Keep On The Sunny Side

Okay, so last week was a bear!!  I had my email comprised that I had for 10 years and trying to change over to a new one took way more time than I would have liked.  And maybe it is stupid, but I was really attached to that email address.  Just when I thought I was done with that, I lost all of my pictures, on all of my blogs, including my posts on the MBS.  Sigh, could it get worse??  I really should not have asked, because right after finding that out, I realized my toes were hurting like crazy and looked to find that they had gotten infected.  Argghh!!

BUT that was last week, and it is a new week!  ***  I am determined to move on and look on the Sunny Side of these situations!  So here it is :)

1 - I have all but 4 of my pictures back on my quilting blog.  Those 4 apparently were permanently deleted.  And I figure a weekend to get back up and running ain't bad at all.

2 - While redoing my blog I learned a ton about PDF's and blogs in general. I linked a more paper efficient I Spy tutorial, and redid my quilt archive to what I originally had planned and am much happier with the results.

3 - I have created new Bake Shop tutorials to replace the old broken ones and they are now up, complete with pictures.  (although, little downer, I lost all of the beautiful comments people wrote me about those quilts, but there was nothing to do about it, sigh)  I am all set back up with the Moda Bake Shop and have 2 tutorials in the pipeline :)

4 - The minute I found out my toes were infected I was able to get  antibiotics called in and our good friends offered to have us over for dinner and games so I wouldn't have to be on my feet.  Isn't that sweet!!

5 - And this has nothing to do with the "situations" but certainly brightened my outlook on life when I really had some dark clouds circling.  I found out Sunday that I won a Freebird Charm Pack  from Mariliz's Musing.  Thank you Mariliz, I can't wait to start a project with these super fun and happy prints!!

Project Modern - Check

So I finally decided how I wanted to quilt my Little Monster on the Go and with what color.  This decision was a long time coming as I just didn't know how I wanted to work around the applique.  I also has a few hours where my toes were feeling better (before they got infected :).   And to top it all off, my husband was helping a friend lay wood floors on Saturday so I had a nap time where I was all alone.  What does all this combine to make.  A finished Project Modern!!   Here is the result!

I just finished submitting it to Project Modern.  I don't know how "Modern" it turned out but I am happy with the result.  Oh, and funny side note -You might recall that I made this with my children in mind because they liked the show so much.  So when completed I asked them if they wanted it instead of their old ratty blankets.  They, of course, decided to stay with their old ratty blankets.  I know, I shouldn't be surprised.  They are bonded to those blankets.  So, as a result, this quilt is going in my Etsy Shop :)

Losing my Mind over Lost Pictures - UPDATED

So a few days ago I had to change my email because the old one was compromised.  It was a mess.  I had that email for 10 years and changing over to a new address took me all morning.  I thought I had it all worked.  Now I log on this morning to find that all of the pictures on my blog, that were posted under the old email address are gone.  Ahh, I am really hoping that this is just my computer but I highly doubt it.  So can you see the pictures on my blog, besides the one of my toes??

I have a feeling I am going to have some major work ahead to fix it.

We'll I was right.  It appears that since the pictures that I uploaded were done under my old email address log on that they no longer have a proper link to connect to.  So what does that mean for me . . reloading all of my pictures :)  Ya, I cried for a little bit over that.  It also happened on my personal family blog (which is much older and has a lot more pictures).  But after I got over the tears I figured - best get to work.   I have started but it will be a bit before all is back to normal :)

Presser Foot Pressure

We'll it appears I won't be able to put a lot of pressure on my presser foot for the next few days. I suppose it would be a great time to catch up on some basting :)

(Oh, and that's not blood on my toes, it's the Iodine to clean the area before working on them, the blood is underneath the bandage :)

I Spy Quilt Tutorial

Thank you everyone for all of the considerate and flattering comments you have left on my I Spy Quilt that I posted for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I have had several people emailing me asking for directions so I thought, sure, why not, I can whip a tutorial.  So here it is :)  (Oh, and it is linked in my tutorial tab just above so that is an easy place to always find it :)

EDIT - I have created a printer friendly version now.  It can be found for free here

Please be kind.   Please do not use this tutorial or pattern for personal gain and give me proper credit when sharing a link to this tutorial.  Thanks :)


First some shopping - Here is a list of what you are gonna need :)  It might take a while to gather up all your I Spy Blocks, no worries, it took me a year :)


Picture Blocks - Scraps or get a 6" Cut  - 98 Blocks Total      
 12 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With Yellow Backgrounds
 12 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With Red Backgrounds
 12 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With Blue Backgrounds
 12 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With Purple Backgrounds
 12 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With Orange Backgrounds
 12 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With Green Backgrounds
 26 Different Picture Squares 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" With White Backgrounds

Solid Outline Blocks - 1/4 Yard of Each Color
 28 Squares 3" x 3" Solid Yellow
 28 Squares 3" x 3" Solid Red
 28 Squares 3" x 3" Solid Blue
 28 Squares 3" x 3" Solid Purple
 28 Squares 3" x 3" Solid Orange
 28 Squares 3" x 3" Solid Green

Solid  Black - 1 3/4 Yards  
 100 Squares  3" x 3"
 8 Strips 4" x 44" - Sew Two's Together to Make 4 Strips - Trim Excess Solid (or small print)

Solid White - 1 Yard
 96 Squares  3" x 3"
 8 Strips 1 1/2" x 44" - Sew Two's Together to Make 4 Strips - Trim Excess

Rainbow Print - 1 Yard
 28 Squares  3" x 3"
 8 Strips 2 1/2" x 44" - Sew Two's Together to Make 4 Strips - Trim Excess
     Excess yardage to allow for square up of vertical / horizantal pattern

 Backing - 5 Yards (2 Pieces 2/12 Yards) Black and White Print  

 Binding - 25 inches (10 2 1/2" Strips) Black and White Print        

And once you have all of your supplies rounded up and cut you are ready to start sewing :)  Here is the layout for this quilt.

So basically, this entire quilt is made up of 49 blocks that each have 2 Picture Blocks and 2 Four-Patch blocks.  So, all you have to know to make this quilt is how to make that block, and then repeat 49 times :)  So here is how to make that block.  We are going to be making the block that is located at Row 2 Block 5.  (Kind of like battleship, tee hee hee).  So try and find it in the big quilt pattern above!  It should look like this.

Did you find it all right?  If not, look again and try to pay attention to the dark outlines around the blocks, they show where the blocks are formed.  I know it can be a little confusing as you would think you are sewing the 4 I spy blocks together, but alas, you are not.  Okay, so now we know how to find the blocks, lets get onto sewing them.

Grab your pieces needed for this block and lay them out according to the block grid.  Like this.

We start with attaching the the rows for the 4 Patch blocks together.  Lay your left block in each of the 4 Patch rows onto the right block.  Pin along the edge where the center seam will be formed.

Now stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Go ahead and chain stitch all 4 blocks, meaning just continue stitching from one piece to another without cutting threads.

Once you have finished stitching, cut the threads in between each set of blocks and press your seams open.

Your layout should now look like this.  Now you are ready to complete the Four Patch Blocks.

Lay the top row onto the bottom row of each Four patch Blocks.  Make sure to align the center seam and pin along the edge where the center seam will be formed.

Chain Stitch your 2 blocks using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Cut the threads between your 2 blocks and press the seams open on each block.

You should now have a layout like this.  Now you can attach the picture blocks to the Four Patch Blocks.  Oh, and this is a good time to make sure that, if needed, your I Spy blocks are right side up.  Notice how I spun the Red Snail from the last picture to make it right side up :)  (You don't want upside down pictures unless the print is a random print and it will be upside down regardless.)

Lay the left block in each row onto the right block on each row.  Pin along the edge where the center seam will be formed.

Chain stitch your two rows using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Clip the threads between your two rows and press your seams open.

And now your layout should look like this.  And you are ready to complete the final step of assembling your block.

Lay your top row onto your bottom row.  Make sure to match your center seam.  Pin along the edge where your center seam will be formed.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.

Press your seams open.

And Ta Da!!  Your block is completed.

So from here on out its all graph pictures.  Sorry, I made this quilt several years ago and while I was happy to use some old scraps to show making this block, I am not ready to make a whole new quilt :)  But no worries, it isn't that hard :)

So go ahead and start on Row 1 Block 1.  Put it all together using your block instructions above.  Then move onto Row 1 Block 2.  You get the idea.  Keep going until you get to Row 7 Block 7 and you have a stack of 49 blocks :)   *** A side note, When I made this I attempted several times to do this in an assembly type fashion.  Each time I ended up creating confusion, getting frustrated, and just went back to one block at a time.  That is not to say you can't do it assembly line, I just found one block at a time to be less of a headache and more enjoyable.

Once you have your 49 blocks finished you are ready to put your rows together.  This is pretty easy as long as you keep it simple.  I just started by sewing Row 1 Block 1 to Row 1 Block 2.  Lay Block 2 onto Block 1 and pin along the edge where your center seam will be formed.  Make sure to match up all of your seams.    Sew your 1/4" seam and press.  It should now look like this.  *** Once again, a side note, If you like you can do this in more of an assembly line fashion.  I just found doing it one block at a time to be easier :)

Now move onto to the next block.  Lay Block 3 onto your now pieced together Block 1 and 2 and pin along the edge where your center seam will be formed making sure to line up your seams and then sew your 1/4" seam and press.  It should look like this.

You get the idea right.  Just keep adding one block at a time until your whole row is complete and looks like this.  

Now repeat the process for all 7 rows.  Take your time :)  It is more important to keep nice straight seams and corners that match up nicely than to finish fast :)  Okay, so once you have all 7 rows completed you are ready to start sewing them together.  This is pretty much the same process, just on a longer scale :)

Now that you are done making the rows you can put them together.  Take Row 1 and lay it on Row 2.  Pin along the edge where your center seam will be formed.  Make sure to match all of your seams.  There are 20 seams to match so pin those first and then ease out any bubbles.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Your 2 rows should look like this.  

Continue adding on one row at a time until all 7 rows are sewn together.  It should look like this :)

Now you just have to add your borders.  Easy enough.  Lay a Rainbow border on your quilt top right sides together along the 2 sides of your quilt.  Pin the edge where your seam will be sewn.  Sew a 1/4" seam along both sides and press.  Your quilt now looks like this.

Now you can add the top and bottom rainbow border.  Do this the same way.  Lay your rainbow border on top of your quilt top right sides together.  Pin along the edge where your seam will be formed.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pin line and press.  Now your top looks like this :)

Now just keep adding borders.  Add the white border next using the same directions you just used.  Your quilt top now looks like this.

Now add the final black border using the same directions as before.  Your quilt top is now done and should look like this :)

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 ;)  

Then when you are all finished, bring out the kids and let them play :)  It measures 83" x 83" so it is perfect for a picnic or playing on the family room floor ;)    I hope your family loves your I Spy quilt as much as ours has :)

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own I Spy 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 I Spy Quilts!!!