Thursday, October 31, 2024

Happy (quilting for) Halloween!!

 Okay, so I have shared this before, but  I don't make a lot of Halloween quilts, because honestly, I don't like "Scary Halloween".  But I thought today would be the perfect day to share some "cute and adorable and not scary at all" Halloween quilts!!!  

First up . . . my How They Shine quilt I made this year using the oh so cute and adorable  Hey Boo line by Lella Boutique for Moda.   I never get tired of making star quilts and I just love making my How They Shine quilt pattern ;)   I love the alternating of prints and backgrounds in the two blocks that create so many awesome secondary designs.  and isn't it just perfect for a new Halloween Quilt!!  If you want to make your own, you can still find a Hey Boo FQB  in shops, and my How They Shine quilt pattern here :)  


And if you are looking for Halloween that is super simple and super fast and still super cute . . . we can throw back to my Halloween Sparkly Stars quilt :)   Sparkly Stars is Fat Quarter Friendly, making it easy to grab a FQ Bundle and get stitching right away.  This quilt features Halloween Magic by Bella Blvd. for Riley Blake Designs which is way old but still so cute :)  But really, any FQ Bundle would look good in this design. And you can make your own Sparkly Stars Quilt with a free step by step tutorial as well as a FREE PDF Pattern with 6 size options!!!    It is just a super fun and fast quilt to make and pefect in any theme ;)  


And last but not least . . .  this is a new share from Barbara!!!  Mom made this gorgeous Wishes Quilt using my pattern and the Halloween Expressions Batik collection from Riley Blake Designs this year.   I am so loving getting into Batik's, they just make the prettiest quilts!!!   And the colors are just so vibrant and fun, perfect for Happy and Bright and not Scary Halloween :)  Wishes is a Beginner Friendly Quilt that is also FQ Friendly so you can grab a cute Halloween bundle and get stitching!!  


So ya . . . 3 Happy Halloween Quilts made with Happy Halloween Fat Quarter Bundles!!   Really, there are so many Cute Halloween Bundles to choose from that will all make cute and adorable and not scary at all Halloween quilts, my favorite to cuddle up in while handing out candy to happy trick or treaters :)  

I hope you all have a very Happy (Quilting for) Halloween!!! 


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Wednesday, October 30, 2024

October Sew Sampler!

Wow, October is just about finished and that means another .Sew Sampler Box has arrived!!!   It really is my favorite day of the month when this little box arrives in my mail ;)  I just love opening it and seeing all of the quilty goodness!!!   The theme for October was ColorFall and it is so happy making with all of it's amazing colors!!


I love working with Sherri and Chelsi fabrics and was super excited to find a small Fat Quarter Bundle of their new Laguna Sunrise line!!!   You know I am all about the purples in this line, so great!!!   I just love how happy and bright this line is, it is going to make such a pretty quilt, and how awesome is that Splendid Quilt Design!!   I so am going to need to make this (but of course, I will include the purple print :)      


And the notions this month are so super fun!!!  I am super excited for the Sticky Scissor Sheath, because I could so use one of these on the long arm ;)   And the Fat Quarter Pop Up Patterns with Hardware is just so fun!!   Such a great thing to have in your travel sew bag :)   And finally, the Mini Bolts are just to cute!!   Won't they look just so fun on the shelf ;)  


And we are month 7 of the Pieceful Basket Sampler and this months block is cute with all of it's little geese!!!   Got to love this  Kona Lime Background  and Milk and Honey fabrics :)  I am hoping I am going to have enough of the Milk and Honey Fabrics to last to the end of the quilt along.  Some of the last backets might be a little scrappy ;)  


And that is November Sew Sampler Box.

And you know, this time of year, you blink and it will be the end of the month again!!!     

Happy Quilting!!! 
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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

 It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!   Let's have some fun :)

First we need to pick a winner from last week's TTGD ;) 

And the winner of the $25.00 Gift Certificate from Thousands of Bolts is . . .#53 . .  Congrats Lisa England!!  I have messaged you :)

   

And on to today's



Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Green Fairy Quilts.  Green Fairy Quilts is your home for pre-cut goodness and they always have amazing sales going on every weekend on a selected pre-cut or notion!!!   And did you know that Green Fairy Quilts has a Deal of The Day, I just love these!!!    Green Fairy Quilts is adding A Ton of new Riley Blake Pre-Cuts to their 50% off Page, you won't want to miss these!!! 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway, Green Fairy Quilts will be giving one lucky reader an Perennial 10" Stacker by Jill Finley for Riley Blake Designs!!!  This is such a gorgeous fabric line with beautiful prints and happy colors!!!!  



You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 Would you rather be too hot or too cold?? 

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Green Fairy Quilts love.   You can Sign up for their Newsletter which I highly recommend as it will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales!!  You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook,  or you can visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Green Fairy Quilt Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 5th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Monday, October 28, 2024

Dragon Fruit BOM - Month 1

 I just got back from a wonderful week of vacation in Kauai, Hawaii with my sweetheart.   We had such a great time playing in the ocean, hiking, skydiving (kind of crazy) and resting and relaxing.   And wouldn't you know it, when I got home, the first Month of the Dragon Fruit Block of the Month was waiting for me.   So I got busy paper piecing!!!    And here is Month 1 of the  Dragon Fruit  hosted by Fat Quarter Shop and can I just say . . . so much fun!!!  And just fyi . . . It's not to late to join in the Tula Pink Paper Piecing fun ;) 



The Dragon Fruit Block of the Month will run from Oct 24 to June 25.   This month we made 20 Paper Pieced 4" blocks.   And how cute and tiny are those pieces!!  I love that paper piecing makes everything so perfectly precise, because while I love tiny piecing, this would be tricky to piece straight without the foundation :)  And each months pieces are made with Tula Pinks gorgeous fabrics.  This month we were working on the "leaves" so it was all the pretty greens, teals, and citron colors ;)  




Month 1 and I am already in love!!!   I am so grateful that I have become better aquatinted with Paper Piecing.  It is such a wonderful skill to have and it is amazing what you can create with it ;)   If you are new to Paper Piecing, I did a strep by step paper piecing tutorial (for a different block) over here that you might find helpful :)  I am still no expert, but I am enjoying it more and more with each paper piecing project I tackle.   
 



 Thoughts and Tidbits from the First Month . . . 

Just in case you are new to Paper Piecing, here are some thoughts and tidbits that I figured out along the way of Month 1 that I thought would be helpful to share ;) 

First off, this Block of the Month is super easy to follow.   The Pattern is so well illustrated and having the custom Paper Piecing Pads makes it easy.  And I was also pleasantly surprised at the amount of fabric sent in Month 1's package!!  This is the "scrap fabric" that I had after cutting all my pieces.  It is always so nice to know you have plenty of wiggle room for oopsies :)  


And speaking of cutting your fabrics, A lot of the pieces are cut the same sizes.  So I found it helpful to look through the cutting directions first, find the ones that are similar, and then stack up those pieces of fabric and cut them all at the same time.   And cutting 4 of the WOF strips was also a huge time saver as I could sub-cut all the pieces I needed for each of the 4 blocks sets all at once.  


When it came to start paper piecing, chain stitching was key!!!  I chain stitched the 4 Courthouse Steps blocks first, and then went back and chain stitched the 16 Log Cabin Blocks second.   I found doing the four blocks first got me in the groove so I was really flying through the 16 blocks after that.   


And a big help with chain stitching that I didn't realize until I was almost finished . . . change your needle setting to Needle Up.  This way you don't have to hand crank when you need to advance to the next piece of paper piecing clear in the middle of the paper :)  And of course, I am all about a small stitch length (1.5) so tearing the paper will be easier.  And if you have an oopsie and your paper shreds, FQS gave you two extra papers so you can always start over if needed, or you can tape it back up with invisible tape and sew through it again.  


And after the courthouse steps blocks, I realized I needed to be super clean with snipping my threads.  It takes a second longer, but clipping the threads right at the base of the stitching helps keep things nice and tidy and you don't have any threads making their way to the front of the block.   And since I am snipping them so close, I made sure to overstitch my lines at least 1/4" so I didn't have to worry about unravelling ;) 


Once all of my paper piecing was complete, I found trimming the blocks with a 4 1/2" square ruler and a rotating cutting mat to be very precise and quick.  If you haven't tried a rotating cutting mat before, they are just so great for trimming!!  I like the ones with the ball bearings in the middle as they turn super easy.  



And now all that is left is to take out all of the papers from my 20 blocks!!   Good thing I have my handy Pretty Tula Pink Tweezers for getting out those pieces that just don't want to let go ;)   Should be a fun little job to keep my hands busy while watching the World Series Tonight ;)  Go Dodgers!!



And that is it for Dragon Fruit Block of the Month - Month 1    Again, there is still time to join in the fun, but I wouldn't wait long because the other thing I learned with this Month was I better not get behind because this is a lot of Paper Piecing each month!!  



And just for fun . . . here are some snippets my Crazy Adventure from last week!!


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Saturday, October 26, 2024

HTHS QA - Week 8

It's Week 8 of the Home Town Holiday Sampler Quilt Along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop and this week is brought to you by the letters E, F, G and H!!! Eeekkk, I am just having so much fun making these letters, I might have already cut out the rest of the alphabet :) 



For my Sampler I am using Sweetwater Christmas Prints from several lines paired with a POParazzi Grey Background.  And how fun are these low volumes just popping on that background.  I just love it, especially the little reindeer, oh so cute!!!    



And that is it for Week 8 of of the Home Town Holiday Sampler Quilt Along!!!   You can make your own Home Town Holiday Sampler as well, you just need Lori Holt's  Home Town Holiday Sampler Book!   You can see the complete schedule here and check out all the details here and come quilt along ;)    


See ya next week with more Home Town Holiday Sampler goodness!!  More Letter goodness to come ;)  
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Friday, October 25, 2024

Meadowland for SUU!!!

Yup, today I get to share another SUU Quilt in my favorite Red, White, and Black color combo!!! Each year at the Quilty Friends Retreat , I take a class and I decided a few years back to start making SUU quilts in each of these classes.   So this is Meadowlands Quilt and the pattern is by Then Came June.  


This was a super fun class from two years ago (yes, the one from this year still needs to be finished pieced, ah well :)   For this version I went with all soilds.   Because sometimes Solids for the Win is just the way to go!!!   I am so glad my Alma Mater has Red, White, and Black for the school colors.  I just such a great color combo and one that I don't mind doing over and over again ;)


And once again, I added an SUU layered applique to the corner of the quilt. You can really do just about anything with this layered applique technique!!   Again, you can find the step by step tutorial here for layered applique :)   

When it came time to quilt this Meadowlands Quilt I decided on an all over swirl in varying sizes ;)  It is always fun to mix up the small, medium, and large swirls.  It adds some great texture and movement to this super geometric quilt.      And of course, a red thread was perfect for this quilt.  


And that is my SUU Meadowlands Quilt.  The pattern has several size options and I made the Bed Size 80" x 96" so it will be great for cuddling up in during a cold game :) And this one will get a happy new home very soon as well.  I just love that I can use my love of quilting to help out my favorite School!!!



Thanks again for popping in for another quilt finish!!

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

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Thursday, October 24, 2024

Dutch Days for SUU!!!

It's that Homecoming Time of year and that means I get to share another SUU Quilt in my favorite Red, White, and Black color combo!!! I decided to make an SUU Fast & Fun Lap Quilts  and how cute is this Dutch Days Quilt!  I just love it ;)


For this version of Dutch Days, I used Red and White prints from the Red Hot Fabric Line from Riley Blake.  It is another perfect match for an Alma Mater quilt and paired with a Black Basic background, it just makes those red and white prints pop!!!!   And I made a scrappy binding of the white prints from this line and I love how it gives a great low volume look there.  Such a fun way to finish the quilt.  


And as always, the Homecoming quilts need an SUU layered applique to the corner of the quilt. The applique is the SUU Mascot, they are the Thunderbirds :)   And when it comes to a custom applique the sky is truly the limit.  It is such a fun way to personalize quilts!!   You can find the step by step tutorial here for layered applique :)   

When it came time to quilt this Fast & Fun Lap Quilt  I decided on all over Loose Feathers;)  I just figured I wanted something to add texture that would quilt up fast, and this is always the ticket for that!!    And of course, a black thread was perfect for this quilt.  


And that is my SUU Dutch Days quilt from my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  Dutch Days finishes at 72" x 72" so it is a great size and it has already found a new home with an SUU Alum ;)  I hope you love this quilt as much as I do and if you make your own Dutch Days quilt, I would love to see it!!  You can share your quilts with me on social media using hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tag me @happyquiltingmc or you can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   


Thanks so much for popping in for another quilt finish!!

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

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Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!   Let's have some fun :)

First we need to pick a winner from last week's TTGD ;) 

And the winner of the $50 Gift Card from Stitchin' Heaven is . . .#25 . .  Congrats Nancy!!                     I have messaged you :)

   



And on to today's



Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Thousands of Bolts .   Thousands of Bolts has incredible prices that will have you super excited!!!  There are thousands of bolts to choose from and all at amazing prices, staring as low as $5.39 a yard!!!   And they have just introduced dozens and dozens of new fabrics to the inventory!!  Be sure to check it out :)    


And for Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Thousands of Bolts is giving one lucky winner at $25.00 Gift Certificate!!!  You can get just what you always wanted :)   And good luck picking because there are literally thousands of bolts to choose from!!!!   


You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 makes you Laugh?? 

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Thousands of Bolts some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook or Instagram.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Thousand of Bolts Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, October 29th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Monday, October 21, 2024

P and Q Sampler QAL - Month 7

 It's Month 7 of the  Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt Along and I am just so loving this quilt along!!!    I just can't wait to see this quilt top come together ;)  Thanks to Fat Quarter Shop for hosting this awesome quilt along from the Celebrate with Quilts book!! And here is the month 7 finishes!!

I am making my Piece and Quilt Sampler in a diagonal Rainbow of Ombre goodness. (see plan here )  And I just love it when the blocks are two colored like this 12" Arizona Block.   Isn't it fun how it transitions from the purple to the red. And this was such a great block to make!


Then it was on to the 4 Tulip Lady Finger Blocks that are each 6".  And yes, those are 48 HST's that all finish at 1".   Aren't they just so cute.   I love that this block is done in two different fabric layouts as it will look so cool when they are sewn together into a large block!!  


There is still time to join in the Piece and Quilt Fun!!!  This is such a fun QAL!  Oh, and once you are done your blocks, Be sure to share your Piece and Quilt Sampler progress on social media with #PieceAndQuiltSamplerQAL :)  There is so much Piece and Quilt inspiration in that hashtag :)

And that's it for Month 7 - 4 of the 6" Tulip Lady Finger blocks,  and a 12" Arizon block in the Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt Along!!!!      

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

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Saturday, October 19, 2024

HTHS QA - Week 7

 It is now week 7 of the Home Town Holiday Sampler Quilt Along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop and I have to say, this was my favorite week of sewing so far!!  Making these letters was just so fun (and quick) and I just loved using all of the Low Volumes ;)   A, B, C, D in all of their scrolly goodness!!! 



For my Sampler I am using Sweetwater Christmas Prints from several lines paired with a POParazzi Grey Background.  And seriously, I can't tell you how much I have been looking forward to the letters so that I could see all of the low volume prints just pop on that background.  I just love it!!!    



And that is it for Week 7 of of the Home Town Holiday Sampler Quilt Along!!!   You can make your own Home Town Holiday Sampler as well, you just need Lori Holt's  Home Town Holiday Sampler Book!   You can see the complete schedule here and check out all the details here and come quilt along ;)    


See ya next week with more Home Town Holiday Sampler goodness!!  More Letter goodness to come ;)  
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Friday, October 18, 2024

Swirling Leaves featuring Bittersweet Farm

 Today is another new quilt share day and it is just perfect for this splendid Fall Season we know find ourselves in (although, we managed to get three inches of snow this morning ;) I am such a fan of Teresa Kogut and her wonderful folksy prints. When I saw her Bittersweet Farm collection I just knew it would make the cutest Swirling Leaves Quilt ;) And didn't it just turn out so great!!!

I have been wanting to make my Swirling Leaves Quilt with a dark background for some time, and I knew that that tone on tone green print in this line would make a perfect darker background!!! It is always so fun to go outside of the box of a neutral background and play with some color. And I love that picking from the line will guarantee that everything matches just perfectly!! The Swirling Leaves Quilt is Layer Cake Friendly so you just have to grab a stack and get cutting :)

And while this might look a little complex, the Swirling Leaves Pattern is truly is a beginner quilt with basic quilting techniques.   You will be making HST, Stitch and Flip Stems, and lovely two patch blocks to whip up your leaves and the chain to go around them. Cause, you all know I just love a quilt with a secondary chain design ;) And isn't that border just so cute with all of the scarecrows peeking out!!

And when it came time to quilt mine, I opted for an all over loose feather.  I love how this gives the look of a twisting and turning. Almost like the leaves falling from the trees, And I think it totally adds to the vintage vibe of this quilt.  And I used a gold thread, and it just looks so great in it's fall goodness!!!

 And like all of my Happy Quilting patterns, the the nice thing is, the Swirling Leaves Pattern has multiple size options, so you can make whatever size you like. This is the picnic size, (which is perfect for a Fall throw) but you can make it from a Table Topper size all the way to a King size ;)   And big blocks means it will come together super quick, so you can whip one up and enjoy it right now!!!

And that is my Swirling Leaves Quilt featuring the Bittersweet Farm Collection by Teresa Kogut ! I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope you make your own Swirling Leaves Quilt!!! And if you do, I would love to see it! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags #happyquiltingmc and #swirlingleavesquilt and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can't wait to see your Swirling Leaves Quilts!!

Thank you so much for popping by and sharing this finish with me!

Until next time . . . Happy Quilting!!!

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