Showing posts sorted by relevance for query new sewing machine. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query new sewing machine. Sort by date Show all posts

Thursday, April 26, 2012

TNT Thursday - My Big New Thing!!!


So I have actually been trying my new thing for a while now but didn't want to post about it until I really got a feel for it.  What is my new thing I have been trying??   I'll give you a hint . . .


Did you guess it??  Yup, I got a new sewing machine!!!!  Well, new to me that is.  Obviously they don't sell the Artista new anymore.  My husband gave me this wonderful surprise for our anniversary.  He knew I had been wanting to upgrade from my little Bernette but it still worked great so I couldn't justify just ditching it.  So, being the great guy he is, he got rid of all the excuses I came up with and just set aside a nice allotment for me to choose a new machine.

So I choose and have been trying it out for a little bit and I love it!!!!!!  I love it, I love it, I love it!!!!!!!!   What do I love about it . . . .
     So much faster than my old machine.
     Has a perfect straight stitch
     Sews a whole heck of a lot quieter than my old machine.
     Has a larger bobbin so I can go a lot longer before changing my bobbin.
     Makes a perfect tension FMQ stitch.  (Seriously, I have done 3 quilts on it and it is a million times better)
     Has lots of fun stitches to play with, still needing to explore all these options ;)
     Can breeze through multiple layers, I so love this!!!  No more pulling fabric through for me.

 Now, I know some of you are going to ask Why this machine and why Bernina??  Well, first off . . . Why Bernina, well basically, I really didn't look at anything else.    My Mom always used Bernina, my MIL always used Bernina, I guess Bernina is in my blood.

Why this machine.  Well I was looking for a machine that had a larger harp space for when I am doing FMQ and was a bit more of a work horse.  That was the main focus.  The newer Bernina's with the larger harp space have all been upgraded to the BSR system (and I really wasn't looking to spend that much) so I immediately started looking at used machines that fit my 2 basic needs.  Quickly it was down to an Artista or an Aurora.  The Artista won out basically on price :)


And the cool thing about buying a used machine is all the extra little goodies that come with it.  Like this awesome Sew Steady Table.  This is one of those things that I wonder how I ever got on without it.  It makes quilting so much easier.  You just don't have to deal with near the tug and pull issues.   I also love that I can line up pieces on the table and they stay lined up!

It also has the super nice Bernina Walking Foot.  Now I had a walking foot on my old machine but this one puts it to shame.  I love how heavy duty it is, and I love having the measuring bars that attach to it!!

Lastly, and this might be my ultimate favorite thing about it, which is probably silly, but true!!   The 1/4" foot!!!!  Oh my goodness, does this make piecing so much more accurate!!!  You know before when you were trying to pay attention to a tiny line on your foot (I didn't even have one on my machine).  Now I just feed my fabric through keeping it even with the edge of the foot!!!   Heaven!!!!  My seams have never been so perfect!!  I love it!!!

And of course, there is lots more that I haven't had time to explore.   I really liked that this machine came with the embroidery unit as well.  When I have a few seconds I am going to sit down and figure that out.  I already have a project I want to embroider.  Guess that will be a future TNT :)

And just in case you are wondering, yes, she has a name.  This is Abby the Artista ;)

So that is what I have been trying (for the last month or so :)  What have you been up to :)  Link on up!!!



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Thursday, November 10, 2011

TNT Thursday

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!!!
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Thursday, November 1, 2018

New Month, New WIP's ;)

Well, here we are in November.   And I know I didn't share a whole lot of finishes in October, but that doesn't mean I wasn't stitching away ;)   I have two finishes that I am waiting to share, and I got working on two projects put on hold, and started two new projects in October as well.   Yippee!!!  Here's some peaks on what's been at the machine in October.   

So the two I am working on that got set aside . . . you might remember that stack of beautiful squares that I shared clear back in July  of Corey Yoder's Sunnyside Up fabrics.  Well in August I made the basic units, and then they got pushed aside to make time for the Seeing Stars Quilt Along (which was oh so much fun!!)   But with that come to a finish, it was time to pull those units back out and start making blocks!!!    And I am thrilled that as of yesterday, I have 2 seams left to press, and all the blocks are done ;)


These blocks are the same as this block that I shared a little peek of last week.    They are both versions of a new pattern that I am working on and I hope to be to finish and share later this month.   This version uses Dandi Annie by Robin Pickens and I just love it mixed with Grunge.   I can't wait for the full reveal of both!!!


And then, the two new projects.  Sometimes it is so fun to just start things on a whim.   I shared that I got the new Basix Ruler in my Sew Sampler Box the other day and I have always wanted to make these fun star quilts.  So with some strip piecing and a whole lot of cutting the last few days, I now am ready to start sewing all the stars.   So fun!!!


And my other new project was started so that I could play with a new "toy" in my sewing room!!!  If you follow me on Instragram, you know that I had a lovely new package arrive, and I have been excited to try it out.    And why not start with sewing all the curves!!!   More on this new Accucuquilt Go to come :) 


So hopefully,  November will be filled with a whole lot of finishes!!  And I am super excited about that ;)  And be sure to pop back in tomorrow, because I get to share my Daughter's finish, and  I am so happy for her!!!   She just warms my heart in her love for sewing.   And she might already have a few projects that she is working on as well, including a new one that also includes playing with the new accuquilt go!!!   She is just as excited about playing with this new little "toy" as I am ;) 

Thanks for popping in today and I hope you had a very Happy Quilting October and are looking forward to a wonderfully Happy Quilting November!!! 
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Monday, February 16, 2015

Leaders and Enders

Several of you have emailed me asking about Leaders and Enders, so I whipped up this quick little tutorial.  Leaders and Enders are a great way to work on a quilt in the midst of all your other sewing.  It also makes it so you never have to clip threads at the end of your sewing and you don't have to hold on to your threads to start sewing.  It's a win-win ;)  I first learned about these in a beginner quilting class back in 2005.   And  Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville is the Queen of this technique and I am told she has several books with lots of ideas on how to use them ;)  I love Leaders and Enders!!! So here is how you do it.

For my Leaders and Ender's I choose to use 2 1/2" squares.  I sorted them in a rainbow and then have a stack of Low Volume prints to match them with.  These just sit right next to my machine so they are always convenient.


Start by sewing whatever you happen to be working on.   I was working on some Great Granny Squares Bee Blocks when I took these pictures.  (Bee blocks always let you do lots of leaders and enders because there isn't a ton of chain stitching ;)  When you get to the end of your chain stitched sewing, (mine was only 2) grab a 2 1/2" white square and a 2 1/2" colored square and with right sides together sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.  This creates the Leader.


Then clip your project, leaving the Leader in your machine.


Once again, Sew your project aka my bee blocks, and then at the end of your chain stitching, add another Leader by sewing a 2 1/2" colored and white square together.


Now your original leader has become the ender and it is done.  Clip the threads between your projects, once again leaving your new leader in the machine.   Put your sewn 2 patch in a pile next to your machine and your are ready to do it again.   I found it is helpful to leave my little snipping scissors on my sewing table behind my machine.  That way whenever I am ready to clip they are right where I need them ;)


So every time you sit down to sew you will have a Leader waiting for you that you will turn into an Ender.  At the end of your sewing always add a Leader.


And it just keeps going around and around ;)


 And before you know it, you have a huge stack of 2-patches.  My top ones are the ones waiting to be sewn and the bottom ones are already sewn.  And this is only after a week of using Leaders and Enders.


And then you can turn your 2 patches into 4 patches and the possibilities are endless from there.   I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and give it a try.  Trust me, you are gonna love it!!!  I think I will always have 2 1/2" squares next to my machine now ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!
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Monday, April 24, 2017

A funny thing happened on the way to the Quilt Shop

I have a fun little story to share today with a totally awesome ending!!!

 Last week, I realized that my Artista (Abby) Sewing Machine was long overdue for it's annual  maintenance and it was making a  funny noise so I figured I best take it in.  So I packed it up (a little begrudgingly, because its hard to go back to Bernadette as she isn't quite as reliable or fast) and my husband and I headed down to St. George to take it in for service.  On the way there, my husband just casually remarked  "For all the sewing you do, you really should have a second machine that is just as reliable as the first."   And I, being a little surprised, just smiled and said, "That would be nice indeed".    And a couple hours later I was walking out of the Bernina Quilt Shop with this little lady :)


I figured my sweethearts comment would simmer and maybe something would happen for Christmas . . .  but it was just one of things where everything worked out.  We walked into the shop to drop off my machine for maintenance, and they just happened to have a traded in Aurora 440.  Which was the other machine I was totally looking at when I got my Artista, and of course, my husband remembered that.  He just smiled and said "Call it an Early Mother's Day Present ;)"  Yes indeed, I sure do love that man of mine and am so very blessed to have him!!!!!!


And I am absolutely loving this new machine!!!!  No surprise that is quickly become my main machine and my Abby is now my back-up machine :)  It is faster, and quieter, and all together just awesome!!!  I have been heads down sewing like a crazy person all weekend and loving every minute of it :)  And it comes with the embroidery unit and I can take classes at the shop on how to use it, so maybe I will finally figure out how to do that little awesome bonus on this machine!!

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I figure she already has a name so no need to come up with a new one.  I am just so excited to welcome Aurora to the family!!!!!

Hope you are having a very Happy Quilting Day!!!  I'm off for some more chain stitching goodness :)
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Monday, May 6, 2019

UQSM!!!

This last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to teach at the Utah Quilting and Sewing Marketplace Show.  This was my first time teaching at this show, and wow, it was a whirlwind of quilting awesomeness!!!  And now I look back on the last few days and realized, it all went so fast!!!  Of course, I had plans to take lots of pictures and share what was going on each day, and ya, I didn't post a single thing and barely took any pictures outside of the classroom.  But it's all good, because the classroom part was where it was so much fun!!!! 
 I taught 4 classes and did a trunk show in two days and it was oh so much fun!!!   Especially because this UQSM Show had a lot of first's for me.   This was the first time I taught at a show where the machines were provided!!  It was so nice for students in classes not to have to lug around their machines, and while there was for sure a learning curve on sitting down to a new machine, they had reps there available in class to help us with any machine difficulties, which was oh so nice!!! 


And with 4 classes, and three of those four being pretty much full, it was some serious pedal to the medal kind of sewing for two days.   And oh we all had so much fun!!!  And even with that, Barbara still had time to squeeze in a first of getting to hold a "Brand New Someday Quilter" while her mom stitched away in class.   Isn't Shauna's wee one just the cutest!!!


And another first for me, I got to award a ribbon at the Quilt Show!!!   Every teacher was given a Teachers Choice Ribbon and you all know me, I was looking for the quilt that just made me Happy!!  And this C'est La Vie quilt was made by Charlene Russell and quilted by Cathie Zimmerman both from Utah.   It is part of the Moda Challenge Exhibit and was auctioned off on Saturday for the Sew Much Hope Charity Auction!!!


Which was another first for me at a quilt show as well!!!  I have made lots of quilts for Shows and Market and for Good Causes, but never have I gotten to have it auctioned off in a live auction, by an actual auctioneer.   I made this Back to Basics quilt for the auction, and I was sad that I wasn't able to be there in person for the live part, as I was headed back home to be with the family, but I heard that it went great, and that everyone had an amazing time, and a lot of funds were raised for the Sew Much Hope cause, which just makes me so happy!!!


And with all of the new stuff at this show, there was one thing that wasn't new . . . the aftermath ;)     Like I said, I got to teach 4 classes, and do a trunk show.  And the Trunk Show was totally awesome and I wish I would have taken a picture of it, but of course,  I was up front talking at 100 miles an hour about how much I love quilting!!  (please tell me you all talk way fast when get so excited to share)    But even after great classes, and a super fun trunk show,  which I took 50 quilts to share for, it all has to be put away :)  


So ya, I know I said at the beginning that the classroom was the most fun, and it totally was!!!!    But I will have to promise to share pictures in the next few days of how everyone's blocks came together in class, because right now, I have to go unpack so I can actually get to my sewing machine ;)

And hey, if you are in the Salt Lake area around May 2020, you are so going to want to put UQSM on your calendar!!!  It is a don't miss event and I can't wait for next year ;)  

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

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wantobe Quilter Campaign!!!

Okay, so we all know that I am a little crazy about quilting :)  Well there is a new campaign going on over at one of my favorite blogs (Sew We Quilt) for new Want To Be Quilters who are just getting started out in the wonderful world of quilting.  The idea is to spread the joy of quilting (so that you can all think about quilting as often as I do, tee hee hee)  And the best thing about it is you can win big!!!  Oh, and I should mention when you win, I win too  (and you all love me and want me to win too, right :) 



So what can you win . . .
They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks.  From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters, to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles, rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.   (I will mention though, if you do win . . . you have to pay for the shipping of the prizes, as the oranizer is doing so much she would go bankrupt in shipping costs.  But trust me, these prizes will be worth the shipping.  However, if you win something that you don't want to pay shipping for you can just not claim the prize, or you can tell me you don't want that particular prize, I am pretty positive I would be willing to pay for shipping to my house :)
So what qualifies you to be a Wantobe Quilter . . . 
You do not have your own machine, tools, notions, or fabric stash.  (now I know a few of you have a old, beat up, or "wimpy" machine but that is okay, that just means you don't qualify to win a machine, but you can win anything else.)  Basically, You could have made a quilt once with a Mom, Sister, Friend, ect. but you loved it, and want to do it more, but you don't have your own tools. 
So what do you have to do . . .
FIRST - Email me your name, email,  and phone number sew I can submit this to the organizer.  (These won't be redistributed and you can email them to me at happyquiltingmelissa (at) gmail (dot) com )
SECOND - Make sure you are a follower at my blog (www.happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com) and a follower at Stash Manicure.  http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com).  (Following is easy, just click on the follow button up in the top left hand corner of the blog :)   

Doing these two easy steps qualifies you to win!!  Pretty Easy Right!!! 

 There are over 49 Sponsors involved.  And oh my goodness it is going to be a blast!! I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you. I love being a QUILTER and I hope that a few of you can maybe win big and start down your own path of having quilting on the brain 24/7.   So if you are interested, just follow the 2 steps above :)  
This all starts August 1st so make sure to send me those emails by then :)  It is going to be so much fun!!!!
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Sunday, February 15, 2015

Snapshots QAL - Sew On & Sew On

It's month 2  of the Snapshots QAL and that means that there is a new block to work on!!!  This month, is Sew On & Sew On and how could I not absolutely love this month's block!!!  It's a sewing machine, Love It!!!


Two fun things came about when I was cutting this block out.  First off, I realized that some of the fabric was directional on purpose.  Yup, didn't realize that with the first block and went back to find that my cake stand words were a little askew.  And now that I had realized it, of course it bothered me enough to go back and unpick it and put new pieces in with words going the right way.   So if you are QAL, pay attention to the fussy cut and directional print directions ;)  

Also, I tried something new, marking the labeling letters on my fabric with a Frixion pen.  This got a lot of replies on Instagram and some of them having some scary experiences with it.   But I loved how easy it made finding the pieces I needed, there are a lot of very similar sizes in the same fabrics in this block.  So someone suggested labeling on the back of the fabric, and I figure that will be my win win situation going forward ;)  


So, do you want to make a adorable sewing machine block too??  You can download the pattern right here and then don't forget to donate the $5.00 for the pattern to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ;)  This is such an amazing cause and it is so fabulous that Fat Quarter Shop and Moda will be matching our donations up to $10.000.00!!  



Kimberly also made putting this block together even easier with this fabulous You Tube video.  Bonnie and Camille start it off with some of their special sewing memories as well ;)  Love It!!!




Be sure to  share all of your Snapshots progress on social media with #fqssnapshots and check out these fabulous bloggers for some Sew On & Sew On inspiration :)  


Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms
Bonnie Olaveson of Cotton Way
Pat Sloan of The Voice of Quilting
Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet
Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life
Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting
Thelma Childers of Cupcakes N' Daisies
Pam Viera-McGinnis of Pam Kitty Morning
Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs
Stephanie Kendron of The Modern Sewciety
Natalia Bonner of Piece N Quilt
Greg Jones of Grey Dogwood Studios
Jessie Fincham of Messy Jesse



Thanks for popping in today ;)  Have a Happy Quilting (and maybe sewing on) Day!!!
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Thursday, January 11, 2018

So Many Starts!!!

I love a New Year because with it comes a lot of New Project Starts!!!   I like to use December to finish things up, and I try not to start new things over the Holidays, but that means come January, I have a "mostly" clear plate that I tend to fill up super fast ;)  And this year, January has brought several new project starts!!!

And it begins with a new Leader and Ender project.  My Leader and Ender project from last year is now at the stage of the blocks needing to be sewn together, so it was totally time for a new start.  And I decided on my Scraptastic Stars Pattern that I made last year for the Aurifil Block of the Month ;)   I am going to use 2 1/2"squares instead of 2" squares so that the blocks finish at 16" and plan on making 16 blocks.  Now just to sort my squares into some more hues of each color so I can make 16 piles and then they will go by my machine ready for sewing some Leader and Ender goodness :) 


Next up is a Tutorial Project, and this particular tutorial will feature at the Moda Bake Shop next month and I am so excited for it!!!  I am using V and C's new Ombre Confetti line and it is just so fun.  I have always wanted to play with Vanessa's Ombre fabrics, and am super excited about the design I came up with as I think it really plays nice with the Ombre goodness.  And of course, I like to make my bindings first, and just look how fun it is in that rainbow!!!


And then, of course, I have a little Secret Sewing Project ;)  I won't be able to share more of this particular project for some time, but I am just loving how it comes together.  I am using Lella Boutique's new Nest line that comes out in March and it is just so pretty!!!   And as you can see from that stack, this quilt is all about Strips!!!


And finally, I have a Class Project :)  And the cool thing is, this is actually a Class that I am going to be taking!!!!  I know right, I never have time to take a class at retreats, but I managed to squeeze one in this February when I teach at the Quilty Friends Retreat at Bryce Canyon ;)   I am taking the Petite Point class that uses French General's awesome pattern of Pineapple blocks on Hexagon centers.  So fun!!!   When I was thinking about fabrics, I realized that my Pink and Red scrap bins were overflowing, so that is what I am using.  It is going to be a super all girl baby quilt when it is done ;)  I have the centers and setting triangles cut, now it is time to cut a whole ton of  small strips!!


And those are my new project starts for January,  Well those are the quilt ones I guess, I did start my Tuffet as well, and all of this is why I haven't finished it yet, tee hee hee ;)  So what about you . . . Do you like to start new projects at the start of the year???

I am off to work on these now :)  Hope you have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me :)

So today is my birthday.  I am now 32!!!  Yippee Skippee!!!  Thus far, it has been a splendid day.  My mother is visiting so she watched the kids this morning while I indulged in a lovely hot bath.  Which was followed by a lovely cool shower as I overheated in the bath.  One day I will remember that 8 months pregnant and steaming hot baths don't mix well together :)  I have spent the remainder of the morning reading and watching my mom make up dinner and birthday cakes.  What a treat!!!

I also got my birthday presents!!  What is it about presents that gets you so excited you are like a kid again.  So my first present has a bit of history with it.

 If you have ever read any of my tutorials you will recognize these two old guys.  I have had them since college.   The poor iron no longer holds water and doesn't heat even as it has been dropped one to many times.  The board looks so beat up, hardly has any padding left in it, and is major stained from tea dying.  I have had comments left on tutorials from things like "the smiley faces make them smile" all the way to anonymous comments saying "I should never take pictures on that ironing board as it is rather distracting and very unprofessional."   But they have been  good old friends.  But today I say goodbye to these old friends.


So as to make way for these new friends.  Oh my goodness, I am so excited.  I told my husband quite a while ago that I really wanted a new iron and board for my birthday.  I saw this one at the store and fell in love.  It is 18" wide, meaning I don't have to shift my blocks around when ironing them.  Think of the surface area I can cover without shifting fabric.  Yippee Skippee!!!  And I think that nice solid background will be a little less distracting in pictures.  (Although I am tempted to draw a smiley face on the corner just for old times :)


And my children got me another lovely addition for my sewing room.  A new phone.   I have missed so many calls since we moved.  I didn't have a phone in the basement (we have never had a place this big :) and I can not make it all the way up the stairs before the person calling gives up.  Now I won't even have to leave my chair.  Although people will probably get used to hearing the sewing machine in the background of our conversation.  (And don't you just love that beautiful fabric in the background!!  I couldn't help but add it in the picture :)


And as a final birthday gift, my husband brought me these beautiful roses at lunch.  I love red roses.  I know it is a total cliche but I never get tired of getting them.  They make my heart glad!!!


We'll I am off to go down and try out my new board and iron on some STAR blocks.  Seriously, I feel like a kid in Toys R Us.  I can't wait to play with my new toys :)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 - It's A Wrap

Once again, it's time to roll up one year and get ready for a new one.  I just love this day!!!  What a wonderful opportunity to step back and see all that you have done in a year and then get super excited for all that the new year will hold ;)  So, let's get to it, some 2014 pics and some 2015 goals ;)

2014 was the year of the Quilt for me :) Oh my goodness, I had a lot of fun making quilts this year!!    I love Quilting!!   I love the fabrics, I love the designing, I love the cutting, piecing, and quilting!!!  I love it all!!!   And on a side note, I have to say, I was a little blown away when I put this little mosaic together.  You don't realize just how much you have creating until you stop and put it all together ;) If I can get the binding put on my Super Scrappy Irish Chain today that is one more finish to add to 2014 :)   And see that little question mark at the bottom, that represents some secret finishes that I still can't share.  Yup, the year of the Quilt ;)



And I also had some quilty/sewing project finishes this year ;)  I can't tell you how excited I was this Christmas to have our new matching family stockings.  They have been on the "to do" list for years and years so they were a particular happy finish for me this year ;)




And you can't forget bee blocks!!  I absolutely love the 2 bees I am in.  I love the opportunity to try new blocks, stretch my skills, and most of all, make wonderful friends with the ladies in the groups.


And those 3 little mosaics pretty much are a quick Round Up of my Happy Quilting 2014 :)  I wish my sewing machine had one of those internal timers that said how many hours I was stitching this year, that would be cool to know.  I guess I can safely say, A Lot :)  You can see more details about all of the quilts in my Quilt Archive Tab at the top of the page including links to any tutorials ;)

And now, It's time to look forward to 2015!!!


Last year at this time I printed off 4 goals that hung in my sewing room and served as a constant daily reminder of what I wanted to accomplish creatively in 2014 ;)

This will be my printout out for 2015 :)

1 -  Push Your Creative Comfort Zone
2 -  Share The Ongoing Process
3 -  Pause And See Your Journey
4 -  Say Yes While Being Mom

These probably only make sense to me but there is so much thought crammed into each little statement.  Seriously, I could write a page on each of these little 4 things and everything that goes into them and what I want to accomplish with them :)  These are a great little summary of all those thoughts.   I look forward to these 4 little lines guiding me in my 2015 Creative Journey!!

And Before I Wrap This Up . . . I can't ever say it enough.  Thank You!!!!   Thank You to each of you who make Happy Quilting a part of your day!!!  Thank you for your kind comments, pictures, sweet emails and constant words of encouragement.  They mean the world to me!!    I can not being to explain how it makes me grin from ear to ear to see how Happy Quilting continues to grow and touch people's creative lives.  Thank You!!!


So here's to 2015, May it bring us all lots and lots of  Happy Quilting!!!!!!
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Thursday, July 4, 2019

9 Year Blogiversary and Introducing Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!!

Wow, so this week marks the 9 Year anniversary of staring my blog, Happy Quilting!!!  Just wow!!!  In that 9 years I have posted over 2000 blog posts, hosted over 300 Giveaways,  created over 75 free step-by-step tutorials, including the annual Quilt Alongs, and made a countless number of quilts!!!   And more importantly, I have made a countless number of quilting friends along the way!!!    I am daily grateful that I can share this quilting journey with each of you and can not thank you enough for joining me!!!


And so, with this being 9 years that means next year is my big 10 year anniversary.   And as I considered this, I decided I wanted to do something special leading up to that big 10!!!  I thought for a while and  I decided to do a new little feature here at Happy Quilting :)  It's called  Tutorial Throwback Thursday!!    Staring next week, and every Thursday leading to July 2020 I will share one of my Happy Quilting tutorials.   And I plan to share some "bonus features" on each of the tutorials.   Some more of the story of the quilt, the design inspiration, or just some funny introspect that I realize now after writting for 9 years ;)  My hope is that for a lot of you who joined in on the Happy Quilting journey somewhere along those 9 years, that you will get to see a little throwback from the past, and hopefully some "new to you" tutorials that inspire you ;)   And for those who have been with me from the start, well, it will still be a throwback and I hope you will be equally inspired to try something from "yesteryear" :)



And what better way to start off a Tutorial Throwback Thrusday that just happens to be on the 4th of July than with a Star Spangled Tutorial!!!  So let's throw way back to 2012 when I shared my Star Spangled Table Runner Tutorial!!!


And right away, the fun thing I realized with sharing these throwbacks is that with older tutorials comes older pictures as well.   These pics are at 200 pixels, which means sorry, a little blurry when I try to make them larger ;)  Another thing that I learned with time.   But I did try and spruce up the color a bit ;)

Anyhow, this tutorial is such a fun one to make!!!   I learned to do improv curves at a retreat and enjoyed every second of it.  So I incorporated what I had learned into this tutorial.   You make the improv curve by stacking your strips on top of one another with an inch overlap.  


And then you just start cutting a wavy curve, and it cuts both pieces with the same curve, making it easy to sew together.   And when I say easy, I do mean easy.  Because these are improv curves and they will be trimmed, it doesn't even matter if your ends line up, just start stitching and see where you end up, and then trim the ends straight.  So fun and easy and a wonderful way to start learning curves because you can't go wrong!!!



And then add some machine applique stars and you have a cute table runner!!!  And if you have never done applique before, I did a video tutorial over here that walks you through all of the steps of applique.   So you can possibly try two new things with this tutorial, Applique and Improv Curves!!



And another reminder that this particular tutorial is quite a throwback, I am quilting it on a home machine, and it happens to be my very first sewing machine ;)   I actually posted about Bernadette back here.    I still have her and she is a great little machine for teaching beginning sewers on.   I just love that!!    And speaking of the quilting, I did some all over Stars and Loops, which is a design that happens to be in the 180 More Doodle Quilting Designs book that I posted about over here ;) 



And how about that for our first Tutorial Throwback Thrusday!!!   That really was so much fun :)   So to make your own Star Spangled Table Runner just pop over here to the free step by step tutorial.   And when you are done, 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 Star Spangled Table Runners!!!


Thanks so much for popping in today and each and every day!!!  I am so looking forward to this entire year of Tutorial Throwback Thursday's!!  I really think it is going to be a fun feature that has a lot of looking back over the Happy Quilting journey ;) 

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