skyline Quilt would be the perfect fit for a neutral baby boy quilt!!!   How fun is that!!!  

I have been doing a lot of Ombre Rainbow Quilts (see here) and I always have the neutral Fat Quarters left over.   So I figured they would be perfect for this quilt!!!  And isn't it fun how the ombre fabrics give some of the stars a secondary pattern look with the different color triangles in the center.  Really makes that pinwheel part of the star pop!!! 

You all know I love a great star quilt and this quilt was so much fun to put together!!!   I really love the half stars to offset the design, so great!!!  The pattern is for a lap size (67 x 78) quilt, but once you make the blocks, it is easy to make it larger or smaller depending on who you are making the quilt for. 

And when it came time to quilt it, I used another favorite!!  You can never go wrong with   Echoed Paisley Quilting with so much curved texture to soften all those points!!!    And  good ol' 402 Pearl again!!   And this quilt made me down to my last spool, time to order more ;)

And this quilt is now wrapped up and ready to be gifted.  I am so excited to see it hanging in the nursery.   Doesn't a neutral nursery just sound so fantastic!!! 

Camille's new patterns are now available in both Paper and PDF versions and can be found in her shop, or just about anywhere quilt supplies are sold ;)  Camille was kind enough to send me her new patterns, some stickers (that are so cute on my water bottle) and a yummy layer cake of her soon to be released Dwell fabric!!!   And looking at these, can you guess which quilt I did the secret sewing for???

Thanks for popping in to share this finish with me!!! 

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

All Star Rally Quilt and Tutorial!!

 I am so thrilled to be sharing my newest finish today and to also be sharing a new AccuQuilt Tutorial for it as well.    And it is perfect for Back to School!!   Here is my  All Star Rally Quilt!!  If you have been around her for a bit, you know I love to make School Spirit quilts for my Alma Mater, Southern Utah University,   and as soon as I saw the Hunter Star BOB die from AccuQuilt, I knew it would be just perfect for a rally quilt of All Star proportions!!  

The quilt is made with yardage from 3 Solid Colors making it easy to represent your favorite school colors!!!  I added some fun sashing to Hunter Star block to add a secondary star that really makes this quilt next level.   I love taking a traditional block and giving it a fun twist!!   It makes for such a great finish :)

When it came time to quilt this, I decided on an all over wavy echoed paisley.    Whenever I have lots and lots of sharp angles, it is always fun to add a curvy quilting design to it.  Really adds to the movement of the quilt.   Oh, and I have a free Video Tutorial of quilting this on your home machine, just fyi :)  

  

The All Star Rally Quilt is made up of 16 Hunter Star Blocks and thanks to all of the precision cutting along with the notches for lining your pieces up, it really goes together fast!!!     It measures 58" x 58" when it is finished so it is a great lap size quilt that is easy to take with you to the big game ;)  

And that is my All Star Rally Quilt and Tutorial!!!  And I hope you love it as much as I do ;)   If you want to make your own All Star Rally Quilt just pop on over for the free step by step tutorial!!!     And when you are done, I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc and #AccuQuilt ;)  I can't wait to see your All Star Rally Quilts in your School Colors!!!

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

Charming Baby Quilts Remix - A Star is Born

 And here it is . . . the very last one!!!  This is quilt 10 of my Charming Baby Quilts Remix's and I am so excited to share it.      I think it is easily the most popular quilt from the book so I thought it would be fun to save it for last.   And here it is . . . the A Star is Born Remix quilt!!!!   Isn't it just so fun and happy!!!! 

Ohh, I just love it!!!!  This is another one that I plan to change out on my bed ;)     I remixed the original design by changing out Layer Cake pieces for Charm Pack Pieces.  So it is pieced the exact same way as the original only bigger, finishing at  King Size 108" x 108".   Oh, and I used Chambray for the background and I love that it gives it a fun denim look without the weight of denim.   (Pattern Adjustment's here)  

And speaking of the original, here is my A Star is Born quilt from Charming Baby Quilts.   As I said before, it has been the most popular quilt from the book, and I think it is obvious why ;)  You just gotta love a good star quilt!!!   And the King Size is just the same, only bigger.   So whichever size you decide to make, it is truly a fun quilt to make!!!!

For this A Star is Born remix, I used At Home fabrics by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics!!!  You will need 2 Layer Cakes for this and I used one of Bonnies and one of Camille's :)    I used  Royal Chambray for the Background and it is just the perfect finish for this bed size stunner!!!   

And when it came time to quilt it, I decided I on all over echoed paisley.   I kept them fairly medium to large size as I wanted to quilting to match the large patchwork.   And I am happy to say that the tension issue from the previously bad bobbin was totally fixed for this quilt and I was able to load, quilt and trim this entire king size beauty in under 3 hours ;)  

And doesn't it just shine!!!  I used a lovely denim colored thread that just blends so perfectly with the Chambray!!  And I love how much texture it adds to the Chambray, which already has a great woven quality.   So fun!!! 

So do you want to make your own Charming Baby Remix A Star is Born quilt??  Just download this free  PDF A Star is Born Remix Instructions  document.  You will need a copy of my Charming Baby Quilts book to make the Remix as the download just includes the alternations and not the complete instructions.  You use the book and the download together ;)

And that is my A Star is Born quilt!!!  I hope you love it just as much as I do and want to make one of your own, either in the king size or baby size ;)  And if you do,  I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or post it to social media with the hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and/or #charmingbabyquilts ;)  I can't wait to see your A Star is Born Quilts!!!

And for easy reference. . . This A Star is Born Charming Baby Quilt has been added to my Charming Baby Quilts, All the Quilts, All the Details post ;)  It's a great place to bookmark to see everything Charming Baby Quilts all in one place!!

And that is the end of the Charming Baby Quilts Remix's!!!   

But I have one more little surprise . . . I have made a Charming Baby Quilt Remix's PDF that has all 10 remix instructions all together, just to make it a little more convenient.  I hope you enjoy it ;)

Thanks for stopping in today and I hope you have a very Happy Day!!

I will be back tomorrow with my end of the year wrap up :)

Jelly Roll Ripples and Sew a Jelly Roll Day Giveaway!!!

 It's National Sew a Jelly Roll Day this Saturday and I am celebrating with my good friends at Fat Quarter Shop!!!  All week, there will be Jelly Roll Shortcut Quilts shared and fun Jelly Roll Giveaways!!  And here is my Jelly Roll Shortcut Quilt . . . Jelly Roll Ripples!!!

I truly love making the Shortcut Quilts with Fat Quarter Shop!!!  They are so fun to make, and come together so fast!!  This ripples quilt has such a great geometric design as well.  I love the rotation of the blocks and how it creates a lot of secondary patterns within the design.  

And a great geometric quilt always goes perfectly in a great classic color combo!!!   And you all know, I love making my Red, White, and Black quilts for my Alma Mater.    This quilt uses a Create Jelly Roll for Moda Fabrics and paired with a Bella Solids Red background, just classic perfection!! 

And when it came time to quilt it, I decided to take advantage of that geometric goodness and create an orange peel design in the blocks.   I didn't do wavy this time as the orange peel is a little small and wavy would get a wee bit messy.  And I can manage smaller orange peel without having to whip out rulers.  I just love the way it turned out.  And of course, a fun echoed paisley border just frames it perfectly.  

And that is my Jelly Roll Ripples Shortcut Quilt.  And you can find the free Jelly Roll Ripples Shortcut Quilt Pattern right here and make your own too!!!    It finishes at 62" x 82" so it makes a great snuggle size quilt.  Mine will be an Alma Mater quilt raffled off next weekend for Homecoming and will raise money for scholarships.  Just love that!!!  

And now . . . Let's talk about that Giveaway!!!  We are going to run this just like all my TTGD's, so you can enter here at my blog, on Instagram and on Facebook if you so choose.  

Fat Quarter Shop will be sending one Happy Quilting Winner a Jelly Roll of their choice!!!! 

GUIVEAWAY CLOSED -The Winner is #120  . . . Janet . . .Congrats, I have messaged you ;)

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me if you planning a project for National Sew a Jelly Roll Day???  

 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 the end of National Sew a Jelly Roll Day, September 17th, when I will announce a winner on this post :)

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

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!