It's That Time of Year - Quilt Along's!!!!!

One of my favorite things about January is the start of so many amazing Quilt Along's   Now before I get into some of these amazing Quilt Along's, a quick note.  I know several of you have asked when I will be hosting my next Quilt Along, and the answer is, I am not sure yet.  But no worries, I am totally plan on doing one and I am tentatively thinking around Spring . . . so know that it will be coming :)     Alright, with that said, back to January's Quilt Alongs!!!

I am super excited to be able to participate in 4 new Quilt Alongs !!!!  Some I am participating by guest posting a day of the quilt-along and some I am making the full quilts.   It is going to be so much fun and I would love it if you wanted to quilt along with me in one, or two, or however many you can squeeze in ;)

The first Quilt-Along is the Splendid Sampler.  This is the project of the amazing Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson.   They have gathered together 81 designers who have each designed a block to share!!!  The Quilt Along will be mystery as two new blocks are revealed each week.  It's going to be a 100 Block Adventure starting on February 14th and sure to be a whole lot of fun!!!!  If this sounds like the Quilt-Along for you, you can find more details at the Splendid Sampler Website and join the Facebook Group as well ;)  My block is actually slated to be the first block shared, so that is all kinds of exciting (and scary) at the same time ;)

The Bloom Sew Along is starting today!!!!   This is an adorable quilt designed by Lori Holt using her amazing Sew Simple Shapes templates.   I am so excited to be guest posting on one of the blocks and I can't wait to share it.  You all know how much I love applique!!!  Lori is an amazing teacher and will walk you through every step of the way!!!  It is going to be so much fun!!!   Be sure to pop on over and see the intro post today with all of the details ;)

So if you haven't seen the Moda All-Stars All in a Row book you totally need to check it out.   It is so fun!!!  I was lucky enough to make one of the gallery quilts in the book (which I realized I haven't shared yet, I need to do that :)  and had so much fun making up each of the rows.  So when I heard that Moda was going to do a Row-Along I was totally up for it!!!  My plan is to make a new Christmas Row Quilt and I am sew excited!!!   The Row Along starts February 1st and starting today the designers are sharing each other rows as a kick off.  Find all all of the details over at the Moda Cutting Table blog!!! 

And finally, the Crossroads Quilt Along started on Friday.  I posted then  about this amazing Quilt Along that benefits the March of Dimes but wanted to include it in this list ;)   I am sewing my quilt in Strawberry Fields Revisited, just like the original.  I just love those soft Figgy Colors!!!  You can find all of the details about this gorgeous quilt for an amazing cause at the Crossroads Quilt Along Page.  

So ya, lots of Quilt Along fun!!!   I am hoping to do some of the cutting for these today so I should have lots to share soon ;)  And I hope to be able to see your shares from these fun Quilt-Alongs too.  It is always fun to quilt together ;)

Have a Happy Quilting (Along)  Day!!!

Crossroads Quilt Along - Fabric Requirements

The Crossroads Quilt Along officially starts today!!!!  Ohhh, I am super excited!!!   Just like with the Snapshots Quilt Along from last year, I will be posting, along with Fat Quarter Shop, on the 15th of each month.   Today  the Fabric Requirements are being released, and starting next month will be the release of the first block pattern!!!

The Crossroads Quilt Along is benefiting March of Dimes.  The March of Dimes, is an amazing organization whose mission is to prevent pre-mature births. The Crossroads quilt blocks are FREE to download on the 15th of every month starting in February 2016. Fat Quarter Shop only asks a suggested donation of $5 to the March of Dimes campaign for each time you download our patterns.

I will be sewing my Crossroads Quilt in the Strawberry Fields Revisited collection by Fig Tree Quilts, just like Fat Quarter Shops pattern.   If you want to do the same, they still have quilt kits and backing sets available in their shop. 

If you are using your own fabrics to make your Crossroads Quilt, be sure to pop on over and  download the Fabric Requirements PDF and gather your fabrics so you are all set come next February 15th ;)

And if your Quilting Along, I highly suggest bookmarking this  Crossroads page as it has all of the little details about the quilt along and is a great resource.   I can't wait to sew along on this amazing project for this amazing cause!!!   See you back for more Crossroads fun on February 15th ;)

Star Cakes Quilt - FQS Top 10!!!

Remember a few days ago when I shared one of the Fat Quarter Shop Top 10 You Tube video Quilts, well today, I get to share another one!!!! And today's is called Star Cakes and I absolutely fell in love with this quilt design the moment I saw the original. I had so much fun making my own!!!!

The Star Cakes Quilt is  Day 9 of this fun event!!!  It is oh so much fun to make and once again, it is in the Shortcut Quilt Series, so it goes together super fast as well!!!  Kimberly has a great little trick for making those HST's in a whole new way!!

Since I made the last Top 10 Quilt a baby girl quilt, I decided I wanted to make this one a baby boy quilt. I used a Layer Cake of Carolyn Friedlander's Doe collection that I had been saving and it was just perfect ;)  I used lots of the great low volume prints for the background, the medium volume prints for the sashing, and the high volume prints for the stars.   I even used the last bits of leftovers to make a fun scrappy binding.   I just love those super fun stars just popping out of the quilt and the super chic yet all boy look it has!!!  

When it came time to quilt it, I wanted to add to the division of the high and low volume prints.  So I did lots of tiny pebbling in the background so it was super dense and then some simple double arches in the stars so they still pop.   And then in the sashing I did some serpentine lines to keep your eyes moving ;)  I just love how it adds to the overall design.  

And it created oh so much yummy texture to the quilt.   I just love it!!!!

And that is my Star Cakes Quilt!!!  I have a special little nephew on the way who will be getting a cool, hip, new Star Cakes Quilt upon his arrival.   So fun!!!!  

And you can't have a celebration without a giveaway!!!   One lucky person is going to win a $100 Fat Quarter Shop Gift Card!  To enter, simply share any of your Top Ten Quilts you have made on social media, tagging @fatquartershop and using the #FQSTop10 hashtag as well as the quilt name (#charmboxquilt) hashtag.  The contest will be open until February 1st, which totally gives you time to whip up a new Charm Box Quilt ;)   And be sure to check out my bloggy friends sharing their Star Cakes creations and inspiration ;)  So fun!!!

Shruti of 13 Woodhouse Road

Rachel of PS I Quilt

Melissa of Happy Quilting (your here) 

Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset

Cara of That Crafty Cara

Kim of Persimmon Dreams

Pat Sloan

And be sure to follow along with Fat Quarter Shop  each day for a new Top 10 Video and pattern!!! There is so much amazing quilting eye candy that has been shared ;) 

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!

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 the $50.00 Gift Certificate to Green Fairy Quilts. is . . .   Number #2 . . . Congrats Betty B!!!   I have emailed you :) 

      

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Ollie and Evie.  Rhonda has has a whole lot of great new things starting this year!!!  First off, she has started a Weekly Special where a particular line of fabric will be marked down all week.   This week is Prairie by Corey Yoder ;)   Second, all New Fabric Lines will be discounted for one week upon arriving in her shop.   Discounted like as in yardage $8.00 a yard and Layer Cakes and Jelly Rolls at $26.95!!!!   This week Lil Red and Strawberry Fields Revisited just showed up so get it while it is discounted!!!     And finally, she will be having lots of  flash sales and destashing to help you add to your stash.  So be sure to follow along and check Olie and Evie, its a whole new year for this awesome shop!!!

And speaking of Strawberry Fields Revisted, today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a double dose of it!!!  One lucky reader is going to be receiving a Strawberry Fields Charm Pack and Layer Cake!!!   That is a lot of Strawberry Goodness!!! 

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 telling me what is your favorite Berry to eat??

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Olie and Evie love.   You can follow them on  Facebook, Instagram, at their blog,  or Favorite their Shop, or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Olie and Evie Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, January 19th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Breaking Up - Tucker Prairie Edition

Today is the final day of my Irish Chain Quilts Remakes.  If you missed the previous 2 days you can find Daisy Chain here and Bitty Bits Here ;)    And today, it's Breaking Up!!!!!

Breaking Up is from the Twists on Tradition section of Irish Chain Quilts.  It really is such a fun quilt to piece and is easier than it looks.   I just love all of the movement from the mismatch chain and the pop of that great navy!!

For this quilt, I decided to use the remains of a  Tucker Prairie Fat Eighth Bundle by One Canoe Two for Moda that I had left over from another project.  I had used all of the warm toned prints for the other project leaving all of these beautiful cool tones for this quilt.   I matched it with a beautiful BasicGrey Grunge Navy Print for the chain and a Grunge White Print for the Background.   I love that the Grunge White has beautiful green hints to it that play so well with the prints!!! I tell you what, I love Grunge!!!!

When it came time to quilt, I went pretty similar to the original with just a few changes.  I did these fun flowers in the squares with double arches which is a small alteration from the original but in the same ballpark and then in the background I went with a great little all over loopy.  I tell you what, I forgot how much fun it is to do little loopies ;) I was flying across this quilt top, so fun!!

I am so excited about this new Breaking Up - Tucker Prairie Quilt.  I just love the colors and I am hoping it will be a big hit at my trunk show today :)   If you have made your own Breaking Up quilt I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com

And that ends up the Irish Chin Quilts Remakes, well at least the ones I had planned.  I am sure there will be more to come ;)  

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

Linking this finish up to Sarah's and Amanda's ;)

Bitty Bits Backwards

Today is Day 2 of the Irish Chain Quilts Remake I mentioned yesterday :)   And I am so super excited to share my newest finish today!!!  Here it is Bitty Bits!!!

Bitty Bits is in the  Improvisational Piecing section of Irish Chain Quilts.   It is such a fun quilt to make and a wonderful intro into Improvisational Piecing if you have never tried it before.  I love that you get all of the fun wonky angles but still have the structure of the chain ;)

I used a bundle of Peppered Cottons (shot cottens) from Studio E that I picked up at my last Market for the background and for the chain I used a bunch shades of white.   It was great because it used up all of those little bits of yardage leftovers that you have from being the background of other projects. Having them all mixed up in the chain was just perfect and burned through a bunch of scraps ;)  Double bonus!!!

I had a lot of fun quilting this one!!!  Swirls are my all time favorite!!  Honestly, I could quilt them for days on end ;)  To mix it up a bit, I played with the scale of the swirls, using small, medium, and a few large swirls.  I love the added depth it gives the quilt ;)  And after I was done the swirls, I decided that I loved it just the way it is and left the white chain unquilted.  I love the little pop it gives the chain ;)   So fun!!!

 I have wanted to make this quilt in this backwards layout since the day after I finished the original Bitty Bits!!!   I even wrote about wanting to do this layout in the book!!!  Here is the original Bitty Bits from Irish Chain Quilts.

And it turned out just the way I hoped it would!!!   How fun is it in reverse, having the colors in the background and the neutrals in the chain!!!  And yes, I tend to lean towards the cool tones, they are my favorite because of the purples.  But how fun would it be to do it in warm yellows, oranges, and reds ;)   And what about a monochromatic one with shades of your favorite color.  Oh ya, adding more quilts to the list ;)

I am just so thrilled with my new Backwards Bitty Bits and I hope you love it every bit as much as I do!!!  If you have made your own Bitty Bits quilt I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com

And that is it for today :)  Tomorrow is the trunk show but I still have one more Irish Chain Quilts remake to share tomorrow so be sure to pop back in ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Flutter Daisy Chain

I am so super excited to be teaching this weekend at Quilt St. George, a super fun retreat in sunny St. George.   I also have the privilege to do an Irish Chain Quilts Trunk Show while at the retreat!!!!  I just love being able to share my book and the fun quilts from it!!!   However, I realized a bit ago, that I had a small scheduling snag.  Several of my quilts from Irish Chain Quilts are still in a quilt shop hop across the US and so I had some holes to fill.   So time to make some more Irish Chain Quilts!!! So fun!!!!   And you know, since the Trunk Show is Friday, of course I am just finishing them up and will share them over the next few days ;)

So here is the first remake . . . Daisy Chain!!   Daisy Chain is from the Appliqued Chains section of Irish Chain Quilts and is a tribute to my mother and her childhood days of making Daisy Chain Necklaces and Bracelets in the fields of England where she grew up.

I have been holding onto my Flutter 10" stacker by Amanda Herring for Riley Blake since my very first quilt market sample spree.  I was waiting for just the right project and I knew it was the perfect fit for this remake.  I love those beautiful bold colors!!  They just make those daisies pop!!!

Daisy Chain is such a fun little baby quilt to make that comes together fast, even with the applique.  It is a great way to get started into applique if you are new to it as the project isn't that large ;)   And I know I have said it before, but applique isn't as hard as it sounds and once you start, you are gonna love it!!!

When it came time to quilt this, I tried a new background design.  I started with a Curly Q concept but then crossed it over itself a bit to make more of a Ribbon Curl design.   It was a little rocky to start, but got better as I progressed.  Overall, I am really liking the movement it gives it in the background without overpowering the applique.  Yippee ;)

And that is Daisy Chain the Flutter Edition ;)   I am just thrilled with how it has turned out and had so much fun making this quilt again!!!   Have you made a Daisy Chain quilt??  I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com :)

Be sure to pop back in tomorrow for the second Irish Chain Quilts remake ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!

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 the $50.00 Gift Certificate to Bear Creek Quilting Company is . . .   Number #294 . . . Congrats Betty B!!!   I have emailed you :) 

    

   

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Green Fairy Quilts.  Green Fairy has always been your stop for Amazing Pre-cuts and now . . . they have added more  Patterns, Books, Notions, and Thread!!    And be sure to check out their Daily Deal, where you will always find a great bargin!!   And Green Fairy Quilts ships free in the US and discounted to international.  Sweet!!!

And today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a $50.00 Gift Certificate to Green Fairy Quilts!!!!! One lucky winner is going to have a fun shopping spree with that!!!!  

  

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 ;) 

And since it is a New Year . . . You can always try a new way or outlet to follow on Entry 2 ;)  I try and keep these entries very simple for you, but I also want to make sure we are appreciating our sponsors ;)  So, you know, instead of always saying the same way you follow, why not try something new.  They are posting different things everywhere and this will guarantee you won't miss a thing ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me if you made any New Years Resolutions or Goals or Word, or anything along those lines??

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Green Fairy Quilts love.   You can follow them on Bloglovin, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram.  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 Green Fairy Quilt Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, January 12th  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Charm Box Quilt - FQS Top 10!!!

Throughout last year, my good friends at the Fat Quarter Shop created a whole bunch of super fun You Tube videos that all go along with some amazing free patterns!!   I had the pleasure of sewing along with several of those videos and patterns from 2015 and loved making each of them!!!  Now it is time to celebrate :) Each day for the next 2 weeks, Fat Quarter Shop will share 1 of the top 10 Video's from 2015!!   And once again, I am so super excited to be a part of this, especially because it meant I got to make a couple more quilts that I really wanted to make when I saw them last year!!!    

The first quilt I absolutely wanted to try was the Charm Box Quilt  and it is Day 1 of this fun event!!!  It is oh so much fun and as it is from the Shortcut Quilt Series, you can probably guess that it is super fast as well!!!  Kimberly has a great little trick for making this quilt so much fun to piece!!

I absolutely love charm packs and it was so hard to decide what charm pack to make this quilt from.  Since I couldn't decide, I picked my sashing fabric first and grabbed this super fun Salmon Grunge fabric by Basic Grey for Moda.   From there, it was easy to see that my Sidewalks charm squares by October Afternoon for Riley Blake Designs would be the perfect complement.   I just love the fun vintage soft feel mixed with that great punch of happy bright sashing!!! And I love the way it changes the focal point of the quilt, so fun!!!

When it came time to quilt it, I decided on some ribbon candy quilting on the sashing and some double arches in the charms.   I like how it really highlights all of those cute charm squares ;)

And that is my Charm Box Quilt!!!  I can't wait for a good friend to have her little girl :)  This quilt is going to be just perfect for her sweet little angel ;)  

And you can't have a celebration without a giveaway!!!   One lucky person is going to win a $100 Fat Quarter Shop Gift Card!  To enter, simply share any of your Top Ten Quilts you have made on social media, tagging @fatquartershop and using the #FQSTop10 hashtag as well as the quilt name (#charmboxquilt) hashtag.  The contest will be open until February 1st, which totally gives you time to whip up a new Charm Box Quilt ;)   And be sure to check out my bloggy friends sharing their Charm Box Quilt creations and inspiration ;)  So fun!!!

Melissa of Happy Quilting (your here) 

Vickie of Spun Sugar Quilts

Remona of The Stitching Scientist

Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset

Anorina of Samelia's Mum

Kim of Persimmon Dreams

Shruti of 13 Woodhouse Road

Connie of Free Motion by The River

Natalia of Piece N Quilt

Gerri of Planted Seed Designs

And be sure to follow along with Fat Quarter Shop  each day for a new Top 10 Video and pattern!!! This is going to be fun ;) 

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!