Friday, September 25, 2015

Rah Rah Rally the Cedar High School Edition

I am so excited to share a new finish today.   This is my Rah Rah Rally Quilt from Sweet Celebrations done a la Cedar Redmen.   Our local High School is Cedar High and their mascot is the Redmen and so I made up this Rah Rah Rally quilt for a silent auction.   Cedar High's colors are Gold and Crimson and they were such fun and rich colors to work with ;)


You might recognize this design as the original I did was in the Sweet Celebrations book and I made the quilt in U of U colors for my sweetheart.    I altered from original construction this time and used strip piecing.  It really sped up the process.  I just love making this design, I can see lots more Rah Rah Rally quilts in my future ;)


When it came time to add the logo, I realized right off the bat that this would be a little bit more of a challenge that past logo's I have made.   It took me about 15 hours to make from start of cutting out to template pieces to finish of stitching it to the quilt top.  But I have to say, the time was totally worth it when it comes out looking this awesome!


My favorite part is the little satin stitch I did around the CR.  I knew right away it was way to tiny to do in applique so I thought I would give satin stitch a try and it really is the perfect finishing touch ;)  I have a full step by step tutorial  on complex layered appliques, just in case you have a particular school logo you just have to make now ;)


And when it came time to quilt, I decided to add to the geometric goodness by just doing straight-ish lines about 1/2" apart.  I love the wonderful yummy texture you add when you quilt like this, and the exercise from walking back and forth in front of the long arm is an extra bonus ;)


The quilt was a huge hit at the auction and I was so glad to be part of such a great cause to raise funds!!  And I happen to know who got the quilt and her plan is to give it to her senior for Christmas, which totally just warms my heart!!


And speaking of quilting for good causes, this weekend is Homecoming at the local university, and my Alma Mater, Southern Utah University and I just might have added this logo to my Double Take quilt to be another little fundraiser :)  I just love being able to use my passion for quilting to help the schools I love!!


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

Linking up this finished quilt to Sarah's and Amanda's ;)
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Diamond Drop Quilt - A Finish and Tutorial

Today is my day for the Riley Blake Design Team Wednesday, which means I am super excited to share a new quilt finish and the tutorial for it.   I call it Diamond Drop and it is oh so much fun!!!!


I was instantly drawn to the beautiful colors of this new Fancy and Fabulous line by Fancy Pants Designs for Riley Blake!!  They are just so perfectly happy and you can't help but smile when you see them.   


You might recall, back here, when I was playing around with a few design options for this quilt.  I knew I wanted to do a Half Rectangle Triangle quilt, but I wanted to mix it up and give it some punch.  Your favorite was option 2 so that is what we went with and I so love it!!!  All of those secondary designs that pop out are just so awesome!!!


As I just said, this is a Half Rectangle Triangle quilt.   Now there are lots of way to make HRT's and I kind of did my own way.  (Which I am sure others have done before ;)   It does require a little bit of waste as there is some trimming involved, but it goes so super fast, and you know I totally love things that can be done fast!!!



So let's get to making your own!!

To make your own Diamond Drop Quilt You Will Need:

2  Fancy and Fabulous 10" Stackers
2 Yards of Fabulous Pattern Mint  (C4843) for the Background
1/2 Yard of Fabulous Y Mint (C4844) for the Binding
4 Yards of Backing Fabric - I used Fabulous Breath Mint (C4845)


STEP 1 - CUTTING

The cutting for this tutorial is fairly easy.

From your 10" Stackers pull 28 pieces.  (I used the same 14 prints from each of the 2 layer cakes omitting the Fancy Pattern prints as well as the print I was using for my binding.)   Cut the 10" stackers in half to create (2) 5" x 10" rectangles from each piece for a total of (56) 5" x 10" rectangles.  Keep the halves separated into two piles of 28 rectangles each.

From the Background fabric cut (56) 5" x 10" Rectangles

From the Binding fabric cut (7) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric Strips.  Set aside


STEP 2 - MAKING THE HALF RECTANGLE TRIANGLES

There are lots of way to make Half Rectangle Triangles but this is the method I cam up with.  It does have some waste in it later on, but it is super fast.

Start by drawing a diagonal line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner on the wrong side of your first pile of 28 print rectangles.  On the second pile of 28 print rectangles, draw a diagonal line from the top right corner to the bottom left corner, making the two sets opposite.  You have to draw these in the two different directions to be able to create the diamond shape, otherwise your angles would all go the same direction ;)


From the first pile, place a marked print rectangle on a background rectangle as shown below matching up the corners.  From the second set, place a marked   print rectangle on a background rectangle as shown below matching up the corners.  You will be sewing a seam on either side of the drawn line of all 28 sets of each pile and we will be chain stitching to save time and thread.  To do this . . .


Take the first matched pair to your machine.  You can pin the two pieces together or you can simply hold the corners in place so they don't slide while sewing.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along one side of the drawn line .


When you get to the end of the unit, there will be a small part where you are only stitching on one piece of fabric, no worries, that is supposed to happen ;)   Now, stitch off one unit and then feed the next unit right into your machine without cutting threads.  That is chain stitching.


Continue this way until you have stitched all 28 units from the first set.  Then move right onto stitching a 1/4" seam along the second set of units, chain stitching as you go.  This is the same, except you will be stitching on the one piece of fabric at the beginning of the unit instead of the end.


Once you have stitched a 1/4" seam along one side of both sets of 28 units, clip the threads between the units and stack them back into your two piles.


Now, repeat the same process, only stitching 1/4" seam along the other side of the drawn line on all 28 of each of the two sets, chain stitching as you go.


And then once again, clip the threads between your units and separate them back into the two piles.  Align a ruler on the drawn line and cut directly on the drawn line to turn each unit into two units.  Repeat for all of the Half Rectangle Units to make a total of 112 Half Rectangle Units.


And this part is super important!!!!  When you go to press, be sure and press your two piles in opposite directions.  So press the 56 units in your first piles towards the Background fabric.  And press the 56 units in your second pile towards the print fabrics.  It doesn't matter which pile is first or second, just so long as your press them opposite ;)  This will allow us to nest all of the seams down the line.


STEP 3 - MAKING THE V BLOCKS

And now you are ready to turn your Half Square Rectangle units into our two types of V Blocks.  You will be using one of the Half Square Rectangles from each pile (one of each of the two different angles) to make each of the V Blocks.  Layout 1 HSR from each pile to create a Print V Block as shown on the right hand side.  You will be making 24 V Blocks in this layout.   Then, layout 1 HSR from each pile to create a Background V Block as shown on the left hand side.   You will be making 32 V Blocks in this layout.


Place the right hand side HSR onto the left hand side HSR with right sides together.  Align the top and the bottom of the HSR's and be sure that the diagonal seams nest together so the are directly next to each other.  That nesting will ensure your nice perfect points down the line.    You can pin them in place if you like and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the right hand side of your HSR pairs.


Chain stitch all 24 sets of your Print V Blocks followed by all 32 sets of your Background V Blocks.  Once you are done stitching, clip the thread between the blocks and press the seams open.


STEP 3 - TRIMMING THE V BLOCKS

And with that, your V Blocks are made and ready for trimming.  This is where that bit of waste comes into play that I mentioned at the start ;)  In order for all of our points to all line up, we need to trim approximately 1/2" from the top and bottom of each V block.  I say Approximately, because we are more concerned about where the point will line up, then how much we will be trimming off, but it will be super close to 1/2" as long as your seams before were 1/4" ;)

So . . . On to top (which I should have marked bottom, sorry) but lets just call it the pointed end of your V Block, align your ruler so that the point of the V is along the 1/4" mark on your ruler.  Ensure that the sides of the block are straight along the horizontal lines of your ruler, trim the excess from the top of the V block.  Repeat for all 56 V Blocks.


Then, on what we are calling the Bottom, or the open part of your V Block, Align your ruler so that your seam meets at 1/4"in and a 1/4" up.  Ensure that the center seam is along a horizontal line on your ruler.  Trim the excess.  (This one is a little easier to find if you measure up 1/2" first with another ruler and then look at the seams and ensure the seam is 1/4" in and 1/4" up ;)  Repeat this trimming for all 56 V Blocks.


And now you have 24 Print V Blocks and 32 Background V Blocks that all should measure about 8 1/2" across and 8 3/4" up and down.  It is okay if they are not perfectly at this measurement.  These are big blocks so there is room to ease things in when sewing the quilt top, the important thing is that your 1/4" points are going to come out perfect thanks to your trimming ;)


STEP 4 - MAKING THE DIAMOND BLOCKS

And now you are ready to turn your Trimmed V BLocks into Diamond Blocks!!  Layout 2 Print V Blocks to create a Print Diamond Block as shown on the right hand side.  You will be making 12 Diamond Blocks in this layout.   Then, layout 2 Background V Blocks to create a Background Diamond Blocks as shown on the left hand side.   You will be making 16 Diamond Blocks in this layout.


Place the top V Block onto the bottom V Block with right sides together.  Align and pin the center seam and be sure that the diagonal seams nest together so the are directly next to each other and pin them in place.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.  Chain stitch all 28 Diamond Blocks.


Once you are finished stitching, clip the threads between your blocks and press the seams open.  You will have 12 Print Diamond Blocks and 16 Background Diamond Blocks all ready to turn into your quilt top!!!


STEP 5 - MAKING THE QUILT TOP

Layout your Diamond Blocks, alternating the print and background ones in a 7 x 4 layout as shown below.   Play with the placement of the blocks until the color layout is pleasing to the eye.   I like to take a picture and then look at it on my camera, that is the easiest way to see that your colors are balanced.


Once you have a layout you like, you are ready to sew the Diamond Blocks into rows.  Place the second block in the row onto the first with right sides together.  Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Then, place the third block in the row onto to now sewn together first and second block.  Align, Pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Continue in this fashion until you have sewn the entire row of blocks together.


Take care when aligning that the center seams are align perfectly and pin it in place so it doesn't shift.  Then when sewing your 1/4" seam, be sure to cross directly over the point in the seams where the print and background fabrics meet.  This will give you those beautiful perfect points ;)


Repeat this process for all 4 rows of blocks.  Once sewn together, press all of your seams open.  There is a lot of bulk where those seams meet and pressing them open will help reduce that bulk.


Then all that is left is to sew the rows into a quilt top.  This is just like sewing the blocks into rows only on a larger scale.  Place the first row onto the second row with right sides together.  Align and pi all of the seams.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   Then, place the third row onto the now sewn together first and second row.   Align, pin, and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  And then repeat for the last row.


Press the three seams open and then give yourself a pat on the back.  Your beautiful Diamond Drop Quilt Top is done!!!!


STEP 6 - FINISHING THE QUILT

Now all that is left is to Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It!!!  Yup, that is a whole lot stuffed into one little sentence ;)   If you are new to quilting and not sure on any of these processes, you can check out my Finishing Your Quilt Video Tutorial Series.  It will walk you through each of these three things, step by step ;)  


When it came time to quilt mine, I decided to go with an all over echoed paisley design.  I haven't quilted this design in a while and it was so much fun.  You can also see a video tutorial here on how I do this quilting design ;)


STEP 7 - ENJOY  

And just like that, you are done and you can sit back and enjoy your new Diamond Drop quilt!!!  The quilt finishes at 56" x 65" so it is the perfect size for snuggling up in with a good book!!  I just love how happy and bright this quilt is and how the design has so many wonderful secondary designs that just pop out of the quilt.  So fun!!!


I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Diamond Drop 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 put it on social media with #happyquiltingwithmc ;)


Thanks for popping in today and every day!!!

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day . . . let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!   The winner of Fat Quarter Bundle of Enchanted from  The Intrepid Thread  is . . . . . .   Number #151 . . . Congrats Karen!!   I have emailed you :)     


   


    
And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Discover Fabric!!   You will find a wonderful selection of fabrics from a large variety of manufactures at Discover Fabric and at a great price :)  In fact, right now you can use the code DISCOVER20 and take an additional 20% off the already amazing priced fabrics in the Sales and Clearance Section!!  Yippee for awesome deals!!!   
   


And the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Discover Fabric!!!   One lucky reader is going to get to choose their favorites!!!    So fun!!!


You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.  Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 -  Simply leave a comment that tells me what project you are working on right now ;)

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Discover Fabric love. You can follow them on FacebookTwitter, or Pinterest.  You can Sign up for the Discover Fabric Newsletter (middle of the page) ,  or you can Visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Discover Fabric Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, September 29th  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Good Neighbors Pincushion Party!!!

I can't begin to say how excited I was when Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts asked me if I wanted to join in celebrating her first fabric line with Connecting Threads by making a pincushion for a Pincushion Party!!!!  Here's the little secret, I have never made a pincushion before.  I know, crazy right!!   So I was all kinds of excited to knock this first out of the park :)


When this fun little charm pack arrived at my door I was even more excited!!!  It's called Good Neighbors and it is just so incredibly bright and happy, just like Amanda!!!! I couldn't wait to cut into it!!


And I knew right away what kind of design I wanted to do.  Yup, my love of Irish Chains strikes again :)  I figured with all of the Irish Chain quilts hanging out in my sewing room, I might as well have a pincushion to match.   So I chopped up some of the fun bright colored prints and some of the wonderful low volume prints into 1" squares.  Oh, yes, meaning they finish at 1/2" adorable patchwork!!


Sew the squares into rows.   Which made me realize, I want to make a second one that will finish like this.  The long rectangles are kind of fun :)


And then sew the rows into a an adorable 5 1/2" little Single Irish Chain miniature quilt top!!  Isn't it so fun how 121 squares can fit into such a tiny, tiny space ;)


And I totally had to share a picture of the back, because how fun is all of that seam goodness :)


Then it was time to quilt it, stuff it, and close it ;)  I stitched in the ditch with white thread to make each little square pop,  and then used a little rainbow diagonal stitching over the colored prints just to help the design stand out.


And for the back, I used 4 of my favorite prints from Good Neighbors.  I just love how cool these ovals look!!  And you can also see my hand stitching in this shot to close the pin cushion up.  Yup, I am still not a very good hand stitcher ;)


As soon as I finished, my daughter asked if she could put some pins in it.  She promptly stuck a pin in each of the colored squares.  I have a feeling I will be coming down to my sewing room quite frequently to find my pincushion looking like this ;)


I had so much fun making my first pincushion and working with Amanda's first fabric line Good Neighbors!!   She totally knocked it out of the park with these fabulously cheery and happy fabrics!!!
And now it is time for me to put this pin cushion to work :)


You can check out all the pincushion fun by following along with the Good Neighbors Pin Cushion Party!!!  


Here is a list of all the stops that are coming and have gone ;)   Talk about an awesome Pincushion Party and it has been so much fun to be a part of it!!!

9/1/2015
Amanda Jean
9/2/2015
Anna
9/3/2015
Mary
9/4/2015
Svetlana
9/5/2015
Debbie
9/6/2015
Holly
9/7/2015
Carla
9/8/2015
Faith
9/9/2015
Vanessa
9/10/2015
Anna
9/11/2015
Krista
9/12/2015
Erin
9/13/2015
Lee
9/14/2015
Alex
9/15/2015
Cheryl
9/16/2015
Penny
9/17/2015
Amy
9/18/2015
Debbie
9/19/2015
Anne
9/20/2015
Melissa Corry
9/21/2015
Amber
9/22/2015
Nettie
9/23/2015
Adrianne
9/24/2015
Cindy
9/25/2015
Amy
9/26/2015
Chase
9/27/2015
Rene
9/28/2015
Erin
9/29/2015
Nicole
9/30/2015
Teri

 And one last thing before I sign off today . . . Connecting Threads has graciously agreed to giveaway a Good Neighbors Charm Pack to one lucky Happy Quilting Reader!!!!


To enter . . . simply leave a comment telling me if you have made a pincushion before or if it is on your "to-do" list ;)      One comment per person please :)  I will choose a winner on 09/26 :)

And that's all for today!! 

Thanks for popping in and have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

WINNER - #49 - Kay Voyles!!!!   Congrats Kay, I have emailed you ;)

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