The Scraptastic Star Blocks are Done!!

I finished the last 3 of my Scraptastic Star Blocks that I have been making as my Leader and Enders this year!!  And I am so excited!!!   But more on all 16 blocks in a minute.  First, let's look at the last 3 blocks ;)  The first one is pretty in Pink!!  I love how soft this block is :)

The next block is Red.   And this one has so many wonderful shades of red.   I was really surprised with how many shades of red I had in my little stash of 2 1/2" squares.  And I just love how much the white squares pop against all of those red prints!!

And finally, Burgundy.  And I just love these deep, rich reds.  And mostly, I just love that it was the very last  Scraptastic Star Block for my quilt!!!  So do you want to see them all???

I thought so :)   Here they are, my 16 Scraptastic Star Blocks all together!!  And I have to say, that this picture just makes me smile from ear to ear.  I love, love, love these blocks and I have had so much fun making them as  Leader and Enders throughout this year.  

Now all that is left is to make the sashing.  Now my only decision is do I use scrappy black prints or solid black fabric for my sashing??  What do you think . . . scrappy or solid??

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

March Aurifil Block of the Month - My Turn!!!

The March Aurifil Designer Block of the Month was released yesterday and I am so excited because March is my Month!!!!   And Pat Sloan was kind enough to let me do the month of Purple, because ya know, I just love purple!!!!   And this is my Scraptastic Star block.  Eeeekkk, I just love it!!!

You all know how much I love to design quilts around stars, and of course a twist on an Irish Chain.  And I knew I wanted to make my blocks super scrappy so I could show the vast array all of the shades of purple that I love so much.    And that is how Scraptastic Star came to be.   I just can't get over how much I love the scrappy goodness in this block.

And even though it is a lot of patchwork, it goes together pretty fast as there are only 8 hst's and the rest are just simple square patchwork.  And I had so much fun going through my scrap drawer to find all of those fun purple fabrics.  I used my Aurifil Purple's to make sure I was covering the all the shades of purple I wanted represented in the block :)   I just love purple!!!

So that is my Aurifil March Block, Scraptastic Stars!!!  You can find my  pattern for this block right over here  and then be sure to enter your block a Pat's blog ;)  Every entry of a Scraptastic Stars block is eligible to win a Large Aurifil Thread Kit!!!!!

 Oh, and if you want to read a bit more about me and maybe have a few chuckles along the way, be sure to pop over to the Aurifil Thread blog to read my fun interview.   I had so much fun chatting it up with Pat and getting to share some fun tidbits about all things quilting!!!

And one last thing . . .  I have totally added a Scraptastic Stars quilt to my "To Make Someday" list.   How fun would it be to make up this rainbow goodness while busting some serious scraps while I am at it!!!   (Although, I might change the blocks to 16" so I can use my moda candy, but we shall see ;)  And someone just suggested on Instagram making the original block but using layer cakes to make a giant pixelated Scraptastic Star Block, how cool would that be!!!!

Thanks for popping in today and each day,  I just love getting to share my quilting journey with each of you!!!  

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Aqua, Lime, and Olive means only 3 Left!!!

I finished 3 more of my Scraptastic Star Blocks sewing them between other projects as Leader and Enders !!!  The first one is this beautiful Aqua!!  And it just has me wanting to jump in an ocean.  I just love playing around in the blue scraps, they are so calming.

The next block is Lime.   And I am just loving having this Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  to clean out some of my 2 1/2" squares stash.  But I am wondering on this block, if I should have edited out that top left hand square.   It just seems not to fit.   I am debating doing a little block surgery and replacing that one.  What do you think??

And finally, Olive.  And I just love these deep, rich greens.  And I love even more that with these 3 blocks done, it means I only have 3 blocks left!!!   I can't wait to see all of the Scraptastic Star Blocks laid out in a rainbow!!!   And now that I have a layout decided, it's even more exciting!!!

So I best get back to stitching ;)

Oh, and one last note before I go.   Speaking of a Rainbow of Colors . . . I wanted to remind you that there are only Two Days left on the Kit Discount for the Starstruck Quilt Along ;)   So if you wanted to pick up your own rainbow of fabric goodness, be sure and order before Sunday before the coupon code expires!!   I can't wait to quilt along with you all!!!  

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

2 New Patterns and Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale!!!

 I am super excited this morning to share two brand new Quilt Pattern's in the Happy Quilting pattern lineup as well as having them ready just in time for this Annual Weekend Sale!!  (More on that further down ;)   

The first quilt is called Wishes and I just love how these stars twinkle!!!!    The quilt is made with  big blocks so you can make a queen size with just 16 blocks and it is super fun piecing, making it perfect for beginners and experts alike!!!

Wishes uses some basic piecing units along with a fun technique for making the lattice blocks, that has very little waste with a quick trim ensuring perfect piecing every time.  And there are very few points to worry about lining up as everything just floats in this quilt, and I just love that!!!

This version of Wishes is made using Balboa by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda Fabrics.    I love the prints and colors of this line, especially the purple!!!     But of course, Wishes would look amazing in any fabrics!!  The design is  Fat Quarter Friendly, so you can just grab a bundle and get cutting!!!!

And when it came time to quilt it I went all out.   I really wanted to make that center star just pop, so I did a Star of pebbles behind it and left the star un-quilted.  Isn't it just so fun!!!  I did ribbon curls and wishbones on the beams of light and then a lovely loose feather in the background.   It was just so fun to quilt and I was so happy that my favorite Pearl 402 So Fine thread blended perfectly in all the prints and background !!!  This one really was so super fun to quilt!!!! 

And I had so much fun making the first quilt, I just couldn't stop and decided to make up a lap size version as well :)    And isn't it just to cute for words!!!!

  

I thought it would be super fun to do a dark background and then low volumes for the prints!!!  I used Low Volume prints from Cookie Exchange by Sweetwater that I had saved and paired them with a lovely Charcoal background.   And don't they just pop!!!!  I love that this is Christmas too, because I think this design just works great for Christmas stars :)  

And I quilted it with all over swirls and just love how it almost adds a snow flurry to go with these Christmas Stars ;)    And I even used a scrappy Low Volume binding, so fun!!!!

  

Like all my patterns, Wishes has size options so you can make the quilt size that fits you ;)  You will find 5 size options, a Baby, Lap, Picnic, Twin, and a Queen size.  All the sizes are Fat Quarter Friendly., and all use a great big 21" block so the piecing goes nice and fast ;) 

So now onto Pattern Release 2 . . . Here is Scraptastic Stars!!!!  And I am just thrilled to be releasing this pattern because I love, love, love me some scrappy quilting!!!

Scraptastic Stars was originally I block I did a free pattern for way back here :)   For this new Happy Quilting pattern, I have increased the block size to 16" and added a wonderful Irish Chain setting to finish off the chain in the block. And isn't it just the perfect way to surround these blocks!!!   And I had such a great time doing all of the math for that Sashing Chain :)  I know it is weird, but I really like quilt math!!!   And the design even includes strip piecing in the chain to save you time piecing all of those little squares together.  

And I just love that Scraptastic Stars is all about busting scraps!!!  I increased the block size so that it is 2 1/2" square friendly as I know a lot of us like to cut our scraps to that size and it also makes it great for those little mini charm pre-cuts!!!   And you can even use scraps in the chain . . . I used a whole bunch of shades of white for the stars and chain and I love that it busted those scraps as well ;)

And when it came time to quilt it I went all out with the colors.  I picked out a rainbow of threads and changed colors for each block to really emphasis the rainbow of this quilt!!!  I quilted pebbles in the black, Arches in the white, and swirls in the colors :)  And I just love it!!!  And look at the beautiful quilty texture it made, so fun!!! 

And Scraptastic Stars also has size options so you can make the quilt size that fits you ;)  You will find 5 size options, a Baby, Lap, Picnic, Twin, and a Queen/King size.  Just start breaking your scraps into similar colors and see how many blocks you can come up with ;) 

 So now that you have seen the new quilts . . . Let's talk Patterns and Sales!!!

The Hard Copy and the PDF patterns of both Wishes and Scraptastic Stars can be found in my Etsy Shop, and like all my new Pattern Releases, It is on Special for 1 week!!!!  Until Friday, the 4th,  Scraptastic Stars and Wishes will be marked down!!! The PDF Patterns are just $5.50 and the Hard Copy Patterns are $7.00!!!!

And since it is Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and  Cyber Monday . . . All of my Happy Quilting Patterns have been marked down to $5.50 for PDF's and $7.00 for Hard Copy's until Monday!!!     And you can even get my books on Sale as well!!!  Charming Baby is marked down to $16.00 and Irish Chain Quilts is $10.00 :)  It's a great time to bundle and save on shipping :)   You can find it all in my Etsy Shop!!!

  

 

So that's all of it!!!  Two New Patterns and a  Black Friday to Cyber Monday sale on all things Happy Quilting in my Etsy Shop. 

Thanks for popping in today and sharing these new finishes with me.  I am so very excited to be releasing this new pattern and hope you like it as much as I do.

 I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

September Sew Sampler!!!

 We are starting to get some chilly mornings and I have already made 3 Pumpkin Rolls.   So glad that it is Fall!!!   I really think it is my favorite season, even if it is only like 3 weeks in Cedar City ;)    And Fall coming on means September came and went!!   And with September rolling out, it means another Sew Sampler Box came in the mail!!!  This month's theme was Think Pink, and I know I say it about every box, but I just love, love, love this month's box!!!! (and FYI, there is still a waiting list for the Sew Sampler Box membership, but I hear it turns over fast ;)

I absolutely love Moda Color Cuts!!!  They are just perfect for when you want to sew with a specific color family.   And I just love working on rainbow projects and monochromatic projects so these pre-cuts of color groupings really appeal to me. And this  Think Pink Color Cut Dessert Role is just so pretty!!! .  Now I just can't decide if I want to use it to make this awesome pattern by Susan Ache (who is absolutely a whiz with color!!!) or to make a supersized Scraptastic Star block and turn it into a baby quilt.  It was suggested when I shared the Pink Scraptastic Star block and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind.  And then these pinks show up and I could easily make 5" squares from the roll . . . decisions, decisions :)  

And this month's notions are so fun!!!  I am super excited about the Just Bobbin Along case.  I am sure we can all use more Bobbin storage ;)   And the Dritz Thread Cutter Caddy is just so cool!!! I am going to use it to hold my 10 bobbins that I keep prewound for piecing.  When the bobbins run out, it's time to clean the machine and then rewind the 10 bobbins.  But I love that it also is a thread cutter, and has a magnetic side that you can throw your pins on as you cut your threads.   Just so brilliant. 

And of course, we can't finish out a month of Sew Sampler without another Goodness Grows block!!!  This month the block is called  Bloom in Season  and it was a super fast one to make and oh so cute!    I am so loving this sampler :)

And that is my September Sew Sampler box  :)  And now we have to wait a whole month of October's, tee hee hee!!!

I hope you are all having a Happy Quilting Day!!

Orange and Yellow Scraptastic Stars!!!

I have been stitching up a storm this last week and that means I was also stitching a lot of Leader and Enders which means two more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!    The first one is happy as sunshine Yellow!!!  And doesn't that just make you want to soak up some serious rays.   I just love it!!! 

And the second is the Orange block, and I know orange isn't always a favorite of a lot of quilters, but how fun are all of these shades of orange when put together!!!  I just love that this little Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  combines so many shades of each color and just shows off how many wonderful colors we as quilters get to play with each and every day!!!

And that means I have made 8 of of 16 blocks and am half way!!!  Eeekk, so exciting!!!  I have lots more I am working on right now, so hopefully that means a few more blocks really soon like ;)

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

2 More Scraptastic Stars!!!

The week before leaving to teach at UQSM I got to do some secret Market Sewing :)  I made two quilt samples for my good friends at Moda, which of course I will share more of after Market.  And with those two samples, came a lot of Leader and Ender Sewing ;)   And I am super excited to have made 2 more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!!

Scraptastic Stars is my new Leader and Ender project and I just love making these blocks!!!   They really are so much fun to play with all of those little 2 1/2" squares, and you all know how much I love making rainbow quilts ;) 

My plan is to make 16 blocks in all, and with 4 done, I am 1/4 of the way!!!  So fun ;)   And I just have to say, don't they look so awesome next to each other!!  I am really loving where this project is going :)

Next color block will be the Magenta-Purples and ya, I am super stocked to sew another shade of Purple!!!!   

How about you, have your tried a rainbow quilt before???

Coral and Rose Scraptastic Stars!!

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

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

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

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

Scraptastic Stars Layout???

So I almost have two more of my Scraptastic Star Blocks done which I will be sharing soon.  But with the blocks winding down, I realized I need to decide on a layout!!!   So I sat down yesterday and stared playing with EQ8 .    And playing in EQ8 is so fun and easy, but now the only problem is, I can't decide!!   So do you think you could help a girl out here and let me know in the comments which you like the best???

Option A is where I started with just a nice, plain black sashing.

And then I decided I wanted to keep the chain going.   So Option B is a Black sashing with some White squares added in to finish the "chain" look.  

And then I wondered what it would look like with that same idea but adding cornerstones.  So Option C is a Black sashing with the chain squares as well as some White cornerstones.

And then I really got into the whole chain idea, and added in a lot more piecing.   So Option D is a larger Black sashing with some White and Black Nine Patches added in to totally finish the "chain" look.   

 And the of course, there is always that point where you circle back around and wonder if you should just keep it simple.  So Option E is just taking it back to a plain White Sashing.

So what do you think???   Which finishing style do you like best???  

Also, another question.  Last time I posted my blocks, I had questions emailed me if I could teach this as a class or if I would make it into a full pattern with size options.  So now I am curious??  Would you like to see this as a full on Happy Quilting Pattern with the alterations to the original free pattern and size options and finishing instructions??

So ya, know you have two opinions to weigh in on ;)

Oh, and one last thing.  Speaking of Patterns . . . I am celebrating turning 40 with a  40% off Pattern Sale!!!  The sale will go until Friday and I have also added Printed HARD COPY PATTERNS in my shop.  So if you see a quilt you want to make but can't be in class because you are far away, now is the time to pick up the pattern for it ;)

  

Thanks for your help today and I hope you all are having a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!