November Sew Sampler Box!!

It's the most wonderful time of the Year!!!   I love the build up to Christmas that starts after Thanksgiving.   It just makes me smile ;)  And I think each month, the most wonderful day of the Month is the day my Sew Sampler box arrives in the mail!!!  I just love finding that little blue box waiting for me ;)  And November's box has me all kinds of giddy.   The theme is County Fair and it is so great!!!!

For starters, I love Vanessa from Lella Botique and I have made a quilt from every one of her lines to date.   So I was thrilled when I found this month's Sew Sampler box  had a Charm Pack of her newest line Garden Variety, as well as the finishing kit for included pattern.   How awesome is that!!!   The pattern is Farm to Garden by Carrie Nelson, and she is another one of my favorite people in this industry!!!  I just love that gal and am so excited for her new Pin Pals book.    And how cute are these little stars, now the only hard part will be deciding if I want to make the Wall Hanging, or turn those adorable stars into little pincushions.  Decisions, Decisions . . . I guess I could always do both ;)

And this month's notions are just so great as well. I love the Cupcake mixes and have found them so helpful in making my Dessert Sampler blocks.   They are great for the tiny piecing, and of course, go right along with the Star pattern above ;)    And I am super excited for the little 2019 Desk Calendar.  I love having one of these on my desk right next to the computer and it even has the blocks from the Threadology Quilt Along on it in happy bright colors!!!  Love it!!!! And of course, you can never have enough Aurifil Thread, and those wooden spools are to cute for words :)

And of course, with a new box, there is a new Barn Block!!!  And this month's block went together super fast, as it was some larger piecing.   Which I have to say, I think they are purposely giving us a break after the more complex month's of blocks.   Those gals at  Fat Quarter Shop are so smart!!!     This makes 8 blocks and I am getting super excited to see how this is going to all come together ;)

And that's my November Sew Sampler Box!!!    Now the big question is, will December's arrive in time to go under the tree, and if it does, will I actually be able to wait to open it ;) 

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

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Threadology Quilt Along Picks

So this weekend, my Clementine quilt was dropped off for the Festival of Trees.  Each year, I donate my Fat Quarter Shop  Charity Quilt to the Festival of Trees fundraiser in honor of my sweet little nephew David (who is doing great by the way!!!)    And that got me thinking about the new Fat Quarter Shop  Charity Quilt for 2019, Threadology!!!  

And I started pouring through my stash to decide on what fabric I wanted to use.  I was debating on ordering the The original Threadology Quilt Along Kits which uses half yards in Bonnie and Camille's adorable new Little Snippets line that will release right when this Quilt Along stars.   But as I went through my stash, I realized I had quite a few Bonnie and Camille collections and I figured it is high time I use some of them!!!   So my plan is to use Handmade and the larger prints from Hello Darling for the bigger blocks, and then Little Ruby, the smaller prints from Hello Darling, and the navy prints from Daysail for the smaller blocks.   I think that little bit of navy and orange will add great little pops of color ;)   I am so excited!!! 

Now I just have to wait for the 2019!!!   That's all good, it will come fast, and now I will have time to press all the pieces so I am all ready :)  So do you want to quilt along for a great cause??  Mark your calendar for Jan 14th when the fabric requirements are released, and then Feb 1 the first block pattern will be released.  It's going to be so much fun!!! You can pop on over to the Threadology Quilt Along page for more details to come :)  

Happy Quilting!!!!

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Threadology Quilt Along!!!

Have you heard????  . . . Fat Quarter Shop recently announced next year's Charity Quilt Along!!!  I have participated in this quilt along for the last 4 years and am so excited for Year 5!!!   The Quilt Along stars in February 2019 and will benefit the Make a Wish Foundation :)  

The original Threadology quilt is made with Bonnie and Camille's new Little Snippets line that will release right when this Quilt Along stars!!!  It is just perfect for this quilt as it has cute little measuring tapes, and granny square blocks in the prints as well as their signature gingham.  Fat Quarter Shop has Threadology Quilt Along Kits as well as Backing Kits available for pre-order.   It's so cute, I just can't decide.   I am debating between Little Snippets and just using a variety of Bonnie and Camille prints I have stashed.  Both would make adorable quilts, it just so hard to pick.     Good thing I have a few more months to think on it ;)  

So do you want to quilt along for a great cause??  Mark your calendar and pick your fabrics. (Or at least try to narrow it down, tee hee hee ;)   You are not going to want to miss this!!!  Pop on over to the Threadology Quilt Along page for more details to come :)  

Happy Quilting!!!!

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Welcome Superior Threads and a Giveaway!!!

Today I am so excited to welcome  Superior Threads as Happy Quilting's newest sponsor!!!  Superior Threads began part-time in St. George, Utah (yes, a mere 40 minutes down the free way from me, see my all about my latest visit here ;) by Bob and Heather Purcell  in 1998.  However, the folks there consider 2001 to be their serious start date.  The first product they introduced was Superior Metallic. They now produce and sell over 40 different thread lines with more on the way.

Superior Threads seeks out out the highest-quality raw materials and use the latest technology in manufacturing and processing to create superior threads for all types of sewing.  They really do create a thread for every application you might need.  They have just the right thread for  hand quilting, piecing, embroidery, upholstery, apparel sewing, or free motion quilting, and the list goes on and on.  And every one of those threads come in just about every color under the sun!!!  

One of my favorite things about Superior Threads is their dedication to Education.  If you have a question about thread, they will have the answer, guaranteed!!  I had the wonderful experience of attending one of Bob Purcell's Threadology lectures last January.  I learned so much and I have drawn on that information several times since!!  

     

Superior Threads has so many videos, just like this one, on their You Tube Channel or they can be found here on the Video Section of their website.    They really do cover everything you could ever need to know about thread, needles, tension, ect.  Superior Threads also has an amazing selection of educational articles.  I can not begin to explain how helpful the Tension articles were when we first got the long arm!!!

Now of course, Superior Threads is obviously know for their amazing quality and variety of threads, but did you also know they have a Fabric store as well!!!  It's called Mother Superior's Fab Fabrics  (Love the name!!) and is ran by Heather Purcell.  They carry a vast array of manufactures and they even help you to choose the threads that go with the fabric.  Bonus!!!

  

      

And of course, with all of that Thread and Fabric, you are going to need some needles to go along with it!!  I have been using Superiors Needles for the Long Arm for a year now but just recently started using Superior Needles for my home machine and and I have to say, I love them!!!  They are a top stitch needle that is titanium coated so it stays sharper longer and will way outlast the basic universal needles.  

  

             

I love my Superior Threads and am so happy to Welcome them as my newest sponsor here.  I am so excited to have them as part of the Happy Quilting Family!!!

 And as part of their welcome debut here at Happy Quilting, Superior Threads is giving away a $30.00 Gift Certificate to one lucky reader!!! 

You have two chances to win, please leave a separate comment for each.  And since Superior Threads is new here, I thought it might be nice for your entries to allow you to get acquainted :)

1 - Sign up for the Superior Threads Newsletter and leave a comment here that you did so or already do.  

2 - Follow Superior Threads.  You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or their Blog.   Pick one or several and then leave a comment of where you are following.

And that's it :) The giveaway will close on Sunday the 20th  and I will announce a winner Monday Morning.    Good Luck to everyone ;)

 Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

A Visit to Superior Threads!!

Yesterday, Barbara and I headed down to sunny St. George, Utah, emphasis on sunny (seriously, it was 104) to visit Superior Threads!!!  This is their warehouse and they ship all of their orders from here but it is also open to the public, so fun!!!   They totally let you walk among the shelves and shelves of threads, see all of the colors, and fill a basket ;)  And, their warehouse is right off the I-15, seriously, the next time you are driving through Utah on your way to Vegas or Cali, you totally want to stop by ;)

I was kindly greeted by Josh Every, general manager of Superior Threads. Everyone at the Warehouse is just so nice and willing to jump in and help you at a moments notice. And Isn't this a fun quilt!!!  It highlights all of the different types of threads that Superior makes.   So awesome!!

And then it was time for some shopping!!!  Seriously, is this not just eye candy!!!  Row, after row, after row of beautiful colors all wound on spools.  Ya, we were "shopping"  for 2 hours :)

I quickly found a box of my new favorite color, 402 Pearl!!!  Ahh, it is just perfect for white backgrounds :)  Love it!!!

And, then the purples, oh all of the wonderful, wonderful purples!!  You all know I love purple so I had to take a quick shot with my fave ;)

Quick Tangent - Since I happened to be sporting my Sew What Fat Quarter T-Shirt I posted this little selfie!!  Have you heard of Fat Quarter Shops new Selfie contest??  Take a selfie wearing your Sew What T-Shirt, and then post it with the hashtag #sewwhatselfie and be sure to tag @fatquartershop.  They will be giving $100.00 gift cards to the winners!!!     You can see all of the details of the contest here ;)  So fun!!!!  Where will you be when you take your selfie??

And yes, I got a hair cut last weekend, sadly, the heat of St. George made it go pretty flat, what ya gonna do ;)  

So back to our thread shopping trip ;)  This is what our little cart looked like close to check out ;)  We might have added a few more spools and some needles ;)  You will notice there are a lot of different types of thread in there.  I am often asked how I choose what thread I like to use.   Well . . .

That is the thing I love so much about Superior Threads.   Every thing you ever wanted to know about thread is on their website.  They are huge on Thread Education!!!  Seriously, here is a shot of their Education Index, and each of these topics have anywhere from 10-30 articles on the subject.    Let me tell you, the Tension section, A total lifesaver for me when I started on the long arm!!!    And you can also check out Superior Threads blog, they have fun posts that will make you a Master of Threadology :)

And just in case you are wondering, on the long arm I use Omni in the bobbin, and So Fine on the top, when I am blending .   If I want a bit of a pop, I will use Fantastico or Magnifico in the top and bobbin.

It was such a fun visit!!!  Thanks again to the folks at Superior Threads for making thread shopping oh so much fun!!!  And really, if you ever find yourself driving in Southern Utah, it is totally worth the stop!!!  Oh, I could get lost in there for hours and hours :)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Class Finishes!!!

I am back from the Quilt St. George retreat and it was so much fun!!!  All three of my classes were just fantastic.  Each of the ladies in my classes were just wonderful. We laughed and sewed and laughed some more, and sewed some more. I made lots of new sewing friends and even got to meet, in person, some of the wonderful sewing friends I have made through this blog.  What a fantastic way to spend 2 days :)  Oh, and I even got to meet Dr. Bob from Superior Threads and earn my PhD in Threadology!!!

I love teaching!!!  It is just absolutely wonderful to be surrounded by quilting.  To hear the hum of so many sewing machines running all at once. (which did pop the breaker a few times, but I have realized that is just part of a quilting class ;)  I I love to see all of the different fabric choices and watch my designs come to life in so many different color palettes.  And yes, I leave each class thinking I need to make that particular quilt another three times because I have fallen in love with new color choices :)  Most of all, I love to see these ladies get so excited and have such a good time quilting!!

And while everyone was having a wonderful time with friends, they also worked real hard.  Seriously, those machines were humming.   And by the end of class, there were a lot of finishes to show for it ;)

Here are the finishes from the Braided Irish Chain class

And the finishes from the Starburst Class

And of course, I totally forgot to take my camera out for The Way The Crow Flies class.  I knew it was going to happen at some point :)  But those ladies did fantastic as well ;)

But like I said, these ladies worked hard and all their finishes totally shows it :)  All in all, an absolutely wonderful two days of quilting goodness!!!

And I even managed while in St. Geroge to finish up all the pre-work and get the Star Light Star Bright Quilt-A-Long started!!!  (Yes, I was up a little late on Tuesday night :)   The first Quilt-A-Long  post went up Wednesday morning and had all of the fabric requirements, schedule, and the Prizes!!!!  Yippee, I am so excited.  This is going to be such a fantastic Quilt-A-Long ;)  We are spending 2 weeks to gather or order fabric so you have lots of time to jump in :)  It is going to be so much fun and with 1 x 1 layout options you can squeeze it in easy :)

Have a Happy Quilting Weekend :)

Linking up these finishes to Amanda's and Sarah's :)