Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Happy!! - Free Mini Charm Pack Pattern

I can't believe it's already July!  To celebrate summer, I've got a new project to share with you—it's my Happy!! table runner, and it's a featured recipe today at the Moda Bake Shop.



This little quilt is so easy and so much fun to make.  I made the square in a square blocks in the center of the quilt with a bit of white background fabric and two mini charm packs of "Brighten Up!" fabric by Me and My Sister Designs—gorgeous fabrics that remind me, for some reason, of rainbow sherbet!




But what really makes this quilt sing, and what made me happy enough to name the quilt Happy!!, is the cheerful embroidered flowers.




I used two strands of floss and a backstitch to embroider the flowers and I loved watching each one emerge.  In fact, I enjoyed making Happy!! so much, that I made it twice.  Here's my second version made with April Rosenthal's "Meadowbloom" fabric—this one makes me think of sunshine.




Happy!! is a great take along project—perfect for summer.  I've been carrying my quilt and floss around with me and embroidering whenever I have a few minutes of downtime.  I stitched the "Meadowbloom" version of the quilt while sitting on a grassy patch overlooking the Connecticut River during my son's crew practices.  Bliss!

The free tutorial for Happy!! is available at the Moda Bake Shop.  My tutorial includes instructions for making the square in a square blocks two ways—paper pieced and traditionally pieced.  I've also included a quick how-to for the backstitch, so you should find everything you need all in one place.

Happy!! Quilting!