September Sew Sampler!!!

 We are starting to get some chilly mornings and I have already made 3 Pumpkin Rolls.   So glad that it is Fall!!!   I really think it is my favorite season, even if it is only like 3 weeks in Cedar City ;)    And Fall coming on means September came and went!!   And with September rolling out, it means another Sew Sampler Box came in the mail!!!  This month's theme was Think Pink, and I know I say it about every box, but I just love, love, love this month's box!!!! (and FYI, there is still a waiting list for the Sew Sampler Box membership, but I hear it turns over fast ;)

I absolutely love Moda Color Cuts!!!  They are just perfect for when you want to sew with a specific color family.   And I just love working on rainbow projects and monochromatic projects so these pre-cuts of color groupings really appeal to me. And this  Think Pink Color Cut Dessert Role is just so pretty!!! .  Now I just can't decide if I want to use it to make this awesome pattern by Susan Ache (who is absolutely a whiz with color!!!) or to make a supersized Scraptastic Star block and turn it into a baby quilt.  It was suggested when I shared the Pink Scraptastic Star block and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind.  And then these pinks show up and I could easily make 5" squares from the roll . . . decisions, decisions :)  

And this month's notions are so fun!!!  I am super excited about the Just Bobbin Along case.  I am sure we can all use more Bobbin storage ;)   And the Dritz Thread Cutter Caddy is just so cool!!! I am going to use it to hold my 10 bobbins that I keep prewound for piecing.  When the bobbins run out, it's time to clean the machine and then rewind the 10 bobbins.  But I love that it also is a thread cutter, and has a magnetic side that you can throw your pins on as you cut your threads.   Just so brilliant. 

And of course, we can't finish out a month of Sew Sampler without another Goodness Grows block!!!  This month the block is called  Bloom in Season  and it was a super fast one to make and oh so cute!    I am so loving this sampler :)

And that is my September Sew Sampler box  :)  And now we have to wait a whole month of October's, tee hee hee!!!

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

Orange and Yellow Scraptastic Stars!!!

I have been stitching up a storm this last week and that means I was also stitching a lot of Leader and Enders which means two more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!    The first one is happy as sunshine Yellow!!!  And doesn't that just make you want to soak up some serious rays.   I just love it!!! 

And the second is the Orange block, and I know orange isn't always a favorite of a lot of quilters, but how fun are all of these shades of orange when put together!!!  I just love that this little Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  combines so many shades of each color and just shows off how many wonderful colors we as quilters get to play with each and every day!!!

And that means I have made 8 of of 16 blocks and am half way!!!  Eeekk, so exciting!!!  I have lots more I am working on right now, so hopefully that means a few more blocks really soon like ;)

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

2 More Scraptastic Stars!!!

The week before leaving to teach at UQSM I got to do some secret Market Sewing :)  I made two quilt samples for my good friends at Moda, which of course I will share more of after Market.  And with those two samples, came a lot of Leader and Ender Sewing ;)   And I am super excited to have made 2 more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!!

Scraptastic Stars is my new Leader and Ender project and I just love making these blocks!!!   They really are so much fun to play with all of those little 2 1/2" squares, and you all know how much I love making rainbow quilts ;) 

My plan is to make 16 blocks in all, and with 4 done, I am 1/4 of the way!!!  So fun ;)   And I just have to say, don't they look so awesome next to each other!!  I am really loving where this project is going :)

Next color block will be the Magenta-Purples and ya, I am super stocked to sew another shade of Purple!!!!   

How about you, have your tried a rainbow quilt before???

Coral and Rose Scraptastic Stars!!

Okay, still working on lots of sewing that I can't quite show yet which means even more Leader and Enders sewing and two more Scraptastic Star Blocks!!!    The first one is lovely coral!!!  And I have to say, I was blown away with how many gorgeous shades of coral I had in my stash.   This is such a pretty color and I am thrilled I had enough to make a block just for coral!!

And the second is Rose.   I had to look up what shade of pink you would call these little squares as there is another softer (blush) pink coming and I didn't want to have to call them Light Pink and Dark Pink.  No fun in that ;)    But Doesn't Rose just fit this block just so perfectly!!!  I just love that this little Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  is really a great little exercise in color for me and I am having so much fun playing with the rainbow!!!

And that means ten down and only 6 to go!!!   Seriously, it is getting so hard at this point not to just drop everything and stitch up the last 6 blocks.  Good thing I still have lots of sewing on my plate to help crank out those last 6 blocks.   And I should probably start thinking about layout options ;)    I will be sure to share more on that as I play with ideas!!

I hope you all are having a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Scraptastic Stars Layout???

So I almost have two more of my Scraptastic Star Blocks done which I will be sharing soon.  But with the blocks winding down, I realized I need to decide on a layout!!!   So I sat down yesterday and stared playing with EQ8 .    And playing in EQ8 is so fun and easy, but now the only problem is, I can't decide!!   So do you think you could help a girl out here and let me know in the comments which you like the best???

Option A is where I started with just a nice, plain black sashing.

And then I decided I wanted to keep the chain going.   So Option B is a Black sashing with some White squares added in to finish the "chain" look.  

And then I wondered what it would look like with that same idea but adding cornerstones.  So Option C is a Black sashing with the chain squares as well as some White cornerstones.

And then I really got into the whole chain idea, and added in a lot more piecing.   So Option D is a larger Black sashing with some White and Black Nine Patches added in to totally finish the "chain" look.   

 And the of course, there is always that point where you circle back around and wonder if you should just keep it simple.  So Option E is just taking it back to a plain White Sashing.

So what do you think???   Which finishing style do you like best???  

Also, another question.  Last time I posted my blocks, I had questions emailed me if I could teach this as a class or if I would make it into a full pattern with size options.  So now I am curious??  Would you like to see this as a full on Happy Quilting Pattern with the alterations to the original free pattern and size options and finishing instructions??

So ya, know you have two opinions to weigh in on ;)

Oh, and one last thing.  Speaking of Patterns . . . I am celebrating turning 40 with a  40% off Pattern Sale!!!  The sale will go until Friday and I have also added Printed HARD COPY PATTERNS in my shop.  So if you see a quilt you want to make but can't be in class because you are far away, now is the time to pick up the pattern for it ;)

  

Thanks for your help today and I hope you all are having a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Magenta and Teal make 6!!!

While I do have a finish (or 2) from this week, I can't share them yet, but, I can share the two additional Scraptastic Star Blocks that I finished from my Leader and Enders from making those two can't share finishes :)    The first one was the Magenta color scheme, and ya know, I was totally loving this because it's in the purple family!!! 

And the second is the Teal block, and funny thing, this is my daughters favorite color!!!  So she was totally wanting this block as soon as I finished it.  But ya, I told her this is all part of my Scraptastic Stars  Leader and Ender project  and so she will just have to make her own :)    And I for sure have enough 2 1/2" squares for her to do just that!

And that means 6 down and only 10 to go!!!   Eeekk, I am so loving these!!   Each time I make another block and do a little happy dance seeing these rainbow of colors come together.   Next up is the light Yellow block and it will for sure add some more sunshine to this stack!!!

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

Work in Progress Wednesday!!!

Wow, Two in a Row!!!  I am on a streak now ;)   So here is what I have been working on since last week ;)

If you remember, I got to take the the Vintage Charm Class from  Sherri McConnell at the end of January.   I finished 3 blocks in class, and it was oh so much fun!!!    I am using Harvest Road by Lella Boutique  and I just love seeing how these blocks came together ;)

Since then, I have been squeezing in some chain piecing here and there.   I have finished all of the Units for the 25 blocks and so now I just need to sew the three rows in the Ohio Stars together, and then just assemble the blocks ;)   This project is going great and I can't wait to put it all together!!!

And then the other day I did some serious cutting!!!  I cut up all of my  Sugarhouse Park  Fat Quarters from Amy Smart and then moved on to squares from the bold Navy background.   Talk about a whole lot of squares!!!!    This is going to be a  Quadruple Ring Around The Rosies Quilt from my (so very) soon to be released Charming Baby Quilts Book.   I am hoping to start some chain stitching on this one today ;)  Can  I just say, I am super glad I have my Clearly Perfect Angles Cling so I don't have to draw lines on all 896 of those small squares!!!!!

And finally, You might recall from last year that I planned to make a Halloween Sparkly Stars quilt . . .  Well the blocks are ready to be sewn together ;)   These stitch and flip corners have been my Leader and Enders project ever since I finished up my Scraptastic Star blocks.   And I just finished the last one yesterday and was so excited to layout all the blocks!!!   Now I just need to make some Star Filled 9 Patches!!!    So fun ;)

Here's hoping by next week, I have a whole pile of blocks finished ;)

Hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

P.S.   Speaking of Works in Progress . . . There is still the Semi-Finals of the Pillow Fight in progress!!!!   Today is you last day to vote and tomorrow we will find which pillow moves on and which pillows are knocked out ;) 

What's Sewing On :)

With the Starstruck Quilt Along starting to wind down to it's close, there is suddenly more time to work on some more projects!!!   So I thought it would be fun to share that today as it has been awhile since I did a "what I am working on" post, other than of course, the weekly Starstruck posts, tee hee hee ;)  

So first off, I am super excited that I finally got my "Vanessa Squared" blocks sewn into a quilt top!!!   If your remember, I shared last month  that I am using the Smart Cookie pattern from Vanessa Goertzen's new Jelly Filled book, combined with Vanessa Christensen's  new Ombre Fabrics.  I loved the quilt blocks but basically just needing enough time to figure out a color layout I liked.   So this weekend I did that.   And funny thing,  once I had the layout figured, the blocks sewed up into a quilt top in an hour ;)   And I can't wait to get this quilted and share the finish.  My stop on Vanessa's Book Tour is Nov. 8th, so not to much longer to wait!!! 

And I have also been working on a new Leader and Ender project while constructing all of the Starstruck Quilt Along tutorials and Charming Baby Quilts.   Since I finished piecing all of my Scraptastic Star Blocks  I needed a new Leader and Ender project and my Be Fruitful project I planned back in June was the perfect fit!!! I have now finished all of the block centers, and corners, and only have the 4 sets of side blocks and cornerstones left ;)  I can't wait to see these blocks come together, it is going to be such a pretty quilt!!!

And finally, you know I can't help but start a new project when I have a little open time, right!!!  I was thrilled when my good friends at Fat Quarter Shop  asked if I would like to participate in their new Perfect 5 Quilts Quilt Along!!!   Of course, with the announcement of my Charming Baby Quilts book it is no secret that I am a big fan of working with Charm Packs, so I was all in for playing with the new Perfect 5 Ruler (specifically designed for Charm Packs) and making a new project from the amazing pages of the Perfect 5 Quilts book.  I plan to use 2 Wonder Charm Packs and a combination of 2 blocks to make a super soft and adorable baby quilt!!  Can't wait to share more ;)

So that is what I am working on . . . So how about you???  What's on your cutting tables, sewing machines, and ironing boards today??? 

Scraptastic Stars for my Leader and Ender WIP

 I have shared here in the past how much I like Leader and Ender projects.  They are such a great way to work with scraps, and make "bonus" quilts while working on others.  But this last year, I have been kind of slacking on the whole Leader and Ender thing.  Here's what happened . . .   In this post  (a year ago!!!)    I decided my new Leader and Ender Project for 2018 would be my  Scraptastic Stars Block . (pattern can be found here)   I gathered my squares and decided that  I was going to use 2 1/2"squares instead of 2" squares so that the blocks finish at 16" and planned on making 16 blocks. When I went to sort my stack of 2 1/2" squares into 16 piles I found I was needing more squares.  Quite a bit actually, as I was trying to stick pretty closely to tone on tone prints.    So the new plan was to just cut some extra 2 1/2" squares when working on other projects until I had enough.   Well here we are in 2019  :)

Seriously, if I just needed blues or greens, I would have been ready to go in a month as I cut a whole lot of fabric!!!! But there are just some hues of colors (like that gold one on the bottom) that you don't cut a lot of.  So last week I saw all these squares sitting on my desk and I thought, "why in the world am I still waiting to start this project on a few squares."  I pulled out the scrap drawer and after a bit of digging, found the colors I needed to finish the few piles of missing squares.   And TaDa!!   Bring on the Leader and Ender stitching!!!

I decided in way back to make this project more Leader and Ender Friendly I would change the pattern to do Stitch and Flip triangles for the star points instead of traditional HST's.  That way every piece is the same 2 1/2" square size to start with. (which meant more squares as well, 48 of each color to be exact :)  I have found that  I like grouping my squares into the three types of Leader and Ender I need for the project, then I don't have to think about what I need to sew, just pick up two from a group and stitch.

And after I had made everything into 2 patches, I figured I might as well continue on with the block.  So I added a third patch onto the two patches for the corners and then it was just sewing the Three Patches into the Corner Units and the 2 Patches into the Side Units. And then just finish the block.   I did all of this still as Leader and Enders.   This is a little different for me as I would normally do all the two patches for all 16 blocks, but I am thinking where this block has a few more "moving pieces" it makes it easier to do one block at a time.   And I have to say, it sure makes the process more fun to have little finishes along the way.  1 down and 15 to go!!!  (You knew I would start with the purple one ;) 

So I am hoping to share more Scraptastic Stars blocks over the next few months.   I am just loving getting back into the swing of Leader and Enders and I can't believe I let a whole year go by without these "free" quilt blocks :)   I think it is a good lesson for me to remember, just stop and cut so you can sew!!!!

How about you . . . do you have a Leader and Ender project that you are working on???

Upcoming Teaching Times!!

I know I say it every time, but I just love getting to teach quilting classes!!!  It truly is a favorite :)  I just got back from teaching at The Stitching Room in Richfield Utah and we had such a wonderful time.  And I made me realize, I needed to announce a few other places I will be teaching in the next few months, because it would b oh so much fun to quilt together ;)      First up . . . 

Garden of Quilts

Date - Sept 14-18, 2022

Place - Lehi, Utah 

I have to say, I can't wait for this next month!!!!  Garden of Quilts is an experience unlike anywhere else I have taught :)   Something about combining the love of quilts with the beauty of the gardens is just refreshing to the soul!!!    There is still room in all my classes, although some are getting close to full.   I will be teaching my new Blossoming Stars pattern on Wednesday morning and my Wishes pattern on Wednesday afternoon.  Then on Thursday morning it's Flower Child  followed by my new Swirling Leaves pattern on Thursday afternoon.  Friday morning I will teach my Stamp Collecting pattern, and then Petal Pop on Friday afternoon.   Finally, on Saturday morning I will teach Aurora (a sneak peek from my upcoming book!!!) and on Saturday Afternoon I will teach Scraptastic Stars.   It's going to be so much fun!!!  I hope you can come and join in, it is so worth the trip ;) 

  

  

 

And then it's off to teach on the Aloha Quilt Cruise, which sold out pretty much as soon as it opened.  But I have some other exciting news to go along with that . . . I am teaching on a Scrappy and Happy Alaskan Quilting Cruise next year!!!!  It's going to be so fun, and this one is not full, so you can sign up and come quilt and cruise along with me ;)  

And when I get back from Hawaii, it's a few days turnaround to head North to  . . . 

Quilt Fest

Date - Oct 19-22, 2022

Place - Ogden, Utah 

Although I have taught at this retreat before, this year it is at a new time and a new venue.   So at the moment, registration has been a little slow, which means there is still plenty of room to sign up for class ;)  I will be teaching 4 classes at Quilt Fest held by the Utah Quilt Guild.   I will be teaching my Scraptastic Stars pattern on Thursday morning, followed by my Moroccan Lullaby 2 class on Thursday afternoon.   Then on Friday morning I am teaching my new Swirling Leaves class followed by my new Blossoming Stars pattern on Friday afternoon.       

 

 

And then the next month, I get to venture South to teach at the . . . 

Lake Powell Quilt Retreat

Date - Nov 9 - 12, 2022

Place - Paige, Arizona

And I am so excited to get away from the cold in Cedar and go to sunny Paige Arizona to teach at the Lake Powell Quilt Retreat!!!  This is my second time teaching at this particular retreat and I am so happy to return again!!!  I will be teaching 2 classes and I will also be sharing a Trunk Show of my new Book!!!    I am so super excited for that!!!!  Friday morning I am teaching my new Swirling Leaves class and then on Saturday morning I will be teaching my new Blossoming Stars pattern.  Those two new ones are super popular right now, so fun!!!   

  

And that concludes teaching in 2022, but I am excited that 2023 is starting to open up as well.  And the first place I am teaching in 2023 is my good ol Home Town of Cedar City at the . . .

Cedar Chest Quilt Retreat

Date - Feb 1 - 4, 2023, 2021

Place - Cedar City, Utah 

And registration just opened yesterday!!!  I will be teaching 4 classes at the Cedar Chest Quilt Retreat.   I will be teaching my  Blossoming Stars  pattern on Wednesday afternoon.  The next day, I will be teaching Aurora (another sneak peek from my upcoming book!!!) in the morning followed by my Scraptastic Stars class Thursday afternoon.   Then on Friday morning I am teaching my new A Star is Born class from my Charing Baby Quilts Book.       It's going to be so fun!!!

 

   

  

So ya, it's going to be a super fun few months of quilting!!!  Just check back on my Teaching Page to see where I will be next!!!  And if you are interested in having me come to teach at a retreat in your area or at your guild, just send me an email at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  I would love to come and visit and share my love of quilting!!!  

I hope I get to see some of you in class!!!!   Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!