Happy Quilting

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 10 is at Little Miss Shabby!!!!

2012-02-13T05:30:00.002-07:00

It's day 10 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today you will be hoping one last time. Where to??? Why over to visit Corey at Little Miss Shabby!!! Corey is a fabulous quilt designer, I just fall in love with everything she creates. And today's tutorial is no exception!!

And I mean, how could you not just love this adorable Shabby Heart Pillow!!! I have been drooling for weeks over it. I am so excited to see the tutorial of how Corey put it together :)

So lets do it all together now. Hop on over to Little Miss Shabby and get going on your own super cute Shabby Heart Pillow!!!

Oh, and while you are at Little Miss Shabby, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to The Intrepid Thread!!! Thank you Julie for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 9 is at Want It, Need it, Quilt!!!!

2012-02-11T05:00:00.001-07:00

It's day 9 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today it is hopping on over to Jane at Want It, Need It, Quilt!! Jane is a fabulous quilt designer and she has a super treat in store for all of you hoppers :).

Like I told you, fabulous quilt designer. Jane has named this design Circle of Love and I just think it would be the most perfect Valentines Wall Hanging!! And I just love it and the grey background just makes those little hearts pop!!! So cute!!!

So hurry and get yourself over to Want It, Need It, Quilt and check out Jane's step by step tutorial to whip up your own Circle of Love quilt.

Oh, and while you are at Want It, Need It , Quilt don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Green Fairy Quilts!!! Thank you Judi for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 8 is at Swim, Bike, Quilt!!!!

2012-02-10T05:54:00.002-07:00

It's day 8 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today will have you hopping over to Katie at Swim, Bike, Quilt !!! Thank you so much Katie for being a part of this hop. And I can't wait to tell you about her super great tutorial.

What is it you might ask?? Only this totally modern and completely versatile XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial. I just love it!!! And isn't the little embroidery on the bottom just the perfect finishing touch :)

Time to start hopping. Pop on over to Swim, Bike, Quilt and see how to make this super adorable little XOXO Zippered Pouch. I think I will be making quite a few of them :)

Oh, and while you are at Swim, Bike, Quilt don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Burgundy Buttons!!! Thank you Leah for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 7 is at Twin Fibers!!!!

2012-02-09T05:00:00.003-07:00

It's day 7 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today will have you taking a hop, skip, and a jump over to see Jessica at Twin Fibers!!! Jessica and Jennifer, twin sisters, are such a great duo and have so many great things to share with the quilting community. (And hey, I am a twin as well, so we have that in common :)

Today Jessica has such a great tutorial put together for you all. She has whipped up this super clever Valentine Card Holder. What an fabulous idea!!! I so need one of these to keep those cute handmade cards my kids make me.

So lets do it all together now. Hop on over to Twin Fibers and make your own Valentine Card Keeper so you can treasure those special little creations for a lifetime :)

Oh, and while you are at Twin Fibers, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to The Intrepid Thread!!! Thank you Julie for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 6 is at Piece N Quilt!!!!

2012-02-08T06:00:00.004-07:00

It's day 6 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today it is hopping on over to Natalia at Piece N Quilt!! Natalia is an amazing designer and a fabulous long arm quilter!! She is my go to gal when I need something professionally quilted (like those adorable baby blankets that were published last week :).

And Natalia has a special treat for all of you Valentine's Hoppers. Check out this adorable pillow set!!! I mean don't you just want to cuddle up with them!!! I just can't get over how cute they are!!

So hurry and get yourself over to Piece N Quilt and check out Natalia's step by step tutorial for this over the top adorable trio of pillows.

Oh, and while you are at Piece N Quilt, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Green Fairy Quilts!!! Thank you Judi for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

FFebruary 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 5 is at Diary of a Quilter!!!!

2012-02-07T05:43:00.002-07:00

It's day 5 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and of course, that means you will be hopping :) Where to today?? Why over to Amy at Diary of a Quilter!!! I was fortunate enough to meet Amy at the Sewing Summit and we have just become such great friends since. She is one of the nicest people I know!!!

And she has created the sweetest little table quilt tutorial for all of you lucky blog hop readers. Aren't those little scrappy nine patches just so adorable!!! I think my table could so use one of these :)

Alright, time to start Hopping. Pop on over to Diary of a Quilter and see how to make this adorable table quilt to dress up your dining room table for the holiday :)

Oh, and while you are at Diary of a Quilter, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Burgundy Buttons!!! Thank you Leah for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 4 is at Cut to Pieces!!!!

2012-02-06T04:00:00.004-07:00

It's day 4 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today you get to hop on over to visit Angela at Cut to Pieces!!! I met Angela through the VIBee's group and I am so glad to have gotten to know her because not only is she a great friend, she is also crazy talented!!

Today Angela has a super fun treat for all of you readers hopping along with us. This totally adorable Pincushion Tutorial. It's made using cookie cutters!!! So adorable and such a clever idea!!!

Alright, so don't hang around here. Hop on over to Cut to Pieces and put those cookie cutters to work somewhere other than the kitchen :)

Oh, and while you are at Cut to Pieces, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to The Intrepid Thread!!! Thank you Julie for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

A Little Break, A Little Surprise, and A Little Help

2012-02-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop is taking a little break for the weekend. Hopefully this will give you some time to start putting together some of your Valentines Projects ;) Make sure to upload them into the Simply Charmed Blog Hop group when you are done so we can all see them :)

Today I received such a lovely surprise in the mail. A dear sweet friend sent me these adorable Valentines fat quarters just to say "Thank you for being a friend." (Sidetrack - Didn't you just love the Golden Girls :) I had never received a "just because gift" from a quilting friend before today and I will tell you, it brought me to tears. Thank you (you know who you are) for thinking of me. I too am so grateful for our friendship.

One last tidbit . . . I was asked to teach a little class at our church on Machine Basics and some quilting 101. It really is not a big thing, but of course, I am getting nervous about it. So anyhow, here is where I need your help. I try to take care of my machine but I know I don't do as well as I should, or could. So if you were me, what is something that you would for sure want to tell a class about taking care of their machine??

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 3 is at Lilac Lane!!!!

2012-02-03T06:45:00.002-07:00

It's day 3 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today you get to hop on over to visit Melissa at Lilac Lane!!! Melissa is an amazing pattern designer including so totally amazing tote and bag patterns.

And today she is sharing one with you all as part of the blog hop. I just think this tote is so adorable!!! It's called the Be Mine Tote and Melissa even did the tutorial as a pattern in pdf form so you can print it out and whip it up over the weekend :)

You know what to do. Hop on over to Lilac Lane and get your Be Mine Tote making groove on!!

Oh, and while you are at Lilac Lane, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Green Fairy Quilts!!! Thank you Judi for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop - Day 2 is at Quilt Story!!!!

2012-02-02T05:45:00.002-07:00

It's day 2 of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop and today will have you hopping on over to Heather and Megan at Quilt Story!!! Thank you ladies for making such a great tutorial to share. What is is you ask????

Well, it's just the cutest little garland ever!!! I am going to have to whip me up a set of these because they would just be adorable hanging over my kids beds.

So, what are you waiting for?? Pop on over to Quilt Story and follow the step by step tutorial to make up your very own Heart Garland. Where will you hang yours???

Oh, and while you are at Quilt Story, don't forget to leave your comments for a chance to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Burgundy Buttons!!! Thank you Leah for your gracious sponsorship!!

Need to know when and where you will be hoping . . . Here's the schedule.

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop starts at Happy Quilting and the Grand Prize Giveaway!!!!

2012-02-01T04:30:00.010-07:00

Welcome to the kick off of the Simply Charmed Blog Hop!!!! So glad you will be joining us for what is sure to be a lot of fun. In the next 2 weeks you will get to hop to 10 different Valentines tutorials all using a single charm pack. You can find all of the Hop Stops here and they will be updated daily with the links to each of the tutorials.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of each tutorial. Including the $200 Grand Prize Gift Certificate to Fat Quarter Shop at the end of this tutorial!!!! I mean, who doesn't want to win some awesome fabric cash??? Speaking of Fabric Cash, I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to Kimberly and Fat Quarter Shop, Leah and Burgundy Buttons, Julie and The Intrepid Thread, and Judi and Green Fairy Quilts. This blog hop would not be near as fun without your wonderful generosity and support. Thank You!!!

So let's get to it!!!!! I am so happy to share with you this first tutorial for a super cute Valentines project that I like to call . . .

(Do you get it, there are knots in the ties, hence the Knotty Little Apron, tee hee hee

To make your own Knotty Little Apron you will need :

1 Charm Pack (I used Always and Forever by Deb Strain)

20" of Lining Fabric (I found an old Valentines print that had been laying around in my stash for a long time)

7 1/2" of Binding Fabric (A solid is best here so the charms stand out more)

and lastly, a medium size grommet kit and grommet tool if the kit doesn't come with those accessories

STEP 1 - PIECING THE APRON TOP

Start by selecting 30 charms from your charm pack. Take 2 squares and with right sides together sew a 1/4" seam along any edge. (you won't need pins). Repeat this process to make 15 sets of 2. Don't clip your threads between each set, just keep feeding through the pairs until you have done all 15. This is called Chain Stitching and it saves a ton of time :) Once all are stitched you can then clip the threads between the 15 sets. Don't press yet :)

Now select 10 sets of 2. Take two sets of 2 and place them with right sides together, lining up the raw edges of your seam side. Now sew a 1/4" seam along the edge. (Once again, I didn't use pins). Continue chain stitching until you have made 5 sets of 4. Clip your threads and you can still wait to press.

Now select 4 sets of 4 and 4 sets of 2. Take a set of 2 and place it onto the set of 4 with right sides together, lining up the raw edges of your seam side. Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge. Continue chain stitching until you have made 4 sets of 6. Clip your threads and your almost ready to press.

You should now have 1 set of 2, 1 set of 4, and 4 sets of 6. Lay them out as follows. Once you have a layout you like go ahead and press making sure to press all of the odd rows to the left and all of the even rows to the right. This will just help everything to nest when sewing the rows together :)

Now to sew all of the rows together. Lay Row 1 onto Row 2 with right sides together taking care to match the center seams. Pin the nested seam and the 2 side seams. Sew a 1/4" seam starting and finishing at the raw edges of row 1. Lay Row 3 onto Row 4 with right sides together nesting and pinning the seams and do the same for Row 5 and 6. Sew a 1/4" seam along both pinned sets of rows. Press your 3 seams.

Now simply repeat the process sewing your now sewn together Row 1 and 2 onto your now sewn together Row 3 and 4. Once again, you will be starting and finishing the sewing at the raw edges of the Row 2 piece. Lastly, Sew the 4 rows onto the remaining Row 5 and 6. Press your seams. And Wha La!!! You have the basis of your apron.

Now to give it a little curve :) Fold your apron in half with wrong sides together. Draw a gentle curve across the last block in the second row. Cut along the curve through both layers of fabric. Now you can set your apron top aside for a bit as we move onto the lining.

STEP 2 - PIECING THE APRON LINING

From your 20" lining piece cut a 15" section off of the top. Now you have 2 pieces. One 15 x 20 and one 27ish x 20.

Place your 15" piece along top of the 27" piece as follows. You don't have to center it perfectly just approximate. Now lay your 15" piece onto your 27" piece with right sides together and sew a 1/4" seam starting and finishing along the raw edge of the 15" piece. Press the seam. And now your lining is done :)

STEP 3- QUILTING THE APRON

You knew I couldn't do a project without having some quilting in it. So, to add a little strength and mostly a little decoration we are going to quilt this apron, but with no batting :) To do this, lay your pieced apron top onto your back lining piece with wrong sides together. The lining will be larger than the apron top :) Now baste the 2 pieces by pinning (I just used straight pins for speed sake) your apron top to your lining every few inches.

Now simply quilt away in whatever desired stitch your prefer. I did a wavy stitch along the seam lines in a bright pink for a little pop :) Make sure you also quilt around the entire edge of the apron just to secure your front and back :) (I just did the same wavy stitch about a 1/4" in from the edge)

Once the quilting is done, remove the pins and then cut away the excess lining fabric using the top of the apron as a guide. And now it is ready to bind :)

STEP 4 - ADDING THE BINDING

If you have never done binding before see this tutorial for more details. It will really help :) Start by cutting your binding fabric into three 2 1/2" x WOF strips. Sew these three strips into your binding strip and press it in half.

Attach your binding strip to the back of your apron first aligning the raw edges of the binding strip and the raw edges of your apron.

Go ahead and miter the corners like you would a quilt and then on the curves just gently try to keep the raw edges together adding a little slack where necessary to keep it lined up. Add the binding strip around the entire apron and then sew the 2 ends of the binding strip together.

Now you can attach the binding to the front. I used the same wavy stitch I quilted with to attach the binding. Just fold your binding strip over the raw edge and stitch down along the folded edge. Once again, miter the corners and gently work in the curves. (This was my first time binding curves and I will tell you they aren't perfect but they will do :)

And now your apron should look a little something like this and you are ready to move on and make the ties :)

STEP 6 - MAKING THE TIES

Take your remaining 12 charms and sew them into one row. (You can use the same chain stitching sets of 2 methods that we did at the beginning to save some time :) Press your seams.

Now fold your row in 1/2 and cut down the center of your seams making 2 long rows of 2 1/2" wide strips. (I had to use 2 rulers lined up to be long enough :) Then go ahead and sew the 2 long strips together to make one very long strip. (Make sure not to sew the same print ends together :)

Now, fold your strip over so that right sides are together and the raw edges line up. Sew a 1/4" seam along the raw edge of the entire strip. Press.

Now you are ready to cut a neck tie and 2 waist ties. I cut my 3 pieces at the following dimensions. But I like my neckline high and a big bow in the back. So if you prefer a longer neck line cut it a little larger and the waist ties smaller.

Now everyone's least favorite part. Turning the ties right side in. To do this, attach a safety pin on the end of the tie through one side. (If you go through both you are going to have a hard time turning it inside out.) Now feed the safety pin through the hole that the fabric tunnel creates. Keep feeding it through until the entire tie is right side out. (This takes a bit of finagling but stick with it, it will get easier with each one :) Repeat for all 3 ties. Now go ahead and press the 3 ties so that the seam is along the center back of the tie :)

Lastly, turn the 6 raw edges in and sew along the edge to close the ties :)

STEP 7 - ADDING THE TIES

Now is the fun part where we get to make this apron a little knotty :) Using your grommet kit and the instructions with it, insert a grommet into the 4 locations shown.

Now simply feed your neck tie through the top 2 grommets and tie a knot in the front. If you like a little knot keep it single, if you want a larger knot you can double it up :) Insert a waist tie into a side grommet and tie a knot. Then tie a knot at the end of the waist tie just for a little decoration and symmetry :) Repeat for the other waist tie :)

And all of the sudden, you are finished and have a super cute Knotty Little Apron!!!! I hope you have a ton of fun making your Knotty Little Apron either for yourself or for someone special. If you have any questions on this tutorial please do not hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa (at) gmail (dot) com. And when you are all done I would love it if you added your pictures of your fabulous Knotty Little Apron to our Simply Charmed Blog Hop Flickr Group and my Happy Quilting Tutorials Group.

And now onto the super fun part . . . It's your chance to win the

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

Fat Quarter Shop has graciously sponsored our Grand Prize Giveaway of a $200.00 gift certificate!!!!!

Do you know how much fabric you can buy with that??? Oh, I get giddy just thinking about it!!

So to enter to win this totally amazing Grand Prize, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite love song.

For one extra entry, become or already be a follower of Happy Quilting and leave a comment saying so.

And that's it :) International entries welcome and please leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger :) The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Valentines Day!!!

Make sure each day to hop on over to the next stop. Each stop has an awesome tutorial and a great giveaway. Here is the schedule :)

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

The Waiting is Almost Over

2012-01-31T07:56:00.001-07:00

It Starts Tomorrow!!! Yippee Skippee!!!!

More with the Stars

2012-01-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Part of the Quilting Conference this weekend included an all night Friday Sew-In. My Mother-In-Law and I lasted until about 1:30 a.m. Which is awesome because I haven't had any other time this weekend to get down to the sewing room. But I was able to accomplish a lot at the sew-in.

I got all of my stars put together :) Thanks so much for everyone's help with the layout!!! It really made such a big difference in the overall look of the quilt :) Now all I have to do is get the borders added, hopefully today, and then it is ready to be quilted up :)

And I also managed to finish all of the diamonds for my Lone Star quilt. Now I just have to sew together those diamonds and then insert the background. You have to do Inset seams to do that, which I am a little nervous about because I have never done them before, but, it's all about trying new things right :)

It's a Start :)

2012-01-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

So here is what I got done in my class last night. It was so much fun!!!! We actually took our homework and sewed it into tubes and then cut the tubes into strips. (Those fun little guys in the bottom of the picture.) Then you unpick in a designated spot to make the strips for the diamonds. What a cool way to put a quilt together!!!! I had only ever seen the tube method used for making continuous binding strips. I had no idea it could be used to make diamonds like this :) Ya for learning new things :)

Whereas this is for Grandma's 80th (at the end of Feb) I need to get the rest of the points put together sooner rather than later :) Each diamond got a little easier as I got more practice with the technique. The first ones were making my head spin a bit :) So here hoping they will get faster, not to mention more accurate. 3 down and 5 to go :)

TNT Thursday

2012-01-26T06:00:00.008-07:00

First off, I just want to let everyone know that after today TNT will have a short break for a few weeks. It will be taking a hiatus during the Simply Charmed Blog Hop :)

Now, onto what I tried new this week :) For the first time, I did some quilting "Homework". Seriously, I never thought I would ever do "homework" again in my life. But . . . tonight, my Mother-In-Law and I will be attending a class on speed piecing a Lone Star Quilt as part of the Cedar City Quilter's Guild Retreat, and we were given homework to bring to the class. Here is my finished homework. I am so excited to see it transform tonight. I plan to give this quilt to my grandmother for her 80th Birthday. I am so excited :)

So . . . . My new thing is quilting homework :) (Hopefully I won't have a lot of homework popping up in my life again, I was very ready to be done with that after college, tee hee hee) What did you try new this week???

One Week Away, Yippee Skippee!

2012-01-25T06:00:00.009-07:00

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop is now only 1 week away from starting!! Yippee Skippee!!!! I can't wait to share with you all the amazing tutorials put together by these fabulous group of quilters. Not to mention, have some great giveaways, including a $200.00 grand prize gift certificate!!!

If you missed the introduction post you can find out more about the Hop here :)

It is going to be so much fun!!! I can hardly wait!!!

I've Been Seeing Stars!!!

2012-01-24T06:00:00.036-07:00

This last week I have been focused on making Stars!!!! And I must say, I forgot how much I loved making these blocks. These stars are part of my Stars Quilt-A-Long quilt. I finished the Block 1 and 2 sets months ago along with the Quilt-A-Long. Then I kind of fell behind.

I am making this quilt for my daughter's bedroom (she got our old queen bed frame when we got a king) and now that the frame is in her room she is getting antsy for the quilt to be put on it. So this week it was all about putting her at the top of the priority list :).

So . . . These are the finished Block 3's

These are the finished Block 4's

These are the finished Block 5's

and these are the finished Block 6's

Yippee Skippee!!! All of the blocks are done!!! Now I am just playing with the layout on the floor. I tried hard not to over-think it to much and just started laying them out so that I would get a nice random pattern. Then I moved a few around to try and give the colors balance.

So what do you think??? Does it look balanced?? Any suggestions on any blocks that should be moved??? It's still on the living room floor so changes can be made easily :) *EDIT - I moved things around a bit according to some great suggestions that were given. So this is the "new new" layout :) Any new suggestions??

I'm in McCalls Quilting!!!!!

2012-01-23T06:00:00.065-07:00

McCall's Quilting March/April issue is now available and I have to say I am on Cloud 99!!!! Why . . .

because inside that edition are my quilts!!!!! Girl or Boy . . . Hugs to Enjoy were designed and pieced by me and quilted by Natalia Bonner. Isn't this just the cutest picture?? I can't get over how adorable it makes my quilts look!!!!

Being published is something I have had on my list of things to do for a while now. I still remember doing a little squeal and happy dance when I got the email that these quilt designs were accepted. The process takes a while and now that it is here I still can't believe it. I just get giddy each time I see this!!!

Here is a full shot of each of the quilts. They feature both piecing and applique.

I used Riley Blake's Penny Lane by My Mind's Eye. I just love these color combos :) They are so bright and happy and are just perfect for a new little wee one!!!

And here are some close-ups of the quilting. The quilting Natalia did is just amazing!! Thanks again Lady!!!

Happy Quilting to each of you!!! I think I might be on Cloud 99 all week long :)

Sew Red for Women

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

I was so excited when Leah from Burgundy Buttons asked me to be part of this amazing Blog Hop!! And I just jumped at the chance to be a part of something that is for such an amazing cause!!! Have you heard about it??? Here are some of the deets.

What is the hop about?
Well, it's about hopping! And raising awareness about heart disease!

Each month, Sew Red for Women will feature an original quilt block designed ecspecially for you by some of today's most inspiring designers & bloggers. We will provide a special link to hop on over to the blogger and/or designer's site for details and instructions for completing the featured block. And you just might learn a thing or two about heart disease while you're there!

The hopping begins on February 3rd, which happens to be Wear Red Day!

Who's Partcipating? And when?

February 3 Leah of Burgundy Buttons

March 3 Fat Quarterly's Tacha of Hanies Quilts

April 3 Katie of Swim, Bike, Quilt

May 3 Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting

June 3 Charlie of Qubee Quilts

July 3 Jessica of Twin Fibers

August 3 Melissa of The Polkadot Chair

September 3 Amber of A Little Bit Biased
October 3 Amy of Diary of a Quilter

November 3 Amy of Amy's Creative Side

December 3 Sherri of A Quilting Life
January 3 Lynne of Lily's Quilts

What an amazing group of talented quilters!!!! I am so excited to get to work with these people!!

What fabric are we using?
While we do not yet have a final fabric supply list as the designer's are still creating thier block, we will be using fabrics from Chemistry by Cosmo Cricket and coordinating Bella Solids. Naturally you may use any fabric you like!

As the blocks are released, Burgundy Buttons will offer a block-specific fabric pack for purchase while supplies last.

Will there be a flickr group?

What fun is it if you can't show off? Share pictures of your block and finished projects with the group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/sewredforwomen/

We are so excited to bring you this heart friendly hop and raise awareness about heart disease at the same time! Please help us save lives by sharing information about this event on your blogsite, twitter and facebook! Grab a button from the Sew Red for Women Blog and add it to your side bar!

Together we can make a difference!

TNT Thrusday

2012-01-19T06:00:00.012-07:00

This week I had a lot of fun Trying New Things. I worked with grommets for the first time!!! It was actually a lot of fun. I borrowed my Mother-In-Laws little tool and I think I will have to add that to my list of things to purchase for my sewing room. What did I use it on??? Well I can't say exactly but I will say it is for my Simply Charmed Blog Hop Project. I am so excited for it :)

So that was me Trying New Things :) What have you tried this week??? Link on up :)

A Super Productive Week :)

2012-01-18T06:00:00.041-07:00

This week was a super productive week for me. I had 4 completions. Yippee Skippee!!! And I have to say, it was a lot of fun. I am so happy to have finished up some projects that have been long outstanding. One I already showed on Friday, Jocelyn's Crib Quilt.

I also finished up this Hugs and Kisses quilt for my Grandmother. The pattern is my Hugs and Kisses from the Park Moda Bake Shop Tutorial. The design was inspired by my grandmother but the original colors didn't match her room very well. So I made this one in Pom Pom de Paris which not only matches her room but it also matches her style perfectly. My grandmother is coming down (she lives in Canada) to visit my mother next month so I can give it to her then :) I am so excited!!!

I also managed to pull out my Stars Quilt-A-Long blocks. I finished up the #3 blocks and got started on the #4 blocks. I really want to get this quilt put together in the next little bit. It is a little sad when you do the Quilt-A-Long and you don't finish the quilt with the group :)

And this is for a new project that I am totally excited about. My 6 year old daughter asked me if I would teach her to quilt. She wants to make a quilt for her 2 year old sister. So we whipped up a little design and made some time this week to pick out fabric. I had her start by picking out her favorite print (the butterfly one) and then we picked out other fabrics to match. She pretty much made all of the fabric choices with just a little help from me. I think she did a great job!! This week we are going to start cutting. Here is hoping nobody ends up needing stitches :)

So . . . . That's what I have been up to. On to the line-up :)

Designing Stage

Twister Toddler Twin Quilt
Solids Quilt for Free Motion
King Size Serenity Quilt
Circle Meets Square Quilt
4th of July Table Runner for Sister-In-Law
Secret Project MB
Secret Project QQ
Moda Bake Shop On the Go
Moda Bake Shop Take it All

Piecing Stage

Stars Quilt-A-Long
Jessi and Me Quilt
Going Places Quilt
Lone Star for Grandma's 80th Birthday

Quilting Stage

Completed Stage

Secret Project for Simply Charmed Blog Hop
Hugs and Kisses Quilt for Grandma
Customer Quilt - Hexie Fun Version 3.0
Jocelyn's Crib Quilt

Disappearing 9 Patch Variation Tutorial

2012-01-17T06:00:00.003-07:00

I had a few people ask about how I made this crib quilt. I bet you didn't guess that I made this using a variation of the Disappearing 9 patch. You use the same technique but by placing your colors different you get a totally different look :)

***Note - I realize you can also make this pattern doing a 4 patch center and then adding side sashing with corner blocks but this is just how I have made it. I think both would take about the same time, maybe I should make one this other way and time it to see which is faster :)

Here is how to make it:

For a 22 x 44 crib quilt You will need:

4 Strips 2 1/2" x WOF of your focal print (white border) (You can made these strips wider if you want a larger border :)
16 4" x 4" Squares of your focal print (white )
28 4" x 4" Squares of your first sashing print (pink)
28 4" x 4" Squares of your second sashing print (green)

If you want to change the size of the quilt you can either make the borders bigger or change the size squares you start with.

To start, you are going to make Eight 9-Patch blocks. 4 of the first color layout and 4 of the second color layout.

Now cut across the center of the block left to right, and then without moving the block, cut across the center of the block from top to bottom. Repeat for all 8 blocks.

Now rotate the 4 newly cut squares 180 degrees to get the following layout. Sew the 4 squares together. Repeat for all 8 blocks.

Now lay out your 8 blocks as follows. Sew the blocks into rows and then your rows into the quilt top.

Add your border, sewing on the long sides first. Then add your short sides borders.

And then your done and you have one adorable crib quilt!!!!

And since I was at it . . . I figured I would add the same instructions for making a baby blanket. You use the exact same process. Here is a picture of one I made a while back :)

For a 40 x 40 baby blanket you will need:

18 5" x 5" Squares of your focal print (pink)
32 5" x 5" Squares of your first sashing print (purple)
32 5" x 5" Squares of your second sashing print (yellow)

If you want to change the size of the quilt you can either make the borders bigger or change the size squares you start with.

To start, you are going to make Eight 9-Patch blocks. 4 of the first color layout and 4 of the second color layout.

Now cut across the center of the block left to right, and then without moving the block, cut across the center of the block from top to bottom. Repeat for all 8 blocks.

Now rotate the 4 newly cut squares 180 degrees to get the following layout. Sew the 4 squares together. Repeat for all 8 blocks.

Now lay out your 8 blocks as follows. Sew the blocks into rows and then your rows into the quilt top.

And you are done!!!!

Hope you enjoyed :) If you have any questions just shoot me an email :)

The Simply Charmed Blog Hop

2012-01-16T05:00:00.030-07:00

Today's the day!!! The secrets out!!! Announcing the Simply Charmed Blog Hop!!!!! Isn't Valentines Day great!!! A day focused on telling those we love just how much they mean to us. Fabulous!!! And what better way to show someone you care than to give them something special made by you just for them!!

So that is why I asked some of my amazing friends from blog land to join me in bringing you the Simply Charmed Blog Hop. 10 days of Valentine tutorials and giveaways kicking off on February 1st. So here are the amazingly talanted ladies that will be joining me!!!

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting with the Knotty Little Apron Tutorial

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story with the Heart Garland Tutorial

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane with the Be Mine Tote Tutorial

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces with the Pincushion Tutorial

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter with the Scrappy Nine Patch Table Quilt Tutorial

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt with the Trio of Pillows Tutorial

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers with the Valentine Card Keeper Tutorial

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt with the XOXO Zippered Pouch Tutorial

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt with the Circle of Love Tutorial

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby with the Shabby Heart Pillow

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

Thank you so much to each of these ladies. I have had so much fun working with each of them on this Blog Hop. They are all so very talented and the projects they have created are just amazing!!! Trust me when I say, you are all in for a treat!!!

The Simply Charmed title came about because each of us created our project using 1 Charm Pack and added yardage if necessary but only for backing, lining ect. The bulk of each project is made using just the 1 Charm Pack of Always and Forever by Deb Strain. And trust me, you are going to be amazed with what you can create using a single charm pack!!!

And what fun would a Blog Hop be without Giveaways???

Thanks to the generosity of our amazing sponsors, there will be a giveaway along with each of the 10 tutorials. So when the time comes, make sure to enter at each of the contributors tutorial post for your chance to win some major fabric cash.

Fat Quarter Shop has graciously sponsored the fabric used in making the tutorials.

They will also be sponsoring the Grand Prize of a $200.00 Gift Certificate to 1 lucky reader.

Burgundy Buttons has graciously sponsored three $25.00 Gift Certificates for 3 lucky readers.

The Intrepid Thread has graciously sponsored three $25.00 Gift Certificates for 3 lucky readers.

The Green Fairy has graciously sponsored three $25.00 Gift Certificates for 3 lucky readers.

A huge thank you goes out to each of our sponsors!!! They are a huge part of making this Blog Hop. So pop on over to their shops (their icon's are links) and find the special Charm Pack or 2 for you. (And whatever else might tickle your fancy :)

And last but not least, we would love it if you joined the Simply Charmed Blog Hop Flickr Group. This will be a place to show us your amazing projects made using the Simply Charmed tutorials!!! We can't wait to see your own personal take on these special gifts :)

So are you ready to hop along with us??? Are you excited for February 1st?????

Well then grab a button and spread the word!!

Let's see how far we can spread the homemade love this Valentines Day!!!! .

Master Bedroom Quilt Colors

2012-01-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

So I am sure by now, you have all seen the Blogger's Choice Bundles that have been popping up everywhere for the Quokka Quilts challenge. When I saw it come up I figured it would be the perfect thing to get me thinking about really picking out some colors for my new Master King size quilt. And I mean, come on, If I won the fabric for my bedspread all the better right :) (Not that I think I have any chance of winning, there are some amazing color mosiacs over there, I feel sorry for those poor judges, tee hee hee)

So, I stopped and thought, and pondered, and started looking at color swatches. I found so many ideas that I loved. And then I talked to my husband (Since it is his bed too I figured he should get some input) and after some debate (he drives a tuff bargin) we came to the decision that we wanted something calming, relaxing, and in his words, no "girly" stuff. I later clarified that "girly" stuff includes anything in any tone of pink, red, or purple and also includes any prints that have any form of a flower on them. Which from my original color ideas left me with one option of a nice combination of earthy tones in the green tones of our walls.

So off to the Fat Quarter Shop I went to look for some fabrics that fit the "rules". I went through every single fabric in the shop. (Ya, it was so much fun!!!!!) I can't believe how many great prints I had to "throw out" because they had flowers. It is a little harder to shop for strictly masculine prints :) But in the end, I was super happy with what I ended up with. And here it is :) What do you think??? Is it calming and relaxing?? Is it masculine and in no way girly??

Top of the List

2012-01-13T10:48:00.001-07:00

So I am super excited today. Why you might ask?? Because today I get to post that the 3 things that were on the top of my priority list from Wednesday are now done!! Yippee Skippe!!!

First off, I finally quilted my little Jocelyn's crib quilt. This quilt has been sitting in the corner of the sewing room basted for like a month. Wednesday afternoon I decided it was time to get this little cutie quilted.

On the sashings I quilted this cute little swirl. I am really falling in love with this swirl for sashings. I am not perfect at it by any means but it is a really relaxing stitch to quilt. I love doing it and I love the way it looks :)

And here it is in her crib with her favorite bear. I quilted echo flowers in the center of each of the 4 patches. They also are not perfect but my daughter asked me to do flowers on the baby's quilt and who am I to refuse the request of a 2 year old :)

And you can't have a baby quilt picture without the baby. Here is Jocelyn. She is growing so fast and she still has all of that hair :)

Oh, and finishing this quilt just happened to be my One Thing One Week goal for Amy's link up. Yippee Skippee for Amy and her motivation. If you have never heard of this, you should really check it out. Just click on the icon below to find out more :)

On to project 2. I finished this customer quilt yesterday. The design is based on Natalia's Let Your Imigantion Bloom quilt tutorial but instead of layer cakes I use charms. This was a super fun customer quilt because it was a bit of a throw back. You See . . . . .

About 2 years ago I sold this little quilt. (I had made a similar one for a friend and had cut extra's so I whipped up a second one :) A few weeks ago I was contacted by the owner asking If I could make another quilt similar to this one for their new little arrival. I was super happy to. Luckily, I still had a lot of the same fabrics (which she wanted) so it was fun to recreate the same look with a little twist.

The customer requested an all over meandering quilting so that it matched the first. I haven't done meandering in quite some time and I forgot how much I enjoy it.

And last but not least . . .Project 3. Which happens to be Secret Project SC. Which I can't show you yet, hence the secret part. But I promise, it won't be to much longer. More of that on Monday :)

And I will be linking these finishes up to Amada Jean's Finish it up Friday and Amy's Sew and Tell Linky's :)

TNT with Barbara Corry

2012-01-12T07:44:00.001-07:00

So I have a bit of a change up for everyone today. This edition of TNT Thrusday is being brought to you by my wonderful Mother-In-Law, Barbara Corry. She loves the Twister tool as much as I do and bought the large one the same day I bought the little one. This last week she finished 2 large Twister Quilts. And these 2 quilts are rather special as they will be given away at her last school board convention this weekend. Barbara has been serving on the School Board for 20 years. What an amazing legacy, I can't imagine the amount of lives she has touched through her service.

The first quilt is this beautiful Fall inspired twister. I love the colors!! They are just so soothing!! and I love how she alternated lights and dark prints to really make each whirly-gig pop.

And the back. Don't you just love the piecing. I love that blue!!!

And second quilt is this light to dark twister. I just love the way she laid this one out. The overall look is just so cool!!! (Sorry, the picture isn't the best, it snowed and so I couldn't take it outside :)

And here is where the TNT comes in. Barbara quilted each twist in this quilt with a different free motion design!!!! Ya, that is a lot of different designs. She so tried a whole ton of things new!!!

Aren't they just so much fun!!!! She did an amazing job in the quilting!!!

Thanks Mom for sharing your amazing quilts with us. So that is what she did new . . . How about you???

So many projects . .

2012-01-11T08:43:00.002-07:00

So I feel like so far this new year is going great in the quilting arena. I have been doing a lot of behind the scenes work for an upcoming project that I am super excited about. I finished up my 2 twisters, guest posted, and made both of my bee blocks including this new one yesterday.

So why is my list of things to do so long????? I will tell you why, because for every one project I complete I think of 2 more to add. Oh well, it wouldn't be fun if I didn't feel like I had a million projects I was trying to juggle :) Now just to keep track of them all. I find I can't sleep when I have to many projects bouncing around in my brain . . . Thank heavens for the WIP Wednesday, where I can write it all down and make some priorities for the week :)

Designing Stage

Lone Star for Grandma's 80th Birthday
Twister Toddler Twin Quilt
Solids Quilt for Free Motion
King Size Serenity Quilt
Jessi and Me Quilt
Circle Meets Square Quilt
4th of July Table Runner for Sister-In-Law
Secret Project MB
Secret Project QQ
Moda Bake Shop On the Go
Moda Bake Shop Take it All

Piecing Stage

Stars Quilt-A-Long
Secret Project SC
Hugs and Kisses Quilt for Grandma
Going Places Quilt

Quilting Stage

Customer Quilt
Crib Quilt for Jocelyn

Completed Stage

Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in April
Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in March
January Bee Blocks

I am hoping to finish both of my Quilting Stage quilts and do my Secret Project SC quilt this week. If I manage to do some piecing on some of the other projects that would be fantastic. But these 3 are top of the priority list :)

Playing with the Slice

2012-01-10T08:47:00.002-07:00

I pulled out my Slice again. I just love doing applique, and my Slice makes it all the better. It is just so fun not to have to cut all of the intricate corners by hand. Nope, I just select the shape I want and away it cuts. And I so love all of the selection. I am not the best freehand artist so having a choice of 20 different flowers is awesome for me :)

I used Natalia's starch applique method that she taught us at the Sewing Summit. I love it and I love that you don't get the stiff feel of Heat and Bond afterwards. Seriously, the Sewing Summit rocked!!! Oh, and this pattern is based off of one of Natalia's Bake Shop projects. I will show more soon when I have it all done :)
EDIT - Here is a link to Natalia's tutorial on Starch Applique for those curious minds out there :)

If you have no idea what a Slice is you can see this post where I discuss how much I love it :)

Two Twister's

2012-01-09T08:56:00.002-07:00

Well I finished up the Two Twisters for my Two new Nieces that are on the way. I really enjoyed making these quilts and had fun trying the new diagonal twister design out. I have some more ideas of how to play with this design for a later day :) And a super fun note about these two quilts, I got the fabric for them out of my stash and I had 8 1 yard pieces. I used up all of it with about an inch to spare. Perfect!!! You would have thought I had purchased it with these designs in mind :)

I quilted the this twister with a swirl design, I really like how it adds to the motion of the quilt.

And here is the back of it. I forget how hard it is to keep a strip straight on the backing of a quilt :)

And this one is the infamous first quilting video quilt :) It is done in a dasiy and loop design. (Which I know, you can't see at all, but it still gives it that soft crinkly feel :)

And I loved this backing fabric, it is harder to see in the picture but there are cute little flowers in the white teardrop design :)

And here they are together. I am so excited to tie some ribbons around them and send them off to my wonderful Sister and Sister-In-Law. Love you guys!!!

I am linking this to Kati's Slash the Stash!!! These were some great stash busters :)

It's Coming!!!

2012-01-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

Something's in the works around here and it is going to be exciting!!!

TNT Thursday with A Video Attempt

2012-01-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

EDIT - I think you should be able to view the video now, if not, please let me know and I will work on it some more. Oh what a learning experience :)

So I tried it . . . . I attempted to make a free motion quilting video. Now I will be the first to say, it isn't great. But it was a definite learning experience. Here is what I learned.

1 - I am not so good with words. I kept tripping over them and even after 5 attempts I still said things that sound absolutely silly. Hopefully with more practice I might be a little less nervous and actually be able to say what I am thinking.

2 - There is a huge give and take of what you quilt on. I love seeing an entire quilt worked on instead of a little square because I can get a better sense of how the quilter handles the bulk of their fabric, however, as this video demonstrates, it is a whole lot harder to see the quilting when it is done on a quilt instead of a little solid dark square with high contrasting thread. I am thinking about how to solve this. Maybe a solid quilt made just for quilting videos???

3 - Trying to locate the best position for the tripod while still being able to reach your quilt to work on is not the easiest. Maybe I need to get a partner in crime to do the filming??

4 - I wish I could figure out a way to do the sound after. Is the sound of the sewing machine in the background to loud to understand??

5 - And this is an important one. Never Ever, Ever, try to upload a video using blogger. I had it uploading for 8 hours and nothing. Seriously, has anyone ever used blogger to upload a video?? YouTube was only a mere 45 minutes. (But I kept it private as I really don't feel like this work is worth publishing :)

So it is back to the video camera for me. Hopefully in the future I will be able to show some better quality free motion quilting videos. But, you got to start somewhere, right :) Please feel free to give any suggestions. I would love to hear what you would like to see in a free motion quilting video :)

So that was my Try :) Let's see yours :)

Guest Posting at Sew We Quilt for Tool Time :)

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

So today I am super excited to be guest posting at Sew We Quilt for their Tool Time edition. No, not like Tim the Tool Man Taylor. Tool Time as in your favorite, can't live without, quilting tools. I am writing about one of my new favorite tools, my Rotating Cutting Mat. So Pop on over to Sew We Quilt to see what a great tool a Rotating Cutting Mat can be :)

In Fact, I just used it yesterday afternoon to cut out this lovely stack of half hexagons. I am working on a customer quilt and that rotating cutting mat saved me so much time cutting. Love it!!

Ahh, Routine!!!

2012-01-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

The older kids are back in school and I am home during nap time :) You know what that means, Quilting Time!!! I didn't waste a minute of it either. And, double bonus, I also\ managed to work on one of my New Years Resolutions by working on some improv curves :) What do you think??

This is the first bee block for our Beejeebers group. It is for Jamie Lee and she is doing the cutest little quilt of wonky houses and trees :) And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, I even did some hand stitching, which we know by now is really not my favorite. But I had those cute flower buttons and knew they would be the cutest finishing touch :) Not bad, second day of the month and a Bee block done :) Yippee Skippee for Quilting Time!!!

Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2012

2011-12-31T06:00:00.062-07:00

So what did I do in 2011???? Well . . . .

Wow!!! What a year. I can not believe how much I have grown in quilting and how much Happy Quilting has grown. Thank you to all of you amazing readers that have made this year so incredibly fun for me. I just love making new friends through this amazing online community.

So now let's quickly review 2011. On December 31, 2010 I listed some goals here of the things I wanted to accomplish with my quilting in 2011. Now I get to see how I did :)

Goals for 2011

1 - Participate in a Bee (which I have already signed up for but sometimes it is fun to write things that are easily checked off :) Check - And I loved every minute of it. So much so that I created 2 Bees for 2012
2 - Participate in a Swap (I have never done this, any suggestions on good ones would be appreciated :)  Check - I participated in the post-sewing Summit Swap and just signed up fot the Name Game Swap starting in 2012
3 - Learn how to Paper Piece  Semi Check - I did one Bee Block paper pieced and learned the basics, but I would like to learn a lot more.
4 - Learn how to Curve Piece  Semi Check - I took a class on improv piecing where I learned how to do gentle curves but i have yet to tackle some drunkard path type curves.
5 - Be a guest blogger on other sites. (I have done this once at Stash Manicure and loved it) Major Check - I guest blogged quite a lot at several blogs and really had a lot of fun with it :)
6 - Make a pillow or 2 (I need to branch out a little and I sew love the Cathedral Window pattern) - Check - I made my first pillow cover for Fat Quarterly, but I still want to try and mke some more including the Cathedral Window :)
7 - Host a Quilt-A-Long (a little scary, but I really think it would be fun, with a little stress mixed in, lol)
Check - I actually hosted 2 and I think both were very successful. I need to start planning another one.
8 - Continue designing for the Moda Bake Shop (I just love this so much, It is a definite keeper :) (And since I already have a project lined up for January I can check this off the list, Yippee Skippee) - Major Check - Me and the Moda Bake Shop are great friends, and I just love seeing your versions of my designs.
9 - Use up more of my ever growing Stash. I can't believe how quickly it is growing :) - Negative Check - It has probably doubled or more in size :)
10 - Last but not least, and I waited for last to write it because it scares the pants off of me. . . . Get a design published in a magazine. (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can :) - Semi Check - If you have read this far you now get in on a little secret. I have a quilt pattern that will be published in a magazine in spring 2012. Squeal!!!! So it wasn't quite in 2011, but all the work was done then. If I knew how long the process took I would have started earlier in the year :)

So all in all, I am feeling pretty great about the Quilting year of 2011. It has been such an amazing ride. And so now let's look forward to 2012. I am so excited for 2012 in Quilting. I have a few things that I am just so excited about that are already in the works and a few secrets that I just can't wait to share. So let's get to some goals for where I hope 2012 quilting will take me :)

1 - Create some form of a blog hop. These are always so much fun and I think I can figure out how to run one :)
2 - Host 2 more Quilt-A-Longs, at least. I so loved having so many amazing quilter's sewing right a-long with me. I really want to make sure I leave time to do that again.
3 - Work on some of those Semi-checks from 2011 ie . . .curved piecing, paper piecing, and pillows
4 - Write some more patterns. I have several planned but plans don't always equal product :)
5 - Make some videos on free motion quilting. I just have to get over the fear of my voice on tape.
6 - Teach a class. Doesn't matter where, or to how many to ,preferably fewer, as the idea sort of scares and excites me at the same time.
7 - Start teaching my daughter to quilt. She is starting to show some interest and I want to make sure I set some time aside for her.
8 - Design and create for my family. Is it crazy that I made so many quilts in a year and only 1 of my children have a quilt I made for them on their bed?? (Although I have 2 in progress :) I want to focus on making these works of love for the people I love.
9 - Make Christmas Stockings for my family. Now that we know our family is not going to grow anymore I have no excuse not to make us a matching set of stockings.
10 - Keep Balance!!!! I want to really try to make sure I am on top of things enough to keep quilting time to nap time and bed time so that it doesn't interfere with family time.

So here it goes!!! Bring on 2012!!!! I can't wait!!!!!

VIBee's comes to a close

2011-12-30T06:00:00.019-07:00

I finished up my last 2 bee blocks for the VIBees this week. My oh my, I can't say how much I have enjoyed being in this Bee. The gals in it are so amazing and talented. I will be super sad to see it come to an end. I am just so grateful that I got to work with such a great group :) Thanks to each of you lovely ladies!!!

So the first block I made was for Rene. She asked for anything with a white background and soft blues and greens. You know how I have been on a major "twister" kick. So I whipped up a little mini-me twister template and made a super mini twister block. I can't get over how cute and tiny the pinwheels are. I just love it!!! You know I want to do another one of these right :)

The next block is for Lynne. She asked us to do her LynneBobSquarePants block. She sent us the background charcoal and then she asked us to use bright colors from our stash to fill in the design. Well, you know how much I just love polka-dots.

I guess all good things must come to an end. Here is a little Picture Mosiac of my year with the VIBee's

And the Gift Certificate goes to . . . .

2011-12-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the final Christmas Extravaganza giveaway and thank you to the Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring such a fabulous giveaway. So let's get to see who is the lucky person who will be getting one super special after Christmas present :)

And the lucky number according to Mr. Random.Org is . . .

Which is . . . . Pianomama!!!!

Congrats :) I have emailed you for your info.

TNT Thursday with a Diagonal Twister Tutorial

2011-12-29T06:00:00.069-07:00

So this week's new thing was all about trying the Diagonal Twister for a second time to get it closer to what I had in mind. This was a new pattern I was working with to try and get a diagonal look to the Whirly Gig created by the twister rather than a random look. And since I was doing it for the second time, I figured I might as well take some pictures a long the way so that if you want to give it a try you can :)

So "Twister" quilts are always made starting with a grid of squares. This is the design of squares you need to make in order to get the look above when you are done. But before you go and cut out 144 5" squares go ahead and read on, there is a much faster way to strip piece it :)

Start by choosing your prints. This pattern is a repeated 6 pattern so you will need 6 strips for each set of 3. I choose to repeat one of my prints, you can to if you like or not ;) (Wouldn't this just look awesome in a Rainbow pattern, that is on my list ) Cut three 5" x WOF strips out of each of the 6 chosen prints for a total of 18 strips.

Sew your 6 strips together to make a strip set. You will be sewing 3 sets together and be sure to sew them all in the same order. It doesn't matter if the ends don't line up perfect :)

Now fold your strip set in half taking care to align the sides. Do not worry about the top lining up. Place it on your cutting mat so that the folded line is just over the 0 Horizontal line on your mat.

Now you can cut out your square strip sets. First cut along the 20" line on your mat. This gives you a nice starting edge. Now measure down 5" (to the 15" line) and cut across the entire strip set. (I had to use two rulers aligned next to each other). Continue cutting 5" down until you cut across the 0 Horizontal line. This should give you 8 square strip sets, 4 on top and 4 below. Repeat with the other 2 Strip sets so you have a total of 24 square strip sets.

Sew your square strip sets into sets of 2. Make sure you always repeat the pattern exactly the same way. You will now have 12 long square strip sets.

Now the fun part. To make the diagonal pattern you are going to do a little unpicking. I know it seems weird to unpick but trust me, it is way faster than stitching all of the squares individually.

So start by laying out 2 long square strip sets. Those will be row 1 and row 7. (I like to mark them now to avoid confusion) Now lay out 2 more long square strip sets. Unpick the first block in each long square strip set and at it to the end of the set. Now mark these rows 2 and rows 8. Now lay out 2 more long square strip sets. Unpick the first two blocks in each long square strip set and at it to the end of the set. Now mark these rows 3 and rows 9. Seeing a trend here :) For rows 4 and 10 remove 3 blocks and add them to the end. For rows 5 and 11 remove 4 blocks and add them to the end. And finally for rows 6 and 12 remove 5 blocks and add them to the end.

You should now have 12 rows that when lined up in order look like this.

Now simply sew your rows together, taking care to align your seams, and you have your square grid!! Yippee Skippee.

***Note - The rest of this tutorial will be very brief as the intent of the tutorial is how to get the pattern, not how to use your twister. If you need a more in-depth tutorial on how to use the twister tool please see this earlier tutorial. Steps 2 and 3 will walk your through the remainder of the process in greater detail :)

Now simply add your 3" border :)

Cut out your whirly-gig squares using your twister tool :)

Sew your "whirly-gig" squares into rows :)

And then sew your rows into your quilt top :)

And you are done and have one adorable 42 x 42 baby blanket top :) Wasn't that just so much fun!!! I can't get enough of these twisters, I just have a blast!!!

So, what have you managed to try new during this crazy busy holiday week :) Please share.

Flying in Squares at a Bakeshop Near You!!!

2011-12-28T05:00:00.051-07:00

Today's the day!!! Yippee Skippee!!! I am so excited to release the Flying in Squares quilt Tutorial at the Moda Bake Shop . I hope you love it as much as I do :)

I just love the way the quilt has so much movement. And I had so much fun trying a new swirl in the quilting. I think it really adds to the overall effect :) So pop on over to the Moda Bake Shop where you can find the free step by step Flying in Squares tutorial and whip up your own flock.

And as a special little treat, Julie at The Intrepid Thread has put together a fabulous Flying in Squares quilt kit!!! Now of course, Terrain is all but gone in the stores, so she has picked a fabulous alternate print. It's Power Pop and this will give you an idea of the finish!!! Isn't it just fabulous!!!!!

The Kit contains everything you need to make your own Flying in Squares quilt including 27 pre-cut 10" squares so you will have absolutely no waste at all. You can even get 20% off with the coupon code HAPPYNY20, but the code expires tonight at midnight, so hurry!!! So pop on over to The Intrepid Thread and score yourself a Power Pop Flying in Squares quilt kit while supplies last :)

And that's all for today folks!! I hope you love the tutorial :) I had so much fun making this quilt and just love having it hang on the wall of my purple sewing room :) I hope you find a special place for yours :)

A Great Christmas and some Color Help Needed :)

2011-12-26T06:00:00.052-07:00

** If you are looking for the Fat Quarter Shop Gift Certificate Giveaway you can find it here

We had such a wonderful Christmas. The holiday was spent (and will continue to be spent) with lots of family, just the way I love it!!! We are so happy to be back home and close to those we love. For me families are what make Holidays so special.

So do you want to see some Quilting presents?? My amazing Mother In Law gave me this awesome trio!!! A little pincushion / thread catcher basket, (which is so perfect because I keep trailing threads all over the house, oops ) a free motion design DVD by Leah Day, and some new quilting gloves!!!!! Oh my goodness, I am so excited!!! I can't wait to try out those new gloves and I think I will be watching the DVD before I go start quilting the next little quilt :)

My amazing Sister In Law designed this little stitch for me. Isn't it just fabulous!!! I love it!!! It is being mounted on the wall next to my sewing machine today. My Sister In Law and her mother have been making these types of stitches for years and they sell them at boutiques and such. They design all of the pictures, do the stitches and even make the frames. They also have a great shop online called Live Well Stitches. I just loved that she designed this for me :) Does my family know me or what?????

And here is where the Color Help comes in. My husband and I got ourselves a new bedroom set for Christmas. Yippee Skippee!!!! This is our first actual bedroom set, it is a deep brown finish and I love it. And if you are thinking, does that look really high?? The answer is yes, they ordered the wrong box springs so we have to poll vault into bed until the new ones come :) This bed also happens to be our first king size bed so we have no bedding for it. The walls are green, obviously leaning more towards a minty color than a sage color. So . . . . If you were going to be making a king size quilt for this bedroom, what colors or what line would you use???

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.014-07:00

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

To Your Family From Ours!!!

4th and Final Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway with Fat Quarter Shop

2011-12-23T06:00:00.047-07:00

It's the last Friday before Christmas and that means it is time for our fourth and final Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway. This week's giveaway is sponsored by the fabulous Fat Quarter Shop!! Now if you haven't heard of the Fat Quarter Shop it might be that you have been living under a rock :)

Have you checked out the Fat Quarter Shop's Countdown to Christmas sale?? Oh my goodness , I could fill up a cart in seconds with these amazing deals. If you haven't checked it out yet make super to click on over for some fabulous deals!!!

Now, onto the giveaway!!! Up for grabs, a $50.00 Gift Certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop!!!! You can use it to buy whatever is on the top of your Christmas list. Isn't that just the perfect Christmas present!!!

For a chance to win just do the following . . . and please, only one comment per option for a max of 2 comments :)

1 - Be A follower of The Jolly Jabber, the Fat Quarter Shop Blog, and leave a comment. How about you tell me something that makes you Jolly :)

2 - Pop on over to the Fat Quarter Shop and tell me what item is that perfect Christmas present that you would use your Gift Certificate on. (Again, I always love gifts that are to me, from me, tee hee hee :)

So that's it :) The giveaway will close on Wednesday the 29th and I will announce a winner shortly after. Good Luck to all and Happy Quilting!!!

Winner!!!

2011-12-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you again to Leah at Burgundy Buttons for sponsoring our giveaway!!! Leah just announced her Year End Blowout Sale!!! There are some great deals. You will totally want to make sure you pop on over :)

So let's get to the winner. Mr. Random.Org choose . . .

#251 . . . Who is Leslie can't stop quilting!!!!! Congrats Leslie, I sent you an email :)

Tomorrow morning is the start of the fourth and final Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway!!! See ya then :)

TNT Thursday

2011-12-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

This week I had so much fun trying something completely new to me. I put together 2 virtual bees for 2012. And it was a lot less scary then I thought it would be :) I can not believe the response that I got from those of you who wanted to "Bee with me." Thank you so much. I truly wish I could have created enough groups for everyone, but alas, my sewing time just won't allow it :) I will be the Bee Mama for the US group and my good friend Cherie took the reins for the International group :) I can't wait for next year to get going on some blocks :) And since every good post needs a picture, here is the button that Leah from Burgundy Buttons has made up for the group. Isn't it just fabulous!!! She is working on one for the other group and I can't wait to see it :)

So . . . . What have you tried new this week???? Let's see those links :)

There's Always Next Year :)

2011-12-21T08:42:00.001-07:00

So do you remember this beautiful fabric I bought (sometime in July) to make my three girls amazing matching Christmas Dresses?? Sadly, it is still in the same state as you see in this picture. And there are no plans to try and frantically sew them together by Sunday. I kept thinking I needed to work on them, and I would always find some excuse to procrastinate this scary project. Then my daughter got some Christmas dresses handed down from her cousin and that was the final straw. No sense in making more when she already has some. (At least that is what I rationalized to myself :) So back in the drawer it will go until next year. and hey, at least Baby Jocelyn will be able to wear it more than 1 month next yer. She is growing like a weed :)

and while I am on the note of putting things to next year . . . Let's see what other projects will become 2012 projects :)

Designing Stage

Baby Quilt for Special Nephew arriving in April
Circle Meets Square Quilt
4th of July Table Runner for Sister-In-Law
Secret Project MB

Piecing Stage

Stars Quilt-A-Long
Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in April
Hugs and Kisses Quilt for Grandma
Going Places Quilt

Quilting Stage

Nursery Crib Quilt
Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in March

Completed Stage

Christmas Tutorial
Flying in Squares Quilt - Coming to a bakeshop near you on the 28th!!!!

Twisting Take 2!!

2011-12-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday everyone decided to give me an early Christmas present. The little ones took a 3 1/2 afternoon nap and the older ones enjoyed some unsupervised craft time :) Which meant I was able to finish my Twister. This is a gift I am trying to finish up by Christmas. However, when I finished I was not quite as happy with my results. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it or anything, I had just planned for a brown row, a brown-pink row, and then a pink row to pop. The pink row really pops but the brown-pink row just blended to much with the brown row. You know when it just doesn't quite turn out the way you had seen it in your head :)

So . . . . I grabbed the remaining pieces from the Heidi Grace pile and decided to use the tan brown instead of the brown I used previously. I didn't use it initially because it has the same print as one of the brown prints but I think I can handle that if it makes a greater distinction between rows. So this is what I will be working on today :)

Twisting again :)

2011-12-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

** If you are looking for the 3rd Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway you can find it here :)

Do you ever have one of those days where you know you should be doing something else but you just want to do that special something :) Ya, that was last Thursday for me. I have WIP that need to be completed, Bee's that needed to be organized (which I did this morning :) , designs to be put into EQ, a tutorial to finish, and I had to pack to go out of town for the weekend. So what did I do????

Started another "Twister" baby quilt!!! I have been thinking over a stack of Heidi Grace on my shelf for a few weeks now and while lying in bed Wednesday night decided that it would be so adorable in a twister quilt but I wanted it to have more of a layed out look then a random look. I got up (at 1:00 am mind you :) and figured out the design I wanted to do. I wen't back to bed for a few hours and then got up and after getting the kids off to school went right downstairs and started sewing together the grid :) I am so loving it!!! I am about a 1/3 done. Here's hoping I can get some more done today :)

Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza with Burgundy Buttons!!!

2011-12-16T06:00:00.058-07:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

It's Friday again so that means it is time for our third Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway. This week's giveaway is sponsored by the fabulous Leah at Burgundy Buttons!! Leah's shop is so fun and filled with all kinds of Moda goodness. She has yardage, pre-cuts, snuggles, flannels and wovens.

And did you know that she has been having a fabulous 12 Days of Christmas sale??? Each day was a different sale. Well if you didn't know, don't fret. As the finale of the sale, you can get all of the sales from all 12 days!!!! This Finale ends Saturday at Midnight so you best hop on over quick if you want to score some great deals :)

Now, onto the giveaway!!! Up for grabs, a California Girl Jelly Roll. This is Fig Tree Quilts newest line slated to come out in March. That's right, you can't even buy this yet, but you can win it here!!!!

For a chance to win just do the following . . . and please, only one comment per option for a max of 2 comments :)

1 - Be A follower of Burgundy Buttons blog and leave a comment. How about you tell me something you love about their shop or let me know you are new to Burgundy Buttons :)

2 - Pop on over to the Finale of the 12 Days of Christmas Sale and tell me what item you just are dying to put under your Christmas tree. (I always love gifts that are to me, from me, tee hee hee :)

So that's it :) The giveaway will close on Wednesday the 22nd. and I will announce a winner shortly after. And Don't forget to stop by next Friday for our final Christmas Giveaway!!! Good Luck to all and Happy Quilting!!!

Winner, Winner, Winner!!!!

2011-12-15T15:30:00.002-07:00

First off, thank you to Julie and The Intrepid Thread for sponsoring such an amazing giveaway!!! Obviously, it was well like because WOW, there were a lot of comments. 1079 to be exact. So lets get to announcing the winner (who obviously has the luck of the Irish) of this fabulous Power Pop Giveaway!!!

And according to Mr. Random.Org the winner is . . . . #222

Who happens to be . . . In Black and White!!! Congrats!!! I have sent you an email

Didn't win today . . . It's okay. Stop by tomorrow for our Third Christmas Giveaway!! It's gonna be good!!!

TNT Thursday

2011-12-15T06:00:00.001-07:00

So my big New Thing this week was actually talked about on Monday. I made a new Holiday Oven Mitt as part of the Quilt Story Gift Tutorial hop. I worked with Insul Bright for the first time (Which I really like) and I made my first oven mitt, (kind of obvious :) I also realized that releasing a tutorial on the first day of Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day makes it really easy to get missed. So just in case you missed the tutorial over at Quilt Story I thought I might add it here. It is TNT Thursday after all and who knows, maybe you want to try sewing your first oven mitt together :)

To make this oven mitt you will need :

2 Pieces of Christmas fabric each measuring 10" x 16" for the outer oven mitt

2 Pieces of Christmas fabric each measuring 10" x 16" for the inner lining

1 piece of Christmas fabric measuring 2 1/2" x 16" for the binding

2 pieces of Insul-Bright batting each measuring 11" x 17"

2 pieces of Warm and Natural batting each measuring 11" x 17"

You start by making 2 mini quilt sandwiches. Layer each sandwich starting with the lining print faced right side down, then the Insul-Bright, followed by the Warm and Natural batting and then the outer print fabric with right side up. Baste your two mini quilt sandwiches.

Print out a copy of the Oven Mitt template. Trace the template onto each of your quilt sandwich making sure to flip it over for the second tracing. (So the thumbs should be on opposite sides of the sandwiches.) The template is for a standard size oven mitt but if you want yours longer (I like mine that way) you can add 2" to 3" at the bottom of the template.

This is my favorite part. Quilt inside the tracings of each quilt sandwich. (I like to stay inside the drawn line so that I don't end up cutting any of my quilting lines.) You can quilt a basic cross-hatch design or you can spice it up and do some fun free motion quilting. I did swirls to match with the candies :) Once you are done quilting your two sandwiches go ahead and cut out on the trace lines of each sandwich.

To make things a little easier when binding we will stitch up the bottom of the oven mitt. If you have a serger just go ahead and surge along the bottom (and only the bottom) of each side of the oven mitt. If you don't have a serger (like me) stitch a straight line 3/8" in from the edge and then go back and do a tight zig-zag stitch right along the edge.

Place your two oven mitt sides with right sides together so the linings are both on the outside. Pin along the outer edge but not along the bottom of the oven mitt.

Now once again, if you have a serger, go ahead and serge around your pinned edge. If you don't go ahead and stitch your straight stitch 3/8" in from the edge and then go back and do a tight zig-zag along the edge. This is a lot of layers so if you have a heavy duty needle and a walking foot it will help :)

Turn your oven mitt right side out. This takes a little work along the seams. Use a sharp tool if necessary to push out some of the curves.

All that is left is binding the bottom. So take your binding strip and iron it in half.

Measure the amount of lining you will need to go around the inside of your oven mitt and overlap 1/2". Trim the excess.

Take your newly trimmed binding strip and open it up and place it with right sides together. Stitch a 1/4" seam along the raw edge. Now fold your lining in half again with wrong sides together and right sides out.

Place the lining inside the edge of your oven mitt with the raw edge of the lining along the edge of the oven mitt. Pin in place.

Now stitch a 3/8" seam along the edge of the binding on the inside of the oven mitt. This is a little tedious but a walking foot and heavy duty needle will help.

Lastly, flip your folded edge of the binding over the oven mitt and pin. You can hand sew the binding down or use your machine. Whatever your preference :)

And you are done!! Wasn't that easy. Now just fill it with some fun Holiday baking goodies and it is ready to give to your friends and family :) Enjoy!!! And if you make some of these fun Holiday Oven Mitt's I would love for your to post a picture of them in my Happy Quilting Flickr Group :)

So that's my new thing :) So what have you been up to??

Do you want to Bee with Me????

2011-12-14T06:30:00.002-07:00

*** NOTE - I had such a huge response that I acutally created 2 bees but I can't commit to doing more than that. Thank you for your interest. I am sorry to say that the bee is full :)

So this year I participated in my first Bee (the VIBee's) and I LOVED it!!!! It was so much fun and I learned something new with each block each month. Sadly, this bee is not continuing next year. But I so want to participate in another block bee for 2012. So I thought who better to participate in a block bee with then all of you that I feel like I have come to know through Happy Quilting.

So what do you think?? Do you want to participate in a block bee for 2012 with me?? If so please send me an email to happyquiltingmelissa (at) gmail (dot) com with your name, where you live, and the answers to the following questions.

1 - Are you interested in a bee that when it is your month you
A - Send your own fabric to the other bee members to make blocks with
B - Have the other bee members make a block with their own fabric with colors specified by you

2 - Are you interested in a bee that makes
A - Traditional Blocks
B - Modern Blocks

3 - Are you interested in a bee that exchanges
A - One block a month for 12 months
B - Two blocks a month for 12 months

4 - Are you interested in a bee that exchanges with members that live
A - Only in the US
B - Anywhere

So that's about that. I will determine the interest from the emails and go from there :) Who knows, maybe we'll end up creating 2 bees :) That would be fantastic!!! Can't wait to hear from you :)

Holiday Oven Mitt Tutorial

2011-12-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

** If you are looking for the 2nd Christmas Extravaganza giveaway you will find it here :)

I am super excited to be guest posting at Quilt Story today!! Meagan and Heather asked me to participate in their Holiday Gift Tutorial hop. One of my favorite things about the Holidays is baking!!! So when I started to think of what type of holiday gift to create I instantly was drawn to the kitchen. Who wouldn't love an adorable Christmas Oven Mitt. So pop on over to Quilt Story to see how to make one for yourself, for your neighbor, for your friends, or for whomever likes to spend time in the kitchen at this time of year :)

Giveaway Day with The Intrepid Thread!!!

2011-12-09T06:00:00.013-07:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

First off, if you are new Welcome!!! I hope you find lots to be happy about here at Happy Quilting :)

On to our second Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway Sponsor and it sponsored by Julie from The Intrepid Thread!! Julie carries an amazing selection of fabrics from Andover, Free Spirit, Westminister, Northcott and more. And you will always find fabulous prices and great sale selections at The Intrepid Thread. And hold on to your Santa hats because you aren't going to believe the giveaway Julie has in store for you!!!!

So let's get to it. Wouldn't you just love to find an entire Fat Quarter Bundle of Power Pop under your tree?? I know I would!! These colors and prints are fabulous and oh so much fun!!! And yes, That is 29 Fat quarters equaling 7 1/4 yards!!!!

You have two chances to win, and please, leave a separate comment for each (for a total of 2 comments max :)

1 - Be A follower of my Blog, Happy Quilting, and leave a comment. How about you share with me your favorite thing about Christmas and then add "Follow" to the end of your comment :) (I might be bias but this is a pretty fun place to follow along with, lots of quilting fun, free tutorials, and of course, fun giveaways, including 2 more this month :)

2 - Be a follower of The Intrepid Thread Blog and leave a comment. How about you share with me something about the Intrepid Thread, (why you love it, if you just found it, ect.) and then add "Follow" to the end of your comment :) (Julie's blog is fabulous and keeps you totally updated on everything in her shop, and oh ya, she has a giveaway each Friday, Yippee!!!)

So that's it :) The giveaway will close on Thursday the 15th and I will announce a winner shortly after. And Don't forget to stop by next Friday for our third Christmas Giveaway!!! Good Luck to all and Happy Quilting!!!

TNT Thursday

2011-12-08T06:00:00.001-07:00

So this week I tried a new free motion quilting all-over pattern. I started with the basic swirl that I have done before but I wanted to change it up a bit. I added in a sharp point in the center that created a fun little circle inside the swirl and then instead of the edges all being round I tried doing some more points and then echoing those. It is going to take some more practice but I like the way it is turning out :)

And a slightly sad point of this post . I tried to make a video of me quilting this so I could upload it. However, I lost my SD card (I left it in the Wal-Mart printer when printing our Christmas Picture and it wasn't there when I went back.) and so I am using my backup SD card that came with the camera. It only holds about 10 photos. I tried to record a video and it had enough memory for about 4 seconds of recording. Bummer. But know that I have it on my mind to make some free motion videos and as soon as I get a new SD card, it will be at the top of the list of things to do :)

So that is what I tried this week :) What did you New Thing did you Try??

Green Fairy Winner!!!

2011-12-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you again to the Green Fairy for sponsoring our first week of Christmas Giveaway!!! Let's get a winner!!

With the help of Mr. Random. Org the winner of the Coming Home Fat Quarter Bundle is . . .

And #38 is . . . Caren!!! Congrats!!! I bet you believe in Santa now :)

Thank you everyone for participating. It was so fun to see what fabrics you all loved most :) Don't forget to check back Friday for our Second Christmas Giveaway!! It's gonna be good!!

Done and Done

2011-12-06T09:14:00.001-07:00

*** If you are looking for the Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway you will find it here :)

I am so excited!!! As of yesterday afternoon, my Christmas "to do's" are done!!!

Homemade Christmas Chocolates Made - Check!!

Family Christmas Letter Sent - Check!!

My Tree Put Up and Decorated - Check!!

The Kids Tree Cut Down and Decorated - Check!!

The Presents All Purchase and Wrapped (and stuffed under the stairs with the luggage since it is the only place we can think of that the kids don't get into :) - Check!!

I am so ready!!! And can I tell you, it feels like I just got rid of a 10 lb bowling ball that was strapped to my ankle. Bring on the Holidays!! And hopefully, bring on some quilting, I have been missing it doing all of this :)

The Green Fairy and the First Dec. Giveaway!!!!

2011-12-02T07:40:00.005-07:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

I am so excited to welcome The Green Fairy as Happy Quilting's newest sponsor!!! Judi (aka the green fairy) and her husband Clint manage and operate The Green Fairy shop from their home in St. George Utah. (A mere 45 minutes down the road from me :)

The Green Fairy is your home for all of the new Moda and Riley Blake Pre-Cuts!!! And they sell at amazing prices!! Judi and Clint have an amazing selection of pre-cuts and you can always count on them having the newest releases!! Whether your looking for Fat Quarter Bundles, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, or Charm Packs . . . The Green Fairy has got it!!!

And if your looking for a tremendous sale on pre-cuts you should check out The Green Fairy Clearance Section. You can get pre-cuts up to 40% off. And who doesn't love a great deal!!

Another favorite of mine at The Green Fairy are Judi's amazing patterns!! Judi started designing patterns years ago and now has over 40 pattern designs that sell nation wide. And of course, you can find all of her beautiful patterns at The Green Fairy.

Oh, and not only does Judi help run this amazing shop, take care of her four kids, work on a book, but she is an absolutely amazing Long Arm Quilter. She has won several awards for her quilting. And you can see why . . . Here is one of her latest!! Absolutely Stunning!!! Yes, she does it all and does an amazing job!!!

Thank you to Judi and Clint and The Green Fairy!!!! I am so happy to have them as a part of Happy Quilting!!!

And today is the first Firday of December!!! You know what that means!!! Happy Quilting's Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway's are beginning today!!! And The Green Fairy is hosting our first giveaway!!! So what do they have for you?? How would you feel about an entire Fat Quarter Bundle of Deb Strain's Coming Home being left under your Christmas Tree???

You have three chances to win, and please, leave a separate comment for each (for a total of 4 comments max :) (If you leave one saying I did it all, Mr. Random.Org will only count it for one)

1 - Visit The Green Fairy shop and leave a comment of what item you would be at the top of your Christmas wish list!!!

2 - Sign up for The Green Fairy Newsletter or already receive the newsletter and leave a comment.

3 - Alert the Media - Post on facebook, twitter, or your blog about this giveaway. Leave a comment saying where you posted and a link to that post :) You can post on all 3 sites but it only gets you one entry, although there is always good giveaway juju :)

So that's it :) The giveaway will close on Wednesday the 7th and I will announce a winner shortly after. And Don't forget to stop by next Friday for our second Christmas Giveaway!!! Good Luck to all and Happy Quilting!!!

TNT Thursday with Dorian's Gift Bag Tutorial!!!

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited this TNT Thursday to have Dorian guest posting with her fabulous Gift Bag Tutorial!! This is something new that I totally want to try!!! Thanks again Dorian and take it away . . . .

Hello everyone, I'm Dorian, from RidgeTopQuilts. So happy to be here today and share this bag with you!! Thank you Melissa, for inviting me :)

With Christmas arriving soon, I though a cute gift bag would be in order. You can fill it with some small things like Legos or mini dolls, and give it to a child. Or fill it with some yummy chocolates for a favorite coworker or friend. Maybe even some cute sewing things for your sewing buddy.

You will need:

1 piece of 18"x 27" batting or interfacing of your choice (depending on how stiff/soft you want your bag.
1 piece of 18"x27" lining fabric.

Lay fabric A strip wrong side up in front of you, going lengthwise. Measure up from the bottom 1" and from the side 2" and mark a 1 1/2"x1/2" rectangle. Do this on both ends. Draw a line down the center and from each corner to the center.

Cut on the drawn lines inside the rectangle. And press to the inside.

And sew the pieces down.

Making prairie points.

You will need nine prairie points (PP's for short) Cut out nine 4" squares. I used fabric C, but you can use whatever color you want, or even make them all different.

Fold from one corner to the other, and press. And then fold one bottom corner to the other, and press again. So the two sides of the triangle, are folds, and the bottom is raw edge.

Open up the corner where the last fold was made, just a little bit to slip in the next triangle. I like to put it in about an inch. Then sew, using a scant 1/4" seam (some people use 1/8"). Stopping about halfway thru the triangle, to put the next one in.

I leave my small ruler right there next to my needle, so I can easily measure as I make my chain.

Sew all 9 PP's together.

Put fabric B face up on your table,. lay the PP's down along it, matching the bottom of the PPs to the top of fabric B. Lay fabric A face down on top (make sure the slits lay along the PPs).

Pin and sew 1/4" seam.

Press the seam up, towards fabric A. This will make sure your PPs' are pointing down.

Sew fabric C to the bottom of fabric B. Right sides together, 1/4" seam.

I laid my interfacing down on the back of my project, and marked about an 1 1/2" of space that covers the slits, then cut the strip out. You don't want to cover up the slits. This area has to be open (not ironed to the lining).

Iron on my interfacing to the back of your pieced project. Then place the lining on it, WRONG sides together. If using interfacing that irons on both sides, go ahead and iron your lining down. If not, or if you use batting. Pin it and quilt it anyway you want to.

Then fold the top down about 1/2" and sew a seam.

French seam

Fold your project so that the right side meets the left side, with the WRONG sides together. Pin and sew a scant 1/4". Down the side and along the bottom.

Turn your bag inside out. Smooth it all flat and sew a 3/8" seam down the side and along the bottom.

Turn right side out, and TA-DA...your seam is now encased in another seam :)

Making the tie.

Using a 4"x wof strip. Fold strip in half lengthwise and press. Open up, fold one long side to the middle fold line, press. Fold other long side in, press. Then fold the whole thing in half lengthwise.

Press and sew. I like to sew all around mine, but you can just sew the one seam to hold it all together, if you want.

Put a safety pin in the end of your strip and thread it thru the slits you made in the bag. This tie might be too long for you, if so, cut it to the length you want and sew the end up.

I hope you've enjoyed my tutorial. Thanks again Melissa, for having me here.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Dorian

And Thank You Dorian for taking the time to put together such a fabulous tutorial and then being willing to share it with all of us. I am sure quite a few of us will be adding it to our list of New Things to Try!!!

So what did I do new this week??? I tried out my new mat and practiced squaring up on a rotating mat, and my oh my, I love it!!!

Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!!!

2011-11-30T18:00:00.006-07:00

So I totally agree that Christmas is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!! It is a season of love and giving!! So I figured Happy Quilting should reflect that by doing some giving as well!! So check back each Friday leading up to Christmas for some Giveaway Goodness!!! That's right, each Friday, one of my amazing sponsors will be hosting a giveaway and trust me, you won't want to miss out!!!

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday!!!

Jump, Jump, Jump . . . Jump Around!!!

2011-11-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned last Thursday that I was trying something new in the way I quilt. I have always been a one quilt at a time type of gal. I would start it and pretty much finish it before starting any other new project. So I tried changing things up a bit and for the past 2 weeks, (in the little amount of sewing time I have had with the holidays and all) and have jumped around from project to project, doing little steps here and there. And guess what, I am loving it!!! (which is actually a really big surprise to me ;)

This week I finished my Sewing Summit Remake (see yesterday's post), worked on my STARS Quilt-A-Long (so happy to be picking this project back up again), Made the X's and O's for my Grandmother's quilt, and worked a bit more on my next Bake Shop Project, Flying in Squares.

Designing Stage

Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in March
Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in April
Baby Quilt for Special Nephew arriving in April
Circle Meets Square Quilt
4th of July Table Runner for Sister-In-Law
Christmas Tutorial

Piecing Stage

Stars Quilt-A-Long - Worked on!!!
Hugs and Kisses Quilt for Grandma - Worked on!!!
Going Places Quilt
Flying in Squares Quilt - Worked on!!!
Cottage Crossroads Baby Quilt

Quilting Stage

Nursery Crib Quilt

Completed Stage

Sewing Summit Projects - Bee Bolt Block and Bag Makeover

So what about you?? Are you a one at a time or are you a Jump, Jump, Jump, . . . Jump Around type???

Memories Bag

2011-11-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

My Sewing Summit Swag Bag remake is complete, and I am just giddy with the results. I decided right away that I really wanted to redo it as a sort of "Memories Bag". I wanted it to remind me of the classes I took, things I learned, and people I met. So I pondered for a while on how to do this and then came up with the idea of doing it a la "High School Yearbook Style".

I printed off some pictures on fabric using the good old Freezer Paper Printing method. Then I made some fun backgrounds for each of the pictures. The background for the class photo's represent what was taught in the class. So fun :) I wish I could have had each person in the picture sign the bag but alas, oh well.

So here it is, my Sewing Summit 2011 Memories Bag :) I am so looking forward to next year's Sewing Summit and the opportunity to make even more amazing memories!!

Holiday Weekend

2011-11-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

This was a terrific Holiday Weekend!! Our little family spent tons of time at Grandmas's. The kids loved playing all day with their visiting cousins. The adults loved having a little extra time to just sit and chat as the kids were already occupied, (although, the occasional temper tantrum had to be dealt with :) I baked 4 pies for Thanksgiving and they all turned out great so I was pretty excited about that. I ate way to much food all weekend but turkey is one of my favorites, especially leftover turkey sandwiches, so what ya gonna do :) I also made up some homemade chocolates, a Christmas tradition of mine. And last, but not least, I even managed to hit a few sales. (not the crazy late night ones mind you, I can't handle that kind of stress.) I even splurged at Jo-Ann's and got myself a little something something that I have wanted for some time now. But at 60% off retail and then another 25% off that is is really a splurge?? I don't think so :)

I hope you had a Terrific Holiday weekend as well and possibly scored some great deals :) Be back tomorrow with some more quilting goodness :)

Winner of the Intrepid Thread Woodlands Giveaway!!!!

2011-11-25T08:03:00.001-07:00

So I hope everyone in the States had a very Happy Thanksgiving and those of you from around the world had a Spectacular Thursday!!! I know I ate my fair share of turkey and pie and enjoyed spending time with family.

So today is the day to announce the winner of The Intrepid Thread sponsored giveaway. Remember those beautiful Woodlands fat quarters??? Of course, only one person can win the fat quarters but today everyone wins. Why??? Because Julie is having an amazing Black Friday Deal!!!

20% off of Everything!!!!! Just use the coupon code BLKFRI20

So go ahead and get yourself that item you fell in love with and wrap it up to go under your tree :)

Okay, I got so excited about the sale I almost forgot to tell you the winner. The winner of the fat quarter bundle of the woodlands is . . . . .

Congrats to Lisa Marie!!! I have sent you an email :) Now the rest of you jump on over to The Intrepid Thread and get your own little Black Friday Shopping Goodness :)

Thankful TNT Thursday!!

2011-11-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

So I thought today, being Thanksgiving here in the States and all, that we would change things up just a bit :) If you have something new you have tried and have blogged about it, please go right ahead and link it up. But if you would like, you can also add a list of things you are thankful for to your post. Or, if you just want to right a post about the things you are thankful for that would be great and then go right ahead and link that up as well :)

So, this week I tried something totally new to me. I was in a bit of a rut and didn't really want to finish up my crib quilt, so I decided to move to another quilt. I never quilt this way. I always try to finish what I start before I move on. (I get worried I won't ever come back to it :) But I actually found I really enjoyed bouncing around. I worked on 4 separate projects this week, and even though I didn't get a lot done on one particular project, I found I really liked the variety. So I think I am going to give bouncing around my WIP a shot for a little while :)

As to my list of things I am grateful for. . . .

I am grateful to be loved by an amazing husband and five wonderful children.
I am grateful to be finished with school and to be living in the home that we want to grow old in.
I am grateful to be a stay at home mom.
I am grateful to be living in a country where freedoms are upheld by the government and by brave men and women.
I am grateful to have been brought up by wonderful parents who taught me the value of right and wrong.
I am grateful to live 2 doors away from the best in-laws anyone could ask for.
I am grateful to have such an amazing creative outlet in quilting that allows me a little time-off each day.
I am grateful to my wonderful readers who leave sweet comments and boost my day.
I am grateful to have made so many wonderful friends through this wonderful online quilting community.

Alright. I am off to make some pies. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Beebolt Block

2011-11-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

In our wonderful Swag bag from the Sewing Summit was a little package from Beebolt. It contained 9 beautiful spring-ish 3" blocks were to be used to make a 8 1/2" block. That block will be mailed to Beebolt and then all of them blocks from each Sewing Summit participant will be made into a charity quilt. You were allowed to use any other fabrics to incorporate with these beautiful prints in making the block.

I whipped mine up yesterday after having a bit of a lightbulb idea. I figured, why not try my same concept that I did for the Fat Quarterly block, but reverse it. So I started with a simple 9 patch.

Then I slashed and whacked adding in some solid ivory. So this time the color was in the background and the neutral was in the intersecting lines. Fun little change up :)

Then I spun it a bit to give it some wonky goodness and trimmed it down to size.

And here is how it turned out. I love it!! I am so looking forward to seeing the quilt that is made up of all this beautiful spring goodness at next year's Sewing Summit. Which, by the way, has just been announced will be in Salt Lake City on October 11, 12, and 13. Hope to see you there :)

Just Call Me a Teeny Bopper

2011-11-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't been sewing a lot lately. Why?? Because I have been reading like crazy. I am one of those crazy people who once they start a book just can't put it down. I have to finish and a lot fall by the wayside in the mean time.

So I hadn't picked up a book in months. Then the other day, my husband mentioned that Crossed was coming out in a few days. So I logged onto my goodreads (which I hadn't been to in months) page to see the release date. To my surprise, 3 other books that I had been wanting to read had their release dates come and go while I was on a reading hiatus

So, to the library I went!! And now, I am all caught up in my book que and have been thoroughly enjoying the down time curling up with a few good books in front of the fire while watching the snow fall. So what have I been reading???

The second book in the YA Dystopian Matched Trilogy. Loved it and can't wait for the last installment!!!

The last book in the YA Septimus Heap Series. This is such a fun series!! Great for anyone who loved Harry Potter.

The last book in the YA Shiver Series. Think Twilight but just the werewolves :)

The second book in the Heroes of Olympus Series. This is the spin-off series from the Percy Jackson series. I am half way through this book and I am so loving it!!!

So ya, basically I am hooked on YA Series. I can't seem to get enough of them. Just call me a teeny bopper :)

Giveaway Day Sponsored by The Intrepid Thread

2011-11-18T07:29:00.001-07:00

The amazing Julie at the Intrepid Thread is sponsoring a wonderful giveaway here at Happy Quilting so let's get right to it!!

How about some stunning Fat Quarters from Khristain A. Howell's new collection The Woodlands?? Aren't they just adorable!!!

So how do you get the chance to win your self some beautiful fabric goodness. Simple.

Just click on over the The Intrepid Thread store and find your favorite item, then pop back here and leave me a comment of what that favorite item is. You can just copy and paste the title of the item or copy and paste the link if that makes it easier for you.

I can't wait to see what everyone has fallen in love with. One entry per person please :) The Giveaway will be open until Nov 24 and I will announce a winner on the morning of the 25th. Good Luck and Happy Quilting :)

TNT Thursday gets Wet

2011-11-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

So 2 things I tried new. One "quilty" goodness related. One absolutely not.

First. Remember when I showed this pillow a few days ago. Yup, it is the one that is part of the designer's challenge for Fat Quarterly. Well this was the first time I had ever tried making an envelope pillowcase. Crazy huh!!! It was so super easy. Now I want to start churning out pillows for every seat in the house. (Although the WIP list is a little long so maybe I should hold off on that :)

Second. On Saturday I competed in a Triathlon. Now before you go all "Wow, that is amazing" I should clarify. It was a team triathlon and the sprint distance. My husband has always wanted to do Triathlon's but swims like a rock. I swam in high school (some 15 years ago, mind you :) So when he found this little "fun event" he asked if I would swim so he could be part of it. What could I say.

About 4 laps into it I was dead and wishing I would have said No Way!!!! (unfortunately 4 times in the pool to "practice" before the event was not anywhere near enough to getting me into shape, who would have guessed that?? :) But about 4 hours after I was happy we were able to do it together. My husband absolutely loved it. And now he has hopes for us each competing our own. He just has to learn to swim and I just have to learn to get my tush out of bed in the morning to try to get back into somewhat decent shape :) Wish us luck :)

So what did you try new this week??? Let's see!!!!

WIP Wednesday - The Nursery Edition

2011-11-16T08:53:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my Mother staying with me last week I actually have some works that got progressed :) And I have to say Thank You to my mother as it was mostly her work. The new Baby Nursery went from bare to almost completely finished in just few days.

Here is an awful picture of the adorable curtain my Mother whipped up. It just needs a tie back for the long curtain. Isn't it just so adorable :)

And this is the crib bedding. My mother put together the bumper pads and crib skirt. They are so cute and have the added bonus of being much taller than the old set so that my wonderful 2 year old can't climb up the side and poke her sleeping sister any more.

And this is what I have been working on. This is fun disappearing 9 patch pattern I came up with. There will be 2 sets of block like this to make the crib quilt. I am hoping to get some time soon to finish it up :) And then the nursery will be pretty much done. It just needs a chair rail :)

So that's what I have been doing. Now for the rundown :)

Designing Stage

Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in March
Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in April
Baby Quilt for Special Nephew arriving in April
Circle Meets Square Quilt
4th of July Table Runner for Sister-In-Law
Christmas Tutorial
Sewing Summit Projects - Bee Bolt Block and Bag Makeover

Piecing Stage

Stars Quilt-A-Long
Hugs and Kisses Quilt for Grandma
Going Places Quilt
High Flying Quilt
Nursery Crib Quilt
Cottage Crossroads Baby Quilt

Quilting Stage

Completed Stage

Nursery Curtains, Bumper Pads, and Crib Skirt.

Stashing It Up :)

2011-11-15T09:50:00.009-07:00

I went to JoAnn's the other day to pick up some Perler Beads for the kiddo's for Christmas. I decided to just waltz on over to check out the clearance section to see if there might be some fabric I could use to make my front room curtains. There normally isn't that great of a selection but every once and a while you get lucky.

And this day was a lucky day. (Not for the curtains mind you, but quilting lucky :) It just so happened that they were taking an additional 50% off of the clearance price and had just stuffed the shelves with ton of the cotton prints that they were clearing out. (including a bunch of Fall prints, yippee skippee!!) At $1.50 to $2.00 a yard you just can't pass up these stash builders.

So that leads me to a discussion. What's your take on Designer Lines (Moda, Riley Blake, Westminster, ect.) verses Fabric Stores (JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Hancock) ?? And this is just purely my curiosity.

My take - I love working with the Designer line fabrics. Especially pre-cuts. They are so much fun and you get such a great variety of prints. And I do think the quality of the designer lines are better as well. They are easier to work with, feel better, and hold up better after washing. And often, I can find great sales at on-line stores that make them very reasonably priced. So basically, I reach for the designer fabrics first.

However, with that said, I am not above scoring some "good quality" fabrics at a killer deal. I use these fabrics for all kinds of projects and even though they are not quite as nice to work with and might not hold up as long, I still like the end results.

So that's my take (and it's just my personal opinion, I don't want to open a can of worms here :)

. . . What's yours???

Fat Quarterly Issue 7 and I'm in It, Squeal!!!!

2011-11-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

A little while back I received an invite to participate in the Fat Quarterly designer's challenge. I was so totally excited to be asked and even more so to participate in the challenge. It was so much fun!!!! Thanks again to Fat Quarterly for the invitation!!

The theme for Issue 7 of Fat Quarterly is Colour. As part of the designer's challenge we were sent the following 2 pieces of fabric and asked to make any type of block using a color palate derived from either fabric.

My 6 year old daughter was with me when I opened the little squishy envelope that contained these beautiful prints. She instantly grabbed the second piece of fabric and said “Oh, I love the butterfly block, it is my favorite.” Now this daughter loves to play with fabric and mix and match colors. She often helps me when trying to make color decisions. So I decided, in honor of all her color help in the past, to go with her favorite print to make the color palate. These are the fabrics we (yes, my daughter helped with this as well) pulled and we had so much fun doing it!!!

And this is the block I made from those prints!!! I love how it turned out!!! I was inspired by some beautiful metal art-work hanging in an office.. Don't you just love those moments. I had been milling around for days trying to decide what I wanted to do for my block and then wham!! There is the perfect concept just sitting right in from of me. Love it!!!

I turned my block into a fun little pillow. The pattern on how to make this block and some illustrations on how it would look done in a quilt format can be found in the 7th issue of Fat Quarterly which will be available for download tomorrow. Yippee Skippee!!! And I have to say, after perusing the issue already, that it is amazing!!! So many great projects. So many amazing uses of color!! I have already added to my continually growing list of projects I want to make.

Ya, I am still just super giddy that I got to be in Fat Quarterly. I will be perma-grin all day!!

TNT Thursday

2011-11-10T06:00:00.002-07:00

It's Thursday so that means another round of Trying New Things Thursday!!! Yippee Skippee!! I am so excited for this week's TNT because I tried something that I have wanted to do for a long time. What is it you ask??? I tried out my first Swap Experience!!! And it was so much fun!!!!! I can't believe I haven't done one of these already.

My first swap was the Post Sewing Summit Swap. We could make mini's or little bags. I opted for a mini. My partner, SzyHomemaker, who pretty much let me know she would be happy with anything. (which I have to admit took off some of the pressure for this first timer :) I really wanted to use some of the fabric I got at the Sewing Summit for my mini. So I went with the Fat Eights we got at Material Girls during the Shop Hop. I really wanted a piece of my Sewing Summit Experience to belong to my partner. So with the fabric chosen I was on to picking a design I have wanted to make a Swoon block for some time and I figured it would work perfect for a mini. Here's how it turned out.

I also tried somenew quilting with just some random straight lines. It was hard for me to keep it random but I had fun with it once I was able to let go of my need for everything to be symmetircal. (And I am just realizing that this is actually 3 TNT's in 1, New Swap, New Pattern, and New Quilting, Woo Hoo!! :) I added some Flurry with the package since everyone is starting to get ready for the Holiday season and some chocolate to keep Suzy sewing late into the late night hours :)

And the coolest part of the swap is getting your own package in the mail. This arrived from Mary Catharine the other day and boy was I excited!!! The mini is gorgeous. I absolutly fell in love with the purples and I love Dresden's!!! And the extra's were a wonderful suprise. Beautiful fat quarters and those Aero Chocolate Bars happen to be my favorite chocolate bar and you can't buy them in the States. Whenever we visit my Mom's family in Canada I always stop at the C-Store to pick some up. Now I don't have to wait for my next visit!!!

Look, she even bound it with a super adorable flange!!! How cute is that!!!!

And here it is matching perfectly on my purple sewing room wall and with my purple sewing machine. It is so fun to see it every time I sit at my machine. Thank you a million times over Mary Catharine!! I love it!!!

So that's what I was Trying New this week. Let's see what you have been up to!!! Go ahead and link up your post of what you Tried New this week. Remember it doesn't have to be anything big and it doesn't have to be quilting. Let's see it all!!!

And since Amy from Amy Lou Who has posted this mini quilt challenge, I figured I would add my little mini to the bunch!!! Thanks for having such a fun party Amy!!!

WIP Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:02:00.001-07:00

My Mother is visiting this week (Yippee Skippee) and she brought with her a fabulous roll of fabric that she found in Salt Lake that perfectly matches the color on the nursery walls. So I bet you can guess what that roll is going to turn into . . . Bumper pads, Crib Skirt, and Curtains. And of course, from my stash I pulled some wonderful prints to make a matching Crib Quilt!! I am so excited!!! So add a Baby Room Makeover to the Works in Progress!!! (But hopefully it won't stay for long :)

I also managed to move a few of the projects to the Completed Stage!!! Yippee Skippee!!!

Designing Stage

Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in March
Baby Quilt for Special new Niece arriving in April
Circle Meets Square Quilt
4th of July Table Runner for Sister-In-Law
Christmas Tutorial
Sewing Summit Projects - Bee Bolt Block and Bag Makeover

Piecing Stage

Stars Quilt-A-Long
Hugs and Kisses Quilt for Grandma
Going Places Quilt
High Flying Quilt
Baby Room Makeover - Crib Bedding and Curtain

Quilting Stage

Completed Stage

Secret Project B
Secret Project C
Secret Project A
Sewing Summit Project Mini - (more on this tomorrow)

And a special Congrats to Lee at Freshly Pieced!! This is her 1 year anniversary of WIP Wednesday linky!!! Check it out by clicking on the link below!!