Texas Monthly - Month 6!!

Again, it has been a bit of a wait, (issues with fabric supply) but I am super excited to be sharing another block for the Texas Monthly Block of the Month program!   This BOM is hosted by Stitchin' Heaven  and is so much fun!!!    And we are moving on to Month 6 today :)   

So let's get going :)  There is only 1 Block this month and we will be making 2 of them.  And the block is the Stitchin' Heaven Star Block logo, so cool and oh so much fun to make.   It takes a bit of practice to get the points just right, but they look so great when you do.    So let's get piecing!!!  

Cutting

I like to start out by pressing all of my fabrics.  Then it is time for cutting!!!  The cutting for this month is super fast as you just have to cut some triangles from squares and a few Width of Fabric (WOF) strips.    Oh, and be sure and trim the selvage edges from your strips ;)

And with all your pieces cut . . . you are ready to move on to the block.

Stitchin' Heaven Star Block

Strip Piecing Angled Units

First up, we are going to make some strip sets.  When piecing strip sets, I always like to use a slightly smaller stitch length as I will be sub-cutting the units.   Start with a Blue and and Green Strip.   Place the Blue strip on  the Green strip with right sides together, only rather than aligning the edges, place the Blue Strip in 2" as shown.   Sew a 1/4" seam along the top edge of the strip set.   Repeat to make 2 Strip sets total.  

Now it's time to press.   When pressing strip sets, I always like to press from the front.  This way I make sure I don't get any little bubbles in my seam allowance.   You will be pressing towards the Blue strip.   Use the point of your iron to really get in the seam, and I like to use my finger in front of the iron to smooth out the seam allowance before I get to it.  Press both strip sets.  

Now move to your cutting mat.   Align your strip set along a horizontal line on your cutting mat with the Blue strip on top. Place a ruler on to the right hand edge of  the strip, and align the 45 Degree line on the ruler with the bottom of the strip set.   Cut a Straight Edge that will be angled along the edge of the ruler.  

Now flip your Strip Set 180 degrees so you can align your strip set along a horizontal line on your cutting mat with the Green strip on top. Place a ruler on to the now left hand straight angled edge.  You will be aligning the 45 degree mark on the ruler with the bottom of the Strip Set and the 2" line on your ruler with the cut angled edge of the strip set.   I like to mark the corner of 45 degrees and 2" so I don't have to find it each time.   Once you are all aligned, cut a 2" wide Segment.  

Continue aligning and cutting segments until you have cut (16) 2" Segments total.   You will only need to cut a few from the second strip set and the remainder is scrap.  

Now we will repeat the same process with the Red Strips matched with a Blue Strip.   Again, Place the Blue strip on  the Red strip with right sides together, and stager align 2" as shown.   Sew a 1/4" seam along the top edge of the strip set and press towards the Blue Strip.    Repeat to make 2 Strip sets total.    

 Align your strip set with the Blue strip on top.  Align the bottom of the Strip Set with the 45 Degree line on the ruler on the right hand edge of the strip set.  Cut a Straight Edge.  Flip your Strip Set 180 degrees and align on the mat with the Red strip on top. On the now left hand straight angled edge, align the  45 degree mark on the ruler with the bottom of the Strip Set and the 2" line on your ruler with the cut angled edge of the strip set and cut a 2" wide Segment.    Cut (16) 2" Segments total.

Piecing Diamond Units

Now with your Segments all cut, you are ready to start piecing the blocks.   Layout 1 of each colored segments in a diamond formation as shown below with the green on the bottom and the red on the top.  

We will be sewing these two "rows" together, which means you will be sewing an internal angled seam.  These can be a little tricky, but the idea is to align the seams so that they match at 1/4" in from the edge. 

I find the easiest way to do this is to use the Pin Trick we have used previously to align multiple points.  The only difference is, you don't have a marking of the 1/4" in, so you have to estimate it.   I got about half perfectly estimated and about half off.   For the ones that were slightly off, I simply ripped the seams, and then I could use the holes from the just ripped seam allowance as a guide to align with the Pin Trick.    (Hint - If you find you are struggling with the estimated guess, simply use a basting stitch the first time, so it isn't so hard to unpick ;)  

Another hint is that you should have a 1/4" overhang on each side when you stitch the 1/4" seam across the pinned top.  Once you have them aligned and stitched, Press the seam Open.  These angled seams take a bit of practice. but they get easier with each one ;)  You can do it!!   You will be making 16 Diamond Units total.  

Piecing Large Triangle Units

Rather than making all of the Right Large Triangle Units and then all of the Left Large Triangle Units, I like to make both sets at the same time.   This allows me to chain stitch as well as double check my layout each time I stitch a seam.  However, I will only show 1 set in the images so it is clear and you can piece one set at a time and repeat the Large Triangle Unit steps to make 8 total, or chain stitch 8 total.  

Start by laying out 2 Diamond Units in a mirror image as shown below.   Place a Big White Triangle on the outer sides of the Diamond Units as shown.  (stack up 8 sets on top of each piece if you are Chain Stitching the Large Triangle Units)  

Place the Big White Triangles onto the Diamond Units with Right sides together, aligning the pieces so there is a 1/4" overlap at the top and bottom of each seam.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along both sides. 

Press the seam allowances towards the Big White Triangle.    Now, place 2 Small White Triangles on the inside of the Diamond Units as shown.    

Place the Small White Triangles onto the Diamond Units with Right sides together, aligning the pieces so there is a 1/4" overlap at the bottom of the seam and all of the Excess (about 1/2") is overlapped at the top of the seam.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along both sides. 

Press the seam allowances towards the Small White Triangle.    You should now have 8 Sets of Mirror Triangles total.  And I like to trim at the end, so just hold off on those uneven top seams for the moment.  

Piecing Quarter Blocks and Blocks

Place the mirror image Large Triangle sets with right sides together.   Align and pin the seams. Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned side.   Press the seam open.   Repeat or chain stitch to make 8 Quarter Blocks total.   

Now Layout 4 Quarter Block Units as shown below.   At this point, I like to trim all of the little dog ears so they don't get in the way, especially at the center point.  We will be sewing the quarters into halves on the diagonal.  

Place the Top Unit on to the Left Hand Unit with Right sides together.  Align and Pin the Seams and stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   Repeat for the Bottom Unit and Right Hand Unit.   Press the seam allowances of each diagonal half Open.  

One last seam . . . Place the Top Left Hand Unit onto the Bottom Right Hand unit with Right sides together.  Align and Pin the Seams and stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   Press the seam allowance Open.  Repeat the last 3 instructions to make 2 Blocks total.  

And all that is left is to trim the blocks nice and even.   Align the 1/4" mark on your ruler with the star points on the side of the block.  Trim the edge even.   Repeat for all of the sides of both blocks.  

And just like that . . . you have 2 beautiful Stitchin' Heaven Star Blocks!!  They should measure 14 1/2" square,  but if yours are a little big (mine were 15") you can ease them in.  Don't trim them anymore then you have as you need the 1/4" to make the star points.   

And now all your blocks are made!!!!  All that is left for this month is to take those blocks and sew them into into Sections!!  So for 

Section 1

Layout a Stitchin' Heaven Star Block and the Bluebonnet Flower block from Month 2 as shown below.  

Place the Flower Block onto the Star Block with right sides together.   Align and pin the edge.  (you can see I had a little easing in to do, but it all worked out great.)    Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge taking care to stitch through the thread X and at the bottom of the Fabric V for perfect points.  Press the seam open.  

And Section 1 is complete!!!  Super easy :)  

So onto . . . 

Section 2

Layout the other Stitchin' Heaven Star Block and the Texas Thistle block from Month 2 as shown below.

Place the Flower Block onto the Star Block with right sides together.   Align and pin the edge.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge taking care to stitch through the thread X and at the bottom of the Fabric V for perfect points.  Press the seam open.  

And Section 2 is complete!!!  Super easy :)  

And now, we get to put a big chunk of the quilt together!!!

Section from Month 4, 5, and 6

Layout your Month 4, Month 5, and Month 6 blocks as shown below.   They should already be stitched together in these six sections, and we will be making 2 columns from these sections.  

Place the Top Block in each column onto the Middle Blocks in each column with right sides together.   Align and pin the edges.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge taking care to stitch through any thread X's and at the bottom of the Fabric V's for perfect points. 

Place the Bottom Blocks in each column onto the Middle Blocks in each column with right sides together.   Align and pin the edges.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge taking care to stitch through any thread X's and at the bottom of the Fabric V's for perfect points. 

And your Two Section 4/5/6 are complete!!!  Way to go :)  

Wasn't  Texas Monthly Month 6 just so fun!!!  I know I sure liked it and it is so exciting to see it starting to come together :)

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! 

 Looking forward to Next Month and from what I hear, it should be soon!

Stomping Ground x 3

 I have been doing some more secret sewing for my friends at Moda Fabrics and am excited to share another project I got to work on for them ;)  And I had so much fun with the sample, I made 2 more!!!   Let's start with the sample . . . I was thrilled when I opened my box from Moda to find an adorable Jungle Paradise Fat Quarter Bundle!!  This is a new line by Stacy Iest Hsu that releases in August.  It has monkeys, tigers, elephants, and frogs in bright happy colors.  And so what better pattern to make with these awesome prints than Wendy Shepherd's Stomping Ground.  

This quilt was so much fun to piece!!!   It really went together fast, like 2 days fast :)  I just loved sewing with these fabrics.  They are just so happy and bright and you can't help but smile while making cute little elephants!

And I love that the Stomping Ground pattern has the option to make a few elephants facing the other direction.  You don't have to do that, but it adds a fun little movement to it, it just meant I had to piece those two elephants separately from the others so I could mirror all of the piecing ;)  

And when it came time to quilt it, I decided on my favorite go to all over swirl.   I just love the texture it adds to the quilt, and it is so relaxing to quilt.   My favorite 402 So Fine blended perfectly into the background and still blended on all of those bright prints.  I just love 402!!! 

You only need 10 Fat Quarters, some background and binding to make this Stomping Ground quilt.  It finishes  at 48" x 60".   And if you want to make one to, without having a leftover 20 Fat Quarters from the bundle,  Fat Quarter Shop has a Kit already listed for it.   Again, it won't be available until August, but you can add your email to be notified when it is available.  And it just makes the cutest baby quilt!!

And since my good friends at Moda sent me the entire Jungle Paradise Fat Quarter Bundle to make this sample for them, I had a few Fat Quarters Left over.    And wouldn't you know it, I have a Niece expecting next month and a very good family friend expecting in September.   20 Jungle Paradise  Fat Quarters later and I had 2 more Stomping Ground quilts done ;)   Seriously, these are so fun and fast to make.   

You cut 2 elephants from each Fat Quarter, so I used one in each quilt to add even more color and variety into each quilt.   So fun!!!  I just love those deep purples, you know those are my ultimate favorite right ;) 

And I didn't mirror any of the elephants in these 2 quilts.  I just wanted to see them all in a line following each other.  I love it just as much.   And they made the perfect baby gifts for two very excited expecting moms ;)  

I thought it would be fun to add to the whole jungle idea when quilting them so I tried something new.   I took my Feathered Swirl free motion design and turned it into a swirled sun.    The first one I did nice sharp points around the swirls to make suns.

And to mix it up, on the second quilt I did more curvy lines to make the sun flares.   I love how they both turned out, but I think this curvy version is my favorite.   And it was easier to quilt, so double bonus!!

And when I was all done quilting, I realized I had one strip left from each of my fat quarters.  My niece is currently in Iowa and so it is super hot and humid.   Having had my second in the midwest in August, I knew she would need a super light receiving blanket.  So I stitched up the strips in a jelly roll race, and then used the leftover backing to make a self binding receiving blanket. There is no batting, so this will be super light, just two layers of cotton and I have to say . . .  It turned out so cute.  

Isn't that just the perfect pairing.   And my niece was in town last week and we had an adorable baby shower, and wouldn't you know it, they decorated with baby elephants.   It was perfect!!!!   Both mom and dad to be loved the pair and that of course made me just perma grin.    Oh, and the other super happy making of this all . . . Barbara is going to be a Great Grandma!!!   How fun is that ;)  

Thanks so much for popping in and sharing these finishes with me.  

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

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 Kimberly's Fabric Stash is . . .   Number #230 . . . Congrats knelsonguru!  I have messaged you :)  

    

         

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Lou Lou's Fabric Shop .    Did you know that Jamie makes a new Lou Lou Bundle every Tuesday . . . there are so many to choose from and they are all just stunning!!!  Isn't this new Happy Day bundle just so great!!!    Along with hosting the giveaway, Jamie is having a  Fantastic Sale with with lots of amazing discounts!!!! And don't forget to pop over to Lou Lou's Fabric Shop each day for the Daily Deal!!! I love something new on sale each and every day, it's so fun to see what shows up :)  

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for some shopping goodness!!  Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is offering one lucky reader a $25.00 Gift Certificate perfect to use on anything in the store, including any of the awesome Lou Lou Bundle's or on the Daily Deal!!  Just perfect!!!!  

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 is your Favorite Afternoon Snack?

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Lou Lou's Fabric Shop some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.  Or you can follow their blog or  visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Lou Lou's Fabric Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, June 22nd when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Serendipity Quilt Along - Release 7

 Today is the Seventh and final row release of the Serendipity Quilt Along and I just love these stars!!!  I mean, how great is it that a chain is added to the corners of the star!!!   This is Fat Quarter Shop's 8th Annual Charity Quilt Along to benefit Make a Wish and I always love quilting along :)     So here are the Row 7 blocks . . . 

And don't they just look awesome all sewn in a row!!!  I love seeing a row of star blocks, they are just my favorite.  Especially that rainbow line one, so fun to see the lines criss cross!!  I am using Happy Days Fabric by Sherri and Chelsi, which is almost in shops :)  So great!!! 

So are you joining in with the Serendipity fun???   You can download the block pattern right here and it is requested for each pattern you download to donate $5.00  to the Make a Wish Foundation :)  And  Fat Quarter Shop's annual charity QAL has made it's stretch goal of  $70,000 and is continuing to raise to grant wishes!!!  We are up to 10  wishes and might just make another.   So amazing!!!  

Fat Quarter Shop is doing Live  You Tube video tutorials this time.  Kimberly will walk you through the process of making the Release 7 blocks and sew right along with you.   The Row 7 Live Video will be Released on June 21th at 9 am CT.  So fun!!! 

Be sure to share all of your Serendipity progress on social media with #serendipityqal and check out Fat Quarter Shops post for Release 7 for lots more Serendipity Inspiration!!!

And that's it for the Seventh Release in the Serendipity Quilt Along!!!!      

Thanks for popping in today ;)  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

Sewing with Barbara and Jessi (and Isaac)

We had such a fun weekend at the Panguitch Quilt Walk!!!  Jessi, Barbara and I all took a class together on Thursday afternoon, and it was just so wonderful to be able to sew with 3 generations all laughing together.  It truly is a dream come true for me, and I am so glad that Jessi gets to share this love with Barbara and I.   It is just moments of bonding and lots of memories made.   I wish I would have gotten a picture of the three of us together, but I barely remembered to snap this one at the end of class.   I just get so in the zone of sewing, tee hee hee.  

Jessi and I finished 4 Log Cabin Blocks and 4 Star Blocks (2 each) for the first part of class.   We then turned our focus to some serious chain piecing and have the remaining 28 Log Cabin Blocks over half way finished.    So hopefully it won't be long before we can share this all finished up :)   And speaking of that, thanks for all of your comments on the PDF vs Quilt Along post.    The general consensus was a PDF with multiple size options now, and a Quilt Along more towards the fall when life slows down.   So I will start working on the PDF and release it with the finished quilt ;)

After the class we took, I taught 3 more classes.  I was hopeful that Jessi would sew in the back of my class and continue to work on the log cabins, but quickly realized that wasn't going to happen.   You see, our classroom also doubled as a Beginning Medical Class at the High School, so there were beds in the back of the room, and one even had a friend in it :)   Jessi named him Prince Isaac the Third and he was super kind to display my quilts as there was no where to hang them.   Jessi also took full advantage of the empty bed taking lots of cat naps, watching movies, and reading her book.  She just loved it and all of the gals in my class got a kick out of it.  Ahh those teen years when you can just be perfectly content chilling all day ;)  

And speaking of my classes, they went wonderful as well!!!  I always love teaching and it was so nice to get together with friends that I missed seeing last year.    I will share of my students work in another post soon.   Just wanted to pop in and say it was a wonderful weekend, and it is great to be back home.  

How about you??   Any planned retreats in your upcoming future??