Winding Winter Ways Quilt and Tutorial!!!!

I am so thrilled to be sharing my newest quilt finish today and to also be sharing a new AccuQuilt Tutorial for it as well!!!   It's called Winding Winter Ways and I just love it!!!!  I love curved piecing, and I think it can easily be shied away from on the assumption that it is difficult.   But I hope as you check out the tutorial, you will see just how fun curved piecing is, especially when the cutting is taken care of with the amazing curved AccuQuilt Dies!!!

Although you can use prints, I really like the look of a solids in this quilt as it makes the design shine and creates so much incredible movement.  By simply changing the placement of the Light and Dark Blue fabrics in your block, you get incredible secondary designs that truly pop!!!  The white accents reminded me of snow crystals, and combined with the deep blues, and the Winding Ways die, it just seemed fitting to call this one Winding Winter Ways ;)     I choose blue because this quilt is for my sweet new nephew, Joshua, isn't he just so cute!!!

And the quilt tutorial even has you make a few "practice" blocks, which work out perfectly for the backing!!!  (Really, it is just the way you cut things out automatically makes a few extra pieces, but isn't that to cute!!!) 

When it came time to quilt it, I went for an all over swirl design, fast and fun!!!  I used my favorite 402 So Fine Pearl which blended perfectly with both the navy and the blue.   I love the wonderful texture it creates!!!  And the black binding just finishes things off nicely ;)  

  

The quilt is made up of 25 blocks that finish at 8" square, so the quilt is a perfect baby size of 40" x 40".   I was fortunate enough to get to visit my sister last week and deliver Joshua's new quilt to him.  I think he likes it ;)

So if you want to make your own Winding Winter Ways Quilt  just pop on over for the free step by step tutorial!!!   I also shared some Sewing with Curves Basics  in the tutorial which you might like.  It shows just how fun and easy curved sewing can be ;)    And when you are done, I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  and #AccuQuilt or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Winding Winter Ways quilts!!!

Thanks for joining me today and sharing this new tutorial with me ;)  Between this Quilt, and this other  Curved Snowball Quilt , and my latest Quilt Alongs, I really am on a goal to show just how enjoyable curved sewing can be!!!   And I have to say, it is even more fun when the cutting is perfect and quick with the AccuQuilt Curved Dies!!!  I am thinking I might have to try a classic Double Wedding Ring next??  What do you think???? 

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting (and maybe even some curved sewing) Day!!!  

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March Sew Sampler Box!!!

I am so excited that we are rounding out March.  It has been a crazy month, but I am so happy that I think Spring is finally peeking through here in Utah.  (And now that I say that, it will probably snow again, ah well ;)    But it has been so nice to have warmer temps and everything is starting to bloom!!!  And with the end of the month, also comes a new Sew Sampler box !!!      And March's box had me all smiles for this Paris French Market themed box!!!

I was thrilled to find a new Chantilly Jolly Bar by Fig Tree Quilts!!!!  I just love Joanna's gorgeous fabrics and this line is so cute with those fun little strawberries!!!  Now I just have to decide if I want to use my Jolly Bar to make the super cute Sprouts Quilt Pattern that came with this month's box, or the bonus Brookside  Quilt Pattern that came with the Jolly Bar, or if I should just add it to the collection of fabrics I am using to make my all Fig Tree Dessert Sampler????   Decisions, Decisions???  But hey,  it's always fun to have these happy fabric decisions, much better than deciding if I want to clean the bathrooms or do the laundry ;)

 And the notions that  Fat Quarter Shop sent along this month are so great!!!!  My daughter squealed when she saw these Tim Holt's scissors and claimed them as "hers".  She is left handed and likes the big grips that work for righties and lefties ;)  And this new Sew Hot Iron Rest from It's Sew Emma is just to cool!!!  What a life saver on your wrists.  And you know, I can never have enough Spool Huggers.   I love how neat and tidy they keep my thread bin ;)   Seriously, just awesome notions!!!  

And of course, there is a new Barn Block!!!  And this is the last barn block of the year!!!   Can you believe it, it has already been a year of making Barn Blocks.  And I just love how this one turned out ;)   And the crazy thing is, my grey and black scrap drawers still look the same as when I started these blocks.   Ah well, scraps just have a way of multiplying like that.

I just love the finishing pattern that was sent with this month's box as well!!!  It has adorable little Star Cornerstones, and I have already pulled out all my solid black scraps to make them up ;)  This is going to be some fun tiny piecing!!!    I am working on so many quilts right now, but I really want to get this on finished, so I will add it to the mix and hopefully share a finish before to long :)

And that's my March Sew Sampler Box!!!  And I can't wait to see what April's box will bring, because its a brand new year for Sew Sampler, it's turning 4!!!!   And that means a new Sampler Quilt as well and I am so excited to see the new designs!!!! 

And  just a quick note on the  Sew Sampler Box.  It's current membership is full.   There is a wait list you can get on and when more spots open up, you can jump in the Sew Sampler Box fun.   Until then, most everything I share is available at  Fat Quarter Shop, just not a few exclusive items.  Sorry about that.   I know there is talk of adding more membership but these boxes are planned 6 months in advance, so it will take a bit to have those advance orders come around ;)   Just wanted to let you know for those that have asked why they can't get signed up.


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

I'll be back tomorrow with another quilt finish :) 

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Loving Spelling and Stringing Along :)

So you might know, Moda is currently having three very laid back Quilt Alongs.  I shared my Moda Love quilt tops I finished last Friday and I had so much fun with them!!!  And it had me thinking of the Quilt Alongs and how I had done the Strings and Love, but not the Spelling.   (Well, not recently, I made this ABC quilt and tutorial and this ABC quilt a while back)  So I had to laugh when I Cynthia asked us to make Spell It blocks for our Bees Knees  group this month ;)    I got J and K. 

J went together super fast, but of course, K has a few more seams.  And to complicate things just slightly, there was a piece of fabric missing in my little mail package.   It happens, and I knew Cynthia mentioned she cut these out a while back so I was worried she wouldn't have any more of the background fabric.

So I got super creative sewing together all of the leftover scraps from my stitch and flip corners and managed to just barely piece together 8 mini triangles to come up with a 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" piece.   I am glad it is a super busy background so all of that tiny piecing just blends in.   Yippee!!

And I was so thrilled to have my Spelling blocks done, and my Moda Love Quilt top done, it just felt like I should do some Strings as well ;)  So I pulled out a bunch of Orange Selvages and away I went.   I made a tutorial of Sewing with Selvages back here, and then a second tutorial on how I make these Stars with the Selvage squares right here ;)  This is one of those long term projects, so I am sure I will be sharing more Selvage Stars over the next few months.   But I have to say, I sure like the orange one!!!! 

So in the last week I have done Moda Strings, Moda Love, and Spell it with Moda ;)  It's been a fun week for sure!!!!     Are you doing any of these Moda Quilt Alongs???

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day so let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway :)

The winner of the Fresh Solids Fat Quarter Bundle from Fat Quarter Shop is . . .  Number #223 . . .   Congrats Joyful Quilter !!!   I have emailed you :)     

  

        

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Shabby Fabrics!!   Shabby Fabrics has an amazing selection of Fabrics and  so many cute BOM's and Clubs!!!  And don't forget, Shabby Fabrics  also has an amazing  Clearance Section, you are sure to find some amazing deals, and have also just added a whole bunch of Quilt Kits on sale as well!!  Super fun!!!   

  

And for the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway  Shabby Fabrics is giving one lucky winner a $30.00 Gift Certificate!!!!!   Now the winner can get just what they have been wishing for, and maybe a little something to help welcome Spring ;)

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 your favorite thing about Spring?? (It is finally starting to be sunny around here, and I am so happy!!!) 

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Shabby Fabrics love. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Pinterest, or Instagram.  You can Sign up for the Shabby Fabrics Newsletter (top right hand corner) or Follow their Blog,  or you can Visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Shabby Fabric Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, April 2nd when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

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In Love with Moda Love!!!

So I shared a couple weeks back how I decided to jump in and sew along with the Moda Love Sew Along!!!   I knew I really didn't need a new project at the time, but I have always wanted to make this Moda Love Pattern  ever since it was first released, and the Sew Along was the perfect excuse to join in.  And I have to say, I am so, so, so glad I did!!!!   This quilt is so much fun to make.   I think it will quickly become one of those "go to" patterns when you need a quilt fast.   And don't let this picture trick you, this was made with Layer Cake pieces, and finishes at 72" square.   Perfect for those quick wedding or graduation gifts ;)

And my original plan was not to make 2 quilts.   But I knew I wanted to make the first one in classic Red/White/and Black.   So I grabbed my stashed layer cake of  Shades of Black by Me and My Sister Designs from 2013 (yes, It had been stashed for a little bit :)  and started with the blacks and whites.  But I didn't want to include the grey squares and needed just a few more black/white prints.   So then I remembered I had a half a Layer Cake left over from another project of Authentic Ect. by Sweetwater .  Perfect!!!   But then I had a few Green Squares, Solid White Squares,  and the aforementioned Grey Squares left.   And I didn't want them all to end up in the scrap buckets (those are already overflowing) and so ya, a Second Moda Love quilt came to be.   And I just love it!!!!

Again, I didn't mind piecing two at all, because these are really, really fun to make.  I think it was just what my little creative heart needed in the midst of a little craziness.  Just something fun and fast that I didn't need to think to much about and could just enjoy the process of stitching away.   Now, it's time to make some backs and get these two quilted up.  They will be ready for gifting in no time ;)

And if you want to try out the Moda Love Pattern and join in the Sew Along, you can download it for free right here.    The Pattern has 3 sets of instructions.   So you can make a big 72" square one like me using Layer Cakes, or make a 32" quilt using Charm Packs, or even a cute little mini finishing at 12" using Mini Charm Packs.   Whatever you decide to make, you are sure to have lots of fun!!!

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

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Decades Past for the Poppie Cottons Fabric Blog Tour

I was so very excited when my wonderful friends Jina and Lori announced that they were starting a fabric company and thrilled when they asked if I wanted to participate in Prairie Sisters Fabric Blog Tour to celebrate their first fabric line!!!  And I knew right away that I wanted to make up a new quilt design with a classic feel but of course, adding a contemporary twist.  Just the perfect for these beautiful Prairie Sisters Fabric !!   And here it is ;)  I am calling it Decade's Past!!

 I just loving working with Poppie Cottons!!!  These Prairie Sisters Fabric are so pretty and have a great hand.  They were just so fun to sew with! :)   When I first saw the line, I just fell in love.   The beautiful prints and colors just have such a rich feeling of country goodness.   They really do transport you to a Prairie and make you want to just slow everything down and enjoy the moment of sewing.   Which is exactly what I did.

As I mentioned, when designing thie quilt, I wanted it to to have a rich classic feel, just like the fabric.  I loved the idea of taking the classic Granny Square Center and changing it up a bit.  So I played with the layout, making it a single Granny Square, and then adding a "border" to the block to create the double X shape :)  And I just love it.   And that is also where the Decades Past name came from.  I figured if X is a Decade, and these fabrics take me back to times of slower living as I mentioned . . .  well Decades Past :)  

And I am excited to say, that I just loved this design so much, that Decades Past will become the next pattern in my Happy Quilting Pattern line!!!!   I have plans to make it in 4 size options and two block sizes.   It is going to be so awesome.   (and when it is released, it will be on sale, just sayin :)  

But as I said, I really was enjoying the moment of sewing with these, and ya know, life happened all around me, so the pattern will be coming "soon".  Obviously, this Decades Past needs to be quilted, so the plan is to have the quilt finish and the pattern release together ;)    In the mean time, I just plan on enjoying these beautiful Decades Past quilt top and how these Prairie Sisters fabric just make it pop!!!

Thank you so much to Jina and Lori for allowing me to play with these fantastic Poppie Cottons fabrics!!!   And for more Prairie  Sister's fun, be sure to Hop over to the Poppie Cottons blog  to check out more blogger goodies from this awesome fabric blog tour :)

Thanks for popping in today and every day.  I am just so grateful to have this space to share my love of quilting!!!

Have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day, so let's have some fun!!!

First,  lets announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway :)

The winner of the $25.00 Gift Certificate from Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is . . . Number #12 . . .Congrats Barbara Woods!!!   I have emailed 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 that every month, Fat Quarter Shop has a Basic of the Month  with 20% off all month long.   Great way to stock up!!!   And you can use your basics to make a Piece, Love, and Quilting project and enter in Fat Quarter Shop's Worldwide Quilt Day Contest ;)  It is such a cute pattern, and you could win some awesome prizes!!!

And speaking of prizes and basics,  For today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a sweet Fresh Solids Fat Quarter Bundle to one lucky winner!!! Isn't this just so perfect for Spring!!!  I know that I for one, could use a little spring goodness around here and this would make up the cutest Spring project :)  

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 if you have any new projects planned for Spring??

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You 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, March 26th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

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Threadology QAL - Churn Dash Blocks

It's the fifteenth so I am back with the fourth block release of the Threadology Quilt Along hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop!!!!  And today's blocks are Churn Dash blocks, and they are just so great!!!!  I just love getting to make a mix of classic blocks in this quilt along ;)

So here are my 3 of the large blocks.  You might recall from my first post, I am doing a different setting that will use 3 Large an 6 Small blocks of each.   These Churn Dash blocks are so fun and fast to make. Just a few HST's and some strip piecing, and then it's just like making a nine patch.   So fun :)   And I really loved the mix of Bonnie and Camille fabrics in these.   They really make that little Churn pop ;)  

So are you joining in the Threadology fun???  If so, 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 :)  This is Fat Quarter Shop's annual charity QAL and $14,000 in funds have already been raised on the way to the $20,000 that Fat Quarter Shop and Moda will match.  So let's help them reach that goal ;)  

And while making your blocks . . .  like always, Fat Quarter Shop has made an awesome  You Tube video tutorial that walk you through making this month's blocks and you can count on Kimberly sharing some helpful hints :)

Be sure to share all of your Threadology progress on social media with #threadologyquiltalong and check out Fat Quarter Shops post for Block 4 for lots more Churn Dash Block Inspiration!!!

And that's it for the fourth block in the Threadology Quilt Along!!!!   I will be back on the first  of April with the next block.  So fun!!!  So what do you say, wan't to come Threadology Quilting Along??  You are going to have so much fun!!!

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

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Progress on my Works in Progress ;)

So on Friday I shared my over-brimming amount of Works In Progress.  We'll I am pleased as punch to say that I have been stitching up a storm, and have made some serious progress. 
Remember that beautiful stack of Poppie Cotton's new Prairie Sisters Fabric that I shared.  (that was still in Fat Quarters).   Well, here is a sneak peek at the finished blocks!!!   Yup, that was quite a bit of stitching over the last few days, but I am super excited with these blocks, and can't wait to put them into the quilt and share it for the Prairie Sisters Fabric Blog Tour next Wednesday ;)

And I also shared two other stacks of Layer Cakes for the  Moda Love sew-along . . . well, in the past few days the HST's were made, trimmed, and put into the quilt layout.   I even managed to sew and press the rows together.  Only 14 seams left and these two quilt tops will be done!!   And I have to say, they look pretty awesome in all their big piecing glory ;)  And on a side note, does anyone else use their banister to store pieced and pressed rows.  It really is a great place to keep them from getting wrinkled.  And yes, I am grateful for children and a spouse who understand there is fabric all over the house and it shouldn't be touched, tee hee hee.

And finally, I managed to finish up my Back to Basics quilt blocks that I shared back here.  I am making this quilt for a Charity Auction at UQSM, where I will be teaching at the beginning of May.    I am just loving the way the black makes these Jen Kingwell fabrics pop.   I have only ever done 1 other quilt with a black background, and I loved it every bit as much as I am loving this.   More Black Backgrounds in the future for sure!!!

I also pressed my Gretel Fabrics but haven't gotten to cutting them out yet.  But it is next on the list to do ;)   I am off to teach tomorrow at the Desert Gems Quilt Show and then am going up the Mountain on Friday, so there won't be much sewing on those days, but the weekend is fast approaching, and we don't have any plans.   Sounds like a great time to be Happy Quilting!!! 

So how about you . . . any progress on your works in progress you want to share??  Just leave me a comment on what your working on :) 

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Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day, so let's have some fun!!!

First,  lets announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway :)

The winner of the Cheeky Jelly Roll from Green Fairy Quilts is . . . Number #252 . . .Congrats Cary!!!   I have emailed 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 has a Daily Deal, where you can get amazing prices on have to have fabric!!!  You are going to want to check these out!!!!  Along with hosting the giveaway, Jamie is also offering all Happy Quilting readers has a special discount of  25% off  factory Fat Quarter Bundles with the code Bundle good until Friday!!!  Oh, so much fun shopping!!!

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 the awesome Lou Lou Bundle pictured above!!  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 the best job you have ever had??  (For me, it is for sure this whole quilting thing!!!)

 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, March 19th  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Jessica's Qube Sampler - Blocks 4, 5, & 6 on the Way

You might recall, my daughter Jessica is working on a GO! Qube Sampler.   We have been working on squeezing in a little sewing time, which can sometimes be difficult to have free time for both of us, at the same time :)  But I just love how excited she gets to pick out a new block to work on!!      And since is using my Go! Qube Dies she has a lot of options on blocks.  And she certainly doesn't shy away from the ones with more pieces ;)   So I wanted to show them here so you all can share in my delight of her continued progress.

This is the Mosiac #6 block from the GO! Qube Book, and we laughed that it should have been the sixth block she did, but it's all good.   This one had a lot of points to match, and she did a great job with that.   I love that the GO! Qube  dies have all of the corners clipped on these angled pieces, it makes it much easier for Jessica to line them up.   And I just love her fabric choices.  She is really great at picking a main fabric, and then choosing other fabrics from the block that bring out the colors in the main fabric.  So fun!!! 

Her Block 5 is the Flashing Windmills from the Go! Qube Book.  And on this bock, Jessica decided she wanted to try it "on her own" without any help from me.   I stayed in "mom" range so that I could answer he questions, but she wasn't going to let me touch a piece of fabric to aid in aligning or pinning.  And I think she did amazing!!!   She had a few points that weren't quite so crisp, but learned a lot, and that is what really counts. And as soon as she was done, she wanted to cut out another block, which was a good sign to me that mom's hands off didn't scare her away :)

So this is the 6th block she cut the other day, and I will be interested to see if she wants to go back to a little more mom guidance, or if she is going to keep that spirit of "I can" and do it all on her own.    I know I am hoping for the latter, but of course, will be there to assist in any way I can.   I am just thrilled that she is loving this.  If she can master these shapes in quilting, then she has a great base ;)   And once she has this down, we can add some more shapes and angles to the mix, and that is always fun.   

I keep hoping to make a little more time to work on more blocks, but life happens.   I guess I just to remind myself to be grateful for the time that we get to sew together, and truly, it is so wonderful.   I'll keep sharing more of Jessica's Qube Sampler blocks as she sews them up!!

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

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