A Big Change at Home!!

So next week we will begin remodeling our Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room, and all the flooring in the upstairs.   Wow . . . Huge Change and I am so excited!!!   This is something we have wanted to do since moving in and the time is finally right.    But with this awesome, wonderful change, means a few "adjustments" in the interim.   You all know I just love, love, love my sewing room, and I know I am so blessed to have a space entirely dedicated to quilting :)

Well, this weekend I had to "move" my space.   This is what it looks like now.   (and side note, I was blown away by how much lint and dust was behind my desk, yuck)   We are lucky that this room had a stove top and sink in it from the previous owners, and so it only made sense for it to become a temporary Kitchen for our family while our regular kitchen is gutted and rebuilt.   And even though it was hard to "move" out of my favorite space, I know it will be a huge blessing to not have to dishes in the bathtub, I have heard many a crazy remodeling tale :)

So this is my temporary sewing space ;)  There is no way I could just pack it all away, so I am in the back of the family room for the time being.  It is going to be a whole lot louder, and a little crowded once we move the living room furniture down here as well, but it will work ;)   I am just glad to still be able to sew and work on projects, even if it is only in little bits between the craziness that will be remodeling. 

So if things are a little slower around here over the next few weeks you will know why ;)  

Which had me wondering, would you like to see what is being done in our remodel?  I could share some before, progress shots,  and after's if you are interested :)

And for those that have lived through remodeling . . . any advice or tips??   We are all ears ;) 

And that's all for today :)   Be back tomorrow with our Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day . . . and it has some changes as well, so you are going to want to be sure and check it out!!!! 

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Star Value Quilt!!!

Well it's Thursday, and it's a new year and a new decade!!!!   And I am sure many of you have been making your New Years Quilting Goals, just like me ;)   And one goal or resolution that seems to be quite popular is making more quilts with our scraps!!!  We all have them, and we need to use them up, right!!!   So for today's Throwback, I wen't back 7 years to a favorite Scrap Buster . .  . The Star Value Quilt!!!!

The Star Value quilt is a Block Tutorial that comes in 5 size options.   You can easily repeat the block to make whatever size quilt you want.  So you can make anywhere from a Wall Hanging to King Size Quilt  using blocks anywhere from 12 inches up to 28 inches.   Whatever you choose, it makes for an amazing scrappy quilt!!!   And you don't have to use a rainbow of colors like I did.   I have seen this done in Red, White, and Blue for Quilts of Valor and it is just awesome!!!    Oh,  and the Star Value Quilt also has a simplified Printable Tutorial File, so it's a great one to store and come back to again and again to tackle your scraps ;)      

Star Value is made with lots of Half Square Triangles.   My favorite tool for trimming Half Square Triangles is the Bloc Loc rulers.    They make for extremely accurate Half Square Triangles and they are super fast and easy to use.   And this quilt has a lot of them, so trimming faster is a huge bonus ;)    

I quilted my Star Value Quilt with an all over swirl and then finished it with a Scrappy Binding!!!!  I love to keep all of my leftover bits of binding and then pull them out whenever I am making a scrappy quilt.   It just finishes it off so perfectly :)   I share a bit more about bindings in this post, and you can see how to make a Scrappy Binding in my Binding Basics Video Tutorial.   

And that is my Star Value quilt.  I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Star Value quilt in any size,  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 Star Value quilts!!!

And a huge thanks to my Bee Mates who helped me make these Star Value Blocks.   This is a fantastic Bee Block and I have seen lots and lots of groups make these up for their quilty friends ;)

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

2019 in the Books . . . Bring on 2020!!!!

Wow, what a year . . . an so exciting to be moving into a new decade.   I just love this end of year post that allows me to step back and see what the year has brought me.   And looking forward to this new year is just so exciting, its a whole new decade and I will also be celebrating a decade of writting Happy Quilting.  Just Wow  !!!!  So let's take a look of what has been happening over the past year!!

41 Quilts 

 (including sneak peeks at some new patterns to be released in 2020 that I haven't shared yet :)

8 Mini's & Projects

 Countless Blocks including:
Bee, Dessert Sampler, Goodness Grows, Scraptastic Stars, and Surrounded  

And a Whole lot of Teaching!!! 

And One New Book, On it's Way!!! 

And that's Happy Quilting 2019!!!! Wow, what an incredible year!!!   And it is just so amazing to see it all together in one neat little summary ;)   You can see more details about all of the quilts in my Archive Cont. Tab at the top of the page including links to the quilts with tutorials and of course, the annual Quilt Along ;)

As I look back over this past year, I just can't even express how grateful I am to have found this amazing industry to be a part of.  I just love doing what I do each and every day!!!   I am so blessed by all of the wonderful friends I have made through this quilting journey, and I look forward to making many more.  Thank you so much for reaching out to me in comments, emails, and sharing your pictures.  It just warms my heart and again, reminds me of how blessed I am to be able to enjoy Happy Quilting every day :)

And now, It's time to look forward to 2020!!!

Wow, that is just crazy.  2020!!!  A new Decade and a celebration of writting Happy Quilting for a Decade ;)  Just amazing!!!

So what does 2020 hold in store . . . Lot's more Happy Quilting :)     Of course, my new book comes out in March of 2020 and a Quilt Along from the book will follow soon after that.  I have 5 New Patterns that are all just needing to be written, and I hope to have them done in the beginning of 2020.   And of course, there will be lots of daily Happy Quilting fun!!!

Each year, I hang a little print off in my sewing room that serves as a daily reminder of what I want to accomplish creatively in the year while trying to keep up with life as well ;)   Which is going to be a little crazy as we are going to be adding a Kitchen Remodel into the mix in 2020 as well.  (that should be crazy fun!!!)  So I have made my goals accordingly.    Some of these are repeats from previous years and some are new, but all are important for me on this amazing journey.

1 -  Priorities, Priorities, Priorities
2 -  Daily Enjoyment and Accomplishment
3 -  Remember the Big Picture
4 -  Family First and Foremost

And again, these probably only make sense to me but there are so many thoughts tied up in each of those little statements.   They will  be wonderful reminders to me each and every day and I look forward to them guiding me in my 2020 Creative Journey!!

And One Last Thought Before I Wrap This Up . . . Thank you!!!!

I know those are just two simple little words, but I mean them truly.   I can't believe I have been writting here for almost 10 years, and if it weren't for all of you, I wouldn't be.   I am so incredibly grateful for each of you and am blessed to have been able to share this little space for almost a decade!!!

And I guess that means it is time to say goodbye to 2019 and look towards 2020!!!!!  Here is looking forward to lots and lots of Happy Quilting!!!!!!

December Sew Sampler!!

Hi All!!!  It's been a little quiet around here lately (as in I haven't posted for 10 days)  With the kids off school, I have been enjoying the holiday season with lots of wonderful family time, including visiting family from out of town which is so fantastic!!!    Food, Fun, and Family my favorite's of the season.   But things are starting to slow down, so today I wanted to pop back in and share a fun little present I tucked under the tree for myself . . . My December Sew Sampler Box!!!

This month's box theme is Vintage Soul and it is just full to the brim with lots of Lori Holt Goodness!!!  And we all know, she has so much quilting goodness to go around :)

I can't wait to make up this adorable Sweet Daisy Table Runner!!!  It is an exclusive pattern and I just think it is oh so cute ;)    And the Vintage Happy 2 Stacker is just so wonderful!!!  I love Lori's charming colors and vintage prints.   This is going to be just perfect for my dining room table this Spring ;)   And nothing chases away snowy blues like sewing with spring fabrics ;)  

And this month's notions are more of  Lori Holt Goodness!!!  That gal blows me away with all she does, just so awesome!!!   I am super excited for this Quick Press Seam Roller.  It will be fantastic for quilt classes ;)    And the Cute Point Protectors will be wonderful to keep little fingers safe from my stacks of scissors :)

And of course, there is a Goodness Grows Block!!!  This month the block is called  Rise Above  and it was a fun and fast block!!!  And who doesn't just love plaid!!!  Such a cute way to fill a big space :)    Oh, and just a reminder, if you are wanting to make your Goodness Grows quilt in the same fabrics I am,  the Sugarcreek Goodness Grows Quilt Kits are now in stock and there is also a Sugarcreek Backing set.   I am just loving seeing these blocks come together each month in these gorgeous fabrics and can't wait to share it all finished up.   Only 3 more blocks to go :)

And that is my December Sew Sampler box  :)  It was so fun that it came in time to tuck it under the tree and open it Christmas Morning ;)   

 Oh, and FYI, the Sew Sampler Box membership is full again, but you can get on the wait list and spots open up fast ;)

I will be back tomorrow with a year end wrap up and I am so excited.  It's one of my favorite posts of the year!!! 

hope you are all having a Happy Quilting Day!!

Charming Baby Quilts Cover!!!

Monday was the photo shoot for my new Charming Baby Quilts book :)  It was so fun to have the images for the book texted to me throughout the day.  (Thanks so much It's Sew Emma for that!!!) And the picture that was just so exciting . . . the cover image!!!!    And I am so excited to get to share it this morning!!!  Isn't that just precious!!! 

The photo shoot took place at an adorable children's store in Texas and the gals at It's Sew Emma did such an amazing job!!!  They just captured the nature and feel of this book so perfectly!!!   I mean, how adorable is this!!!!

And of course, I will have lots and lots more pictures to share over the next few month's as it get's closer to the release of Charming Baby Quilts.   It's so fun to get to share peeks of these quilts!!!   And it makes me realize it is going to be so hard to wait for March :) 

And here is the back cover!!!   Isn't that stack of Charming Baby Quilts just so fun!!!  It is so great seeing them all together :)   And I just love that each quilt is made with  with one, two, or three charm packs!!   Because let's be honest, we all have a stack of charm packs that we just want to create with :)  And Charming Baby Quilts is perfect for just that!!!! 

 And just as a reminder . . . Charming Baby Quilts will be released in March of 2020 and it is available for pre-order!!!  You can pre-order a copy of Charming Baby Quilts directly from It's Sew Emma, or from Fat Quarter Shop (with a pre-order discount) , or if you would like to pre-order a signed copy directly from me, that is an option as well ;)   All pre-ordered books will ship out in March 2020   

Oh, and I just found out  . . . Kimberly shared all of the quilts from Charming Baby Quilts on her Behind the Seams Chat today.  So fun, and she even shared the Quilt Along we will be doing with the book so now I can share it here as well!!!    So excited for this QAL!!!

What a fun day of sharing!!!!   Thanks for all popping in today and being a part of this super exciting project ;)   I can't wait to share more with you all!!!

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