Friday, November 6, 2020

Stroll Quilt!!

So there was no Fall Market, but quilts still had to be made and I was super excited to get to do a little secret sewing for my good friends at Moda Fabrics ;)   And I was super excited when I saw what quilt I got to make for them!!!!    By now, you have most likely seen Camille's and Bonnie's  new Sunday Stroll fabric and I already got to play with it!!!  How fun is that!!!! Here it is in Camille's new pattern, Stroll.   Isn't that just so cute!!!  

I had so much fun making this quilt!!  I just love sampler quilts, they provide so much variety in the piecing and it is just so fun to watch each of the different blocks come together ;)   I will admit, it took a lot longer to cut out, but once it was all cut, the piecing went really fast.   And I just can't get over how cute it is when it all comes together ;)  I can't even decide on my favorite block.  It might be a toss up between the Strawberries and the Hearts . . .  but the Little Flowers are so cute, and the Butterfly . . . see, it is just all so wonderful!!!

And when it came time to quilt it, I decided on an all over Curly Q.  I just love this design for a sampler, it gives such great texture without taking away attention from each of the blocks.    I used 402 Pearl which always blends so nicely, even on the darker red prints ;)   And it is also really quick, which was super good as this was one of those super fast turnaround projects.  I sure love those, it is just so fun to whip it all together  and see it all done :)   And it means pizza for dinner, tee hee hee.  


And I just love how this dense quilting design makes for some incredible texture.   Doesn't that just make you want to snuggle right up in this quilt and take a nap ;)   I have to admit, when I took it off the long arm, I thought to myself, how in the world am I going to send this back ;)   But I had to do just that, so Barbara stitched down the binding which luckily didn't take to long as she is super fast and the quilt is 65" x 78" so it goes much faster than a king size!!!

And now, it is making it's way to quilt shops all over the US in a traveling trunk show.   And I just love it and will look forward to it coming back someday ;)    And if you want to make your own Stroll quilt, I noticed that Fat Quarter Shop has a Kit already listed.  The fabric won't be available until March of 2021 but you can add your email to be notified when it is available.   Or, if you can't wait, (I know I couldn't) you can just grab some of your favorite Bonnie and Camille Fat Quarters.  You just need 20 for the pattern and whatever you choose will be super cute!!!


I am so grateful that I got to make this fantastic Stroll quilt and that I didn't have to keep it a secret for to long ;)   

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

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Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

 It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  
The winner of the  $25.00 Gift Certificate from Thousands of Bolts is . . .   Number #248   . . . Congrats  kimberj56!!  I have messaged 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!!!!     All Grunge Basics are on sale and you all know how I just love Grunge, I will be stocking up for sure!!!  Also, All Clover Products are on sale for the Notion , and Cluck, Cluck, Sew Patterns are on sale for the Pattern.   Save 20-30% off of all of them for the whole month of November!!  So great ;) 

24 Hour Flash Sales at the Fat Quarter Shop!


And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a $50 Gift Certificate!!!!  You can get just what you have been hoping for!!!  How great is that!!!


You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 is something you learned in the last week?? 

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterestYou 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 10th,  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Monday, November 2, 2020

Texas Monthly - Month 2

 Its November and that means another block for the Texas Monthly Block of the Month program!   This BOM is hosted by Stitchin' Heaven  and I am thrilled to share tutorials for the blocks each month.  

Monthth 2 is all about Paper Piecing some beautiful Texas Flowers!  And I will be the first to say, I am no paper piecing expert.   But luckily, these aren't to complex and a great way to get started in paper piecing.  If you are new to Paper Piecing,  I would highly recommend the Learn to Paper Piece book by Nancy Mahoney.  It really is a great step by step guide and wonderful to refer back to, as sometimes you forget little things when it has been a while since you paper pieced.    So, with that, let's get started on this month's 5 Paper Pieced Flower Blocks.  





The Paper Pieced Flower Blocks





STEP 1 - CUTTING

First off, you want to gather your Paper Piecing supplies.   You will need a rotary cutter, seam ripper, and thread scissors, like normal.  But you will also want to get an Add a Quarter Ruler, as well as a straight edge that is fairly thick for a folding tool.  I use a piece of Template Plastic, but a thin cardboard (like the back of a charm square bundle) will work too ;)  And with your tools gathered, you are ready to start cutting.  


Begin by cutting out all of the pieces in the instructions for each of the 5 flowers.   This is just like cutting out a normal quilt.   I highly recommend writting the piece Label (ie A1, A2 ect. ) on the wrong side of each piece you cut.  This just makes it easier when you are paper piecing so you don't have to remeasure each piece to make sure you are using the right one.   I also placed all the pieces for each flower back in the labeled bag after they were cut so I didn't mix them up.  


Then you will need to copy your patterns onto a thin paper.  You can use regular paper, or thin tracing paper, or special foundation paper.   Just copy your patterns and then trim them about 1/4" away from the outside line on each of the parts of the pattern.   Place each of the patter pieces with their appropriate flower bag so you don't mix them up.



STEP 2 - PIECING THE BLOCK

And with that, you are ready to start Paper Piecing!!!   As, I said, I am no expert, but I am going to share a step by step tutorial of how I find it easiest to paper piece.  I hope you find it helpful and if you have any Paper Piecing tidbits you want to share, please feel free to add them to the comments.  

Grab your paper pattern, and your first Piece of fabric.  That will be the one labeled A1.  Place the fabric so it is covering the A-1 portion of the pattern with the Wrong side of the Fabric to the Wrong side of the paper.  (So if you flip it over, you will see the right side of the fabric facing out.)  Pin the fabric in place, but put the pin in so that it is not over the A1-A2 line where you will be working. 


Now, align your folding tool on the A1-A2 line and fold the pattern over the folding tool, making a crease along the A1-A2 line and extending to the end of the pattern.  (You will leave the paper folded over, I just wanted to show the crease in this picture)


With the paper folded over the folding tool, align your Add A Quarter ruler along the creased edge, locking the grove of the ruler on the crease.  This will leave the edge of the ruler hanging 1/4" over the crease line.  Trim along the edge of the ruler.  This gives you an aligning guide for your next piece of fabric.  

So now you can align your A2 piece of fabric along the trimmed edge of the A-1 piece of fabric with right sides together.  You want to center the A2 piece of fabric so it is fully covering the A1 piece of fabric from top to bottom.  


Now it's time to stitch.   You always want to lower your stitch length when paper piecing as you will be pulling and tearing and basically manhandling this poor pattern and fabric.   You will stitch directly on the A1-A2 line.  Start off the paper, and stitch on the line, and then stitch a few more stitches past the edge of the line.  This just helps keep things in place and ensures all the seams will be locked.  Clip your threads and then move to the ironing board. 


Flip your A2 fabric piece over and press it towards the A-2 piece.  When Paper piecing, you always press toward the larger number piece.   And you are almost done with the first piece, just one last thing!!!   

Most Importantly, hold the pattern up to the light, and make sure that the piece you just added is fully covering the intended space in the pattern.   If it is, great, you can move on to the next piece.  If it isn't, time for a little seam ripping then realign your piece up or down as needed and resew.   Just don't start your next piece until you are sure the piece you just added is right.   (And sorry, Somehow I totally forgot to take a picture of this after adding the first piece, so I had to take one rather down the line, but you get the idea ;)  


And now you are ready to repeat the process moving on to the Third piece of fabric over the third part of the pattern.  So let's go over it again, just to make sure we got it down.    Place your folding tool on to the A2-A3 line and make a crease along the line and extending off the paper.  You will have to tear the paper slightly over the previously stitched line.    


Now align your Add a Quarter Ruler with the crease line and trim a 1/4" away along the edge of the ruler.  This will trim parts of both the A1 and A2 fabrics.  


Now center and align your A3 fabric on to the newly trimmed A1 fabric with right sides together.   


Stitch directly on the A1-A3 line, using a shorted stitch length and beginning off the paper and stitching a few stitches past the end of the line.  


Then press towards the A3 fabric and hold the entire pattern up to the light to ensure that you have fabric covering the entire portion of the A3 pattern.   Simple as that.   Now just keep repeating the process until you have stitched all of the fabrics for the pattern A1 through A7 always pressing towards the larger number and double checking your fabric covers the intended pattern area.  


Paper piece all 3 parts of the flower block.  Once all three parts are paper pieced, trim along the outer marking on the pattern.   Be sure to trim along the outer marking as it is your seam allowance and you don't want to accidently cut that off.    


And now, it is just like putting a regular quilt block together.  Go ahead and leave the paper in your pieces for the time being.  


Align your seam allowances as well as the places where the seams align on the blocks, like where the stem meets the flower and where the top of the flower meets the center of the flower.   Because of the bulk with the paper and the piecing, I like to pin at every section, even if this is just a straight seam as the paper tens to make the pieces want to shift when sewing.    Stitch a 1/4" line along the pinned edge, this should be directly over the inner line on your pattern.  


With both seams stitched, you can now remove the paper.  I find it helpful at this point to use a seam ripper to poke a little hole in the paper along a seam line to get it started ripping.  Just a little tidbit.  I also like to watch a good movie at this part, as it is a little tedious :)   Once all the paper has been removed, press the final two seams open. 



And just like that, you have Paper Pieced a beautiful Texas Flower block!!!  Repeat for all 5 of your blocks and enjoy ;)  




HELPFUL HINTS

And I know, that made it sound super easy, but here are a few more helpful hints I found when working with some of the tricky angles.   Paper piecing becomes a little more complicated when the angels get funny, and you aren't quite sure where is the best place to align your piece.

So if I am having trouble with a piece, or just not sure I have aligned it correctly, I like to "check before I sew".  To do this, I place a pin perpendicular  and a 1/4" in from the edge.  If it is a small seam I just use one pin, but if it is longer, I will use more pinning all along the 1/4" in from the edge.   This gives me a little "cheat" seam. 


Then I finger press the piece of fabric over the pinned edge, basically allowing me to see where it is going to align on the pattern. 


Now, just like checking before, I hold it up to the light and see if the fabric is completely covering the intended space.  If it is, I simply remove the pins and stitch on the line.  If it isn't, I unpin, and shift the fabric up or down slightly as needed, and then recheck until the fabric is right where I need it.   I find this saves me a lot of unpicking.  And once you get the hang of paper piecing, you will quickly find this isn't necessary for all pieces, just some of the trickier angle ones, (Like those next big white background squares ;)  


And one other thing I find very helpful once you get the hang of Paper Piecing is chain stitching!   The thing I most struggle with paper piecing is how slow it is, so if you can work on multiple pieces as once, even if you have to raise your presser foot and pull your threads to get to the next piece, it still saves times and makes less of a thread mess.  


And that is it for Texas Monthly, Month 2 :)

If you have any questions on this tutorial, please don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or leave a comment.  

Hope y'all enjoy making this month's blocks and maybe even learned a few paper piecing tidbits along the way.  Looking forward to Next Month!

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Friday, October 30, 2020

Charming Baby Quilts Remix - On the Move!

 Another Friday and another Charming Baby Remix!!!  This is quilt 3 of my Charming Baby Quilts Remix's and I am so excited to share it because you all know how much I love a rainbow quilt . . . . and here it is the On the Move Remix quilt!!!!

Isn't this just so fun!!!!  I just love, love, love it ;)   I remixed the original design by adding more blocks and rows and then used a white background and solid's for the prints.  And of course, I laid them out in rainbow order, eeekk!!!  So great :)  This On the Move remix quilt finishes at 69" x 83" so it is perfect for snuggling up in to watch a good movie or read a wonderful book.    And It is just as easy to piece as the original, it's basically just making a few more blocks :)  (Pattern Adjustment's here)  


And speaking of the original, here is my On the Move quilt from Charming Baby Quilts.   This is such a great baby quilt, and can eaisly be made all boy or all girl depending on who you are making it for.   It will just be so great in whatever size or color you make it!!!


For this On the Move remix, I used  2 of these awesome Super-Sized  Kona Rainbow Charm Pack and then added a few more squares from my scrap solids for variety.   Isn't it just so fun to have that solid rainbow, it just pops!!!!    This remix uses 3 Charm packs and 4 1/4 yards of background fabric.   And it so fun to make, and you can even use the leftovers for bonus pillows (more to come) !!!


And when it came time to quilt it, I decided I wanted to do some super on the go wavy lines.  And it is hard to tell in the picture, but I changed the thread color out to match the arrows.  So Orange Variegated Fantastico on the orange, Yellow on the yellow, and green on the green ;)  It really just adds to the rainbow effect and I just love it!!!  


And talk about quilty texture!!!  It is all of the quilty goodness and I even got a bunch of exercise quilting it walking (briskly I might add) back and forth in front of the long arm ;)   Double Bonus!!


So do you want to make your own Charming Baby Remix On the Move quilt??  Just download this free  PDF On the Move Remix Instructions  document.  You will need a copy of my Charming Baby Quilts book to make the Remix as the download just includes the alternations and not the complete instructions.  You use the book and the download together ;)




And that is my On the Move Remix quilt!!!  I hope you love it just as much as I do and want to make one of your own, either in the lap size or baby size ;)  And if you do,  I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or post it to social media with the hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and/or #charmingbabyquilts ;)  I can't wait to see your On the Move Quilts!!!

And for easy reference. . . This On the Move Charming Baby Quilt has been added to my Charming Baby Quilts, All the Quilts, All the Details post ;)  It's a great place to bookmark to see everything Charming Baby Quilts all in one place!!

And there will be more Charming Baby Quilt Remixes to come, so be sure to pop back in soon.  

Thanks for stopping in today and I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!

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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

 It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  
The winner of the  $25.00 Gift Certificate from Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is . . .   Number #36   . . . Congrats Chris K. !!  I have messaged you :)    

   
    
And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Thousands of Bolts .   Thousands of Bolts has incredible prices that will have you super excited!!!  And yes they are open and working hard to get out orders during this crazy time :)    And right now, you will find incredible bargains shopping in the Thousands of Bolts Sale Section where they just added 400 fabrics!!!      Be sure to check it out :)


And for Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Thousands of Bolts is giving one lucky winner at $25.00 Gift Certificate!!!  You can get just what you always wanted :)   And good luck picking because there are literally thousands of bolts to choose from!!!!   


You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 your all time favorite Halloween Costume??

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Thousands of Bolts some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook or Instagram.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Thousand of Bolts Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 3rd, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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