I'm Trying Hand Stitching!!!!

Alright, so you all know I am not great at hand stitching ;)   I machine attach my bindings and if they have to be done by hand, Barbara attaches them for me.   I do all my applique by machine, and the little bit of embroidery embellishments in blocks I have done in the past I have figured out how to do on the machine as well.    But Softball season has started, and this year I have 2 girls participating, which makes it feel like I am pretty much living at the softball fiends in the evenings.    So . . . I decided it was probably time I tried a hand project!!!

And what better way to try something new than with the help of Tula!!!!  I love Tula Pink's designs and prints, so when I saw that she had converted some of her amazing sketches into embroidery designs in her new Tula Pink Coloring with Thread book I was all over it!!!   The book comes with a disk that has all of the PDF designs so it was super easy to just print the design on a  Pellon Stick-N-Washaway sheet sheet :)  Way easier than trying to trace it!!!

I let my daughter pick out what design I should try, because they are all so amazing there was no way I could pick a favorite.   Jessi choose the Sea Horse because it reminded her of Spring Break!!    And I realized that I still had my Bonnie and Camille Handmade Embroidery Floss Collection that I got in one of my Sew Sampler boxes, perfect for getting going on this project :)  And the book has an awesome color guide to follow so no hard choices there!! 

There is a fantastic stitch guide in the front of  Coloring with Thread that makes it easy, even for a beginner like me, to see how to make each of the different stitches in the design.  I am starting with the basic outlining because you have to crawl before you can run right ;)   I haven't gotten very far, it is slow going to be sure.   I am hoping as I get better at making my stitch length consistent that it will speed up.   But so far,  I am enjoying it.   It might be several softball seasons before I get it done, but it is nice to have something to keep my hands busy while I sit at the ball park :)  

So what about you???  Have you tried hand embroidery???  Any suggestions to help a beginner???

And crazy thought, this is making me think I might be able to try English Paper Piecing!!!   Any suggestions of where to start there??

Yup, this is me jumping into the deep end of Hand Stitching, well see if I sink or swim ;) 

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Petite Point Finish!!!

I am so super excited to share my newest finish this week!!!  You might recall my dilemma of how to finish this quilt off back here, well, I went with the no borders and finally got it quilted and bound and I just love, love, love it!!!!

This quilt is made of over 600 strings in scrappy reds and pinks!!!   And I can say that my blood, sweat, and tears went into this quilt, because I was actually cutting these strings when I lopped a bit of my finger off ;)  But it's all good, because I was so super excited to make a small dent in my pink and red scrap bins :)  (I think I can say it was totally worth it)     I started this quilt at the Winter Quilt Retreat  and Barbara and I had such a great time taking a class together.  Since then I have been working on this in little bits sewing time between other projects.  (and Barbara just finished her quilt top too, so fun!!!)

This was such a fun pattern to make!!  The pattern is Petite Point by French General and you use a Creative Grids Hexagon Trim Tool  to trim to the fun hexagon shapes.  It's like making a pineapple quilt gone hexagon, so fantastic!!!  And as you can see from the pattern, I took this quilt in a totally different direction, giving it a super scrappy feel, and I just love how it turned out.   Scrappy quilts are just so much fun!!!

When it came time to quilt it, I decided to just so simple loop de loops.   There is so much piecing in this, I didn't want the quilting to distract from all of those tiny little pieces.   And I just love doing little loop de loops, they are just so fun and relaxing and I don't quilt them as often as I would like to :)

I bound it in the nice dark red I found in my stash and love how perfectly it finishes off the quilt!!!  And I was so excited to have this gorgeous Tula Pink Bumble print in my stash to back it in.  It is the perfect shade of pinks and reds and works so fantastic for this baby quilt!!!   I added a little bit of polka dot's for a fun little bit of interest and to make the backing wide enough.   Love it!!! 

 And that is my Petite Points quilt!!!  I made my quilt smaller than the pattern and it finishes at  45" x 47".   It is going to be the perfect size to snuggle a precious little angel in ;)   I am just so glad that I got to take this fun class, especially with Barbara.  It isn't often that we get to take a class instead of teaching it and it was a super fun treat!!!

Thanks so much for popping in today and sharing this finish with me!!!  I can't say how much I appreciate having this little space to share my love of quilting with all of you ;)  

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

Linking this finish to Amanda's, Sarah's, and Myra's :)  

Wednesday . . New WIP :)

I am happy to say that the WIP I started last Wednesday went in the mail Saturday in time for Market ;)  And now I find myself at Wednesday again and sharing another new WIP , which I really shouldn't be starting as I have 7 quilts that are waiting to be quilted right now . . . but, sometimes you just can't resist.    And I am super excited about this new project, because it is going to be my newest Pattern when it is all done!!   And it starts with the gorgeous prints of Sherri and Chelsi's new Clover Hollow line that will be available this August.   My goal is to have the pattern all finished to coincide with the release of the fabric.  I am sure I will have the quilt done well before that, but sometimes I procrastinate the actual writting of the pattern part, it's just not anywhere near as fun as stitching away ;)   

And you all know, I just love stitching away!!!  I did a big ol pile of chain stitching yesterday and it was oh so much fun!!  I am hoping to get some more stitching done on this today as well ;)  Who knows, the quilt top might even be done before summer starts . . . which is good because hey,  it has a line up of 7 quilts to be quilted, tee hee hee :) 

So how about you???  What works in progress are you stitching away on today???

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 the Jelly Roll of their Choice from  Shabby Fabrics  is . . .   Number #209 . . .   Congrats Dawn !!!   I have emailed you :)      

  

     

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Olie and Evie.  Rhonda has just added a whole lot of inventory so you are going to want to check out the fabric shop.  And of course, there are also great deals on longarm quilting, gift certificates, preorders, and especially the destash page!!    And along with the giveaway, Rhonda is offering a special treat to all Happy Quilting Readers ;)   15% off all items in the shop with the coupon code HQM15.  So be sure to pop on over and check it out!!!

And Rhonda's has a fantastic Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!!       Olie and Evie  is giving one lucky winner a $30.00 Gift Certificate to use in her shop!!!    So awesome, someone is going to get a wonderful shopping spree :)  

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 your least favorite chore to do around the house.    (ya, I just finished dishes and those are my least favorite ;)   

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Olie and Evie love.   You can follow them on  Facebook, Instagram  or Pinterest 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,  May 15th when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Drift Away Quilt and Tutorial

Today I am so very excited to be bringing you my newest quilt Drift Away,  as well as a step by step tutorial for it as part of the Fat Quarter Shop's Year of the Fat Quarter Quilt Along!!  The Year of the Fat Quarter is a celebration of the Fat Quarter Shop's 15th anniversary, Huge Congrats friends!!!   And what better way for the Fat Quarter Shop to celebrate than with Fat Quarters!!!

Each month, Fat Quarter Shop releases a new bundle of 15 Fat Quarters in one Special Color.    And May is all about Aqua!!! (no worries, purple comes later in the year and I will be back for that month as well ;)   But I was super excited to get to play with all of these beautiful Aqua Fabrics and they immediately made me think of the ocean.  

And the ocean reminded me of this Drift Away quilt.   I originally made this design for a magazine submission, but sadly, after the quilt was all designed, made, photographed, kitted, ect. the magazine went out of business and this design never made it to the quilt shop shelves.  And so I thought, what a perfect opportunity to bring this design back!!!    I made a few alterations from the original in color layout and size and here it is, in all of it's new Drift Away goodness and isn't it just so perfect in the all Aqua Bundle!!!   

And I am super excited to be sharing this new Drift Away as a tutorial!!!!   Now you can make your very own :)   And it goes together super fast and is just perfect for laying out under a tree and drifting away with a good book!!      So let's get to it . . . 

YOU WILL NEED:

1 Aqua Bundle of 15 Fat Quarters

2/3 Yard of a Favorite Aqua Print for a Focal Fabric  

2 1/2 Yards of a White Solid for the Background

2/3 Yard of a Black Solid for Binding

5 Yards of a a Favorite Aqua Print for Backing

STEP 1 - CUTTING

We will start with cutting out the Yardage.

From the White Solid cut:
           (6) 7" x 7" squares cut in half once diagonally to make 12 Side Setting Triangles
           (9) 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" squares
           (64) 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles
           (2) 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" squares cut in half once diagonally to make 4 Corner Setting Triangles
From the Aqua Focal Fabric cut:
           (16) 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" squares
From the Black Solid cut:
            (9) 2 1/2" x Width of Fabric strips

Divide your Fat Quarters into a set of 2, a set of 5, and a set of 8.  It doesn't matter which prints are which, they just need to be cut in these groups to have the right number of squares :)  I like to press square up my Fat Quarters first to make it easier for cutting.   They all will be cut lengthwise with the 18" across the top and 20" down the side.  

From each of the Fat Quarters in the Group of 2:

           (3) 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" squares

           (6) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares

From each of the Fat Quarters in the Group of 5:

           (2) 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" squares

           (10) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares

From each of the Fat Quarters in the Group of 8:

           (1) 9" x 9" square

           (1) 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" square

           (9) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares

You will now have the following pieces from your Aqua Fat Quarters

           (8) 9" x 9" square - Which you will now cut in half once diagonally 

                                              to make 16 Side Setting Triangles

           (24) 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" square

           (134) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares - *There will be 6 extra that you do not use

STEP 2 - MAKING THE PATCHWORK UNITS

And with the cutting done, you are ready to start sewing.   We will start with making Two Patch Units and for that, you will need the stack of 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" aqua squares.  Place one square onto another fabric square with right sides together.  Align and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Press the seam allowance to one side.

You will be making 64 sets of 2 Patch units and  chain stitching will save you time and thread.   If you haven't chain stitched before, it simply means you don't cut the threads between units.   Start with stitching the 1/4" seam along the first set of units.  When you get to the end of the square, simply begin feeding the next matched set into your machine.  Continue in this fashion until you have stitched a seam on all 64 sets.

Then just simply clip the threads between sets and press the seam allowances to one side.   You should now have (64) 2 Patch Units measuring 3 1/2" x 6 1/2".  And now we are going to add a little more to them :)

Gather the 64 White 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles.  Place a 2 Patch Unit onto a White rectangle with right sides together.  Align and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Again, you will want to chain stitch all 64 sets to save time and thread.

Once again, clip the threads between the units and then press the seam allowance towards the White square.  You will now have 64 Patchwork Units that measure 6 1/2" x 8 1/2" and you are already done with the patchwork!!  So fun ;)

STEP 3 - LAYING OUT THE QUILT TOP

And with the patchwork done, it is time to layout the quilt top!!! Use the guide below to help you layout your squares and units in a quilt top.  The A is your Aqua Focal squares ;)   I find it easiest to layout the squares and units starting in the upper left corner and working my way down the rows.

Play with the placement until it is pleasing to the eye.  Taking a picture of your layout is the easiest way to make sure your color value is balanced as your eye can see everything at once, and it is also great to have to refer back to so you make sure you don't mix up your block placement :)

STEP 4 - SEWING THE ROWS

And once you get a Layout you like, you are ready to start sewing everything into rows.   To do this, I like to start in the upper left hand corner again.   Start by placing the Print Side Setting Triangle onto the Patchwork unit with right sides together.  Be sure and align the bottom of the triangle with the bottom of the Patchwork unit as shown.   The triangles are slightly over sized to make it easier so it is okay if there is more than 1/4" of overhang ;)   Sew a 1/4" along the edge.

Then to finish sewing the row, place the other Pring Side Setting Triangle onto the Patchwork unit with right sides together.  Again, align the bottom of the triangle with the bottom of the Patchwork unit as shown.  Sew a 1/4" along the edge.

And then you can move onto the next row.   Even though the patchwork is a different size here, it is still the same process.  Place the White Side Setting Triangle onto the Patchwork Unit with right sides together.  Once more, align the bottom of the triangle with the bottom of the Patchwork Unit and sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.

Then you will start adding the squares in the row.   Place the Focal Aqua square onto the Patchwork Unit with right sides together and aligning the three sides.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.

And then continue in this fashion until you have sewn the row together.  Then just move onto the next row.   I like to use a lot of Leaders and Enders when I make a quilt on Point, as I don't try to chain stitch it.  I just keep adding one piece at a time to ensure I don't mix up my layout and to make sure that my triangles are lined up the right way :)

When you get to the Center row, be sure and center the Corner Setting Triangle onto the Patchwork Unit so you have about the same amount of overhang on either side of the unit.   Also, once you pass the center row, you will note that you are now aligning your setting triangles on the "top" (where the arrows point) of the patchwork unit.   It is just the opposite from before :)

Just keep working your way through, one row at a time, until you have sewn all of the pieces into rows.   And you quilt top should look something like this.   And now you can press the rows.

If you pay close attention to the pressing, you can make all of your seams nest for the next step.   Press all of  Aqua Focal Print squares inwards towards the Aqua.  These will be next to the white squares.   All of the other seams, just remember to press away from the Patchwork and towards the squares where there are no seams.  Not only will that make everything nice and flat, it makes it nest ;)

STEP 5 - MAKING THE QUILT TOP

And now, it is just simply sewing the rows into a quilt top.  Again, I like to start in the upper left hand corner.   Place the Corner Setting Triangle on the second row with right sides together and centering the triangle.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  

Now place the sewn corner onto the third row with right sides together.   Align and pin all of the seams. Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.  And again, if you have more than a 1/4" overhang on the ends, it's okay, we will trim later ;)

Continue adding row by row until you reach the center of the quilt.   Then start at the bottom right hand corner working your way up so you end up with two halves as shown.   And note, after about 4 rows, the corner starts to get large to work with, so I start placing the row on top of the corner, instead of the other way around, but you can do whatever is most comfortable ;)

And all that is left is to sew the two halves together.   Place the bottom half on the top half with right sides together.  Align and pin the seams and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Press all of the seams Open.  This will help to reduce the bulk and avoid stretching.

Now, it's time to trim all of those triangles.  Place a large ruler along the edge of your quilt aligning the Patchwork corner seam with the 1/4" guide on your ruler.   Trim along the edge to square up your quilt.   Be sure and make sure you leave yourself that 1/4" along the edge so you don't lose your points when you bind ;)

And there you have it, a beautiful Drift Away Quilt Top!!!!  It will measure appx. 80" x 80" and it is just so pretty!!!   An one last optional step . . . When piecing on point, I like to stitch a quick 1/8" seam all the way around the edge of the quilt.  This just helps it from getting stretched or pulled when I load it on the long-arm :)

STEP 7 - FINISHING IT UP

And with that, it's 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 ;)

When it came time to quilt mine I decided on an all over medium open center swirl.   I used a favorite 402 Pearl thread that blends perfectly with the white and all the aqua prints .  And I just love all of those beautiful curves in the quilting, it really gives it a flowing feel, just like water!!

Use the  (9) 2 1/2"x Width of Fabric binding strips you cut at the beginning to create a binding and add it to the quilt.  And your Done!!!

STEP 8 - ENJOY QUILT

And now, just sit lay back and enjoy your beautiful Drift Away Quilt!!!  It finishes at 80" x 80" so it is a great picnic size, and how perfect would it be at the beach!!!    The piecing is pretty simple, and it is a great way to learn piecing on point without all of the stress of tons of seams!!!

  

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

Thank you so much to  Fat Quarter Shop  for this beautiful Aqua Bundle and for having me as part of this awesome Year of the Fat Quarter Celebration!!  These aqua prints really are the perfect group of fabrics to share this design with and I am so glad to now have it as a tutorial.

Thanks for stopping in today to share this new quilt finish and tutorial with me.  And thanks for popping in each and every day.  I am just so grateful to have this space to share my love of quilting and it just wouldn't be the same without you all!!!

Have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Linking this finish to Amanda's, Sarah's, and Myra's ;) 

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