Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Improv. Quilt Back

Oh my goodness, We had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend!!!  Sadly, I forgot to take the camera. (of course)  So I will try to sum it up for you . . . good food, warm sun, beautiful beach, great friends and some very, very happy children!!!

So now this morning, I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to sort our laundry, pay bills, and basically get life back together.  But I did take a few seconds out to check out what kind of leftovers I had after completing my 30's reproduction fabric project (Which I promise to show more of in the coming future :)

I love pieced backs and am excited that I should have enough leftover to make a cute pieced backing.  I have never made a pieced back completely improvising as I go but I keep hearing how fun it is.  So I decided this morning, today is the day to check that off my list.  I know this will be hard for me as I always like to have a plan, but I have made up my mind.  I am just going to start picking things up and sewing, and see how it ends up :)  Wish me luck :)



Have you improvised pieced before??  Do you like it or not so much??  Tell me your story before I share my experience and opinion. (hopefully tomorrow, if all goes to plan, which it never does :)
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Friday, May 27, 2011

Winner, Winner!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered in my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!!!   Let's get right to it :)


The winner of the Freebird Charm Pack is . . .  #226 . . . Char!!!!!


Char 26said...

I've always liked the Freebird fabric, it's so colorful!
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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Teacher Gifts

It's the last day to enter the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway here :)

It hit me this morning when my son was running around singing something about only having  to wake up for 2 more weeks that there are just over 2 weeks of school left.  Yikes!!!  That means 2 more weeks to get teacher gifts done.  And of course, I haven't even thought about what to do, Double Yikes!!!

Quick, Quick, off to the Google Mobile to do some "research" on great Teacher Gift Tutorials.  After about 10 minutes I had made my selection.  And I have to say, I was not shocked at all to find that my favorite tutorial just happened to be at The Moda Bake Shop and by none other than Rachel from p.s. I quilt.

So I am off to the store to get some wooden frames so that I can whip up 3 of these adorable teacher frames.  Thanks Rachel!!!  You saved my sanity (and there isn't much of it left lately :)

Photo courtesy of the Moda Bake Shop.  Click on Photo to link to Rachel's Tutorial :)
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

To Trim or Not to Trim??

*** NOTE - If you are looking for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway you can find it here :)

So do you remember when I showed this picture of HST's the other day??  I always like to cut my squares for HST's 1/2" larger than the finish size. (Instead of the exact 3/8 size)  I mostly do this because I just can't seem to sew those diagonals as straight as I would like :)  Because of this I "get" to trim.


I spent the other day (and honestly, it felt like the whole day) trimming up this "little" pile.  here is what I ended up with.  (Side note . . .  Maybe I am weird, but I just love scrappy piles like this, I think they are cute looking :)


While in the middle of trimming I often found myself thinking, "Wow, this is a ton of work to trim off less than 1/8" ish off each side of the square, I wonder if it really makes a difference."  As soon as I was done I looked over at my perfect HST squares and thought, "Oh, they are so pretty and I am glad I did that, even though I can't feel my hand anymore :)".   Now that I am sewing with them I am constantly thinking, "Oh, I am so glad I took the time to trim them, their points are so perfect."

So this week I made the realization that for me (and I only speak for myself here) it is worth my time to trim those teeny tiny edges.  So now I am wondering . . . .  what do you prefer???  

Do you spend hours trimming for perfect HST's?
Do you move right on to sewing and adjust seams as necessary??
Do you cut your blocks 3/8" difference instead and eliminate the need altogether?

  This inquiring mind wants to know ;)
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Monday, May 23, 2011

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

It's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!!!!  Welcome to all my visitors old and new.  I know you have lots of giveaways to get to so we will make this quick.  Up for grabs, a  Freebird Charm Pack by MoMo !!!! 



Don't you just love these prints!!!!



How to enter . . . Simple!!  Be a follower of Happy Quilting, or become one,
 and leave a comment!!!  

That's it, Easy :)  Just click the follow button on the top of the blog and then leave me any old comment.  It doesnt' have to say "I follow your blog", (aren't you getting tired of that?), it can say anything!  (but ya know, keep it clean :)  

One entry per person, Please :)  International Entries Welcome.  Giveaway will close on Thrusday May 28th at 5:00 EST.  Mr. Random.Org will choose a winner.  I will notify the winner and announce it here on Friday Morning :)


Thanks for visiting!! Ya all come back now, ya hear!!! 
 Here is a quick link back to Sew Mama Sew :)
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Friday, May 20, 2011

And The Winner Is . . .

Thank you to everyone that entered into the Intrepid Thread Sponsored Giveaway for the Fat Quarter set of Aviary 2 prints :)  I am sorry that I did not respond to all of the comments like I usually do, things are a little chaotic around here :)  So . .  Let's get to the part you want to hear about.



The Winner Is . . . . .

Peach Rainbow 110said...

Subscribed to Newsletter!
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What's on My Cutting Table :)

Note **  Today is the last day to enter the Aviary 2 Fat Quarter Giveaway.  You can find it here :)


So these are the 2 new sets of prints on my cutting table right now :)

First off, these adorable 30's prints.  Aren't they just so fun in all of their cuteness :)


And yes, some amazing Strawberry Fields.  Don't you just love this line!!!!!  It is so beautiful!!!



I know you probably would like more details but this is all I am going to show or say about them , for the moment.  I know, me and all of my sneak peeks and then nothing more.  I am a stinker.  But you won't have to wait to long to find out more :)  You will see the first in the beginning of June and the second at the end .

And since you don't have to wait to long, I better get back to my cutting table to make sure I have them done in time :)  Have a Happy Quilting weekend :)
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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I am so excited for Blogger's Quilt Festival.  It provides hours and hours of amazing eye candy and I always find the most amazing quilting blogs.  This particular festival was great for me because it was the perfect motivation to finish up a project that I was almost embarrassed to say was sitting in the closet.   


Way back on Feb 1st I introduced the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long.  This was my first time hosting a quilt-a-long and my oh my did I have a blast.  By Mid-March we had finished up and my top was complete, and then it was sadly put in the closet as I had some other projects needing attention.  (How sad is that, I am the host of the quilt-a-long and don't even finish the quilt, le sigh)  So now we find it is May and I am wondering what quilt to show for Blogger's Quilt Festival when suddenly I remember my Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long top sitting in the closet just waiting to be quilted and bound.  So out she came :)


I spent some time on hands and knees basting, and then it was off to the dining room table to quilt it up :)  I love the flowers in this line so I decided to try and do a free motion design that was similar.  This is what I came up with.  Loops and Flowers with adorable little centers.  Aren't they cute :)


I am so excited to have this quilt all finished up and ready to be snuggled and loved.  It was so much fun to host a quilt-a-long and you can bet, there will be another one in the future!!!  (Probably after the little peanut arrives though :)  

My absolute favorite part about hosting the quilt-a-long was watching the progress of everyone else.  I can't believe how many people joined in on the fun.  It blew me away!!!  Quilting experience ranged from a first quilt to quilting for 40 years. It was even several participants first quilt-a-long.  How fun is that!!!  Here are some of the completed tops and there are even more in the processing stage.  You can check them all out at our Flickr Group :)  Isnt' it just so fun to see the same pattern done so many different ways!!!!  Thanks again to everyone that joined me on this quilt-a-long and made it such a wonderful experience :)



1. Pure II, 2. Quilt Top for Quilt-A-Long.jpg, 3. Completed top, 4. by Terri in BC, 5. Finished Top, 6. Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long, 7. You Are My Sunshine, 8. Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long 2011, 9. March 2011 002, 10. Tribal, 11. QuiltAlongTop, 12. Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long, 13. Quilt along complete, 14. DSCN0851, 15. HQQA-Top Completed, 16. Happy Quilting QAL


Here is a quick way to get back to seeing other Blogger's Quilts :)  Thanks for stopping by and I would love to have you back to visit :)  There is always fun stuff happening around here :)

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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

WIP Wednesday

Note *  If you are looking for the Aviary 2 Fat Quarter Giveaway you can find it here :)

In the last few weeks I have been trying to focus on working on some of those projects that seem to have fallen by the wayside.  Yippee Skippee for taking care of my UFO's :)  (Well a little bit at least, I still have lots of "secret" projects with "deadlines" so I squeeze these in when I can )  So . . . . .

I started looking up the 8 patterns from Block-a-palooza that I still have left to complete and quickly realized that I just don't see it happening.  So, I figured, maybe it is time for it to take a new direction.  Like a baby quilt direction.  I can do one block, some sashing, and boom, a spring time baby quilt is born.  I even thought of doing a plain block so that I can appliqué a name in the blank spot, what do you think????  I am hoping to finish this one up quick right after I make a final decision on the finish look :)


I finally pulled out my Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long top and got it all basted up this weekend before going out of town.  Yesterday I got it quilted.  I tried another new little design,  Loops and flowers again but this times the flowers have a cute little center :)  I really liked the way it turned out.  All I have left is to attach the binding :)  Then I can post it for Blogger's Quilt Festival.  (Ya, I am cutting it close :)  Almost Done, Yippee Skippee!!


And remember that stack of HST's left from the the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long.  Well I turned them into an adorable pieced rag quilt.  I even made a tutorial for it. Just in case you missed it, you can click on here to find the link :)  

I still have the Sugar Pop strips just waiting to be pieced and the holiday charms waiting to be turned into table runners.  Those will be the next projects I squeeze in (just as soon as I finish up these other 2, I refuse to send them back to the pile unfinished :)

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Monday, May 16, 2011

The Intrepid Thread and Sponsor Giveaway :)

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED


Welcome to The Intrepid Thread,  Happy Quilting's newest sponsor!!!   Julie opened The Intrepid Thread in March of this year and it is growing like a weed.  Seriously, her shop is great!! 




The Intrepid Thread has lots to offer.  You can find fabrics in great lines from Moda, Free Spirit, and Riley Blake.  Julie has excellent customer service and takes care of each package personally.  She even gives them all a personal touch finishing them with a purple Intrepid Thread bow :)  Isn't it cute, I almost didn't want to open it.




But of course, I did!!!  Isn't the best part of getting a squishy package tearing it open!!!!  This is what arrived at my house the other day.  Oh yes, I loved tearing this package open.  Aviary 2, Yippee Skippee!!!!




One of my favorite things at The Intrepid Thread Etsy Shop are the Build Your Own Bundle options.  It doesn't get much better than mixing and matching your favorite fabrics to create an ultimate bundle that is perfect for you :)





And I love the Coming Soon section of The Intrepid Thread.  Isn't is so exciting to anticipate great lines like  Loulouthi from Anna Maria Horner, Prince Charming from Tula Pink, Kumari Garden Holiday from Dena Designs, 1001 Peeps from Lizzy House, Dazzle from Melissa Averinos, Lola's posies from Lila Tueller, Hoo's In the Forest from Doohikey Designs, Alphabet Soup Boy and Girl from Zoe Pearn.  Oh Yes, they are all coming next month at The Intrepid Thread!!!






And of course, the best part about Coming Soon lines is the Making Room Sale!!!  Right now The Intrepid Thread Etsy Shop has 20-30% off of it's current lines to make room for these new lines coming next month.  Don't you just love a great sale!!!!!!!!!!. Don't miss your chance to miss out on all of these great bundles on sale!!



Let me finish up by Thanking Julie and  The Intrepid Thread!!!!   I am so happy to have them as a part of Happy Quilting!!! 






 And . . . .  as part of their introduction, The Intrepid Thread is sponsoring a fantastic giveaway!!!   How would you like to get your own package tied up with that adorable Intrepid Thread bow??  And of course, it would be filled with 7 fat quarters from Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2!!!  Ya, I figured you would like that!!!




You have four chances to win, and please, leave a separate comment for each (for a total of 4 comments max :)  (If you leave one saying I did it all, Mr. Random.Org will only count it for one)


1 - Be a follower of Happy Quilting or become one and leave a comment. 


2 - Be a Follower The Intrepid Thread's Blog  or become one and leave a comment.


3 - Sign up for The Intrepid Thread's newsletter and leave a comment.  


4 - Alert the Media - Post on facebook, twitter, or your blog about this giveaway.  Leave a comment saying where you posted and a link to that post :)  You can post on all 3 sites but it only gets you one entry, although there is always good giveaway juju :)


So that's it :) The giveaway will close on Friday the 20th at 5:00 EST and I will announce a winner shortly after.   Good Luck to all and Happy Quilting!!!
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Saturday, May 14, 2011

WIP Update - Boy or Girl????

So my big 9 month WIP got an update yesterday.    I went to  the doctor's yesterday morning to get the 21 week ultrasound that told us if we should be looking at Blue and Green or Pink and Purple.   With 2 boys and 2 girls already, this little one is the tie breaker.   What's it to be, Girl or Boy???????

    OR  






It's A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thursday, May 12, 2011

Color Inspiration

So  a few days ago my good friend and I went to a local nursery to look at some plants.  I was blown away by the size of this nursery and their selection . . .  amazing!!!  I just happened to have my camera in the car and I couldn't help but take pictures of all the amazing colors!!!  Doesn't this just inspire you to make something beautiful for Spring???  I know it sure did me :)

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Bella Solids Parade

So have any of you been following along with the Bella Solids Parade over at 13 Woodhouse Road???  It is a lot of fun.  Each day a Bella Solid color is chosen and each day a guest picker and an expert picker selects 3 solids and 3 prints to go along with that color :)  Today is my day as the guest picker :)

My color was Orange :)  



And these are the colors and prints I choose to go with Orange.

Bella Solids Kansas Plum, Bella Solids Peach, Bella Solids Black, Darjeeling Orange Manju , Silent Cinema Orange City Lights , and Impressions Charcoal Blossom


It was so fun to get to look through endless options of fabric for specific prints to go with the colors that I choose.  It gave me a whole new concept on how to choose colors, and I really liked it :)  So if you haven't checked it out, seriously, click on over to 13 Woodhouse Road and join in the fun :)



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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Need a Blog Makeover????

So I have had several comments in the past telling me how much people like my blog design.  I have to say, I love it too :)  So when I saw a certain post this morning I figured many of you might appreciate me passing this info along.

So, My amazing friend Becca was the talent behind my blog header and buttons.  And she just graduated with her graphic design degree!!  Shout out to Becca!!!!!  Becca has recently started her own little blog design service called Cute It UP, and lucky for you, she is doing a Graduation Giveaway!!!


Oh yes, you can win your own Cute It UP Darn Cute blog package!!!  Obviously, you can see from my blog, that she does amazing work!!!  So are you interested ???  Well just click on over to Becca's Blog for your chance to win.

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Monday, May 9, 2011

Sew Obsessed :)

Any one out there looking for a great new shop that carries amazing designer favorites??  We'll look no further because Sew Obsesssed is here.  Up until today Sew Obsessed has been a fabric store ran out of Nevada by Annie Hutchings, a super amazing lady!  However, Today is their Virtual Grand Opening!!!  That's right, you can now find Sew Obsessed online and everyone can enjoy!!!



Any one on the look out for some Nicey Jane,


or how about some Soul Blossoms



And Sew Obsessed has an amazing Pattern Selection section.



You'll find all of this and much more!!  So take a minute and click on over to Sew Obsessed and check it out for yourself :) 

And just in case you haven't guessed,  Sew Obsessed is one of my newest sponsors and I am thrilled to have them!! They will be doing a giveaway later on to kick off their sponsorship here at Happy Quilting :)

So here is wishing Sew Obsessed a Happy Grand Opening and wishing you some fun fabric shopping!!!
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Saturday, May 7, 2011

And The Winner Is . . .

Thank you to everyone that entered the Burgundy Buttons Sponsor giveaway!!!  I appreciate  all the sweet comments about Happy Quilting and Burgundy Buttons and tried to reply to them all.  If you didn't get a reply it is probably because you are a no-reply blogger and you might want to change that for the future :)

Now it's time to announce the winner of 2 charm packs of their choice!!!



So, with the help of Mr. Random.Org the winner is . . . . . .


Who happens to be . . . .


Sandra Àlvarez 106said...

I bought the 'Hugs and Kisses' kit from Burgundy Buttons and their service was fast and professional. Leah even solved my doubts via email. I was elated when I received my first parcel from them! FOLLOW
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Friday, May 6, 2011

VIBee Block for Tracey

*** Last Day to enter the Burgundy Button Sponsor Giveaway here :)

And I thought the unpicking (see yesterday's post) was going to be the pain part of this block.  Boy was I wrong.  What really drew me to this pattern was the curves on the inside.  I have never pieced curves before and have wanted to learn how.  Well I think the next time I try something new, I won't find the most difficult pattern that teaches that technique.

Trying to piece a curve that is only 2 inches wide and piecing it to 4 separate pieces of material, defiantly a learning experience.  My first few pieces were done several times.  And I do mean several times!!!  By about the 5th segment, I was starting to figure out the process and only had to piece it once, even though that once still took a lot of patience :)

So then I am thinking I am out of the woods right, wrong :)  Once you have all the segments done you piece them all together and then fiddle with those seams to get the whole thing to lay flat.  Luckily, I only had to adjust one seam and it laid down fine :)  Then you turn the raw edges under on the outer edge and stitch the entire wheel to the background fabric  (it is a lot harder then it sounds to get those curved edges to turn under perfectly without little seams wanting to pop out on you while sewing )

So with all that said, I will add that I am happy with the result.  I am not ecstatic, because it isn't perfect.  Some of my seams don't line up perfect and the outer edges don't curve as perfect as I would like.  But I am happy :)  I learned a lot, and that makes me super happy because it makes me a better quilter!!!  I do love the little border I added to make the block the right size :)  Will I make another??  Maybe, but not for a while :)

So if I haven't completely scared you off and you want to give this block a try, you can find the pattern here.  You can also see much better versions of it here at Twin Fiber's blog, where I first got the idea :)



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Thursday, May 5, 2011

Seam Ripper to the Rescue!!!

**  Note - If you are looking for the giveaway you will find it here :)

I almost hate to tell this next little story but I figure, I need to show my little duh moments as well as my successes.   Otherwise you might get the crazy notion that I never make mistakes.  (Which I do, often :)

So I started working on my VIB Block yesterday.  It requires some major cutting, piecing, and a first for me, curved piecing.  So basically, I was trying something new to me :)   So I got everything all cut out and laid out.  Won't these just be adorable little arches :)


I begin sewing the pieces together and start to get the feeling that something might be wrong.  But of course, I ignore that little feeling telling myself it will all come together in the end.  So I keep on stitching.  And then press and Wha La!!!  It didn't come together in the end.  I am staring at this trying to figure how in the world I piece a curve into that bottom and why it isn't a pretty scallop anymore.  And then it hits - I mixed up the inner and outer pieces and sewed the pieces backwards!!!


And this is the only time when chain stitching becomes a major bummer.  Not only do I have to unpick one segment, I have to unpick them all.  Why don't I listen to that little voice in my head saying this isn't right???  Luckily, at this point, it was time to pick the kids up from school so my seam ripper and I became friends again while waiting for the bell to ring.  


I think it will be much easier to piece a curve into this arch then the previous one.  Hopefully tomorrow I can show you the finished product :)

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