Happy Blogiversary Day 2 & Giveaways!!!!

It's Day 2 of my 4 year Blogiversary Celebration!!  If you missed Day 1 and it's giveaways you can find them here ;)  DAY 1

And so now let's Celebrate with Day 2!!!  So for today's part of the celebration I said I would show you around some of the tabs on the blog :)  At the top of my blog you will see this little bar.  So let's run through them shall we ;)

Clicking on HOME will bring you back to the main page of the blog to my latest post.  So if you ever get lost, that's where you want to go ;)

Clicking on QUILT TUTORIALS will take you to a long picture list of every free quilt tutorial I have done.  Some will link to a page on Happy Quilting, and others will link you to Moda Bake Shop, or Riley Blake Designs, or Art Gallery Fabrics, ect for guest tutorials that I have done.  Just click on the picture you like and wherever the link takes you, it will take you to a full step-by step quilt tutorial.  They are listed in order that I have done them, so my first quilt tutorial at the top and my most recent at the bottom ;)  And there are currently 39 of them!!!!

Clicking on MORE TUTORIALS will take you to another picture list but this one is broken down a bit.  But once again, clicking on the picture is going to link you to a free step-by step tutorial.  This tab is broken down into a few sections.
                The first section is PROJECTS.  This is where you are going to find some fun fabric projects that range from ironing board covers, to aprons and from table runners to bags.  There is a little bit of everything in there :)

                The second section is BLOCKS.  This is where you are going to find tutorials that have step-by-step directions for a quilt block.  Sometimes they get turned into a quilt tutorial and sometimes they are just a block one ;)  There is a little bit of everything when it comes to what type of blocks.

                 The third section is TECHNIQUES.  This is where I show some of the tricks of the trade I have picked up along the way.  From No Waste Flying Geese to Custom Bindings and Layered Applique this is a great little resource for some of those little time saving methods :).

               And then there is a fourth smaller section of GUEST TUTORIALS.  I had this as part of my TNT project that is no more but I would love to pick up doing guest tutorials again.   Would that interest any of you???  


And now back to the tabs.   Clicking on the next tab, VIDEO TUTORIALS will take you to a listing of videos.  The first grouping of videos are on Finishing Your Quilt and have a 5-10 minute video each on Basting, Binding and Quilting.    The second grouping of videos are on Applique Basics.  The third grouping of videos are Free Motion Quilting Videos on your Domestic Machine.  All you have to do is click on the video (on the video tutorial page)  and you can watch it right there ;)

Moving on down the list of tabs we find next the QUILT-A-LONG tab.   This is where I keep all of the links for the Quilt-A-Longs I have done and will do on the blog.  So yes, that means if you miss joining us on the original quilt-a-long, or just want to make it again, you still can.  (just not with the prizes :)    The links will always be there, the weekly tutorials will always be there.  Just find the picture of the quilt you want to make, and then go through each link to get the next assignment ;)  And it is always fun to click on the end link and check out the amazing parade of finishes!!!

And now, the next tab is EVENTS/TEACHING.  This is where you can find a list of all the places and times I will be teaching in the future as well as links to any events, like blog hops I have hosted on the blog ;)

The 7th tab is my SPONSOR tab.  This is where you can find a bit more about the sponsors on my blog and their amazing shops and link to their shops from there as well.   I love my sponsors and am so very grateful for their continued support of Happy Quilting.  I could not do all I do on the blog without them!!

One more over you will find the PATTERNS tab.  This is a quick rundown on my patterns that include size options, skill level, and where to go to purchase them ;)  

And then my favorite tab to surf through is next.  That is my QUILT ARCHIVE tab.   This is a picture list with a bit of detail to all of the quilts I have ever made.  (I am still working on the detail on older quilts :) They have links to their original posts and links to any tutorials I did with that particular quilt.   This is kind of like my little quilting journal and I love to surf through it and see not only what I have made but how my quilting has grown over the years ;)  

And finally the last tab is a little ABOUT ME, which really should probably be updated, but it is what it is ;)  

So that is a quick run through of all of those little tabs up there.  Who knew there was so much quilty goodness in there ;)   I hope you enjoy browsing around them and find some things you like ;)  

And now, lets finish today's celebration with some more giveaways!!!!  Once again today, we have 2 giveaways to celebrate!!!   

First up for grabs is a super festive Fat Eighth bundle of Pine Fresh by Sandy Gervais.  Oh, I love Christmas fabric, I can never have enough Christmas quilts!!!  Thank you to Green Fairy Quilts  for sponsoring this giveaway :)

And second up for grabs is a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Cotton Bliss!!!  Yippee, for shopping spree's to get your favorite wishlist items!!!   Thank you to Cotton Bliss for sponsoring this giveaway ;)

You have three chances to win these awesome prizes, and please leave a separate comment for each.  The comments enter you into both giveaways :)  

1 - For the first entry, again, I am looking for some feedback to make Happy Quilting grow.  Leave a comment here of a topic that you would love to see covered on Happy Quilting.  You can be as specific or general as you like, and if there is a topic that I have covered but you just want more of it, you can say that too ;)    

2 - And for a second entry, since Green Fairy Quilts has been kind enough to sponsor this giveaway, how about we show them some love.  Sign up for the Green Fairy Quilts Newsletter and then come back and leave a comment here that you did so, or already do :) 

2 - And for a third entry, since Cotton Bliss has also been kind enough to sponsor this giveaway, how about we show them some love too.   Sign up for the Cotton Bliss Newsletter (at the bottom of the page) and then come back and leave a comment here that you did so, or already do :)  

And that's it :) The giveaway will close on Sunday, July 6th at Midnight and I will announce the winners Monday morning.    Good Luck to everyone ;)

See ya tomorrow with more Blogiversary Celebrating!!!

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Happy Blogiversary Day 1 & Giveaways!!!!

Wow, Wow, and triple Wow!!   Happy Quilting turned 4 years old today!!!  I am so excited!!!  I continue to be amazed at the growth of this little corner of the virtual quilting world.  Why, just last week, Happy Quilting broke 5000 followers on Bloglovin.   5000!!!!!  I am humbled that so many of you check in each day on my daily quilting adventures. This wouldn't be possible without all of you, so Thank You!!!!!!

So now, we need to celebrate!!!   So that is what we are going to do for the next three days!!!  And I thought it would be fun, as part of the celebration, to show everyone around a bit.  You know, just in case you are new to the place or maybe have missed something.

First off, one of the biggest changes to see that happened just a few weeks ago was the address change!!  Did you all catch that??    You don't have to type in the blogspot anymore!!!!!   Yippee.   Now you can get to Happy Quilting by just typing www.happyquiltingmelissa.com   So fun!!!   Although, if you do type the blogspot, it's okay, it will just forward you over to here ;)

There are lots of ways to follow along with my daily adventures here at Happy Quilting.  See over to the right, there are a whole bunch of buttons that look just like these below.  Your have RSS feeds, Email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr and my Pattern Shop ;)   All you have to do is click on the button (over on the right, not below) and it will take you right where you need to be to sign up to follow along in that particular social media ;)  It's so fun to see you and interact with you all in all of these different facets ;)

And as mentioned before, you can click on this Bloglovin button over on the right, and follow along with Bloglovin if that is your reader of choice ;)   Wouldn't it be exciting to break a new 1000 follower milestone ;)

 And we still have Google Friends Connect as an option as I hear that some people are still being able to follow along that way ;)  Good Times.

So that is a little about how to get here and how to find me on all of your favorite social media sites ;)  Tomorrow we will go through a few of those tabs up there on the top of the blog :)  There is a whole bunch of yummy quilting goodness in those ;)  

And now, what would a celebration be without some giveaways!!!!  We have 2 giveaways today to celebrate!!!   

First up for grabs is a fantastic Fat Quarter Bundle of the ever so adorable Emmy Grace!!!  I love, love, love these prints!!!  So cute!!!  Thank you to Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring this giveaway :)

And second up for grabs is a $25.00 Gift Certificate from Southern Fabric!!!  Yippee, for shopping spree's to get your favorite wishlist items!!!   Thank you to Southern Fabric for sponsoring this giveaway ;)

You have three chances to win these awesome prizes, and please leave a separate comment for each.  The comments enter you into both giveaways :)  

1 - For the first entry, I want to try to continue to make Happy Quilting a place you love to come and visit so I need some feedback.  Leave a comment here of one thing you love about coming to visit Happy Quilting.  

2 - And for a second entry, since Southern Fabric has been kind enough to sponsor this giveaway, how about we show them some love.  Southern Fabric is new (like me) on Instagram and so for this entry you need to Follow Southern Fabric on Instagram and then leave a comment here that you did so or already do ;)  

2 - And for a third entry, since Fat Quarter Shop has also been kind enough to sponsor this giveaway, how about we show them some love too.   Sign up for the Fat Quarter Shop Newsletter and then come back and leave a comment here that you did so, or already do :)  

And that's it :) The giveaway will close on Sunday, July 6th at Midnight and I will announce the winners Monday morning.    Good Luck to everyone ;)

See ya tomorrow with more Blogiversary Celebrating!!!

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Small Town Quilt Show In A Big Town Way!!

This weekend was the Small Town Quilt Show in a Big Town Way.  Barbara and I had such a wonderful time.  We got to catch up with so many wonderful friends in the industry and make a whole bunch of new friends ;)

We arrived Thursday evening and enjoyed a lovely opening social where we chatted, and chatted, and then chatted some more.  Good times!!  On Friday morning we both took the Quick Curve Ruler class put on by the wonderful ladies of Sew Kind of Wonderful.   This class was so much fun!!!!  I was nervous before class started  about sewing the curves but there was no reason to be.  These patterns are written to be squared up after the curves so you don't have to be perfect, yippee!!!  I finished my first block in class and I love, love, love it!!!!  I can't wait to get the entire quilt finished up ;)

It will look something like this when it is all done.  (hopefully ;)   You can find out more about all of the Quick Curve Ruler and the patterns at Sew Kind of Wonderful's shop :)

Right after the curves class it was time to teach my In Your Neighborhood class.   The gals in my class were fantastic.  We had so much fun and everyone did such a great job.  Look at all of their awesome Block Finishes ;)

And Laura even finished her entire quilt top before the weekend was done.  Isn't it so adorable.  It is a gift for a sweet baby girl.  So cute!!

Friday night, Barbara and I headed over to open sew and I cranked out some major chain stitching on my Metro Hoops blocks.  We sewed until 11:00 pm and then figured we should probably get a little sleep as I had to teach in the morning ;)  But it was so much fun to just sit and sew with all of the gals there.  We had a blast.

Saturday morning was my Starburst class.  And once again, these gals were just so incredible!!  We had such a great time.  The ladies all worked so hard and cranked out their first block and then a lot got some chain stitching done after that for future blocks ;)  I love seeing all of the fabrics everyone chooses.   Don't their blocks just look incredible!!

I really do love teaching, it is one of my all time favorite parts of this industry.  I just love to be able to share the passion I have for this part of my life.  I love seeing people learn new techniques and watch the joy as it clicks.   It is just wonderful!!  Thanks again to the folks at Small Town Quilt Show for having me.  It was such a fantastic weekend!!!

And one last shot, before I sign off today.   Barbara took a few sneaky shots that I didn't know about.  No, I am not doing some kind of great 80's dance here, I am showing how angled seams will match up ;)  Good Times ;)

That's it for today ;)  Be sure to check in tomorrow because it is my 4 Year Blogiversary!!!!  Goodie Goodie Gumdrops ;)  I have some fun stuff planned to celebrate :)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

To Pack or not to Pack

Well, I would love to say that I am all packed up and ready to go to the Small Town Quilt Show in a Big Town Way ;)   Sadly, I am not.  This is what my floor looks like ;)  Each time I walk in my sewing room, I throw a few more things onto that quilt so I don't forget to take them.  I still need to pack it all, including my machine ;)   Oh, and packing some clothing would probably be helpful as well ;)    I have 2 hours until my son's first band concert  (so excited for him) and then we leave right after.  I can pack all of that in 2 hours, right ;)

I did manage to get all of my homework done last night  (when I should have been packing ;)  All of my strips have been pieced and pressed.  I can't wait to see how this turns out :)

I am so excited for this weekend!!!  It is going to be such a blast.  Not only to teach but to get to hang out with so many wonderful quilty friends.  This is such an amazing industry to be a part of!!

Alright, To Pack I go ;)  I don't know if I will have a chance to post again until I get back, but be sure to pop back in Monday for a weekend review and then Tuesday I have something special planned because it is my 4 year Blogiversary!!!!!  Oh my goodness, so exciting!!!




Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

My new Beatle Bag

A little while back, Barbara (my amazing MIL) made a Beatle Bag sample for Julie to have at her store, The Intrepid Thread.  And because she is the most amazing MIL ever, she made made me one too!!! Have you heard of the Beatle Bag, the pattern is by Abbey Lane Quilts and they are so awesome!!!   They are just perfect for all of your quilting needs.

You open up to find an adorable pin cushion and pocket for scissors or rotary cutter.  Perfect!!!  And don't you just love the quilting she did on it.  So cute!!!

On the other side is another pocket, since we all have more than one rotary cutter and pair or scissors ;)  And then the middle is filled with a ton of zip shut bags.  You can order  the actual bag inserts with the pattern, but Barbara opted for Zip-loc baggies, which will work just fine as well ;)

I just love the way it closes up so cute and adorable.   Barbara had me pick my fabrics so for the body of the bag I choose a favorite Kate Spain print from Terrain and the of course a fabulous wood grain in purple by Joel Dewberry for the lining.   (Joel really knows how I love purple ;)  For the lining in the inside, I choose a soft grey Pearl Bracelet print by Lizzy House.

Now I can't wait to fill this all up for the classes I will be teaching and taking this Friday and Saturday at the Small Town Quilt Show in a Big Town Way!!   It is going to be so much fun!!!  And oh how nice it will be to have everything in one place.   And I think  a few chocolates might slip into those bags as well ;)

Thank You Barbara!!!  I love, love, love it!!!!!!  Am I not the luckiest gal :)  So can you do me a favor and help me tell her what an amazing job she did.  She thinks this is "no big deal" but I just think it is amazing.  So help me show her some quilty love :)

I am off to fill this up and get packed up for the weekend (and maybe squeeze in a bit of quilting ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day

Linking Barbara's Spectacular finish to Quilt Story :)