Quilty Friends Retreat - So Much Sewing!!

 Last week Mom and I had a wonderful time at the Quilty Friends Retreat!!  We got to enjoy a week of friends, food, and lots and lots of sewing!! We got to take a class, teach two classes, and then spend every minute in-between sewing besides the hotel pool while laughing about taking over the hotel!  It is always such a good time.  

I started off the week with a little sample sewing that I can't share yet.  Then the next morning Mom and I took the Magnolia class.  This was such a fun block to make and went together so fast!!  In fact, It went together so fast, I spent the afternoon and evening after class finishing up the entire quilt top.  I am making this for another SUU quilt, hence the red, white, and black ;) 

The next morning I taught my Daisy Chain class.  And the class was amazing, almost everyone finished a block with is huge for all of those curves!!  After class, I started working on my class quilt from last year's retreat.  This is of course, another SUU quilt, but unlike the one above, I did not even come close to finishing it at last years retreat.   And it has sat in it's little travel box all year.  So I was determined to get this one done!!!   Inset circles are not joke, but it was totally worth the extra pinning.   I just love how it came together and am so excited to get this one quilted!!

The next morning was another class and this time it was Sweater Weather.  And I have to say, It was so fun to see all of the different fabric variations that people were doing their quits in.  That really is one of my favorite parts of teaching.   After class, It was time to pull out another older WIP.  You might recall the Flower Child Boxed Kits that I was able to design back here . . . well, I actually made enough curves, hst's, and flying geese for 2 quilts, but just used the pieces for one quilt and 4 blocks for photography.  So again, I have had all of these units sitting around just waiting to be turned into two baby quilts.   And since I was totally on a roll, I kept it going with two more quilt tops!!  So ya, I took a class, taught 2 classes, and finished 5 quilt tops while at the retreat!!!  It was one super awesome retreat!!

And I wasn't the only one getting a lot done.  I was so happy to come home and find that all of the cabinets had been installed in my new sewing studio!!!   Look at all of that amazing storage.  It is just going to be so incredible to sew in here when it is all done.  We are about 1-2 wees out . . . I can't wait to share it all when it is full of all my fabric and quilty goodness!!   If you live near Cedar City and ever need a remodel, I highly recommend Precision Development!!  

And now, It is time to get quilting so I can share these at quilt finishes and not just quilt top finishes :) 

February Sew Sampler Box!!

Well, February has come and gone so I can now share the February 2026 Sew Sampler Box!!!    This month's box is just so darling, sweet, and soft!!  The theme is Milk & Meadows and It has me all excited to make a new spring table runner!!!  So exciting :)  

First off, I am so excited about this Junior Layer Cake of Farmer's Daughter by Lori Holt and the adorable Butter Churn pattern!!!  I was just saying to my daughter last week that I needed to make a table runner for my kitchen counter to go with my new Spring Inspired candles that I line the bar with.   I have lots of Fall, Halloween, Christmas runners, but no spring/summer ones.   In comes the Butter Churn Table Runner Pattern!!  So perfect!!  And the Coral colorway of Farmer's Daughter reads Spring and the Pewter colorway reads Summer.  So it will work just great for months to come!!    

And the notions for this month, so great!!!   Of course, I am going to need the Vintage Milkmaid Star Foundation Paper to go with the table runner.  Just love that!!  And the cute and tiny Creative Grids Ruler will be great for trimming these little pieces.  And of course, I can never have enough Olfa 45" Rotary Blades.   And the Endurance blades are just so nice and sharp for so long!!  

And with a new month is a new block!!!  This is Block 11 of this Flowering QAL!!   For my blocks I am using the 50 Years of Moda!!!  I just love this one in the soft pinks and the little pop of aqua. And I can't wait to put this quilt top together, only 1 more block!!!

And that is February Sew Sampler Box.

Thanks for popping in again.  

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

$5 Pattern of the Month - Navigating the Stars!!!

 Wow, I can't believe it is March already!!!  Time flies when you are busy Happy Quilting!!  But with a new month there is a new $5 Pattern of the Month here at Happy Quilting!!!  And March is all about Navigating the Stars.  And it is just $5 all month long!!!   

The  Navigating the Stars 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 March.   This is such a fun quilt to make and has so a bold and striking design.  It is rated for Intermediate quilters (because there are a lot of points to match up) and is Fat Quarter Friendly.  

Navigating the Stars  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 to pick a great accent fabric for those secondary stars so they pop!!   

Navigating the Stars uses one basic piecing technique of stitch and flip corners.  I include pressing directions hat make it so all of your angled seams nest, making it easier to get all of those pretty points!   The design was inspired by new world ships sails, and I just love that based on the fabric choices, sometimes you see the white star, and sometimes you see the print iron cross.   It makes the design just have so much movement.  

I alternated my blocks in the warm shades and the cool shades.  It creates a great balance.  But of course, you can totally make it your own.  Do a random color layout, use a different color background, whatever you choose, it will look amazing!!  Just grab a Fat Quarter Bundle and have fun piecing this wonderful Navigating the Stars quilt !!  

  

And that is my $5.00 Pattern of the Month!!!   March 2026 is all about the Navigating the Stars Pattern!!!   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 Navigating the Stars Quilt 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 #squaredancequilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Quilts!!!

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

Shine On Quilt with Free PDF Pattern!

Today, I am super excited to be sharing this new Shine On quilt in beautiful Expressions Batiks along with a Free PDF Pattern for making your own! Shine On has been in my little sketch book to create ever since our trip to Germany last year (more on that in a minute).   And I am just so thrilled because the quilt finish is even better than I had dreamed! Don't you just love it when that happens! Basically, this quilt just makes me smile :) It truly does just Shine On!! 

How beautiful are all of those little patchwork squares in those stunning Seaside Sunset batiks!!  And the best thing is, Shine On is made with quite a lot of strip piecing so it comes together a lot quicker than it looks.   And Strip Piecing means it is also Jelly Roll/Rolie Polie Friendly so you can grab a Happy and Bright Roll and the Free Shine On PDF Pattern and get making your own!  And what really makes this quilt "Shine" is the beautiful batiks, and the contrasting white accent and black background.  It really gives the quilt that stained glass effect!! 

    

Which is where the inspiration from this quilt came from.  While visiting Germany, I snapped this shot (from a distance, sorry it's a bit blurry) of a beautiful stained glass window in the Cologne Cathedral.  I was just drawn to all of those tiny pixelated squares of color framed in the gorgeous windows.  So when I got home, I started to play with a few sketched images of how I could "recreate" my own version. I loved all of the square piecing, but I needed a little "structure".   And that made me think of my Shine Quilt Tutorial that I did back in 2018.   And I knew right away, I had the structure, I just needed to change the placement of the prints and background.  And then from Shine and a Cologne Cathedral window came Shine On!!  

Shine On finishes at 66" x 88" so it is a perfect size for a twin size bed or would make a nice cuddle quilt on the couch.    And truly, it comes together super fast considering the size of the quilt and how many little squares it is made of.  And you can't help but just smile when you are making it because it is just so full of happy color goodness.     So download your Shine On PDF Pattern, grab a happy bright Jelly Roll/Rolie Polie, 2 yards of white, 2 yards of black, and away you go!!     

When it came time to quilt my Shine On quilt I knew right away that I was going to do my all over Wavy Orange Peel.   I mean, when you have a beautiful grid like that in the piecing, you just have to take advantage of it.   And "wavy" orange peel does not require rulers, so it is just free motion fun.  And it gives such a great finish with so much amazing texture.   And for that added pop of color goodness, I used a Rainbow Variegated thread and it just makes me so happy.   It was the perfect finish for the this Shine On quilt!!  

And that is my Shine On Quilt !! I hope you love this quilt just as much as I do and make your own. And if you do, I would love to see them!!!   You can share your quilt with me on social media using hashtags #happyquiltingwithmc and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can’t wait to see your Shine On quilts!!!

Thank you so much for popping in with me to share this new Shine On quilt finish with me.  And yes, we finally got some snow, and I love how the white background just makes the chain in the design pop all the more ;)   

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

Works in Progress - Including the Giant WIP!!

It's been a little while since I have posted a Wednesday, Work In Progress day but I have lots to share today so it felt like a good time to bring it back :)  First off, I have an almost finished WIP that I just started quilting.   This is such a happy quilt with these beautiful bright batiks, so I decided to use a happy rainbow variegated thread to quilt it, and i just love it!!!  This will be a free PDF Pattern as soon as I get it finished up . . . so watch for that.  

And as soon as I get the above off the long arm . . . this new Moroccan Lullaby 2 quilt will go on.  I just finished up the quilt top yesterday.  This quilt is for a very special (coffee loving) loved one.  When I saw these Coffee Time prints from Riley Blake Designs, I just knew who they would make the perfect quilt for.  Haven't decided how I am going to quilt it yet, but I will share it as soon as it is all done.  

And then, there is a super fuzzy fat quarter project I m also working on.  My kids are always telling me I need to make more "fuzzy" quilts, so when I saw this bundle of Designer Flannel  on sale at Green Fairy Quilts I snatched it up.   I am using the Fat Quarter Fizz design but changing around the measurements and size to fit the bundle.  Maybe this will become Fat Quarter Fuzzy ;)   And of course, I will share the changes that I made with you when I am done so you can make one too ;)

  

And this is a super exciting to share that I finally got going on my new Summer Solstice WIP.  Yes, it might have been back in October when I said I would start on this as soon as my deadline projects were completed.   Well . . . it took a little bit, but I'm on a roll now.  I have all the units made for the quilt and am ready to start piecing the blocks.    Cannon Beach by Crystal Manning is just the prefect fabric line for this quilt and it just pops on that Grunge Cobalt background.  I can't wait to see this one come together!! 

And did you notice the new background for my pics??  A huge shoutout to my friends at Poppie Cotton for this beautiful new Cutting Mat, QS Ruler, and Rotary Cutter!!!  Isn't that just the most gorgeous pink for a cutting mat, and the floral print is just so pretty!!  I can't wait to add them to my super big giant WIP!!!

And the Giant Work In Progress would be my new Sewing Studio!!!   We are 3 weeks into our remodel and I am just so excited for this new space.   The wall between the two upstairs bedrooms has been removed to make one very large sewing space ;)  There has been new windows put it (I can't tell you how excited I am to have a sewing space with windows!!!)   ports for lighting and plugs added, the walls have been textured and sanded and we are now in the middle of painting.   Which means soon we will move on to flooring and cabinets, and that part I am so very excited for.  We are looking at a mid March finish and I can't wait to share this room with you all ;)  

So that is what I am working on . . . what are some of your Works In Progress?