Patchwork Quilt Along - Spinning Tops

It's  time for the eleventh set of  Patchwork Quilt Along Blocks hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop!!!! As in, 11 and only one more month to go, so exciting!!!!  Today's Patchwork Quilt Along blocks are the Spinning Tops Blocks and they are just to fun!!  

This block was so fun to piece together.  I am just loving sewing all  of this tiny patchwork.   And this one required a little more precise stitching with those triangle corners, but I just loved it.  And isn't the blocks just so fun, makes me want to turn it on it's side and really spin it ;) 

So if you are quilting along you can download the block pattern right here and then you can pop on over to donate $5.00 to the Make a Wish Foundation for your download  ;)  The goal has been reached and now you can just donate in general to Make a Wish!!!  

And don't forget to check out the super cute  You Tube video that walks you through making the block, its super helpful in those little triangle corners, and you even get to listen to some super peppy tunes along the way!!!    

And be sure to share all of your Patchwork progress on social media with #patchworkquiltalong and pop over to all of the fabulous bloggers who are quilting along for some Spinning Tops Block eye candy :)    I just love seeing everyone's blocks!!!

*Bonnie of Cotton Way (@bonniecottonway)

*Camille of Thimble Blossoms (@thimbleblossoms)

Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl (@jedicraftgirl)

Amy of Diary of a Quilter (@diaryofaquilter)

Andy of A Bright Corner (@abrightcorner)

Debbie of Happy Little Cottage (@happylittlecottage1)

Greg of Grey Dogwood Studio (@greydogwoodstudio)

Heidi of Buttons and Butterflies (@buttonsandbutterflies)

Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)  (that's me :) 

Melissa of Oh How Sweet (@ohhowsweet)

Pat Sloan of PatSloan.com (@quilterpatsloan)

Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane (@downgrapevinelane)

Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)

Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)

Taunja of Carried Away Quilting (@taunjalynn)

Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset (@emilyannskloset)

Carrie Nelson/Miss Rosie of Moda Cutting Table

If you have any questions about the quilt along, you can pop on over to the Patchwork Quilting Along page and your pretty sure to find the answer there ;)  This tiny patchwork is just so much fun!!

And just a reminder . . . Fat Quarter Shop has announced next year's Charity Quilt Along as well!!!  Make room in your calendar for the Clementine Quilt Along starting January 2018.    You can pop over to the Clementine Quilt Along page to get lots more details.

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

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

But first, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of a I've Got the Blues Peach Blossoms fat quarter collection  from Four Peaches Fabric  (Who just so happens to have the new Abby Lane patterns on Pre-order, the only shop with this access )  is . . .   Number #150 . . . Congrats Vicki in MN!!!   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 did you know they have a 24 Hour Flash Sale every day with 2 Flash Sales on Tuesdays!!  You will find some amazing deals there ;)

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a Beautiful Farmer's Daughter Jelly Roll by Lella Botique for Moda to one lucky winner!!!  I just love this line, in fact, I shared a quilt just last Friday, that I used making this same Jelly Roll.  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 if you were (or are) a Farmer's Daughter, what farm chore would be your favorite or least favorite.  

 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, November 21st, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Gingerbread Cake Mix Quilt

I love to make quilts using the new Cake Mix Papers from Moda!!!    I have made 3 this year (quilts here and here) and absolutely loved playing with the designs you can create and the ease of how the quilts go together.  So when I was asked by the Fat Quarter Shop if I wanted to make a Cake Mix Quilt from their new The Cake Mix Quilt Book, I was all over it!!!   And guess what, I got to make the first quilt which just happens to be the cover quilt . . . Gingerbread :)  And isn't it just so fun!!!

I just love how simple this pattern is and yet in the fun layout, it just seems to shine like the sun.  And like I said, the great thing about the Cake Mix Papers is that the piecing of the quilt goes together like a snap.  If you haven't used Cake Mix Papers before, you can see any of these awesome videos that Fat Quarter Shop and Carrie Nelson (the cake mix paper creator ;)   has made to walk you through the process.

  I also took a few pictures along the way of making my Gingerbread quilt to give you the general gist of them and show just how easy they are to use.   You start with a Print Layer Cake (or charm pack or jolly bar, depending on the recipe you are using ;)  and a Solid Layer cake and a Cake Mix Recipe Pad.

Then you layer a solid cake square, a print cake square, and a cake mix recipe sheet.  Sew on the dotted lines, and then cut on the solid lines.  Super simple!!!

Then rip the papers out and press.  And I have been asked lots if they papers come out easy, and the answer is yes, just use a slightly shortened stitch length when sewing.  And just like that, you have all of the pieces you need to make your quilt blocks and they are all perfectly sized.  So fun!!!

Which then means you can get right to sewing your blocks together and then sewing them into a beautiful quilt ;)  I used a Vintage Picnic Layer Cake by Bonnie and Camille for my Gingerbread quilt and I just love how happy it makes the quilt feel!! 

When it came time to quilt it up, I decided to do a favorite that I only can use every once and a while because the quilt has to have enough "guide" lines in it.  And this one was perfect!!!   So L and E in wonderful vertical rows it was :)    I loaded the quilt horizontally on the longarm and then just used the guide of 2 quilted lines per small HST.  Super easy and oh so much fun to quilt!!!

And I absolutely love the texture!!  It's just so organic and has such wonderful whimsical movement.  Almost like a waterfall flowing down the quilt.   I am just thrilled with how it makes the design pop all the more!!!

And that is my Gingerbread Quilt and I have to say, there is one little girl in our house that is so super excited to have it on her bed!!!  Her old quilt was looking a little "loved" and when I showed her the Gingerbread Cake Mix Quilt she fell in love and even picked the layer cake.   I am sure this one will be well loved in no time!!!

Thank you so much to the Fat Quarter Shop for having me Quilt Along.  I can't wait to make up more quilts from The Cake Mix Quilt Book and you know I have a stack of Layer Cakes and Cake Mix Papers ready to get stitching ;)   And be sure to follow the Quilt Along along each Monday at the Jolly Jabber where a blogger friend will share another Cake Mix Quilt Book Quilt :)  

Thanks so much for popping in today and sharing this Gingerbread Cake Mix quilt with me ;)  

And now I am curious, have you tried a Cake Mix Quilt before??

Have a Happy Quilting (and maybe Cake Making)  Day!!!

Two Jelly Baby Quilts!!

So you might recall from way back here, when I made two Baby Quilts for National Sew a Jelly Roll Day.   Well, I am super excited to have finished quilting and binding both quilts and now I can share them!!!!   So first up,  Petal Pop!!!!   And can I just say, I love this quilt!!!!

I have wanted to make the baby size version of my Petal Pop pattern for some time, and I just love the way the blacks and pinks from Lella Boutiques Farmer's Daughter line just make those beautiful Petals Pop ;)  I am always drawn to the pink and black combo for baby girl quilts, and I really love it in these prints!!!

This has always been a favorite pattern of mine and is a favorite in classes as well ;)  It goes together super fast with the Jelly Roll strips and uses a variation on a log cabin to piece, which is always fun!!!   And doesn't it just look so cute in the baby size!!!   I love the giant flower right in the center :)

And when it came time to quilt it, I went with some seriously small custom quilting ;)   And I am just thrilled to pieces with it ;)  In the background I used some favorite fillers (echoed paisleys, swirls, curls, and pebbles) combined to give it beautiful movement.  Then in between the petals I did some 4 leaf flowers, and finally, in the Petals, I gathered up my nerve and gave Feathers another shot, and I just love, love, love them!!!!   They were the perfect design for this and really give it that final elegant touch :)

And of course, all of that tiny quilting adds so much wonderful texture.  I might have sat and ran my hand over the quilt like 20 times when I took it off the longarm.   So fun!!!

And that is my Baby Petal Pop!!! And I have to laugh, because this has been on my list to do for some time, and already, I want to add it right back on the list to make another one because I just love the way this one turned out!!   That "To Make" list never gets any shorter ;)

Because the Baby Petal Pop only uses 1/2 of the Jelly Roll Strips, I had some left over strips :)  I also found myself with some leftover time on National Sew a Jelly Roll Day.   So . . .  I pulled out a favorite Shortcut Quilt pattern from Fat Quarter Shop and before you knew it, I had a second Jelly Baby Quilt . . . The Jelly Roll Slice quilt.

I just love making Shortcut Quilts, they are so fast and so fun!!!  And this quilt was the perfect pattern to use up all of those leftover strips and make them pop ;)  I just love the low volume background that used up all the extra white strips.  So pretty!!! 

And I love that using up the "leftovers" had me try out a color combination that I wouldn't automatically jump to.  Yellow isn't a go to color for me, but I have to say, I  sure do love the way it came together with just the black and tan.   So pretty!!!  

And when it came time quilt it, I wanted to make those flowers in the prints pop just a bit more, so I quilted it in pink to complement the roses :)   And I just love that extra girl touch it gives the quilt :)  And I tried a new design for me.   I was aiming for echoed flowers, kind of like the feathered swirls I do, but instead of feathers, more of a petal shape.   And then I just kept echoing the petals to fill up the desired space.   

It was a super fun design to quilt and it filled up the space fast, which was pretty good for this one as it came at the end of a marathon quilting day ;)   And I love all of the texture it creates as well, but I kept the petals on the larger side so it will still be soft and snuggly!!

And that is my Baby Jelly Roll Slice quilt!!!   And now I just need a sweet little angel to come along to give it to.  I don't know of anyone yet, but that's all good, because I always like having baby quilts ready for a special gift ;)  

National Sew a Jelly Roll day was so much fun, and I am so hoping it is a long standing annual tradition.   Thanks for popping in today and sharing these Jelly Baby Quilt Finishes with me!   

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

Longarm Quilting Workbook

I am always on the look out for a good Free Motion Quilting book, so I was super excited about the Longarm Quilting Workbook by Teresa Silva.  And what made me so excited about this FMQ book is that it is geared towards Longarm Quilting!!!  Just like FMQing on your home machine, there is a learning curve on a Longarm and I didn't get a whole lot of "training" on it when I bought it.  I think like most things, it is learn as you go. 

And that is why Chapter 1, First Steps was so exciting for me!!!   This chapter goes over all of the things I wish I would have known to ask when looking to buy a longarm.  I know I get questions all the time on why I bought the machine I did, and this section really breaks that down.    Teresa also goes over fabrics, threads, batting, rulers, marking tools . . . pretty much everything you need to know to get started.  I am so excited with this chapter and all of the wonderful tidbits I am learning from it!!! 

Chapter 2 is what you would expect to find in a FMQing book.  Lots of wonderful quilting Motifs.   These motifs are pretty basic and easy to learn and work perfect in quilting.   I felt like as I flipped through this section,that I had tried almost all of the Motifs with good success and really represent a quilters "toolbox" of quilting motifs. 

And along with those basic motifs, I love that Teresa gives you ideas of some variations to add some pop to the design.  For example, if you have been around for a bit, you know I love quilting Ribbon Candy in borders and sashing, but I had never through to add a swirl in the Ribbon Candy.  How fun is that!!!

And then we get to Chapter 3, which I have to say is what truly made me fall in love with this  Longarm Quilting Workbook.    Doodling & Drawing takes those 20 basic Motifs and variations on the motifs, and teaches you how to combine them into quilting masterpieces!!!
 

It is easy for me to get overwhelmed with Custom Quilting and resort back to my favorite all over fillers, but this chapter really helps to show that those Custom Quilting jobs are just All Over Fillers quilted in specific places.   It walks you through breaking up spaces and seeing them filled with lots of amazing designs.  I am so excited to learn more about Doodling my way to worry free Custom Quilting ;)

Chapter 4 has 3 pieced projects that walk you through beginning to end of how to put that project together, including the quilting of course.  I wish there would have been a few more projects in this section but its a FMQing book, so I am okay with that ;) 

And finally, Chapter 5 is a Gallery of Teresa's beautiful quilts!!!  And I love this section because it is just full of that "Custom Quilting inspiration" and walks you through Teresa's thought process on each project.  You really get an idea of how she sees the quilts and decides what to quilt where, which is super helpful!!!    And can I just say that I love that this workbook is Spiral Bound . . .  Love that!!!

I am super excited about this book arriving and adding it to my Quilting Library!!   It's such a wonderful new resource for me, and if you are one of those folks who have emailed me Longarming Quilting questions you might find the Longarm Quilting Workbook to be an excellent addition to your quilting library as well ;)  

And now that's enough typing about Longarm quilting . . . It's time to get going on some actual longarm quilting action!!!  It's going to be a fun filled afternoon ;)

Hope you have a Happy Quilting Day!!!