Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tetris Quilt-A-Long - Week 3



**  NOTE  - This post is part of a series of posts for the Tetris Quilt-A-Long.  If you would like to join (and have a chance to win one of the grand prizes sponsored by The Intrepid Thread ) you can find a list of the post links here :)


Need detailed instructions on "how to play"??  See this post :)


It's Week 3 of the Tetris Quilt-A-Long!!!!  I am so excited that there are so many of you just anticipating this post all week long!!!

But before we get to the pieces for week 3, Let's first announce a winner of the Week 2 giveaway who gets the Phenomenal Fall Jelly Roll. And Mr Random Generator says the winner is . . .#32 -Angie C - Congrats!




So now that that is taken care of . . . Let's get on to Week 3!!!




First, Print off your grid!!
Now, color in your Tetris Pieces

 



Nothing fancy needed, just fill it in as if you were playing.  Here's my grid for this week.



Now lay your fabric out to match your grid.



And you are ready to sew your squares into rows and then your rows into your Week 3 Block!!! (For detailed instructions on sewing a grid/patch block together see this post :)  



Yippee Skippee!!!  Your third week block is complete!!!  And now you can enter to win the weekly prize :)

The Weekly Prizes are sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop and a huge thanks goes to them for their support of the Tetris Quilt-A-Long.

This weeks  prize is a Dear Mr. Claus Jelly Roll by Cosmo Cricket for Moda



So you know what to do for a chance to win :)  Link up your Week 3 block at the end of this post :)  Make sure to link up by next Monday night as I will be announcing a winner at the beginning of next weeks post :)

If you don't get your block done by next week you can still link it up :) (just not in time for the prize :)    The linky will remain open until the end of the Quilt-A-Long.  So if your out of town, or just had a busy week, no worries!!!  Just link up when you can :)

And Don't forget to add your Week 3 Block to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group!!!   I am so excited to see everyone's Week 3 block!!!

So go to it  and Happy Quilting!!!


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Monday, July 30, 2012

Some New Projects

I have 3 new projects that I am starting to do in the month of August :) Why tackle one at a time when you can just go at 3 :)  One of my favorite parts of starting a new project is choosing the fabrics :)  (How about you, is this one of your favorite parts??)

The first project is one from my Stash and is for something I am super excited about.  (More on that next month, think tutorial :)  So I pulled out my Daisy Cottage Fat Quarter Bundle.  I have been waiting for just the right project that has the same sort of Shabby Chic feel that this fabric has.  And this project is the perfect match :)  I am so excited to finally be using it!!!  (And yes, I had to borrow this picture because I was so excited to start that I busted it open and starting cutting before I remember to take a picture of my actual bundle :)


For project 2 I am using Mama Said Sew by Sweetwater for Moda!!!  I love this line!!!  I have been drooling over pictures of it for months now and I am so excited to start cutting into it!!  And as of right now, this project is being made for me personally :)  That doesn't happen to often so I am super excited :)  


And project 3  . . . Little Black Dress by Basicgrey for Moda.  This project is for my niece who is getting a makeover of her room in a black and cream a la Paris Chic design.  So of course, she needs the perfect new bedspread to go with it and Little Black Dress is the absolute perfect fit!!


And one other little thing . . . I am planning to do Patterns out of Project 2 and 3 :)  (There, now I have said it so you can hold me to it ). I am so excited about the designs and hope your gonna love them as much as I do :)  So I best get to some cutting!!!  Deadlines looming and all that jazz :)

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

We Need A Winner!!

Thank you all for your super sweet comments on my Ribbons Quilt Tutorial as part of the Christmas in July Blog Hop!!!  You guys are the greatest!!!


And somehow, I totally forget to do the winner of the gift certificate as part of the blog hop.  Oops.  So let's get to that.


The winner of the I Don't Do Dishes Gift Certificate is . . . 

 #109 - Mary Beth!!!  Congrats MaryBeth.  I am sure you will find something awesome to use your gift certificate on :)


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Friday, July 27, 2012

Lost and Found

So it has been a bit crazy around here trying to manage without a camera and without my Flickr account.  You don't realize how important those things are for the daily functioning of a quilting blog, but ya, they are huge.

But . . .  As of Tuesday, I was able to work with customer support and get my Flickr issue all sorted out.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see this when I logged in!!  And then to have my Photostream back!!!  Heaven :)  So ya, I spent a good amount of time catching up :)


And . . . Yesterday when I was loading the kids in the car . . . Guess what I found lodged under the seat???


Yippee Skippee!!!!  The crazy thing is . . . This was not the vehicle we took camping.  I think I have figured out how it got there . . . but mainly I am just so grateful to have it back :)  It's not fancy or anything, but I know how it works and I am comfortable with it.  (And a huge thank you to my Mother-In-Law for letting me use her camera in the interim.)  

So everything is back to normal . . . well as normal as things ever get :)

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

TNT gets Ziggy

We'll it has been another fun filled week ;)  I actually tried 2 new things this week, and both of them had to do with my new Ribbons Quilt.  First, I did a new free motion quilting design of Holly and Ivy.  It was a super fun quilting design that got super easy about half way through the quilt :)  (And there is a video tutorial of how to do it at then end of this post :)  


And, I also tried zig-zaging my edges before binding.  (I zig-zaged my raw edges first using the front of the quilt as a guide and then trimmed the excess.)    Linz had mentioned on a TNT a while ago that she had tried this, and so I figured, why not give it a go and see if it makes a difference.   And I can say, It made a difference.  I don't use pins or clips at all when I bind, just do it by hand as I go, so having one layer to worry about instead of 3 separate ones really made it go together quickly.  I can see myself zig-zaging a lot more in the future ;) 


So that is what I Tried New this week ;)  How about you????  Link on up :)

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tetris Quilt-A-Long - Week 2


**  NOTE  - This post is part of a series of posts for the Tetris Quilt-A-Long.  If you would like to join (and have a chance to win one of the grand prizes sponsored by The Intrepid Thread ) you can find a list of the post links here :)


Need detailed instructions on "how to play"??  See this post :)


It's Week 2 of the Tetris Quilt-A-Long!!!!  I am so excited to see how many people joined in with week 1.

And so how about a winner of the Week 1 giveaway who gets the beautiful Birds and the Bees Design Roll. And Mr Random Generator says the winner is . . .#43 - Deb - Congrats :)



If your new, great were so glad to have you!!!  So let's get to week 2!!


First, Print off your grid!!
Now, color in your Tetris Pieces


Now you just fill in your grid with your pieces.  There were a lot of people who mentioned they wanted to continue their blocks from last week into this week. For example, my Orange square that cut off last week would continue into the bottom of this weeks grid :)   That's totally fine.  You can do whatever makes you happy.


This is my grid for the week 2.  And for fun, if you really want to get tricky, you can even have extra pieces go off to the right :)  I will add the extra purple square (where the circle is) into week 5.   You can make it however makes you happy, stick to just 1 blocks a week, or let pieces float over to over weeks :)


Now lay your fabric out to match your grid.  (Yes, 2 of my yellows are right side down, but no worries, I fixed it before I pieced it :)


And now just sew your squares into rows and then your rows into your Week 2 Block!!! (For detailed instructions on sewing a grid/patch block together see this post :)  



And now your second block is complete!!!  And now you can enter to win the weekly prize :)

The Weekly Prizes are sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop and a huge thanks goes to them for their support of the Tetris Quilt-A-Long.

This weeks  prize is a Phenomenal Fall Jelly Roll by Sandy Gerviais for Moda





So what do you have to do for a chance to win this beautiful Jelly Roll??  Simple . . . Just link up your Week 2 block at the end of this post :)  You can link to a blog post or a flickr picture, or whatever.  Just make sure to link up by next Tuesday morning as I will be announcing a winner at the beginning of next weeks post :)

If you don't get your block done by next week you can still link it up :) (just not in time for the prize :)    The linky will remain open until the end of the Quilt-A-Long.  So if your out of town, or just had a busy week, no worries!!!  Just link up when you can :)

And Don't forget to add your Week 2 Block to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group!!!  (There will be some giveaways there too, I'm just saying :)   I am so excited to see everyone's Week 2 block!!!

So what are you waiting for . . . Get your Tetris sewing on!!!
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Monday, July 23, 2012

Christmas in July - Ribbons Quilt and Tutorial

I was so excited when Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy asked me to participate in her Christmas in July Hop.  I mean, who doesn't love Christmas??  This blog hop is full of Christmas Home Decor and Homemade Christmas gifts :)  And getting a jump start on the holiday's is always a good idea!!


I debated for a while what to put together . . . and then my mom got some new couches and was discussing how she would move them around to make room for the tree.  (Yup, that is a first concern with new furniture in the house I grew up in :)  As she was making plans she mentioned how great it would look to have a  simple Christmas throw to go on the back of her couch.  Wham!!!  Idea :)  You know, something that is just right for curling up with a few little ones while you read Christmas stories and drink hot chocolate.  And so Ribbons came about . . . The perfect Christmas throw that can be whipped together super fast for you or for a loved one :)


So what are you going to need to make your own Ribbons throw.  Simple.  Your favorite Christmas Jelly Roll (I used Kate Spain's Joy) and (4) 1/2 yard cuts of coordinating solids.  


We'll start with a little bit of cutting.  Press the 1/2 yard solid pieces and then lay them on top of each other on your mat.  (Yes, I cut all 4 of mine at the same time, just make sure you have a sharp blade.)  Cut (7) 2 1/2" x WOF strips and trim the selvages from the top. (makes 28 strips total because stacked up)  Set (2) of each of the solid strips aside for binding.   Then cut 1/2" up from the fold on the 5 remaining sets of strips to create a total of (40) 2 1/2" x 21" strips.


 Now open your jelly roll, and with the strips folded, trim the selvage edge from all 40 strips.


And you are already on to sewing!!! You will be sewing strips together end to end alternating from print to solid.  But rather than doing a straight edge, Ribbons is sewn on an angle.   This is just like making a binding strip. (A really long binding strip)  Place your first 2 pieces with right sides together on a 90 degree angle.  Draw a diagonal line across the top strips that meets at the corner of the bottom strip.  Pin on either side on the line.  Sew a seam directly on top of the line.


Now, this is where it is easy to make a mistake.  The solids make it hard to tell if you are on the right side or wrong side.  So a trick -  if you lay your strip flat and then bend it to create a L shape the end of your strip will be right side up :)  So, now you are going to add another print strip using the same method as before.  Then add a solid, then print, ect. until you have sewn all of 40 of your jelly roll strips and all 40 of your solid strips into one very long strip!!!


*** Now, if you want to save some time, as Ribbons is a quick Christmas project, you can make this a completely pin-less project!!!!  Instead of drawing your diagonal line and pinning, just line your pieces up with right sides together on the 90 degree angle, and then draw a dot where the pieces meet up at the end.  Now holding the pieces together, sew at an angle towards the dot.  The first few might be a little tricky, but trust me, you get plenty of practice with this quilt, you will have it down in no time!!


Remember to keep your L shape so that you have right sides together.  When you get really good, you can not even bother with the dot.  I just put my fingernail there and sew towards it :)  If your using this method, again, just keep adding strips alternating prints and solids until you get all 40 solids and all 40 prints sewn into one strip.


Now, go ahead and trim away the excess at each of the seams about a 1/4" from the sewn line.  It doesn't have to be perfect, just approximate :)


Press each of the seams in one direction.


 *** If you end up with some major twisting while trying to press, rather than try to move it all the way down your massive strip, just unpick a seam, get the twist out, and then sew the seam back up again.  This seems a little like a waste of time but trust me, it is way faster than trying to move the twist down the strip.


Now the fun part begins.  Take your super long strip and line the first strip up with the last strip (Or the top with the bottom).  You don't have to bother lining up the entire strip, you can do that as you sew.


Place the 2 ends of the strips with right sides together and begin sewing a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Continue to line up the raw edges as you continue to sew the 1/4" seam.

Continue sewing until you get to the bottom of the strips.  Mine had a little twist in it but no worries.  Just pull it tight and clip the end to make your one strip into 2.  Then finish sewing the 1/4" seam to the end of the strip.


Press your seam to one side.  You don't have to press, but I find it makes it easier to line things up.  You can trim your end if needs be to line the pieces up.



Now, it is just repeating the process.  Take the end of your 2 strip piece and line it up with the top of your 2 strip piece.  Once again, sew a 1/4" seam aligning up the raw edges as you go.


Continue this way until you get to the end of your strip.  And once again, clip the bottom of the strip to create 2 strips and then finish sewing the 1/4" seam to the end of the strips.  Press.


Now just repeat this process, turning your now sets of 4 into sets of 8, and then your sets of 8 into sets of 16.  When you sew the set of 16 together and trim at the bottom you are done!!


Open it up and check it out!!!  A super fun, super fast, Ribbons Christmas Throw!!


So now it is time to turn that finished quilt top into a finished Quilt ;)  Time to  Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It!!!  Which is a whole lot in one little sentence.  If you are new to quilting, you can see my Finishing Your Quilt Series of video tutorials that will walk you through Basting, Quilting, and Binding step by step ;)  Use your remaining solid strips to bind the quilt.  And Wha La!!!  A beautiful Ribbons Christmas Throw measuring appx. 60" x 70" perfect for snuggling up with under the Christmas Tree!!


I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Ribbons Quilt I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Ribbons Quilts!!!

The quilting on this Ribbons throw is my version of Holly and Ivy with loops.


I thought it might be fun to include a little video tutorial of how you can do your own Holly and Ivy quilting on your home machine.  It is a little tricky to start but you catch on quick.  Remember, like all things free motion quilting . . . Practice makes Perfect :)  Hope you enjoy :)



Thanks for popping in today and sharing this Christmas in July quilt with me ;) 

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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