Diamond Dash featuring Vera's Garden

Good Morning!!  Today,  I am so very excited to share this new quilt finish with you all. I just fell in love with the new Vera's Garden collection by Vicki McCarty. I was drawn to the classic calico look about it that just gives a vibe of timeless quilting. But the colors are still so rich, so it still has a modern feel to it . . . And of course, you know I loved all of the purple!!! And I knew right away it would be perfect for my Diamond Dash Quilt!! It has classic Churn Dash and Square in a Square blocks, but adds a fun modern twist in the piecing of each block. It's just a perfect fit for this fabric collection!!

Diamond Dash is one of the 9 quilts in my  Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book! All of the quilts in my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book use one Layer Cake/10" Stacker, but I wanted to make this particular quilt Queen sized, so I basically doubled the quilt, making 49 blocks instead of the original 25, and used two Layer Cake/10" Stackers!! The background fabric is Cream Shades, and it just goes perfectly with Vera's Garden. It is just a little softer than white, so it really plays nice with all of the bold colors in the prints!!

I know I already said it, but I really feel like this fabric is just the perfect fit for this design!!   Diamond Dash got it's name from taking the basic Churn Dash Block, and adding a Diamond to the center of it. Then for fun, I added a secondary Diamond block and I think it is the perfect compliment to the bedazzled Churn Dash block. And I just love that this design allows you to make your quilt look super scrappy, even though it is made with a Layer Cake/10" Stacker.  

And Diamond Dash might look a little daunting, but it really goes together fast and is so fun to make!!! You will mostly be making Half Square Triangles, with a few little Stitch and Flips thrown in. Add a bit of basic piecing and your blocks are done!!  And pay close attention to the pressing directions in the center of both blocks, as you can nest all of those angled seams making it so much easier to get perfect, pretty, points!! There is no sashing in this quilt and the Diamond blocks float, so once your blocks are made, it sews into a quilt top in no time.  It truly is great for beginners and experts alike. 

And this Diamond Dash Quilt was quilted with gorgeous echoed loop de loop design!! My amazing MIL, Barbara did the piecing and quilting on this and it is just beautiful. I love that she kept the quilting on a large scale so the quilt is super soft and cuddly!! Perfect for a bed quilt!!

And that is my new Diamond Dash quilt! I hope you have enjoyed this post and are inspired to make your own Diamond Dash quilt. To see more of my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book, you can visit this post with all the quilts and all the details!!!    Truly, all of the quilts in this book are so fun to make!!   And again, to get started on any of the 9 quilts in the book , you just need one Layer Cake/10" Stacker and a background fabric.   And as I have shown, you can easily add more blocks to make them bed sized quilts as well with two Layer Cake/10" Stacker.  

Oh, and if you make your own Diamond Dash Quilts, (or any of the quilts from Fast & Fun Lap Quilts) I would love to see them! You can share your projects with me on social media with the hashtags  #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tagging @happyquiltingmc or email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I can't wait to see your Quilts!!

Thank you so much for sharing this finish with me!

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!

Come Cruise N Sew With Me ;)

  So I have gotten a lot of emails lately about Cruising and Sewing!! It is oh so much fun ;) And today I am excited to announce a new quilting cruise in January 2027!!!  So you have lots of time to plan and get your group of friends together to come :)    I am teaching on the Paradise Quilting Cruise  to  Western Caribbean.   So fun!!!!

I will be teaching my Crossing Paths Quilt.   This is a great quilt to get some practice on lots of techniques, while not having to worry about lining up a whole ton of point.   Great for quilting and cruising!!!    Crossing Paths is Fat Quarter Friendly and I know we are all going to have so much fun making this quilt while sailing the beautiful Western Caribbean!!

We will be setting sail from Miami Florida, on the new Icon of the Seas (an absolutely amazing ship)  on January 23rd of 2027 for a week long adventure through Roatan Honduras, Puerto Costa Maya Mexico, and Cozumel Mexico with lots and lots and lots of Sewing while we are on the Ocean .   

So pop on over and check it out.  I would just love to have you come and sew and sail with me!!!  It is going to be so much fun ;)  And if you decide to Cruise and Sew along, be sure and tell them I sent you, so they know I am pulling my weight, tee hee hee ;) 

Merry Go Round for SUU!!

 It's time for another SUU Quilt Share in my favorite Red, White, and Black color combo!!! I decided to make an SUU Fast & Fun Lap Quilts and how great is this Merry Go Round Quilt with the dark (and shiny) background!  I just love how it totally changes the look of the quilt ;)  Merry Go Round is made with a No Waste Lattice method that you are just going to love.  

For this version of Merry Go Round, I used Red and White prints from the Red Hot Fabric Line from Riley Blake.  It is another perfect match for an Alma Mater quilt and paired with a Black Swiss Dot, where the dot is metallic Gold, so awesome!!!  it really just gives the background a whole new vibe ;)  This print is no longer carried, so I am glad I got to play with it before it was all gone ;)  

And as always, an SUU quilt needs an SUU layered applique added to the corner of the quilt. The applique is the SUU Mascot, they are the Thunderbirds :)   And when it comes to a custom applique the sky is truly the limit.  It is such a fun way to personalize quilts!!   You can find the step by step tutorial here for layered applique :)   I have lost count of how many times I have made this particular applique, but I will say, I know make them three at a time so I can really streamline the process :)  

When it came time to quilt this Fast & Fun Lap Quilt  I decided on all over Swirls ;)  I just figured I wanted something to add texture that would quilt up fast, and this is always the ticket for that and adds so much great texture!!    And of course, a black thread was perfect for this quilt.   And you can really see the metallic dot in this picture, isn't it just so shiny!!! 

And that is my SUU Merry Go Round quilt from my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts book !  Merry Go Round finishes at 76 1/2" x 76 1/2" so it is a great size to take to the big game and it has already found a new home with an SUU Alum ;)  I hope you love this quilt as much as I do and if you make your own Merry Go Round quilt, I would love to see it!!  You can share your quilts with me on social media using hashtag #happyquiltingwithmc and #fastandfunlapquilts and tag me @happyquiltingmc or you can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.   

Thanks so much for popping in for another quilt finish!!

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day! 

$5 Pattern of the Month - Double Dutch!!!

 It's a new month and a new $5 Pattern of the Month here at Happy Quilting!!!  And November is all about Double Dutch.  And it is just $5 all month long!!!   

The  Double Dutch Pattern can be found in my Etsy Shop in both a Paper version as well as a PDF version and both versions will be marked down to $5.00 for the month November.   This is such a fun quilt to make and is a great technique builder for No Waste Flying Geese.  It is rated Beginner and is Fat Eighth or Fat Quarter friendly, depending on what size quilt you make.  

Double Dutch  has 5 size options.   The Baby and Lap size quilts use a 12 1/2" block and Fat Eighths.   The Picnic, Twin, and Queen/King size quilts use a 20" block and Fat Quarters.   

And like I said, this one is all about building your technique on No Waste Flying Geese.  Each block has 8 flying geese in it, so you make 2 sets of No Waste Flying Geese for each block.  So lots of practice on getting them to perfection.   And because that is pretty much the block, once your units are made, the quilt comes together really quickly!  

And while the cover quilt shows each block with match fabrics, you can totally mix and match your fabrics as well.  Both designs create a stunning finish.   And it is hard to tell the difference in the pictures, but this shows a 12 1/2" block vs a 20" block.  It is just nice when you are making a bigger quilt not to have to make so many blocks ;)  

 

Truly, this is just a super versatile design that would look great in any fabrics!!  And the offset sashing of the blocks makes it look like these windmills are blowing in the breeze.  Just so fun :) 

  

  

And that is my $5.00 Pattern of the Month!!!   November 2025 is all about the Double Dutch Pattern!!!   You are going to have so much fun making this quilt ;)   And of course,  if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me ;)  And when you make your Double Dtuch Quilts I would love to see them!!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or add it to social media with  #happyquiltingwithmc and #doubledutchquilt ;)  I can't wait to see your Quilts!!!

So are you ready to start making your Double Dutch Quilts???  Pop over to my Etsy Shop, to pick up your Pattern and get Happy Quilting!!!!   

October Sew Sampler!!!

 Happy Halloween!!!   And with the end of the month, it also means Happy Sew Sampler Box Share Day!!  And this month's box is so much better than a pile of candy!!  The theme is Patchwork Prairie  and it is just full of quilty goodness!!! 

I have been eying Melissa Gilbert's newest Evening on the Prairie fabrics for a little while now, so I was super excited to find this gorgeous Junior 10" stacker.  I can't wait to play with these rich colors and beautiful prints!!   Isn't that table runner just stunning, it is going to make the perfect addition to my table for fall!!   

And the notions for this month go right along with the pattern, love when Fat Quarter Shop does that!!  The 5" Square in a Square Foundation paper will be perfect for the centers of those Pie Safe Blocks and I just love this 1 x 6 Add a Quarter Ruler!!  It will be so perfect when working on smaller paper piecing :)   And the Sewing Magnet Mate is going right in my travel case.  I can't tell you how many times I am reaching under tables to pick up dropped pins, bobbin cases ect :)  This will be the perfect little tool to keep me from crawling around on the floor!!  

And were are on to block 7 of this Flowering QAL!!  .  I am using  50 Years of Moda!!!  This month's block was pretty easy and whipped together in no time!!!   And I love the grey background with the yellow, it really just makes the center pop!!    I am just loving these Flowering Blocks!! 

And that is October Sew Sampler Box.  And days just fly by now and it will be the end of November and December before we know it!!   

Thanks for popping in again.  

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