Aurora in Le Petit Escargot

  Today I am thrilled to be sharing a new quilt finish with you that features the soft and sweet Le Petit Escargot fabrics for my wonderful friends at Poppie Cotton.   I knew right away when I saw this collection that it needed to be paired with a dark background to make all of those wonderful soft prints just pop!!   And here it is,  my Aurora quilt, from my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book, and isn't it just so striking!!  I love it ;)  

What I really love about the quilts in my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book is that they are all made from one Layer Cake and a background fabric and you can get right to cutting. I used Weathered Wood Dark Grey Country Confetti for my background, and it even has little tiny pink dots on it that go right along with the print.  A dark background is so great when you have a fabric line with lots of whites in it, then they don't get lost in a light background :)  

Aurora finishes at 68" x 68", so it is a great lap size to snuggle up in.  It is really a super fun quilt to make.   This quilt is made up of two blocks, that area actually pieced with the same units.  I love how you can create two totally different blocks with the same pieces, so cool!!!   Oh, and I always love adding a "chain" in my quilts, and this chain is subtle, but it is the perfect finish for this Aurora quilt.  

 Aurora might look like a little complex, but it truly is a beginner friendly quilt to make.  Especially with all of the tips and tricks I added in the pattern.  You will learn no waste flying geese, square in a square, and stitch and flip while making this quilt.  And a great little pin trick for lining up all of the points!!  And Aurora really lets you play with where you want the prints in each component of the design, my favorite part!

And Barbara once again did the piecing and quilting of this one for me.  (I have been doing some secret sewing for H & H so she came in clutch!)  She is so amazing!!!   She quilted an all over design of paisleys. I love how it adds so much movement to the quilt.  And using a dark grey thread makes it blend in the background and pop on the prints.  So fun!!

And that is a new Aurora quilt! I hope you have enjoyed this post. To see more of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book, you can visit this post and see all the quilts. And if you make your own Aurora Quilt, (or any of the quilts from Fast & Fun Lap Quilts) I would love to see them! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags  #happyquiltingwithmc and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can’t wait to see your Quilts!!

Thank you so much for popping in today and sharing this new finish with me.

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

Garden of Quilts 2026 - Registration is Open!!

 I am so excited to be returning to the Garden of Quilts this fall to teach and be immersed in so much quilty goodness ;)   And Registration is now Open!!!   So you can sign up for all of the wonderful Classes, Special Events and of course, the amazing Exhibit of Quilts hung throughout the gorgeous 50-acre gardens!!!    It has been such an amazing event to be a part of over the last few years and I am so excited to return for this 2026 year!!!   The Garden of Quilts will be held at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi Utah on September 16th - 19th, 2026.

And speaking of signing up for classes . . . I will be teaching 8 classes!!!  Here is a rundown of the classes I will be teaching :)   And yes indeed, those are quite a few sneak peeks of New Patterns, some coming very soon, and some coming in a little bit!!  So exciting!!  

    Home is Where the Heart is taught Wed. Morning                Playful Posies taught Wed. Afternoon

      

   

                 

       Twilight Stroll taught Thur. Morning                Turning Dusk into Dawn taught Thur. Afternoon

     

                  Turnovers taught Fri. Morning                                Alhambra taught Fri. Afternoon       

   

             Nordic Nights taught Sat. Morning                         Braided Irish Chain taught Sat. Afternoon

    
  

 It is going to be an amazing week and I can't wait!!!    Some of these classes have patterns that can can be found in my Etsy Shop, but some are Brand New Patterns that will be coming soon.   I am so excited to get to teach so many classes to so many wonderful quilters.  Just wow!!!   I can't begin to explain how much I love getting to teach and share the joy of quilting with so many amazing people!!  

So if you couldn't tell, I am just thrilled to be coming back to Garden of Quilts and hope to see you there!!!     You can see all of the details at the Main Garden of Quilts page .  

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

$5 Pattern of the Month - Moroccan Lullaby 2!!!

Well here we are in April!!  And I am so excited that we are starting to see some April Showers and Buds Blooming :)  It is just such a happy time of year.   And speaking of happy, it's time for a new $5 Pattern of the Month here at Happy Quilting!!!  And April is all about Moroccan Lullaby 2.  And it is just $5 all month long!!!   

The  Moroccan Lullaby 2 Pattern can be found in my Etsy Shop in both a Paper version as well as a PDF version and both versions will be marked down to $5.00 for the month April.   This is such a fun quilt to make and really allows you to show off so larger scale prints.  It is rated for Intermediate quilters (because of a matching diagonal seam) and is Fat Quarter Friendly.  

Moroccan Lullaby 2 has 6 size options.   It is an extremely versatile deign and would look fantastic in just about any Fat Quarter Bundle you choose :)  The key is when choosing your Outline Print Fabric make sure it will stand out next to all of your print squares.  That really makes each block pop.   

Moroccan Lullaby 2 uses No waste lattice block, so you great all of of the awesome outline, without all the waste.  And they do get trimmed slightly, so you have wiggle room when sewing triangles :)  I have made this quilt quite a few times, as it always allows me to show off just amazing prints!! And because the blocks are on the large side, you can put together a queen size pretty quick.  

And you can always mix it up and use low volume prints in the centers and darker prints in the background.  Such a fun way to use up some of those low volume fat quarters that are always piling up ;)   Truly, it is just a wonderfully versatile pattern that you can grab just about any Fat Quarter Bundle and have a stunning Moroccan Lullaby 2 quilt !!  

  

And that is my $5.00 Pattern of the Month!!!  April 2026 is all about the Moroccan Lullaby 2!!!   You are going to have so much fun making this quilt ;)   And of course,  if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me ;)  And when you make your Moroccan Lullaby 2 quilts I would love to see them!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to social media with  #happyquiltingwithmc and #moroccanlullaby2quilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Quilts!!!

So are you ready to start making your Moroccan Lullaby 2 Quilts???  Pop over to my Etsy Shop, to pick up your Pattern and get Happy Quilting!!!!   

March Sew Sampler Box!!

Well, March was kind of quiet.  Sorry about that, between being out of town three times, finishing up the remodel, and a little secret sewing, I have been swamped.   But hopefully we can get things back on track in April.  But first, I need to share the March 2026 Sew Sampler Box!!!    This month's box is just so soft and sweet!!  The theme is Sweet Springtime and it is just bringing back my trip to DC last weekend where the cherry blossoms were all in bloom!!  

First off, is the oh so soft and sweet Jolly Bar of Pastel Prairie by My Sew Quilty Life.   I just love that you get every single print in this jolly bar.  I just love Heather's beautiful soft style of fabrics and I can't decide if I want to make the Taffy quilt, the Jolly Bar quilt, or make a baby quilt.   All would just look amazing.  So many options, so little time to sew ;)   But whatever I decide, I will for sure be sewing with this gorgeous line!!     

And the notions for this month are just so fun!!   Star with my all time favorite size ruler for trimming stitch and flip corners.  The 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" Creative Grids Ruler is just the best.  I have 4 or 5 of them, and I use them all between teaching, traveling, and home sewing.  And the little magnetic ruler holder is something I am intrigued to try out, especially with smaller rulers!   And of course, I always love, love, love some Aurifil Thread!!   Add it to the collection ;) 

And it is the last block of the Flowering QAL!!   For my blocks I am using the 50 Years of Moda!!!  I so love how this one turned out in navy.  I again had to rearrange a few fabrics to make what I had work, but I really like how it makes the center just pop!!   And now, I can start putting my Flowering quilt together.  Here's looking forward to an April finish before the new Sew Sampler BOM is released ;)

And that is March Sew Sampler Box.

Thanks for popping in again.  

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

My New Sewing Studio!!

It has been so fun the last few days moving into this new studio!!  And oh the sunshine, it is just so happy making.  I could stay in here all day, and lets be honest, that is probably what I will be doing most days ;)  So here is a little view of the new Sewing Studio.  I promise, I am going to figure out a video at some point, but for now, this gives you a pretty good idea of the space.

So first off, some basics.  Thee room is 24 feet by 11 feet now.  We took down a wall between two existing bedrooms so I have a lovely large space ;)  All of the cabinetry work is custom and done by R and R Cabinets and they did an absolutely amazing job!!  And Precision Development was over the entire remodel (we also redid our bathrooms and added a laundry room :) and they were amazing to work with!  

So, on the North wall is my Sewing space.  I have a spots for two sewing machines (just in case I have guests) and I use the sewing space next to the window.  After sewing in the basement for 15 years with no windows, I can not even begin to express how much I love having the sunshine.  The other sewing space is doubling as a trimming and pressing station when I am on my own.  Then all of my WIP are on the countertop ready to be sewn.   And the glass cabinets are filled with all of my pre-cuts.  So so fun to be able to see them all stacked up so pretty.  Now I just need a few more hours in every day to get to sew with them all ;)  

Then on the the East wall are my two lovely windows with amazing sunlight.  In front of one window is a new rocker (because ya know, Grandma to be in August!!)  And in front of the other window is a small loveseat, cause it's always nice to have a space for company.  And in the middle, my amazing new cutting/scrap storage table.  This was designed custom for my height so it is going to be so nice on my back.  I have my scrab bowl, binding bin, alphabitties, and my favorite rulers and cutting tools all right on my table nice and neat.  So handy!!  And then there are the scraps.  They are sorted by color, print, solids, and basics. And there is even room in the bins for more scraps, how awesome is that.  I found the William Morris artwork on Amazon and knew they would be the perfect edition to this space ;)  They just make me smile every time I come in the room.  

On the West Wall attached to my sewing table is my main storage space.  Half book shelf and half cupboard space.  In the top section is quilts, yardage pieces sorted by color, patterns, books, and the bottom shelf is more Works In Progress that don't have deadlines so they sit a little longer.  In the top drawers are rulers, applique, and paper piecing.  In the cupboards below are long term WIP (yes, I have way to many WIP) yardage on bolts, and all my accuquilt dies.  So nice to have so much storage!! 

And then farther down on the West wall, past the door, is my pattern/shipping station.  All of my patterns are organized nice and neat, and everything I need to ship is in the little coffee table.  I have never had this all in one place before and I am so excited to be able to do all of my pattern packing and shipping all in one place.  And on the South Wall, you can just see the corner of the computer desk.  Cause every good working space needs a computer desk, and then I can print the shipping labels right in this space as well and work on my patterns surrounded by so much quilty inspiration!

So that is my new sewing room.  What questions do you have??  I will make a list and then try to address them all in the video that will be made at some point.  

I am just so very blessed to be able to have such a wonderful space.  A huge shout out to my sweetheart for making this possible for me.  I sure love him!!

And now, I am off to do some sewing in the sunshine!!

Happy Quilting :)