Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Make It Madness Quilting Pattern Tournament ;)

I got a super fun email last evening!!  Craftsy is doing a "Make It Madness" quilt pattern tournament and my free Double Dresden Delight Pattern is one of the patterns that has been selected to compete.  How cool is that ;)  Since my actual March Madness Bracket is totally busted, maybe I can make it a little farther in this tournament ;)


Everyone can vote on their favorite pattern, and then the finalists will move on to a new round until it comes down to  a big winner!!!   Oh, and of course, Craftsy is giving you the chance to win as well, because every time you vote, you are entering a giveaway for a free Craftsy class, yippee!!!

To vote in my little  "match-up" you can click right here and then just leave a comment, and to see all of the other match-ups and more details on this fun little tournament, you can visit Crafty's Kick Off Post right here.

Let the March #MakeItMadness Begin!!!!

P,S.  While I am sharing happy news . . . On Monday, Happy Quilting jumped over 10,000 followers on Bloglovin.   So fun!!!  Thank you all so very much for sharing in a  daily dose of Happy Quilting with me ;)






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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

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 Cloud Fat Quarters of Refresh from Shabby Fabrics is . . .   Number #95 . . . Congrats annmarie!!   I have emailed you :) 
    

  



    
And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop.   Fat Quarter Shop has everything you could ever want and then some!!!   They always have amazing deals and amazing tutorials.  Have you checked out their You Tube Channel yet??  Daily awesome eye candy!!!!



And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop has a super fun,  brand new,  Fat Eighth Bundle of Just a Speck by Jen Kinwell for Moda.    Oh, I just love polka dots!!!  And how perfect of a stash builder is this awesome bundle of rainbow polka dot goodness!!! 


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 ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me one of your favorite Easter Holiday Traditions.  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterestYou Tube or at their Blog.  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 Fat Quarter Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, March 29th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Saturday, March 19, 2016

Splendid Sampler Saturday :)

It's Saturday and it also just happens to be National Quilting Day!!!!   So fun ;)  And I am sad to say, I haven't gotten a chance to get to my sewing machine yet today . . .but that is going to change right after I finish this post.   I have a quilt on the long arm that is one row away from being done, and what better way to spend National Quilting Day then Quilting!!!

But . . . I managed to get my Splendid Sampler blocks done a little early so I still have them all ready to share for Splendid Sampler Saturday ;)   First up is the Local Quilt Shop block designed by Jane Davidson.  I had so much fun picking all of the blues for this block, and it really got me cleaning through my blue drawer because I randomly decided to do all Art Gallery fabrics.  I pretty much made it to the bottom of the drawer and then decided before putting it all back that it would be helpful to "organize" it a bit since my blue drawer was overflowing a bit ;)  So  I actually sorted the blues into stacks of Navy, Blue, Teal/Aqua and Light Blue.  I think it will really save time down the line when picking fabrics, and I just love how neat and tidy it looks now.   And it kind of caught on as I have now sorted the green drawer as well and have plans for the pink and red drawers :)



And next up is Iowa  designed by Sherri McConnell.  I really enjoyed putting this block together and it was nice to have a "fast" block after so many intricate ones.   And I just love the wonderful geometric nature of the design.  I think yellow is my hardest fabrics for really getting good contrast, as I don't have a lot of "dark yellow" scraps.   Guess I will see how it goes ;)



And those are this weeks Splendid Sampler blocks.  Looking forward to next Saturday!!!

And Happy National Quilting Day!!!!   Let's all Celebrate with a little Quilting Fun!!!
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Friday, March 18, 2016

Quilted Recipe Binder Cover - Vintage Kitchen Blog Tour

Today I am super excited to share a new little project that I have been "cooking up".  It is a Quilted Recipe Binder Cover and oh how I just love it!!!  It's just perfect for keeping all of those recipes your print on line or tear out of a magazine neat and tidy.  


This project was inspired by JoliJou's new Vintage Kitchen line for Riley Blake Designs.   A few weeks ago I was asked by the wonderful Andrea Miller, the wonderful German designer behind JoliJou, if I would like to participate in a blog tour for her fabric line called Vintage Kitchen.  I have always wanted to do something with all of my recipes that were previously stuffed in a folder to make them more organized and I just knew these fun whimsical designs would be perfect for the job. 


So a little bit of sketching, and some fun playing with fabric, and before you knew it, I had a cute yet practical Quilted Recipe Binder Cover, just perfect for storing all of those loose recipes ;)


I love that all of the prints in Vintage Kitchen are nice and tiny, just perfect for cutting them up in this fun patchwork without worrying about loosing the design.  And of course, you know I love a bit of applique in all my projects ;)


Just add some sheet protectors to the binder and start storing recipes, it's that easy ;)    And if you happen to spill on it, you can always remove the cover, wash it, and then put it back on your binder.  Yippee!!! Cute and Practical, the perfect mix ;)


If you happen to have the same storage problem for your recipes and want to make up your own Quilted Recipe Binder Cover, I have written up a   that you can download right here ;) 

And I took a few photo's of  the actual "putting together" process of the project to make a little mini tutorial to go along with the pattern, just in case you get stuck in any of the spots.  So, here are some helpful little tidbits to help you in your  Quilted Recipe Binder Cover making :)

HELPFUL HINTS FOR MAKING YOUR QUILTED RECIPE BINDER COVER

To Start . . . The pattern calls for 2 Charm Packs, which normally have 40 Charm in them, but since I am using this fun Vintage Kitchen Line, which has 21 prints in it, you will actually want to use a Layer Cake ;)   So then just chop up your layer cake according to the Free Pattern and piece together the patchwork into the Recipe Binder Cover top.  (The instructions are super easy to follow here so I didn't take pictures of all the piecing so well just jump right to the actual "making" of the binder cover.)  

With the Recipe Binder Cover top pieced grab your batting and you are ready to make a partial quilt sandwich.  (Your sandwich does not have a backing)  Baste your partial quilt sandwich and then quilt it as you desire, but don't quilt in the Applique Strip as you will be adding applique there.  If you are new to basting and quilting, you can see my video tutorial here that will help you through the basics of these :)


When you are done your quilting, trim your Recipe Binder Cover to measure 12 1/2" x 38".  The trimming gives everyone a little wiggle room with the quilting :)


Once trimmed, you are ready to add your applique. There are applique templates at the end of the Free Pattern.  If you are new to applique, you can see my Basics of Applique Video Tutorial right here.   Lay your quilted cover out and from the right hand side, measure in 17 1/2".  This is where you want to begin placing your applique, and place all your letters within a 9" space.  This will ensure that your applique is centered when you fold in the "pockets".


Then be sure to secure stitch around each of your appliques, taking care to stitch around the little openings in the R, e's, and p.  I like to use a blanket stitch to secure stitch but you can also do a straight raw edge stitch, or a zig-zag stitch.  Whichever you prefer.


And your almost there.   Place the lining onto the Quilted Recipe Binder Cover top with right sides together.  Stitch all the way around the entire cover, but leave a 5" - 6" space in the bottom center open to allow you to turn the cover right side out.  Be sure and backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching to secure it in place.


Turn your cover right side out.  I like to use a BBQ Skewer to help poke out my corners so they are nice and flat.   Then, fold under the raw edge of the opening a 1/4" and press it flat.


Finally, fold  the left hand and right hand sides inwards 7 1/4" onto the lining to create the "pockets".  Pin the folded sides in place as well as pinning the pressed raw edge opening close.  Stitch 1/8" around the entire folded to cover to make the pockets ad close the opening.  This can get a little tricky around the corners as there is a lot of bulk, so go nice and slow, and I like to use the hand crank on my machine for the last stitch in each corner before turning.


And all that is left is to put your binder into the cover.  I find the easiest way to do this is to turn the binder basically backwards, and slide the binder front and back into the pockets.


And just like that, you have the most adorable Quilted Recipe Binder Cover!!!


I hope you enjoy this Free Pattern and helpful hints tutorial :)   If you make your own Quilted Recipe Binder Cover I would love to see it!!!  You can add to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc, send me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, or add it to my Flickr Group.   I hope you just love making your own as much as I loved making this one!!!  They are fast to make and would make wonderful gifts!!!  In fact, I might be making a new one soon, as this one has had a request from a loved one ;)  



And I want to say a huge thank you to Andrea Miller for having me as part of this wonderful Vintage Kitchen Blog tour!!!  


For lots more Vintage Kitchen Eye Candy, be sure to pop on over to all of the stops along the tour ;)  There are lots of amazing Vintage Kitchen projects to see!!!


Thanks for stopping in today and I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Linking up this finish to Amanda's and Sarah's and Quilt Story ;)

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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Irish Chain Quilts (Sale) for an Irish Day!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!!  And what better to go with St. Patrick's Day than with some Irish Chain Quilts!!!!   It's no secret that I love Irish Chain Quilts, hence why I wrote a book with contemporary twists on the classic design.   So, to celebrate this all Irish Day, how about a Lucky Sale!!!  And since lucky number 7 is always good . . .  Today you can purchase Irish Chain Quilts for only $17.77!!!   You can find your own personalized and signed copy right here in my little book store ;)   


And if you already have a copy of my book . . . Well what better day to start your own Irish Chain Quilt!!!!   Grab some fabrics from your stash and get cutting and then be sure and tag me in your pics with @happyquiltingmc!!!!  I would love to see which Irish Chain Quilt you decided to make :)


And if you don't have a copy of my book yet . . .but want to start and Irish Chain Quilt today, well you can always start up one of these tutorial Irish Chain Quilts.   There is the Super Scrappy Single Irish Chain, the Bonnie Rose, or the Super Scrappy Triple Irish Chain.  All three are super fun to make and great stash busters.  Just click on the names of the quilts or the pictures of the quilts to be taken to the free step by step tutorial of each ;)


  


Whether you decide to start your first Irish Chain Quilt or your 10th, I hope you enjoy these fun twists on my all time favorite classic design ;)  

 I wish you all a very  Happy Irish (and hopefully some Quilting) Day!!!!
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