Tutorial Throwback Thursday (on Friday) - Diamond Drop

So yesterday was Tutorial Throwback Thursday and I totally dropped the ball.   I have been crazy busy the last few days, and I just missed posting.   I am sorry.   But better late than never right ;)   So for Tutorial Throwback Thursday, on Friday, I thought Diamond Drop would be perfect ;)  (hence the dropping of the ball :)    And isn't it just so pretty!!!!

Diamond Drop is such a fun and fast quilt to make!!!  It uses Half Square Rectangles and I have a fun way to trim them up so your points are perfect every time .  It makes for a nice twist on the basic Half Square Triangle quilt ;)    It finishes at 56" x 75", so it makes a great lap size quilt.  

The Diamond Drop tutorial is written to be use 10" squares, but you could also use Jolly Bars and save one step of cutting!!!  And to your pre-cut, all you need is some background rectangles and a binding, which makes cutting this quilt out so super fast :)  

And the fun thing is, just like Half Square Triangles, once you have these Half Rectangle Triangles made, you have endless possibilities for a layout of the Diamond Drop quilt.   I shared a few alternate layouts for these in this post here.   Isn't it fun how different each quilt looks just by mixing up the layout of the units!!

And for the quilting of the Diamond Drop I used a favorite of mine!!! The all over Echoed Paisley design is always a perfect match for quilts with lots of points.  It gives it a lot more movement.  And I even made a Video Tutorial of how I do this free motion quilting on my home machine, just in case you want to quilt one like it ;)  

And that is my Diamond Drop  quilt.  I hope you have enjoyed today's Tutorial Throwback Thursday (on Friday) !!!    To make your own Diamond Drop quilt  just click on any of the quilt name links for the free 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 Diamond Drop Quilts!!!!

Thanks for visiting today and each day.   I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!  

Charming Baby Quilts has Arrived!!!!

This has been a very large Work in Progress and it is now finished and arrived!!!!    Charming Baby Quilts has hit the shelves!!!   So exciting!!!!  My boxes of books arrived last night and I just wanted to hug the delivery man ;)

Charming Baby Quilts is published by Its Sew Emma and is a collection of 10 Baby Quilts that all feature one, two, or three Charm Packs!!  You can mix and match collections, use one fabric line, or even use scrap 5" squares!! 

Charming Baby Quilts is available to order directly from It's Sew Emma, or from Fat Quarter Shop  or if you would like to order a signed copy directly from me, that is an option as well ;)   

The book measures 6 1/2" x 9 1/2", is 50 full colored pages, and has a spiral binding.  And I think that all just adds to the Charm of this book :)  It's just so cute!!!!  

Each of the quilts in Charming Baby Quilts are fun and easy to make.   And because they are smaller projects, they go together super fast!!!   The easy to follow step by step instructions and images make the book perfect for beginners and experts alike.

And Fat Quarter Shop even has some of the quilts from the book made up in quilt kits so you can just whip them up in no time.   There is a Ring Around the Rosie Quilt Kit and Backing Kit as well as a To The Moon Quilt Kit and Backing Kit.

And there will also be A Star is Born Quilt Kit and Backing Kit but it won't be available until the fabric comes out in April ;)  But you can sign up for notification of when it is available, and this one is totally worth the wait ;)  

And I am so excited for the Charming Baby Quilts Sew Along!!!  We will be making this sampler that has blocks from each of the 10 quilts in the Charming Baby Quilts book.    You will need a Charming Baby Quilts book to Sew Along so just as a reminder . . . you can order directly from It's Sew Emma, or from Fat Quarter Shop  or order a signed copy directly from me.

The quilt is a twin size, finishing at 66" x 88".  Here are the Fabric Requirements so you can start thinking know about what Charm Packs you want to use.   And of course, you can use more than one fabric line, it would be super cute to mix and match Charm Packs in this design or even use scrap charm squares ;)  The Charming Baby Sew Along will start on April 8th and I can't wait!! 

And of course, I will be sharing each of the quilts in Charming Baby Quilts over the coming weeks before the Sew Along starts.   I am excited to share some of the details and fun tidbits about each quilt.   I just can't believe it is here ;)  

And I wanted to finish today with this adorable video the amazing folks at It's Sew Emma and Fat Quarter Shop made!!!   It is a Trailer for Charming Baby Quilts, how wonderful is that!!!!

I will be back with more Charming Baby Quilts soon ;)  If you have already Pre-Ordered a copy, thank you so much!!! They will be mailed out today ;)    And if you are wanting to order a copy, again, you can order directly from It's Sew Emma, or from Fat Quarter Shop  or order a signed copy directly from me.

Thanks for popping in today and sharing this wonderful finish with me today :)

I hope you all have a very Happy (and maybe even a little Charming 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 choose any one Fat Quarter Bundle from Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is . . .   Number #527 . . . Congrats staceybard!!!   I have messaged you :)    

    

   

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Thousands of Bolts .   Thousands of Bolts has incredible prices that will have you super excited!!!  And you will find incredible bargains shopping in the Thousands of Bolts Sale Section!!!    And right now there is also a Spring Blowout Sale with prices starting at $3.99 a Yard!!!!  Be sure to check it out :)

And for Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Thousands of Bolts is giving one lucky winner at $25.00 Gift Certificate!!!  You can get just what you always wanted :)   And good luck picking because there are literally thousands of bolts to choose from!!!!   

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 your favorite cuisine??

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Thousands of Bolts some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook or Instagram.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Thousand of Bolts Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, February 25th, 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 - It's All Done!!!!

We started on January 13th, and I got the best present on February 14th with the finish of our Renovation!!!    Dennis from  Precision Development and his amazing team of sub contractors were absolutely amazing and I couldn't be more happy!!!!   I can't believe that in one short month, we went from oak and tile to bright, white, and new floors.   So want to see it all finished up??  Here we go!! 

This is the Living Room.   We replaced the old wood burning fireplace with a gas fireplace and surrounded it with new tile and a new mantel.  Then the room got new paint, molding, lighting, and carpet.   And I can tell you, I have already spent every morning lying in front of the fireplace enjoying my morning study ;) 

And on the other side of the Living Room, is the Front Entry way.   We did a matching wood floor entry, new front door, and carpeted down the hall way.   This also got all new paint and molding and I just love the soft feel of carpet under my feet ;) 

Then to the left of the Entry Way is the Dining Room.   And this room also got new wood flooring, paint, trim, and doors, but my favorite part is the new build in.   Isn't that new China Hutch just so pretty!!   And they even did lighting in the top of it.  So awesome!!! 

And this is the view from the Dining Room into the Kitchen.  This entry way is probably my favorite change in the entire remodel.  I just love how opening up this doorway a foot or so has made such a difference in the traffic flow.  And I mentioned before, but I love that this gives us a more open concept feel while still keeping separate rooms.  It just makes me so happy. 

And here is the Kitchen!!!   And this is the biggest transformation by far!!!   And I love, love, love, it!!!   We completely gutted three rooms and came up with a new mud room, pantry, office, and kitchen all in one.   

And this is the kitchen view from the other side.   We already tried out the double ovens and made 5 dozen cookies all at once.   It was awesome!!!  And there is so much space on that long bar, we can have everyone cooking and not bumping into each other.  So wonderful.   You can also see the new light fixture over the stairs in this picture, and it is just so pretty ;)  

And at the end of the Kitchen bar, is my new little work space.  I am so super excited to have this desk with so much storage for all of my "office" needs.   I spend a lot of time at the computer and this will be such a nice space to be where I can a lot done, but still be in the main space where the kids will be doing homework and such. 

And finally, the new little Mud Room / Pantry.  I did not have a pantry before so this room has me all sorts of excited!!!  And it is so big, but no worries, I am sure I will manage to fill it up fast ;)   And I just love this custom little bench.  The  kids can store their backpacks and shoes in the cubicles and hang their coats on the hooks.   And they have homework desks as well to the left of this picture, so it will be great for them to come in and just get to work ;) 

So that is our renovation!!!  Again, I can't say enough about Dennis from  Precision Development  and his wonderful team of sub contractors.  They have done a brilliant job and managed to do it so quickly.   We are so grateful and so very happy with the finish!!!   Now, we just get to enjoy living in this brand new space ;)   

And with this space done, it means I got my sewing space back!!!   I plan to spend a good portion of today making up for lost time ;)   

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

Bloom-Topia Quilt Along - Release 2

Happy Valentines Day!!!!    And a special surprise for today, another release a day early ;)  Today is the Second Block Release of the Bloom-Topia Quilt Along hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop :)   I am so excited to share Block 3 for this quilt!!!  And I super changed it up and just love it!!!!

We are only making one of Block 3 as it is in the center of the quilt.   And alterations for today are a little long so I broke it down to cutting and then alterations. So for Block 3 , here is what you need to cut :)     

For the Background - Do not cut A, B or E,      Cut 16 C rectangles      Cut 12 D squares   

         Also cut an additional (10) 2 7/8"  Cut on the Diagonal Once for the Corner and Center     

        and (8) 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles and (8) 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles to border the Corner Units

For the Flower Units - Cut 4 F rectangles (1 of each of 4 prints)  

                                     Cut 32 G squares (8 of each of 4 prints)

For the Stem Units - Cut 4 H rectangles (2 of each of 2 prints)    Cut 8 I squares (4 of each of 2 prints)

For the Added Corner and Center Units - Cut (5) 3 3/8" squares (1 of each of 5 prints) 

And for Block 3 alterations it really isn't as hard as you would think, once the cutting is done ;)   Make 4 of the Flower Units.  Don't make the Stem unit.   Use the additional cutting pieces to make 5 Square in a Square blocks.   Border 4 of the Square in the Square blocks.  Attach the Stem Units to the last Square in a Square block.   Layout the block in a 9 patch layout, and sew together ;)    I tried to draw lines on the block below, to show how the units are made into a 9 patch, hopefully that helps!!

So are you joining in the Bloom-Topia fun???  If so, you can download the block pattern  and it is requested for each pattern you download to donate $5.00  to the Make a Wish Foundation :)  This is Fat Quarter Shop's annual charity QAL that is raising funds for an amazing organization.  What a wonderful way for us all to make a difference !!   And Fat Quarter Shop and Moda will match up to $20,000 of the donations raised.  So let's help them reach that goal ;)  

And just as a reminder, if you are new to finding the Bloom-Topia Quilt Along, this is the layout I will be making and are the alterations referred to above ;)     I am using a Breeze Fat Quarter Bundle by Zen Chic for Moda Fabrics with Gris Grunge as the background!!! And there are still a few Bloom-topia Quilt Kits and Backing Sets available if you want to make your's like the original ;) 

And like always, Fat Quarter Shop has made an awesome  You Tube video tutorial that walk you through making each month's blocks.  There are some great helpful hints and you can see it put together step by step!!!   

Be sure to share all of your Bloom-Topia progress on social media with #bloomtopiaquiltalong and check out Fat Quarter Shops post for Release 2 for lots more Block Inspiration!!!

And that's it for the second release in the Bloom-Topia Quilt Along!!!!   I will continue to share a new set of blocks on the 15th and 1st of each month.  (no more early days ;)  S So what do you say, wan't to come Bloom-Topia Quilting Along??  You are going to have so much fun!!!

And just to make it easy to find . . .Here is a list of all the places to find my altearions

Layout Fabric Requirements Alteration
Release 1 - Block 1 and 2 Alterations

Thanks for popping in today ;)  I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!