Puzzle Box - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour

It's Week 8 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing the Puzzle Box quilt! And don't be intimidated by the "interlocking" of this quilt, it really goes together super quick and easy with just basic piecing.  And I love how rotating the blocks of this one creates a whole new secondary design, just so fun!!!    And you have to love the scrappy binding to finish it all off, so cute!!!

Here is the introduction I wrote about Puzzle Box in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book.  "Puzzle Box is a fantastic interlocking geometric design that keeps your eyes moving.  It was inspired by a small metal brain puzzle that my kids were obsessed with while camping.  The quilt looks a little complex, but with basic piecing it's a snap.  Puzzle Box makes for a modern finish that's perfect for any occasion.  And just in case you need to make a quilt for a man cave, this design is a good choice for a more masculine quilt."

When writing this book, I tried to give you all of the tips and trick that I would share if I were teaching a quilting class.  This is my favorite tip from the Puzzle Box quilt.  I know, we all (myself included) have walked into our local quilt shop and say we want to make the quilt just the way it is pictured :)  But there is so much fun and joy and mixing up your fabrics, including doing something other than a solid for the background.   That's why I keep sharing the second versions of the quilts, so you can see how much changing out the background fabric and prints changes the whole look of the quilt ;)  So don't be afraid to make it your own.  

Puzzle Box was made using Morning Light fabrics by Linzee Kull McCray for Moda Fabrics.  All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.   You will use 33 of the 10" squares for this quilt.  This quilt finishes at 62" x 62", making it great square lap size quilt.    

I had so much fun custom quilting each of the quilts in Fast & Fun Lap Quilts .  For this Puzzle Box quilt, I quilted simple meandering in framed boxes in the background.  I love the way it echoes the design of the quilt.  Then in the Prints I just did a few simple straight lines to echo the square.   I used 402 So Fine thread to blend perfectly into the white background and all of the prints.   What can I say, it was my go to thread for this book ;) 

And that is my Puzzle Box quilt, the eighth lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Puzzle Box 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.   

And speaking of making a Puzzle Box Quilt, my amazing friend Pat Sloan has made up her own Puzzle Box Quilt using Adel in Winter by Sandy Gervais for Moda.    Isn't that just so fun to see it done up as a Christmas Quilt!!  I totally have to make one now ;)   It is an absolutely stunning finish!!    You can see all the details at Pat's Blog, I Love To Make Quilts!!  

And while you are visiting Pat at I Love To Make Quilts be sure to enter her giveaway. She is sharing a copy of Fast & Fun Lap Quilts with one lucky reader!!!  How fun is that, You can enter the giveaway at her Blog.  

And that is it for today, thanks for popping in for Week 8 of the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book!

I am just so happy to share this Puzzle Box quilt and be sure to pop back in on Saturday when I will share a second version of the quilt.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Jacks- Fast & Fun Lap Quilts

 It's Week 7 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing a second version of the Jacks quilt! And this week, it is all about scrappy!!! And you know, I love nothing better than a scrappy rainbow of blocks ;)

For this version of Jacks, I was really trying to show how even if you aren't using Layer Cake pieces, you can always have fun playing in your scraps!!!   Scrap quilts can often be overwhelming in balancing color, which is why my favorite kind is to pick a color for each block.  The easiest way to start is to grab twenty 2 1/2" squares of varying colors and lay them out in the "color order" you want your quilt to be in.  From there, simply sort though your scraps and add a scrap to whichever 2 1/2" square it matches best.  Don't overthink it to much, as long as it is in the same realm of color, it will look awesome :) I mean, how can you not just love a scrappy rainbow :) 

And using a dark background and white cornerstones just made all of those happy colors pop!!!  I used white scraps for the cornerstones, and the background is Lead Grunge.  It is an all time favorite for rainbow quilts.  The dark grey is just so lovely, but it still has whisps of light grey to keep it fun and add texture. And don't you just love the scrappy binding, I matched the binding color to the block color!!   There is a tutorial here on how I do that, just in case you want to do the same ;)  Jacks finishes at 62 1/2" x 77 1/2" so it is a great size to cuddle up in, and your toes will still be covered ;)   

Since I custom quilted all the quilts in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts  I thought it would be fun to do all over designs for these second versions.   For this Jacks quilt, I quilted all over paisleys.   It is such a fun design to quilt and I even have a video tutorial of how I quilt that design here.   And for dark grey backgrounds and happy light prints, I am all about a medium grey thread to blend with it all ;)  

And that is another Jacks quilt, the seventh lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Jacks 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 Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book day of fun.    And if you haven't had a chance to enter Melanie's Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Giveaway for a beautiful Dwell Layer Cake that you can use to make your own gorgeous Jacks quilt like Melanie's, be sure and pop on over and enter.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Jacks - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour

 It's Week 7 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing the Jacks quilt! This quilt is the cover quilt on the book and I just love it.  This is probably the last "fast" of all the quilts in the book, but it can still be whipped up with lots and lots of chain stitching ;)  There are some more no -waste lattice units and a whole bunch of stitch and flip corners.  And you have to love the scrappy binding to finish it all off, so cute!!!

Here is the introduction I wrote about Jacks in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book.  "When I was a child, whenever we had recess indoors at school I always wanted to play jacks.  It was the best.  Designing this quilt brought back many fun memories of playing my favorite game.  I hope it will for you as well.  Jacks is made of a lot of tiny stitch-and-flip squares, but don't be overwhelmed.  They're fast to finish with chain piecing, and the result is a great quilt to snuggle up in."

When writing this book, I tried to give you all of the tips and trick that I would share if I were teaching a quilting class.  This is my favorite tip from the Jacks quilt.  Cutting out quilts is actually one of my favorite parts of making a quilt.  I know, kind of crazy, but I just really enjoy it.   And some of the reason I so enjoy it is because I can do it super fast.  Below is a tidbit on how I cut so many squares so quickly, hopefully it will help you speed up your cutting as well  :)

Jacks was made using Paisley Rose fabrics by Crystal Manning for Moda Fabrics.  All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.   You will use 40 of the 10" squares for this quilt so you really use up just about every last piece.  This quilt finishes at 62 1/2" x 77 1/2", making it a perfect lap size quilt for snuggling up in.    

I had so much fun custom quilting each of the quilts in Fast & Fun Lap Quilts .  For this Jacks quilt, I quilted little loop d loops in the main part of the background and echoed the center "star" of the block with pebbles.  Then I quilted wishbones on the spokes and left the center unquilted so it would pop.  a I used 402 So Fine thread to blend perfectly into the white background and all of the prints.   I know, your shocked right :) 

And that is my Jacks quilt, the seventh lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Jacks 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.   

And speaking of making a Jacks Quilt, my good friend,  Melanie Call has made up her own Jacks Quilt using Dwell Fabrics by Camille Roskelly for Moda.    She used Chambray Grey on the background and I just love the way it makes all of those beautiful colors from Dwell just sing!!  Didn't Melanie's quilt just turn out amazing!!!   It is an absolutely stunning finish!!    You can see all the details at Melanie's Instagram, ABitofScrapStuff. 

And while you are visiting Melanie at ABitofScrapStuff, be sure to enter her giveaway. She is sharing a Dwell Layer Cake with a Happy Quilting Reader so you can make a Jacks quilt just like Melanie's!!!  How fun is that, You can enter the giveaway at her Instagram.

And that is it for today, thanks for popping in for Week 7 of the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book!

I am just so happy to share this Jacks quilt and be sure to pop back in on Friday when I will share a second version of the quilt.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Diamond Dash - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts

  It's Week 3 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing a second version of the Diamond Dash quilt! It's always fun to see how different a quilt can look by changing things up the fabrics.    

 For this version of Diamond Dash, I decided on a monochromatic theme.  My goal with this version was to show how fun it can be to choose one color in all it's hues along with white, and make a stunning statement quilt.   And I even used a Chambray in Denim for the background.  I love all of the added texture it gives to the quilt, and it really makes it feel like a great picnic quilt as it has a little more weight to it ;) 

This version of Diamond Dash was made using Nantucket Summer fabrics by Camille for Moda Fabrics.  All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.  Nantucket Summer was the perfect print for an monochromatic look as it has so many different shades of blue..  I just love how it turned out!  And of course, the scrappy binding is the perfect finish.   The quilt finishes at 64 1/2" x 64 1/2".  

Since I custom quilted all the quilts in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts  I thought it would be fun to do all over designs for these second versions.   For this Diamond Dash quilt, I quilted all over loose feathers.   This design is perfect for this quilt as it really plays nice in the negative space.   And the funny thing is, I quilted this the day after getting back from the quilting cruise, and let me tell you, when your body still feels like it is on a ship and you try to long arm, you are rocking and rolling all over the place :)

And that is another Diamond Dash quilt, the third lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Keystone Corner 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 Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book day of fun.    And if you haven't had a chance to enter Amy's Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Giveaway for some beautiful Blue Jean fabric that you can use to make your own monochromatic Diamond Dash Quilt, be sure and pop on over and enter.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Keystone Corners - Fast & Fun Lap Quilts

 It's Week 2 of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book Tour and today I am sharing a second version of the Keystone Corners quilt! It's always fun to see how different a quilt can look by changing things up.    

 For this version of Keystones Corners, I decided on a neutral theme background.  My goal with this version was to show how amazing a neutral layout looks, they have truly become my recent favorite.  I used Black and White prints for the piecing and a nice Tan Linen background.  Yes, you don't always have to use cotton, Linen has such a pretty hand and gives another texture.   

This version of Keystone Corners was made using Flue Noire fabrics by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs.  All the quilts in Fast and Fun Lap Quilts are made with 1 Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.  Fluer Noire was the perfect print for an all Neutral look.   I always love a good Black and White Line!  And of course, a black and white stripe binding is the perfect finish.   The quilt finishes at 60 1/2" x 60 1/2".  

Since I custom quilted all the quilts in the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts  I thought it would be fun to do all over designs for these second versions.   For this Keystone Corners quilt, I quilted L and E across the quilt.   This design is perfect for this quilt, as the pieced squares being perfectly lined up help me keep the L and E lines nice and straight.   And 403 (a slightly darker thread than 402) was perfect for this tan lined background, just so fun! 

And that is another Keystone Corner quilt, the second lap quilt in my new Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  You can find the Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book in your local or online quilt shops,  C&T Publishing, or if you would like a personalized signed copy, you can order from my Etsy shop.  And if you make your own Keystone Corner 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 Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book day of fun.    And if you haven't had a chance to enter Kristina's Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Giveaway for some beautiful Nutmeg fabric that she used to make her own Keystone Corners Quilt, be sure and pop on over and enter.  

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

Jelly Sizzle Short Cut Quilts!!

 I am super excited today to share some more Short Cut Quilt finishes!!!  You all now how much I love to make the Short Cut Quilts so when Fat Quarter Shop asked if I wanted to make their latest Short Cut quilt called  Jelly Roll Sizzle, it was an absolute yes!!!    And how fun is this quilt!!   

Jelly Roll Sizzle goes together super fast and it comes in multiple size options.  This is the Twin Size, but there is also a crib, lap, and a queen size available.  And as you can tell by the name, it is Jelly Roll Friendly ;)  You can find the free pattern right here , grab a Jelly Roll, and get started right away!! 

 And you all know that I love to make quilts for my Alma Mater, SUU,  so a Modern Paper Jelly Roll   paired with lots and lots of red scraps from my stash were just perfect for this project!!!  And don't you just love the pop of the pinwheels!!!  I did them in solid Black as well as the binding, and it just looks so great on the scrappy background ;)  

When it came time to quilt it, I opted for some fun custom quilting!!  I quilted pebbles in the pinwheels and I love how the red thread just pops on them :0  Then I alternated between wishbone and ribbon candy on the stripes.   This quilt was oh so much fun to quilt!!  

And I had so much fun with the first, I couldn't stop and whipped up a Jelly Roll Sizzle quilt in the crib size!!  Isn't it just so cute ;)   I had this Junior Folktale Jelly Roll from my Sew Sampler Box and it had the perfect amount of strips for the crib size, so of course, it was totally meant to be!!  

And it turned out just so adorable!!!  And I used some Dear Stella Hearts that I had stashed away for the pinwheels and they just turned out oh so adorable ;)  Oh, and I have to say,   I totally love this size quilt for wrapping over baby in the car seat :)

And this one I quilted with an all over loose feather.   This design goes so fast, and with such a small quilt, I think I spent more time loading the quilt on the long arm then I did actually quilting it ;)  To funny!!!   But it came out just so soft and pretty!!!

And those are my Jelly Roll Sizzle quilts!!!   And I just have to say again how much I love, love, love Short Cut Quilts!!!     Thanks Fat Quarter Shop for another great one and be sure and watch the video tutorial for an easy step by step demonstration of making this quilt!!!     

    

Thanks for popping in today and sharing these finishes with me.   

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

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - The Basics!!!

Can you believe it, this is the last Thursday throwback!!!  Yup, we have been celebrating throwbacks for nearly a year ;)   Next week will be my 10 Year Anniversary of writting Happy Quilting and you will want to check back in for some super fun!!!   So I figured, since today was the last Thursday throwback , it might be best to start at the beginning :)  As in the Basics!!!  Yup, today isn't one tutorial throwback, but multiple tutorials sharing some of my favorite basics tutorials!!!

So let's get started with the Half Square Triangle!!!!  This is the most basic building blocks of your quilts, and is used in oh so many quilt designs.   I have no idea how many times I have shared tutorials for HST's on my blog, but this was the first Half Square Triangle tutorial ;)   It even goes over the math of how to make multiple sizes and the trimming with both square and rectangle rulers ;)  It is so useful.   And if you are making HST's with Scraps, you can see this Scrappy HST Tutorial.

Next up, my favorite way of making Flying Geese . . .  The No Waste Flying Geese Tutorial.  I love how quick and easy it is to make flying geese this way, and the fact that you don't have to waste anything is a super bonus.   Yes, it is a bit of a pain to cut squares at 3/8" or 7/8", (and you really have to cut them at that size, they don't work if you fudge up to 1/2" or 1") but it is totally worth it.   These go together fast making 4 at a time and you are sewing them all with squares, super fun and super easy!!!  And of course, the tutorial goes over the math of how to make all your Flying Geese, regardless of size, using this method.  

And did you know that I have Video Tutorials??  This one is throwing back 8 years but it is about as basic as it gets.   Finishing your quilt is something we all do with every quilt!!!  This Finishing Your Quilt Video Tutorial Series goes over Basting, Quilting, and Binding :)   These are super helpful if you are starting out learning how to bind, and machine quilt, and there are some more Machine Quilting Tutorials on my Video Page as well, just scroll down a bit ;)  And finally, I love to do my Binding by machine, as I am a horrible hand stitcher :)  And if you want to make a Custom Scrappy Binding to match your quilt, you can see this Custom Binding tutorial.   

And while we are talking Video's, I also have an Applique Basics Video Tutorial Series!!!! (just scroll bast the beginner basics :)     I love to do applique, and wanted to share how much easier it is than we initially think it is going to be.   It is such a great way to add a pop of fun to your quilts and really is fun and fast to do.   And when you are done with the basics, you can always move up to Complex Layered Applique using this Tutorial.  Now that is a pop of fun!!! 

And finally, One of my favorite tutorials on basics is how to incorporate Leaders and Enders into you quilting.    This is such a great way to basically make free bonus quilts!!!   I always have a stack of squares next to my machine and love that I never have to worry about wasting thread or having my machine come unthreaded with this method.   And it has made some amazing Bonus Quilts like this Postage Stamp, Irish Chain, and many more!!!

And those are some of my favorite Basic Tutorials that I use all the time!!!!    I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday and find some helpful tools in your quilting ;)    I have so enjoyed this year of Throwback Thursday's and how you have enjoyed it as well!!!   And as I said earlier, be sure to pop back in next Thursday for my 10 Year Anniversary Celebration!!!  

Happy Quilting!!!!