Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Road Home Snuggler

It's Thursday and that means another Tutorial Throwback feature.  And I have to say, this Thursday is cold!!!  Like we dropped a whole lot in the night, and woke up to temperatures in the Teens.  And so today I find myself cranking up the heat and snuggling up to get warm.  And all that snuggling up reminded me of my Road Home Snuggler quilt and I just figured it would be perfect for our throwback!!!

And yes, right off the bat, I made up the word Snuggler.  But doesn't it just sound like the perfect thing to wrap up in ;)     I made this quilt up for Happy Chemo, a wonderful organization that gives quilts to people who are struggling through the woes of chemotherapy.   I just love being able to make projects that bring comfort.  And I wanted it to be super snuggly so I used flannel!!!  

Did you know you can get Flannel in Layer Cakes!!! Like as in, already cut into 10" squares so you can make this quilt up in no time flat!!  And it is just like using regular fabric.  I didn't treat it any different than if I was stitching with cottons.   In fact, I made this second Road Home Snuggler when I happened to pick up another Wool and Needle Flannel Layer Cake because ya know, I liked the purple!!!   

On this second Road Home Snuggler quilt, I kept the quilting a little less dense.  I found that helped to keep it more soft and snuggly.   And I had fun trying a giant orange peel!!   I just used a regular cotton binding, and I found I liked it for tying everything up :)  

In the tutorial post, I shared the inspiration for the name and design of this "chemo quilt" and I wanted to post it here as well as it means a lot to me.

At the start of this quilt, I was staring at the flannel squares trying to decide how I wanted to turn it into a quilt.   I was pondering on Chemo, on family members I have seen go through it, and thinking about how many people struggle through it daily.  I kept coming back to the idea, that in the end, everyone wants to find a road home.  No path would lie straight ahead, it would likely require a lot of twisting and turning, maybe some backtracking here and there, but there would always be that journey to find the road home.  I love that each time I look at this quilt my eyes follow a different path.  They twist and turn, and sometimes backtrack, reminding me of those fighters journey.  I hope that whomever receives this quilt, can find peace and comfort as they struggle to move forward to find that Road Home.

I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Road Home Snuggler quilt  just click on any of the quilt name links for the free step by step tutorial.   And when you are done, I would love to see your quilt!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Road Home Snuggler quilts!!!


Oh, and on a side note, Thank you for all of the super nice comments on the Steps To Tranquility quilt I shared last week for our Tutorial Throwback.  I actually had several requests on wanting to make the quilt, but in more of a Picnic Size vs a King Size.  So I did a little quilt math, and have added the fabric requirements and cutting directions for an 84" x 84" Picnic size of Steps to Tranquility at the end of the tutorial.  Just letting you know in case you were thinking the same thing of wanting to make it but smaller ;)

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

Starstruck Quilt Along - Lap Section

**  NOTE  - This post is part of a series of posts for the Starstruck Quilt Along.  If you would like to join (and have a chance to win one of three $75.00 Gift Certificates from Fat Quarter Shop ) you can find a list of the post links here :)  Here is the schedule

September 4th - Intro, Fabric Requirements, and Prizes Announcement 

September 18th - Cutting 

September 25th - Wall Hanging Piecing 

October 2nd - Baby Piecing 

October 9th - Lap Piecing  (That's Today!!!) 

October 16th - Picnic Piecing

October 23rd - Queen/King Piecing

November 13th - Star Struck Parade and Grand Prize Winners

Now, first off for this week, we need to pick a winner for the Baby Section Assignment.   And oh how I loved this week!!  It is so fun to get to see those centers finished!!!   And if you are just finding this QAL, it's never to late to join in the fun :)

The cutting assignment winner who will get a $30.00 Gift Certificate from Shabby Fabrics

#20 - Susan!!! - Congrats :)

 

And this week, we are learning a new unit, and it is so fun and easy.   We will be making a Lattice Unit and I have a slightly different way to make these so that it saves the waste of big stitch and flip corners.   You are going to love it!!!   So let's get to it :)  

THIS WEEKS ASSIGNMENT - LAP SECTION

And just like last week, we will piece all our Units, and since the units are pretty much the blocks as well, we can get right from the Units to putting together the Lap Section.  An if you are making the Fat Quarter Friendly layout today is all about scrappy, so have fun mixing up those prints ;)   And for either layout,  be sure that all the pieces you gather are labeled Lap pieces.   So let's get started with our only unit of the day.  And it is the . . . 

LATTICE UNITS

Gather (72) Background Triangles that were cut from 36 of the 5 1/4"x 5 1/4" squares in the cutting stage.  Also gather (36) 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" Print (Assorted) rectangles. 

Place a Background Triangle onto the Print Rectangle centering it and Pin.  No need to measure and perfectly center it as this unit will be trimmed, simple eyeball the center. Stitch a 1/4" seam on the pinned edge.   And once again, we will chain stitch to save time. 

So I find it helpful to pin all 36 units, and then Chain Stitch 1/4" seam along the edge of all 36 units.  And yes, that means at times, you will be only sewing on one piece of fabric.  No Worries, that parte will be trimmed so the thread won't show.   And even though you are sewing an inch or two of basically nothing, this is still far faster than starting and stopping to sew just along the triangle ;)  So just Chain Stitch all 36 units from the top of the Print rectangle to the bottom as shown below.

Then clip your threads and stack your units again.   Now we repeat on the other side.   Once again, Place and Eyeball Center a Background Triangle onto the other side of a Print Rectangle and pin.  You can reassure the triangles are centered to each other by matching the points horizontally ;) 

Then once again, Chain Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge of all 36 units, stitching from the top of the print rectangle to the bottom.

Then clip your threads and move to the ironing board.   Press the seams of all 36 units open.  This will make it easier to sew the units together and avoid bulk where the seams line up.  

TRIMMING LATTICE UNITS

And now, it is time to trim these Lattice Units Square.  The important thing when trimming Lattice Units is to be sure and center the Print rectangle, other wise your seams won't line up when you sew them together.  So to do this, we use a Trimming Template.   Click on this Link, Download and Print the Trimming Template, and be sure to print it at Actual Size (Custom 100% Scale) and not Shrunk to Fit the Paper.  Double check the 1" square to be sure you printed the template correctly.   Then you will need to get a Square Ruler.  If you have a 6" square ruler, that is best, but any size larger will do as well ;)  

Now place your square ruler onto the trimming template aligning the top right hand corner and mark the lines of the template with tape on your ruler as shown below.  I like to use Washi Tape, but masking tape works great as well :)  If you are using a ruler larger than 6", be sure and mark the 6" lines as well as the two diagonal seam lines.

If you are using a 6" ruler, you can simply center the ruler on the square, and mark the two diagonal seam lines.

 And now the fun part, trimming.   You will be trimming your blocks to 6" square using your marked ruler.
These first two steps are if you are using a larger square than 6". Begin by aligning the marked seam lines on your ruler with the seam lines on your Lattice unit.  Make sure that the raw edges of the Lattice unit extend past the 6" marked line's on your ruler.  Trim the 2 sides along the edge of the ruler as shown below.

Now spin your Lattice unit 180 degrees.  Once again, align the marked seam lines on your ruler with the seam lines on your Lattice unit and then align the raw edges you just trimmed of the Lattice with the marked 6" lines on your ruler.  Trim the 2 sides along the edge of the ruler.

If you are using a 6" square ruler, simply align the marked seam lines on your ruler with the seam lines on your Lattice unit.  Make sure that the raw edges of the Lattice unit extend all the way around the ruler. Trim all four sides.  

And whichever ruler size our use, continue trimming until you have trimmed all 36 Units.  You should now have 36 Lattice units that all measure 6" x 6" with perfectly centered Print rectangles.  Wasn't that a fun new little unit to learn!!!

And with all of your Units, which actually double as blocks today,  so you are now ready to move on to the final step.  

SEWING THE LAP SECTION

And we will start by turning our Units into Rows!! Layout your Lattice units in the Four rows as shown below.   2 Rows of 10 Blocks and 2 Rows of 8 Blocks, and be sure to follow the same orientation of blocks.  (and sorry for the digital picture, somehow I missed taking a picture of this step)   

Sew the rows together.  Do this by placing the second block in each row onto the first with right sides together.  Align and pin the seams and then stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   The repeat this process adding the third block, and then the fourth, and so on until the row is sewn together.  

I like to chain stitch two rows at a time so I don't have to cut threads after each block I sew on.  I just stitch the first two blocks in the first two rows in normal chain stitch fashion.   Then clip the row in the back and bring it around to the front again to add the next block.  Keep repeating this, moving in a "circle" motion until all the blocks are sewn in either of the two rows.  Then repeat for the remaining 2 rows of blocks.

Finally, press the seams of all 4 rows open.  Again, this reduces bulk where the seam meet.   Now you have two Side Rows (the shorter ones) and two Top/Bottom Rows (the longer ones).

And now it is just like adding a larger border ;)   Layout the Baby Section, the two Side Rows, and the two Top/Bottom Rows as shown below, again taking care that the block orientation is correct.  They can only be laid out one way as the reverse doesn't match up.

Place the two Side Rows onto the Baby Section with right sides together and align and Pin the edges.  You might have to ease in or stretch a bit based on the piecing of your center section.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the two pinned sides.

Now press your seams open and then you are ready to repeat.  Place the Top and Bottom Rows onto the Baby Section with right sides together and align and Pin the edges.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the two pinned edges.  Again, press the seam allowances open.

And all that is left is to add the Background border to your Lap Section. Start by sewing the (6)  3" x WOF strips together end to end to make one long strip.  Cut (2) 3" x 55 1/2" strips  and (2) 3" x 60 1/2" strips from your long strip. 

And just like the Baby Section, if you prefer to cut your strips a little longer and trim the excess the is an option as well.  The measurements listed above and in the picture are the exact size,  But you will note my strips are a bit longer.  Do whatever your prefer.

 Layout the Pieced Lap Center and the (2) 3" x 55 1/2" Background rectangles and the (2) 3" x 60 1/2" Background rectangles as shown below.

Place the two side rectangles onto the Lap Center with right sides together.  Pin and stitch a 1/4" seam along both edges.  Trim the excess if needed and press outwards towards the Background rectangle.    Then repeat for the Top and Bottom rectangles aligning, pinning, stitching, (trimming) and pressing outwards.

And your Lap Section is done and should measure appx. 60 1/2" x 60 1/2".    Wasn't that sew fun!!!!

So Now It's your Turn :)

Get your Lap Section sewn together and your assignment is complete!!!    And then you can enter to win the weekly prize :)   And again, if you have any questions at all please don't hesitate to ask in a comment or email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com  :)

The Weekly Prize is being sponsored by Olie and Evie  and a huge Thanks goes to them for their support a the Starstruck Quilt-Along.

This weeks prize is a custom Little Tree Petite Fat Quarter Bundle!!!   Oh, so fun and you will have just enough time to put something together for Christmas!!!

So what do you have to do for a chance to win these Fat Quarters?  Simple . . . Just link up your Lap Section all sewn up :)  You can link to a blog post, flickr picture, Instagram, Facebook . . .  or whatever.  Just make sure to link up by the end of the day on October 15th as I will be announcing a winner at the beginning of the next post :)  And on the link up where it asks for a Caption, add your name as well, so I know who you are ;)  

If you don't get your Lap Section done by October 15th you can still link it up :) (just not in time for the prize :)    The linky will remain open until the end of the Quilt-A-Long.  So if your out of town, or just had a busy week, no worries!!!  Just link up when you can :)

And Don't forget to add your beautiful Lap Sections to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group and to post it on social media with using #starstruckquiltalong.    I am so excited to see the Lap section all sewn up, it is just so great to see these grow!!! 

So let's get stitching!!!  And if you have questions, don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

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

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway :)

The winner of the  Harper's Garden Layer Cake  from Green Fairy Quilts is . . .  Number #57. . .   Congrats Gretchen Weaver!!!   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!!   And not only do they have a daily deal, they have a Fabric Basic, Pattern, and Notion of the Month!!!!    And this month you will score big on all of them!!!  All Laundry Basket Basics are on sale and this basic is just so great!!!  Also, All Just Another Button Products are on sale for the Notion, and All Laundry Basket Quilts Patterns are on sale for the Pattern.  (and she has so many fantastic patterns!!!)    Save 20-30% off of all of them for the whole month of October!!  So great ;) 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a beautiful Earthly Beehive Fat Quarter Bundle By Renee Nanneman for Andover Fabrics!!!  And I just love the warm earthy tones of this gorgeous bundle, makes me want to whip up an all neutral quilt!!!

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 was the last picture you took??   

 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, October 16th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Happy Little Things BOM - Block 3!!

It's the first Monday in October  and that means it's time for the second block  Happy Little Things Block of the Month!!!    This fun BOM is hosted by Jacquelynne Steves and you can still sign up as it will go from now until the end of the year ;)   And you can read all about Block 3 over at Jacquelynne's blog!!!    And so here they are . . . my Block 3's :)

And again, I am making two blocks each month instead of 1 for a mixed up finished layout, which means more fabric fun!!!  And I just love the pinks combined with the Navy in this one.  Isn't that just so cute!!! 

I am using Gretel Fabrics from my wonderful friend Amy Smart and they are just so cute in these blocks ;)   And the gingham with this line are just so great!!  And I am loving using every little scrap in those scrappy borders, so fun!! 

And there they are!!!  Two #3 Blocks for the Happy Little Things BOM!!!    And if you are quilting along be sure to share all of your Happy Little Things  rogress on social media with #HappyLittleThingsBOM and #HappyLittleThingsQuilt  and add them to the Happy Little Things Facebook Group.   And be sure to check out  these other bloggers to see lots more Block 3 Eye Candy and enter for more chances to win the October Giveaway!!!

A Quilting Life                               Flamingo Toes 

Podunk Pretties                            Kathy's Quilts  

The Crafty Quilter                         The Quilting Nook  

                  Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life 

Yup, I said Giveaway!!!  With each month's block there will be a Happy Little Things Giveaway and you can enter at each blog as each blogger will be giving away a  Sunday Best Quilts Book from Martingale!!!  This is an amzing book filled with all of those "To Make Someday Bucket List Quilts"  How great is that!!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED - Winner is #4 - Brenda West!!!

To enter is simple.   We are going to run this the same way we do all of our Terrific Tuesday Giveaways :)   (Which is tomorrow so if you are visiting for the first time, be sure to come back for a chance to win some more!!!)      

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries. (but international winners will receive a digital copy :)    Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger!!    Comments can be left by clicking on the # Comments link in Red at the bottom of this post :)

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me what quilt has been on your "Bucket List" to make??

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Happy Quilting love. You can follow Happy Quilting on Bloglovin, Email Updates, or RSS to get daily updates.  Or you can like Happy Quilting on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Flickr.   Any one way will do . . . Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Happy Quilting Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Sunday, October 13th, when I will announce a winner and update it on this post :)

And if you are visiting Happy Quilting for the first time, welcome!!!   I hope you will look around for a bit as I have been writting here for 9 years and have so many fun quilt tutorials, project tutorials, quilt alongs, and patterns to share ;)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Nine Patch Fun Quilt and Tutorial!!!!

I am so thrilled to be sharing my newest quilt finish today and to also be sharing a new AccuQuilt Tutorial for it as well!!!   It's called Nine Patch Fun and it combines Regular Nine Patches and Glorified Nine Patches for a super fun geometric design.    I love curved piecing, and I have always wanted to make a Glorified Nine Patch quilt, which is probably on a lot of our to make someday lists.  So when I saw that AccuQuilt had made a new GO! Glorified Nine Patch Block on Board Die, it was time to take it from the bucket list to a finished quilt!!! And here it is ;)

The basic nine patch block is done in two color layouts as well as the Glorified Nine Patch Block  which really creates a fun finished design.  And it is the same piecing, just playing with the color placement.  And of course you can use prints, but I just love how the solids make the design really pop  And of course, you know I am all about the  Red, black, and white combo so I can donate it to my Alma Mater . . .  but of course, you can use any of your three favorite colors to make this beauty!

I think a lot of time's we shy away from curved piecing thinking it is to difficult, but it really is so much fun!!!  And I go through a lot of tips and tricks in the tutorial to show you just how fun it is ;)  Of course, having all the cutting done perfectly and easily with the GO! AccuQuilt Cutting System is helpful, and I love that it cuts out the little notches to help you line up your piecing.  So awesome!!!   

When it came time to quilt this Nine Patch goodness, I decided on an all over echoed paisley.  This is such a fun little design to quilt and it goes fast as well.  I did a video tutorial over here on this little quilting design that you can check out ;)  And I love quilting with red on these classic color quilts.   It just pops on the white and black and looks so cool!!! 

  

The Nine Patch Fun quilt is made up of 81 blocks that finish at 9" square, so the quilt finishes at  81" x 81".   And I know that sounds like a lot of blocks, but there are a lot more regular nine patches and they go together fast with strip piecing!!!   And you can even use the GO! 3 1/2" Strip Cutter and GO! 3 1/2" Square to speed up the cutting of that strip piecing.   And the Glorified Nine Patches really are a whole lot of fun to piece.  It's just like piecing a nine patch, but with fun curvy sides :)

So if you want to make your own Nine Patch Fun Quilt  just pop on over for the free step by step tutorial!!!   And if you are new to curved sewing, you can check out the little Sewing with Curves Basics  I did in a previous tutorial.  It shows just how fun and easy curved sewing can be ;)    And when you are done, I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  and #AccuQuilt or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Nine Patch Fun quilts!!!

Thanks for joining me today and sharing this new tutorial with me ;)  I am so glad to have crossed the Glorified Nine Patch quilt off my To Do list and I think this Nine Patch Fun quilt is really a fun way to shake it up and make it new ;)     I just love that the AccuQuilt Curved Dies are helping me cross off all of these curvy quilts from my bucket list.   Flowering Snowball, Winding Ways and now Glorified Nine Patch down.   Which one to do next . . . maybe the  Double Wedding Ring??  What do you think???? 

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting (and maybe even some curved sewing) Day!!!