Tutorial Throwback Thursday - O Christmas Trees!!!

Well it's Thursday,  and sorry this Tutorial Throwback is coming a little late, but better late than never right ;)    Of course, today's throwback is going to be a Christmas one and I decided to go back 6 years to my O Christmas Trees quilt!!!  I love that this quilt started as an inspiration, that evolved into a new block tutorial, that eventually morphed into a new quilt tutorial.  It's always fun to see how projects just evolve like that ;) 

So like I said, O Christmas Trees originally was inspired by a Quilt Along that was hosted by Christa Quilts.  I loved her idea of tree blocks, and so I asked my bee mates to make me up tree blocks for my month,  but I changed them to an improvisational block that is made crazy patchwork style, and then you use a paper pieced pattern to do the tree shape.  And of course, they needed a block tutorial to make them from ;)     So fun, and such a wonderful way to use up lots and lots of Christmas fabric scraps.   (And I know, we all have a ton of them, right!!!)   

And then after I got all of my blocks back, I made a few extra and decided I wanted to make the same Christmas Tree Shape in my quilt, only make it a lot bigger.   Ya know, I had a lot of Improv Tree blocks to use up ;)  So ya, then there was a tutorial needed for turning the blocks into a quilt :)       And hence the O Christmas Trees Quilt and Block Tutorial!!! 

And I love, love, love the way it all turned out!!!  This is still one of my favorite Christmas quilts to pull out and throw on my couch for the month of December.  It just makes me smile, especially because so many wonderful friends had a hand in helping me make each of those O Christmas Trees unique and special!!! 

And when I quilted it, I really stepped out of my comfort zone.   The long arm was still fairly new to me at the time, so attempting this "snow flurry" was a little crazy, but it really was oh so much fun!!!   I just get "drifting" :)  

And then I did pebbles, and pebbles, and more pebbles.  I love the way doing this between the trees made the overall tree shape stand out more.    Oh, and do you see the cute little decorations on the tree??  This was one of the first times I used more than one color thread on a quilt.   So fun!!!

And that is my O Christmas Trees Quilt and I might just go snuggle up in it as soon as I am done typing this post ;)   

I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own O Christmas Tress Quilt 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 O Christmas Trees quilts!!!

Thanks for popping in today and each day.    I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!

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 Quilt as you Go Holiday Stocking Kit from Shabby Fabrics is . . .  Number #134. . .   Congrats Sue D!!!   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 Moda Marbles Basics are on sale and this basic is just so great!!!  Also, All Best Press Products are on sale for the Notion, and Check out the Exclusive Pattern of the Month    Save 20-30% off of all of them for the whole month of December!!  So great ;) 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a super fun Granny Chic 2 1/2" Rolie Polie by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs!!! I love the whimsical prints and colors in this line and it would make the cutest 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 your Holiday Baking Traditions :)  

 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, December 17th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Goldenrod Pyramids Pattern

You might recall back in Spring, I made this Goldenrod Pyramids quilt for my good friends at Moda Fabrics for Spring Quilt Market.   Well, many of you asked how to get the pattern, so today I am excited to say that it is now available!!! You can now download the Goldenrod Pyramids project sheet for free!!!

And no surprise, the pattern release is coinciding with the Goldenrod Fabric release that is now also available!!!   I tell you, this was a long wait on this beautiful Goldenrod Fabric but it is totally worth the wait.  I love these beautiful prints and colors and this quilt design really shows off those wonderful large Raleigh Rose Floral prints!!  .

Goldenrod Pyramids was designed by Carrie Nelson and is Fat Quarter Friendly.   You just need a Fat Quarter Bundle of Goldenrod and a background, binding, and backing and you are good to go!!!   And as far as notions, this pattern uses a 60 degree triangle ruler.   I used the Creative Grids 8" Finished Ruler because I like that the point is squared off, but you can use any 60 degree triangle ruler ;)   And the quilt looks a little difficult, but it isn't at all with the right ruler.   It really went together fast and was a whole lot of fun to sew. 

The quilt finishes at 67" x 72" so it is a great size to snuggle up in!!!  And if you hurry, I bet you could get it made just in time for Christmas ;)    Or, you can always just get the pattern and fabric and have it as a special Christmas present under the tree to make in the new year!!!

Anyhow, just wanted to pop in and let you know this Goldenrod Pyramids pattern was now available for those that asked back in Spring ;) 

And now I totally want to make this quilt again, but maybe in Christmas Fabrics this time, wouldn't that be so fun!!!

 I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!!

Grandstand Quilt and Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts!!!

I was thrilled when my good friend Andy Knowlton asked if I wanted to be part of her new Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts Book Tour .   I just love Andy, she is the nicest person you will ever meet!!!  And I absolutely love her quilt designs so of course, I was all in.    Andy's Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts book is filled with 12 beautiful quilts all made with 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 Fat Quarters!!   And who doesn't love Fat Quarters!!!

  And I knew right away which quilt I wanted to make first!!!   The Grandstand Quilt!!!!

You all know that I make Rally quilts for my Alma Mater, Southern Utah Universtiy, that raise funds for scholarships.   So with a name like Grandstand, it was a no brainer to make it up in red, white, and black for another amazing Rally Quilt!!!   

I absolutely love the geometric goodness of this quilt!!!  And I love that Andy added solid squares in the mix to give it a super modern feel.  It totally reminds me of Pete Mondrian's work.  So cool :)

And although the book is all about Fat Quarters,  I decided to raid my black and white scrap stash and was pleasantly surprised to find I had enough in scraps to cut all of the pieces for this quilt!!!   It would have cut out a lot faster in  Fat Quarters, but you gotta love that you can also make this gorgeous quilt as a scrap buster :)   I just added a Red Solid and Wha La!!!  

When it came time to quilt, I decided a nice open centered swirl would compliment all of those straight lines quite nicely.  I always love adding some curvy texture to a super straight quilt, it just goes so nicely.   And I love using red thread on the black and white prints and it just adds a little pop!!!

And I love that this Grandstand quilt finishes at 76" x 87" so it is a nice big size to snuggle up in.  Perfect for one of those frosty Utah football games ;)     And I was so happy that the array of lights and darks in the prints really added an extra depth to the quilt.  So fun!!!

And that is my Grandstand Quilt!!!   And I am just thrilled with the way it came together.  I can't wait to add an Appliqued Logo to it and get it over the the University.   I can not even begin to express how much it warms my heart to be able to use my love of quilting to give back to the school that I have so many cherished memories of!!!

Oh, and tomorrow the  Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts Book Tour comes to an end, but you can still look back and see all of the awesome projects made from Andy's incredible new book, Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts!!!    You know I already have a few more quilts from it's pages added to my "To Make" list :)

 Thanks for popping in today and each and every day!!!

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

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings!!!

Its December and I am so excited because that means all of our Thursday Throwback's this month are all about Christmas!!!!  I love Christmas, and I especially love making Christmas projects :)    I have a stack of Christmas quilts that we pulled out on Monday and they are all over the house now, so fun!!!   But before we get to some of the quilt tutorials, today I wanted to share my all time favorite Christmas project I have made . . . my Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings.   And here they are, aren't they just so fantastic!!!  I love them ;) 

I always wanted to make matching stockings for my family, and the idea came to make them 

monochromatic.  I just loved the idea and when I asked the kids what color stocking they wanted, they quickly answered in a rainbow of stocking colors.   I worried for a minute that these weren't your traditional Christmas Colors, but I decided those were the colors they picked and I would just go with it.   And I am so glad I did!!!!   I love these Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings and the rainbow they create, it is just so happy!!!     And I quickly found they have all colors of Christmas Ornaments.   Our tree was an all Gold and Silver themed tree for the last time in 2014.   After that year's Christmas (gotta get the clearance sales ;) the tree changed to a mix of adorable ornaments full of every color in the rainbow.    And it is so fun, I just love it!!!  And now all of the kids homemade ornaments match as well, double bonus!!! 

When I designed these Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings, I made them big.  They are not huge by any means, but they are large enough to stuff a lot of goodies in.   I just love the size as I can put in a few small stocking presents, an orange in the toe, and of course, a whole lot of candy.  And I love how the simple design really show off the rainbow of colors and highlights the name on the cuff.   

I used an array of Basic's from Riley Blake Designs.  I loved combining the Damask for the front with the Hounds-tooth lining and Swiss Dot cuff.  I love how they all play together so nicely, and or course because they are basics, all the colors match ;)   But you could use any three matching Basic Fabrics and it would look awesome!!! 

And these Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings are so fun to make and go together quick.  They look a little complicated, but they really are not.  I did a step by step tutorial that walks you through making them and it is super easy to follow.   I even included options for either embroidery or applique of the names.   Really, you can make one of these in about an hour, and they come out oh so cute!!!!

And those are my Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings!!!    They have been on my mantle for the last 5 years and I look forward to them hanging for years to come ; )    I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings just click on any of the name links for the free step by step tutorial.    And when you are done, I would love to see your Stockings!!  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 Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings!!!

Thanks for popping in today and each day.   I am so excited to share more Christmas Throwbacks this month!!! 

I hope you have a very Happy (and Merry) Quilting Day!!!