Radio Show Follow-up

I want to say a huge Thank You to Pat Sloan for having me on her podcast on Monday!!!  Also a huge thank you  to everyone who tuned in to hear me  on American Patchwork and Quilting Radio!!!  It s oh so much fun!!!  If you were not able to listen live, you can still go to here or here and listen to the podcast ;)

And I have been getting a few emails with questions on some of the things we discussed, so I wanted to follow up on those questions here.  So . . . Here are the "links" to more info on all of the fun little topics that Pat and I chatted about.


First off, we discussed My block, Lots of Love,  for the Splendid Sampler.  My post about my block can be found here and it shares with you all of the design inspiration behind the block.  And the pattern for my block can be found right here ;)

Second, Pat and I chatted a bit about my "prolific" quilting habits.  I have had several emails since asking me besides being organized, how do I make so many quilts in a year.   We'll I don't know if I have a great answer for that, but I do come at each of my days very routine, and quilting is part of the routine.

I wrote up a post back here on my little "schedule" and how I can squeeze the most out of my day to try and be as productive as I can with the hours I have.  While some of the little ones in this post are now in school, the schedule is pretty much the same.   I still have one little one home with me in the day, and luckily she still takes a nap so I can still have my 1 - 3 or 4 Afternoon sew time where I chain stitch as much as I can on 3 to 4 quilts.    And then yes, every evening the kids still go to bed and I have Press and Pin time while my sweethearts has Check ESPN time with some movie playing in the background ;)  So basically, I make quilts in assembly line fashion 3-4 at a time which allows me to be super efficient.
But I will say, I do try to have one or two quilts that I am working on in the midst of all of the "assembly line" quilts  (normally sampler quilts) that I can work on 1 block at a time so that I can still have that enjoyment of working on individual blocks, enjoying the success of completing each block,  and seeing the quilt come together over a lengthy period of time.

We also chatted a bit about what you can find at my blog ;)   I thought this was the perfect time to highlight a few of the "tabs" on my blog, just in case you haven't taken the chance to surf around yet. The "tabs" circled in yellow are the ones that we specifically talked about on the podcast.  They are all pretty self-explanatory of what you will find when you click on them and I hope you will go up to the top of my block and check them out ;)  There really is quite a lot of free tutorials stored up in those little tabs.  And before I move on, I just wanted to highlight my Quilt Archive tab.     We talked in some detail about my Quilt Archive, and I highly encourage any makers to have some sort of "Archive" or Journal of what you make.  It is just a wonderful resource to look back and see all that you have made and to keep a record of your creative journey.  

Next up was a bit about my love of Applique!!!   I referenced my Complex Layered Applique tutorial and have had a few emails asking where to find it.   It can be found right here  and if you are brand new to Applique, you can check out my Applique Basics Video tutorials here ;)  just scroll down bast the finishing your quilts videos.  

And finally, we finished off where we started with the Splendid Sampler.   We discussed my plan for my own personal Splendid Sampler.   And for those that have asked, here is my "layout" for my Splendid Sampler quilt.  I am so excited.   I post each Saturday my Monochromatic blocks for the week, so be sure and follow along to see this come together ;)

And I think that just about covers all of the questions that I have gotten since the radio show.  If you have a question that I missed following up on, please don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   I just love hearing from you all.

Thanks again for Tuning In and 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 Bee Creative Fat Quarter Bundle from Green Fairy Quilts  is . . .   Number #213 . . . Congrats Material Girl!!   I have emailed you :)    

    

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop.   Fat Quarter Shop is amazing and they never cease to amaze me with everything they have going on at their shop!!!     And have you heard about their new Sew Sampler monthly subscription quilting box!!!  So fun, you get a special surprise on your doorstep each month!!

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a Sherbert Grunge Basics Fat Quarter Bundle to one lucky winner!!!!  Now if you have been around Happy Quilting for any amount of time, you know that I love Grunge Basics!!!  And oh these colors just make me so excited for Spring!!!   

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 is your favorite flavor of Sherbert.  (I love Raspberry :)  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You Tube or at their Blog.  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 Fat Quarter Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, April 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!!!

APQ Radio Podcast Today!!

Today's the day!!!  I get to chat with Pat Sloan on the radio, so fun!!!  You can listen to the Podcast here on the American Patchwork and Quilting Radio Podcast home.   The show stars at 4 pm EST.  And if you have any questions, check out Pat's site here.  It has all the info you need to know about how to listen, how to subscribe, and past guests lists ;)

We will be chatting about all kinds of quilting goodness, including my little Splendid Sampler blocks!!!  It is going to be so much fun!!!  I can't wait :)

Hope you can tune in.   

Happy Quilting!!! 

Splendid Sampler Saturday

So sadly I am not going to have any Splendid Sampler Saturday Sewing time today.  I am doing a little swimming in a team triathlon today and it is going to pretty much take up the day.  But, since I am up way earlier than I needed to be and can't get back to sleep (blame that on the nerves) and I already have this weeks blocks done . . . well why not just post my Splendid Sampler Saturday post now!!  So here we go.

First up, the Family Affair block designed by Janice Ryan.  Okay, let me just say, I don't do a whole lot of paper piecing.  I want to get more proficient at it so I was glad for the opportunity to practice, and I realized once again, I really need the practice.  I think I am always trying to conserve fabric and cut my scraps to small, then when I flip them over, they come up short.   Ahh well, it came out in the end, and you have to look super close to be able to see the few little spots where I filled in some unaligned points with a Sharpie.   (Yes, it is still a great way to "help" your points along in a pinch)  Yup, practice, practice, practice on paper piecing.

I just loved piecing this Pieces of Friendship block designed by Lindsay Mayland.  It wen't together fast and has lots of perfect little points that just make me smile.   And don't you just love the polka dots!!  They add such a wonderful contrast in the block, so fun!!!

And yesterday it hit me, that while I work on my Splendid Sampler Blocks I might as well be working on my Chain blocks at the same time.   You might recall that I plan to do a layout something like this ;)

So I sorted through my scrap drawer of black fabrics and then went through my white scrap drawer (which happens to be sorted into like 5 different sections) and chopped up some wonderful little 2 1/2" squares :)   Now, while I am working on my Splendid Sampler blocks I will use these little guys as Leaders and Enders  and crank out the chain blocks at the same time.   Yippee!!!   

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Saturday ;) 

SubCutting SpeedUp with Stagger Stacking

Wow, say that title 5 times fast, tee hee hee.   Yesterday I was getting ready to subcut all of my strip piecing for my Ruby Jubilee Braided Irish Chain and I realized that there is a little speedup trick there that I always like to share in my classes, and I thought it would be fun to share it here as well.  So I snapped some pictures along the way to make up this little SubCutting SpeedUp Tutorial ;)  So here it goes.

So the main thing about subcutting strip piecing that I think gets to everyone is just how long it takes.  I  always fold my strips in half when strip piecing, because I never like to move my fabric once I start cutting. (and we are all about saving time, right :)    I just make sure the edges are nice and aligned.  So I was always taught to place my strip piecing on my mat, all nice and spread out, because you really don't want to cut through more than one stacked seam at a time.  But this means you can only cut 3 strips at a time.

So yes,  I will admit, when I first stared, I did indeed try stacking my strip piecing on top of one another so as to speed things up.  And while I can get away with one stacked seam from the folded strip, several stacked seams always mean shifting and some not so fabulous cutting.  So ya, I highly recommend you stay away from this idea.

So here is where the SpeedUp trick comes in.  Instead of Stacking your strips on top of one another, I like to Stagger Stack my strips!!!  To do this, place your first strip ( that is folded and the edges are nicely aligned ) on your mat, aligning the top of the strip with a horizontal strip on your mat.  I like to align this as far down the mat as I can while still keeping it on the mat ;)

Then, place the second strip on the mat, Staggering it slightly above the seam in the previous strip, and Aligning the top edge with the next available horizontal line on your cutting mat.   The Staggering makes it so that your seams are not stacked directly on top of one another so they won't shift when subcutting.

Continue to Stagger Stack strips on your mat until you run out of space.  You can fit seven 4 1/2" strip sets on your mat at one time.  That is a lot of subcutting.   And the stacking actually helps your fabric from shifting, as there is another piece of fabric on top of it weighting it down.   Stagger Stacking is such a great way to really SpeedUp your Subcutting without having to lose accuracy!

So now with the Strips all Stagger Stacked you are ready to subcut.   And since we are already in tutorial mode, I thought I would contine to share how I subcut.  There are actually a few ways I like to do it so you use what you like best ;)

Start by trimming a straight edge to get rid of all the selvages.  I just align my ruler along a horizontal line on my mat and trim.   Then, measure in however far your subcut width is. For today I am using 2 1/2",   Measure in the desired width of your sub-unit (2 1/2") and then double-check that the 2 1/2" mark on the ruler lines up with the newly cut edge of my fabric.   Then cut along the edge of the ruler.

Now slide over, or stack up, your freshly cut subunits so they are out of the way and you once again have a nice straight edge.  Then you can again measure in 2 1/2", double-check that the 2 1/2" mark on your ruler is aligned with the new straight edge, and cut along the edge of the ruler.

But a while back, I decided that I didn't like the time it took to move the cut units out of the way.  So I started using the measurments on my cutting mat.  So from the straight edge, count in 2 1/2" on your mat.  Align your ruler at the top and bottom of your mat on the calculated measurement and cut along the edge of the ruler.  This works great when dealing with 1" or 1/2" and even sometimes 1/4" measurements and speeds things up a bit more, but if I am doing 1/8" I tend to move things out of the way for the double check.

Whether you are moving pieces out of the way and measuring on your ruler, or using your mat to measure . . . just continue to measure and cut all the way across your strip piecing.

Then stack up your subunits and scrap the selvages and folded edges.   I always try not to use the folded edges if I don't have to because that just means one more step in having to press them flat before subcutting them.

And one last little thing.   If you are confident in using your mat to measure, you can also cut from Right to Left. Just align your strips with the selvages on the right.    This is actually the way I cut normally, but I am a right handed person who was taught to cut from a left handed person so I might be the only person that cuts this way.    I never knew this was different from how most people do it until I was writting the basics section in my book and the technical writer asked me if I was left handed.  To funny!!!   Anyhow, this is still my favorite way to cut because of 2 things.  1 - The fabric that still needs to be cut is always under my ruler so it doesn't move at all when I cut and 2 - I never have to lift my ruler, I just slide it to the left after each cut, which also eases out any little "bubbles" in my fabric.  So just one more little option you can try if you want to join the ranks of Righties who cut like Lefties :)

Whichever way you decide to Subcut though, I hope you find that the Stagger Stacking saves you lots of time while still giving you wonderfully accurate units.   I have found it to be a great little trick and a wonderful time saver.   Hope you enjoy this little tutorial.  I am off to make these 2 Patches into 4 Patches ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!