Bitty Bits Backwards

Today is Day 2 of the Irish Chain Quilts Remake I mentioned yesterday :)   And I am so super excited to share my newest finish today!!!  Here it is Bitty Bits!!!

Bitty Bits is in the  Improvisational Piecing section of Irish Chain Quilts.   It is such a fun quilt to make and a wonderful intro into Improvisational Piecing if you have never tried it before.  I love that you get all of the fun wonky angles but still have the structure of the chain ;)

I used a bundle of Peppered Cottons (shot cottens) from Studio E that I picked up at my last Market for the background and for the chain I used a bunch shades of white.   It was great because it used up all of those little bits of yardage leftovers that you have from being the background of other projects. Having them all mixed up in the chain was just perfect and burned through a bunch of scraps ;)  Double bonus!!!

I had a lot of fun quilting this one!!!  Swirls are my all time favorite!!  Honestly, I could quilt them for days on end ;)  To mix it up a bit, I played with the scale of the swirls, using small, medium, and a few large swirls.  I love the added depth it gives the quilt ;)  And after I was done the swirls, I decided that I loved it just the way it is and left the white chain unquilted.  I love the little pop it gives the chain ;)   So fun!!!

 I have wanted to make this quilt in this backwards layout since the day after I finished the original Bitty Bits!!!   I even wrote about wanting to do this layout in the book!!!  Here is the original Bitty Bits from Irish Chain Quilts.

And it turned out just the way I hoped it would!!!   How fun is it in reverse, having the colors in the background and the neutrals in the chain!!!  And yes, I tend to lean towards the cool tones, they are my favorite because of the purples.  But how fun would it be to do it in warm yellows, oranges, and reds ;)   And what about a monochromatic one with shades of your favorite color.  Oh ya, adding more quilts to the list ;)

I am just so thrilled with my new Backwards Bitty Bits and I hope you love it every bit as much as I do!!!  If you have made your own Bitty Bits quilt I would love to see it!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com

And that is it for today :)  Tomorrow is the trunk show but I still have one more Irish Chain Quilts remake to share tomorrow so be sure to pop back in ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Flutter Daisy Chain

I am so super excited to be teaching this weekend at Quilt St. George, a super fun retreat in sunny St. George.   I also have the privilege to do an Irish Chain Quilts Trunk Show while at the retreat!!!!  I just love being able to share my book and the fun quilts from it!!!   However, I realized a bit ago, that I had a small scheduling snag.  Several of my quilts from Irish Chain Quilts are still in a quilt shop hop across the US and so I had some holes to fill.   So time to make some more Irish Chain Quilts!!! So fun!!!!   And you know, since the Trunk Show is Friday, of course I am just finishing them up and will share them over the next few days ;)

So here is the first remake . . . Daisy Chain!!   Daisy Chain is from the Appliqued Chains section of Irish Chain Quilts and is a tribute to my mother and her childhood days of making Daisy Chain Necklaces and Bracelets in the fields of England where she grew up.

I have been holding onto my Flutter 10" stacker by Amanda Herring for Riley Blake since my very first quilt market sample spree.  I was waiting for just the right project and I knew it was the perfect fit for this remake.  I love those beautiful bold colors!!  They just make those daisies pop!!!

Daisy Chain is such a fun little baby quilt to make that comes together fast, even with the applique.  It is a great way to get started into applique if you are new to it as the project isn't that large ;)   And I know I have said it before, but applique isn't as hard as it sounds and once you start, you are gonna love it!!!

When it came time to quilt this, I tried a new background design.  I started with a Curly Q concept but then crossed it over itself a bit to make more of a Ribbon Curl design.   It was a little rocky to start, but got better as I progressed.  Overall, I am really liking the movement it gives it in the background without overpowering the applique.  Yippee ;)

And that is Daisy Chain the Flutter Edition ;)   I am just thrilled with how it has turned out and had so much fun making this quilt again!!!   Have you made a Daisy Chain quilt??  I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com :)

Be sure to pop back in tomorrow for the second Irish Chain Quilts remake ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day . . . let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!   The winner of the $50.00 Gift Certificate to Bear Creek Quilting Company is . . .   Number #294 . . . Congrats Betty B!!!   I have emailed you :) 

    

   

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Green Fairy Quilts.  Green Fairy has always been your stop for Amazing Pre-cuts and now . . . they have added more  Patterns, Books, Notions, and Thread!!    And be sure to check out their Daily Deal, where you will always find a great bargin!!   And Green Fairy Quilts ships free in the US and discounted to international.  Sweet!!!

And today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a $50.00 Gift Certificate to Green Fairy Quilts!!!!! One lucky winner is going to have a fun shopping spree with that!!!!  

  

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, 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 ;) 

And since it is a New Year . . . You can always try a new way or outlet to follow on Entry 2 ;)  I try and keep these entries very simple for you, but I also want to make sure we are appreciating our sponsors ;)  So, you know, instead of always saying the same way you follow, why not try something new.  They are posting different things everywhere and this will guarantee you won't miss a thing ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me if you made any New Years Resolutions or Goals or Word, or anything along those lines??

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Green Fairy Quilts love.   You can follow them on Bloglovin, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram.  You can Sign up for their Newsletter which will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales, 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, January 12th  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Charm Box Quilt - FQS Top 10!!!

Throughout last year, my good friends at the Fat Quarter Shop created a whole bunch of super fun You Tube videos that all go along with some amazing free patterns!!   I had the pleasure of sewing along with several of those videos and patterns from 2015 and loved making each of them!!!  Now it is time to celebrate :) Each day for the next 2 weeks, Fat Quarter Shop will share 1 of the top 10 Video's from 2015!!   And once again, I am so super excited to be a part of this, especially because it meant I got to make a couple more quilts that I really wanted to make when I saw them last year!!!    

The first quilt I absolutely wanted to try was the Charm Box Quilt  and it is Day 1 of this fun event!!!  It is oh so much fun and as it is from the Shortcut Quilt Series, you can probably guess that it is super fast as well!!!  Kimberly has a great little trick for making this quilt so much fun to piece!!

I absolutely love charm packs and it was so hard to decide what charm pack to make this quilt from.  Since I couldn't decide, I picked my sashing fabric first and grabbed this super fun Salmon Grunge fabric by Basic Grey for Moda.   From there, it was easy to see that my Sidewalks charm squares by October Afternoon for Riley Blake Designs would be the perfect complement.   I just love the fun vintage soft feel mixed with that great punch of happy bright sashing!!! And I love the way it changes the focal point of the quilt, so fun!!!

When it came time to quilt it, I decided on some ribbon candy quilting on the sashing and some double arches in the charms.   I like how it really highlights all of those cute charm squares ;)

And that is my Charm Box Quilt!!!  I can't wait for a good friend to have her little girl :)  This quilt is going to be just perfect for her sweet little angel ;)  

And you can't have a celebration without a giveaway!!!   One lucky person is going to win a $100 Fat Quarter Shop Gift Card!  To enter, simply share any of your Top Ten Quilts you have made on social media, tagging @fatquartershop and using the #FQSTop10 hashtag as well as the quilt name (#charmboxquilt) hashtag.  The contest will be open until February 1st, which totally gives you time to whip up a new Charm Box Quilt ;)   And be sure to check out my bloggy friends sharing their Charm Box Quilt creations and inspiration ;)  So fun!!!

Melissa of Happy Quilting (your here) 

Vickie of Spun Sugar Quilts

Remona of The Stitching Scientist

Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset

Anorina of Samelia's Mum

Kim of Persimmon Dreams

Shruti of 13 Woodhouse Road

Connie of Free Motion by The River

Natalia of Piece N Quilt

Gerri of Planted Seed Designs

And be sure to follow along with Fat Quarter Shop  each day for a new Top 10 Video and pattern!!! This is going to be fun ;) 

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!

So Long 2015, Hello 2016!!

Wow, isn't' it amazing how fast a year can go by.  This truly is becoming one of my favorite posts to write.  I get the opportunity to step back and see all that I have done in a year and look forward to what I want to accomplish in the next year.  So lets get started and check out how 2015 went :)

2015 was another prolific year in my little sewing room.  Let's break it down in the numbers . . .

45 Quilts 

 (a few secret ones still not shown :)

12 Totes

6 Mini's

4 Table Toppers

4 Pillows

A Whole Bunch of Bee Blocks

and last but not least . . . 

1 Book Release

And that is a quick picture Round Up of my Happy Quilting 2015 :)  Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how much quilting fun you can pack in a year  :)  And I sure love seeing it all together.  You can see more details about all of the quilts in my Quilt Archive Tab at the top of the page including links to any tutorials ;)

As I look back on this year, I realize once again, that I just love quilting.  I don't think I could say it enough!!!  I keep wondering if I am going to get tired or this, but I don't!!!  I just love it!!!  I love every step of the way!!!  I love the designing, I love the choosing fabrics, I love the cutting (I really do), I love the piecing, I love the quilting, and I am learning to love the binding ;) Basically put, I am truly Happy Quilting ;)

And now, It's time to look forward to 2016!!!

Last year at this time I printed off 4 goals that hung in my sewing room and served as a constant daily reminder of what I wanted to accomplish creatively in 2015 ;)

I have 4 new goals on a new printout for  2015 :)

1 -  Pass It On
2 -  Watch The Time
3 -  Plan With Purpose
4 -  Mommy First

Just like last year, these probably only make sense to me but there are so many thoughts tied up in each of those little statements and those 4 little tidbits are a great way to summarize all of those thoughts.  They will  be wonderful reminders to me each and every day.    I look forward to these 4 little lines guiding me in my 2016 Creative Journey!!

And Before I Wrap This Up . . . I know I just said this a few weeks ago at Christmas, but I can't ever say it enough.  Thank You!!!!  Without you there would be no Happy Quilting.  I am daily blessed that I can share my creative journey and my love of quilting with so many of you ;)

So here's to 201, May it be another year filled with lots of  Happy Quilting!!!!!!