Planning a New Scrappy Neutral Quilt!!

 A little while back I made this made this Cabin Among the Stars , Scrappy Neutral quilt.  (which there is a free pdf pattern for, just sayin ;)  I so loved it and have been wanting to make another Scrappy Neutral Quilt ever since.  

Well, the other day, I noticed the neutral scrappy drawers are getting pretty full!!!   And well, I recently got these Turkey in the Straw BOB AccuQuilt Die and Friendship Chain BOB AccuQuilt Die.  And how fun would they be paired together in scrappy neutral!!!  

So I went over to my EQ8 and started playing.   This is what I cam up with.   Isn't it just so fun!!!   It will make a large lap size quilt and I think it is joining to be just gorgeous.   I love adding the snowball cornerstones to continue the chain.    And adding a second block to offset the chain, perfect ;)   

So now, It is time to start cutting!!!   And you know, I just love AccuQuilt for super speedy scrap cutting!!!   This is going to be a fun new project ;)

What about you???  Have you tried a Neutral Scrappy Project??  They really are oh so much fun and turn out just beautiful!! 

Planning Some 2022 Projects!

 Yup, we are still just starting December and  I find myself planning my sewing for 2022 :)   Gotta love it!!  But my fabric for the Heart Felt Charity Quilt Along arrived the other day and I just can't wait to get started on it!!!   I have already pressed it all and am gearing up for cutting.  I am so looking forward to making this quilt next year, this will be my 8th year participating in the Fat Quarter Shop Charity Quilt Along and it is truly one of my favorites every year!!!  Are you going to quilt along??  You can see more details about it here!! 

And, speaking of charity quilting . . . If you have been around here for a bit, you know I do a lot of Quilting in Red, White, and Black.   And just about every Red, White, and Black quilt I make is donated to my Alma Mater, Southern Utah University.   The quilts are raffled or auctioned at school events and all the proceeds go to Scholarships.   I just love being able to use my passion for quilting to help my favorite school!!!  So when I saw that Riley Blake is coming out with a Red Hot Fabric Line that has 21 Red on White and 21 White on Red prints, the gears started churning!!!   I popped over to EQ8 and came up with 5 quilts in these fabrics, I just couldn't stop :)   They are so easy because all I have to do is pop in the prints into a design and add a black background.  The first quilt I designed is going to be a free tutorial in February, (more coming) and the second is going to be a picnic size version of my Ring Around the Rosies Quilt from Charming Baby Quilts ;)   Isn't that just so fun!!!   So ya, lots of Red, White, and Black for 2022!!  

And finally, I always try to make a Scrap Quilt or two each year.  This year I made the Cabin Among the Stars Quilt to par down my Neutrals scrap bucket, and the Stacked Squares Quilt to par down my Low Volume scrap bucket.   So for 2022, It's back to a Rainbow of scraps!!!   And I have some fun ideas for using up all these little rainbow scraps.  And I am so grateful that my AccuQuilt will make quick work of the cutting!!!   Truly, when it comes to scrap quilts, (especially small scraps)  I have found my AccuQuilt is my best friend, it just saves so much time :)   And ya know, time is that thing that I always seem to be running short on, as here I am planning for 2022 when I still have 25+ quilt tops to quilt, tee hee hee.   

So how about you . . . any plans starting to percolate for 2022 quilts??   What is on your To Make List that you just know you are going to cross off in 2022???  

Did You Get Them All - Free PDF's??

So over the last little bit, I have started to share a few Free PDF Patterns with my quilts instead of step by step tutorials.   So now I am wondering, what do you think?? 

 Do you prefer the PDF with multiple size options or would you rather have a step by step tutorial??    (and I know, both is an awesome option, but time is a huge factor there :)    I have lots of technique step by step tutorials, so I thought maybe a  PDF with reference to the technique tutorials might be preferred.   Oh, and if you do like the Free PDF Patterns . . . I am debating about remaking some of my older, more popular tutorials into a Free PDF pattern as well . . .would you like that??   And if so, what older tutorials would you like to see done up in Free PDF Patterns??  

Okay, and with all of that, I wanted to make sure that you didn't miss any of the Free PDF patterns :)

So here is a quick review of recently released Happy Quilting Free PDF Patterns.  Just click on the names of the quilts to be taken to the post about them where you can get the free PDF's :)

Did you see Cabin Among the Stars??

Cabin Among the Stars is an awesome scrap buster and combines two of my favorite blocks, a  Sawtooth Star and Log Cabin :)  It uses No Waste Flying Geese and there is a technique tutorial for it right here.  

And how about  State Fair??

 State Fair is Charm Pack Friendly and is a super quick and fun quilt to make!!!    It is made with Half Square Triangles and there is a technique tutorial for HST's right here.  

And last but not least, I just released Moonstones, did you get it??

Moonstones is Fat Quarter Friendly and is a wonderful play on Sawtooth Stars that have curved centers!! It uses Modified Drunkards Path Units and there is a technique tutorial for them right here.  

So did you get them all??   If you have any questions at all on the Happy Quilting Free PDF's don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com :)

Happy Quilting!!!

New Works in Progress

So when I said I was excited about my Happy Mail the other day, I wasn't kidding.  I have missed my machine so I got right to work on some of these new projects.   And ya know, sometimes you start stitching and you just can't stop!!!   So ya, between last night and this morning, I whipped up the Stars and Strips mini from the Liberty Box.   Isn't it just so fun!!!  So ya, a work in progress that just needs to be quilted and bound, and I even made the binding strip already, yippee!!  

So I obviously needed another WIP, so I pulled out the adorable Joy in the Journey Rolie Polie fabric from my May Sew Sampler Box, and got to work on the Leaves pattern.  It's all cut out now, and I am going to start sewing on this just as soon as I am done typing this post.   I just think the colors are so great and perfect for a little baby born this fall ;)  

 

And last but not least, while I was away I got a ton of hits on my Playing the Scales quilt.    Looking back over the tutorial, it is getting pretty old and I thought it might be time to do an update.    So of course, new Work In Progress!!!   I dug through my stash and found this beautiful Fat Quarter Bundle of Dwell in the Possibility (which totally stuck out to me as it is the same fabric as the giveaway this week!!)   I knew right away it would be perfect with all of it's low volume and high volume prints!!  (I am saving the black FQ's for another project as I wanted the black and white to stand out in the low volume prints :)   

 I am thinking that for the update rather than share another tutorial do a new Free PDF Download, like the one I did for Cabin Among the Stars.   It was so well received, so why not take a favorite quilt and make it easier!!  Then there would be a tutorial for it as well as a pattern.  And I might even do a second PDF for the Queen Size version that I have written in the comments about.   What do you think, is that something that would be helpful??

 

I cut the quilt out yesterday and stated the strip piecing this morning so hopefully this one won't be to long of a work in progress ;)  

 Can I just say, it is sew nice to be back on my machine just stitching away!!!  What are you Working Away on???

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

Cabin Among The Stars, QOV

Thank you so much for all of the love on my Cabin Among the Stars Quilt!!!!  You all are so sweet and I am so glad you just loved the design!!   Just in case you missed it, (I know I posted on a holiday weekend for the US) you can download the  Free Cabin Among the Stars PDF and make your own!!!!  

There are 5 Size options in the  Cabin Among the Stars Free PDF.   Here is the details of what you will need and the finished sizes for each of the 5 quilt options.  

And so many of you mentioned making this as a Quilts of Valor quilt.  I thought I would share a quick rendition of it in Red, White, and Blue.   Isn't that just fun!!!   

And of course, you can always swap around the color layouts . . . either way it would make an awesome QOV!!!

I hope you enjoy this free Cabin Among the Stars PDF Pattern and that you make your own quilts!!!  And if you do, I would love to see them ;)   You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to social media with the hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #cabinamongthestarsquilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Cabin Among the Stars Quilts!!!

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

Cabin Among the Stars - Free PDF

I am so very excited to share my finished Cabin Among the Stars Quilt and the Free Cabin Among the Stars PDF with it!!!!   I know you have all been patiently waiting for me to finish this up, which makes it all the more fun to share it.   Didn't it just turn out so incredible, I love it!!! 

This quilt is made with 2 simple blocks.   The first block is a basic Sawtooth Star made in a Light and and Dark layout.   And of course, I use the No Waste Flying Geese method to make those stars ;)    And the second block is a basic Log Cabin block, alternating dark and light prints.   Both blocks are super easy to make, and this quilt is an amazing stash buster!!!  It's nothing but scraps!!!  

I choose to use scraps in all neutrals.   The lights are neutrals in whites and cremes and the darks are neutrals in black, greys, and browns.  I have been wanting to make an all neutral quilt for sometime, and I have to say, I just love the way it turned out and can't wait to make another one!!!  And double bonus, I can now close my grey, brown, and black scraps drawers that were overflowing ;)

When it came time to quilt it, I decided on an all over Open Centered Swirl.  I quilted on a slightly larger scale than I usually do so it went really fast and was oh so much fun to quilt. I used my favorite 402 So Fine which blended perfectly into the low volume background and still blended great on the darker prints.  Have I mentioned how much I love 402, and I broke into my last spool with this quilt, time for another thread order :) 

And isn't that just an awesome texture!!!  And I love how this angle really shows off the "stripe" design of how the log cabin blocks are set around the stars.   So fun!!!   

And I have to just share my new favorite backings!!! Ombre Wide Backs!!!  They are so great.  I love the gentle change of color, and not having to piece a back for a queen size quilt just makes me do a happy dance.    And I love how the thread pops in the black parts and blends in the grey parts, so fun :) 

So now, it's your turn to make your own Cabin Among the Stars Quilt.   I am toying with the idea of doing another one in the fall for a quilt along, but we will see.   I am pretty sure that once you all have the PDF, you will be just like me, and not want to wait to whip up this great stash buster!!!

I made the Queen/King size, but I included 5 size options in the Cabin Among the Stars Free PDF.   Here is the details of what you will need and the finished sizes for each of the 5 quilt options.  

I hope you enjoy this free Cabin Among the Stars PDF Pattern and that you make your own quilts!!!  And if you do, I would love to see them ;)   You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to social media with the hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #cabinamongthestarsquilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Cabin Among the Stars Quilts!!!

Thanks so much for popping in and sharing this finish with me.  If you have any questions at all on making your own, don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com  

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