Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Flying in Squars Quilt!!!

Well it's Thursday, and I have a fun Throwback for you today!!!!  It's coming a little late as I was at my local Quilt Guild this morning helping make swag bags for our big Cedar Chest Quilters Retreat next week!!!   And that got me thinking about the very first time I taught at the Cedar Chest Quilters Retreat 8 years ago.   It was also my very first time teaching a quilting class!!!  ( I can't even count how many I have taught since :)   And you guessed it, my first class is today's Throwback Thursday!!!!   I taught my Flying in Squares quilt and it was oh so much fun!!!!

Flying in Squares was my design that would allow me to share my love of No Waste Flying Geese!!!  I could make a gaggle of geese any day, I just enjoy the process so much!!!   And I loved taking them and making them all "fly" in a square.   It made for a fun alternating block design.   It is super easy and goes together really quick.   It finishes at 45" x 60", so it makes a great lap size quilt.  

And Flying in Squares just uses a Layer Cake, so you can just choose a favorite from your stash, grab some Background Fabric, and you are good to go!!!!  I used Kate Spain's Terrain fabric, and you know I just love all of that wonderful purple.  All of those wonderful cool colors in this line arejust fantastic, and this fabric really started my love of Kate Spain's gorgeous prints!!!    

And we threw back so far, that the quilting is done on my home machine!!!  Yup, this Flying in Squares quilt is pre-longarm quilting days ;)   And I have to say, those swirls are not half bad.  I still enjoy quilting on my home machine for small projects, it's always good to keep up the skill and it really is fun to mix it up every once and a while and move the fabric instead of the needle ;)  

And that is my Flying in Squares quilt.  I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Flying in Squares,  just click on any of the quilt name links for the free step by step tutorial.    And when you are done, I would love to see your quilt!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Flying in Squares Quilts!!!!

Thanks for popping in today and each day.   I hope you all have a very 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 Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of the Clover Meadow Fat Eighth Bundle from Green Fairy Quilts is . . .   Number #278 . . . Congrats  jottquilt!!!   I have messaged you :)       

   

  

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Lou Lou's Fabric Shop .    Did you know that Jamie makes a new Lou Lou Bundle every Tuesday . . . a Lou Lou Bundle is 8 fat quarters curated by Jamie and they are always gorgeous!  Along with hosting the giveaway, Jamie is also offering all Happy Quilting readers has a special discount of an additional 10% off  all sale fabric  with the code happyquilting good until Friday!!!  And there are a lot of great sales to be shopped!!! 

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for some shopping goodness!!  Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is offering one lucky reader a $25.00 Gift Certificate perfect to use on anything in the store, including the awesome Lou Lou Bundle pictured above!!  Just perfect!!!!

You have two entry chances here on the blog, 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 what is the best thing you have ever eaten???  

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Lou Lou's Fabric Shop some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.  Or you can follow their blog or  visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Lou Lou's Fabric Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, January 28th  when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Renovation - Week 1

Well, we are one week into the Renovation and I am just so happy so much was done ;)  It's kind of funny, I had prepared for the mess, and chaos, and craziness, but somehow I forgot about preparing for the noise.   And let me tell you, it was a loud week!!!   But nothing that a few Tylenol and a nap couldn't fix, tee hee hee.   So here is the weekly rundown ;)

DAY 1 -   Was a complete demolition day.  There were so many people working, and they did such a great job and go so much done in one day!!!    Everything came out of the kitchen, and I mean everything.   It was just a big open space by the end of the day. 

The Sun room also got redone, with all the windows being taken out and new framing.   And I could already tell it was warmer.  So nice!!

And last but not least, on Day 1 the front room fireplace was taken apart.   And then they even had the new gas fireplace insert to put in it's place, so we could get an idea of what it is going to look like.     Talk about a great first day ;)

DAY 2 - And this was the day when the noise really got crazy.  Taking tile out is a very loud, and very mess job.  

 The wonderful tile workers managed to get all of the kitchen tile out on Day 2. 

DAY 3 - The tile workers moved to the Dining room and Hallways.   And again, another loud day, but just wow, what a change with the tile gone.

And while the tile was being taken out of the dining room, the sun room was getting instillation and HVAC was installing a gas line for the fireplace and moving some air returns.  Much easier with access to the floor boards ;)

DAY 4 - Was electrical.  These guys were amazing.  They arrived at 7:30 and worked until 7:30 that night doing so much electrical.   All of the lights had to be moved, new outlets, new lines for additional lighting, and a redo of the electrical panel in order to support it all.   They were just so great!!!   And they got everything done so that  . . .

DAY 5 - Could start off with a passed electrical inspection.  Yippee!!!    Which meant the Dry Waller's could come that afternoon.    The sun room was framed with the electricians day, and by the end of yesterday I could actually see my new pantry.   How fun is that!!!  

So that is Week 1!!!   So productive and so very exciting ;)   But I will admit, I am enjoying the peace and quiet today.    It's so all going to be worth it when it's all done though, and the temporary kitchen is working out great.  So I think we are all going to manage just fine ;)   Be back next weekend with another report.   I can't wait to see what all is done!!!

Tutorial Throwback Thursday - Playing the Scales Quilt!!!

Well it's Thursday, and I have a fun Throwback for you today!!!!   My two youngest started piano lessons this week and they are so excited!!!  So for today's throwback, we are going back 7 years for my Playing the Scales quilt tutorial ;)   It just fits and there is even a printable version of it!!!!

Playing the Scales is such a fun quilt to make!!  It is super easy and goes together really quick.   It finishes at 62" x 66" and makes a great lap size quilt.   It focuses on dividing your fabrics into Low Volume and High Volume (yes, I made that up, but you get the idea :) and showing off a fun "scale" with the contrast between the two.  

Playing the Scales uses 20 Fat Quarters.   And we all have lots of those right ;)    I know I have a stack of low volume fat quarters leftover from bundles and they will work great for this quilt :)    But this quilt also works great with Jelly Roll Strips, and there is a notation for that at the end of the tutorial ;)

And speaking of notations, I have also added a notation at the end of the tutorial for making this same design into a Queen Size quilt.  I had a few folks ask, so I sat down and figured out the math ;)  So if you want to make Playing the Scales in a queen size, that is an option as well.   (It is totally on my list to make ;)  

And that is my Playing the Scales quilt.  I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!    To make your own Playing the Scales,  just click on any of the quilt name links for the free step by step tutorial.    And when you are done, I would love to see your quilt!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Playing the Scales Quilts!!!!

Thanks for popping in today and each day.   I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!  

Bloom-topia Official Starts Today!!!

I am so excited to be participating in  Fat Quarter Shop's 7th Annual Charity Quilt Along!!!   And it officially starts today :)  

Of course, I posted back here that you could already download the Fabric Requirements thanks to all of the amazing Donations that have already been made.  And if you reserved the Summer Sweet Fabric  exclusive Bloom-topia Quilt Kit and Backing Sets they are now shipping, and there are still some left if you still want to order ;)   But today is the official Kick-Off day, so I wanted to remind everyone ;)  

So be sure and get your fabric all ordered and pressed, because the first block is released on February 1st!!!!   I can't wait ;)  I am using a Breeze Fat Quarter Bundle by Zen Chic for Moda Fabrics with a Gris Grunge background!!!  And remember, I am doing a very different layout ;)   And I will for sure share the block adjustments I made each time I post my blocks.    (for this layout, you will need 25-30 FQ's and 7 yards Background)  

I hope you are all going to quilt along.  This is such a great cause :)   And I will have another fun Bloom-topia surprise in a few more days ;)   Can't wait to share!!!   For all the details about this amazing Quilt-Along, you can see this Jolly Jabber post, as well as the  Bloom-topia Quilt Along page !!!  

Happy Quilting!!!!