Many months back, I was tired and discouraged on a Friday afternoon. I had an attitude of “devil may care.”
In a fit of—what? Insanity? Kamikaze mindset? Utter foolishness? I remember thinking “what have I got to lose” as I sent off some quilt designs to Quiltmania, the beautifully produced French magazine for quilters around the world.
On that Monday morning I had an email response. They’d like to publish two of the designs. I did a happy dance!
I’ve scheduled another Sunday Sew-In for next week on Sept. 19 and I’d love to have you join me.
I hosted a Sunday Sew-In in June and it was an experiment but I enjoyed it and others seemed to enjoy it, so this time I have a better idea of how to do it.
Just a quick post today with info about my trunk shows for quilt groups. This is the main thrust of my business and it’s what I love doing the most—and where I think my strongest skills reside, too.
When I share a trunk show, it’s more than “here are pretty quilts I made.” The quilts taught me lessons, which I’ll tell you about.
They use techniques to get a message across, which I’ll explain. They’re held together by something that I’ll point out, suggesting how you can use that in your own quilts.
These days I am mostly booking virtual trunk shows on Zoom. I learned to love it during the pandemic and I think people actually learn more in a virtual setting than they do in person.
If I’m within a six hour drive, I’ll consider visiting your group in person. I have six trunk shows available.
The most popular is Make Extraordinary Scrap Quilts. Here’s the official description:
How do you make a successful scrap quilt? Learn Diane Harris’s best tips and top secrets during this trunk show of many scrappy quilts made over the years. What is a scrap quilt? Who can make one? Why would you create with scraps? How is it done? From the Stash Bandit herself, discover ways to pull your scraps together, strategies for using your stash and even what does not work. You may never make an ordinary quilt again!
Then we have this one that’s especially popular from August to December:
This one is so much fun to give because who isn’t happy about Christmas? We always have a great time! I once bought a t-shirt that said “Jingle Bells Jingle Bells Jingle Bells” across the front but I haven’t had the nerve to wear it to a trunk show yet. See more of Jingle Bells here.
A trunk show that is finally picking up steam is this one:
I can’t tell you how much fun it was to build this trunk show! I made sampler quilts for a couple of years. They are so interesting to create, and there are still more on my list. Never enough hours, are there?! See more here.
If you’re interested in creativity, you’d like this one:
It’s all about how I took one simple quilt block and designed dozens of quilts from it. It’s about starting to think like a designer. People leave inspired! More about Windy Wonders here.
And finally, this one:
I love Dresden Plate. It’s a design that has gotten a bad rap and you only have to look on eBay to see why: Awful examples of Dresdens abound. This one is a combo trunk show/hands-on demo and how-to with examples of variations to whet your appetite for more. I have fewer completed quilts in this one but it still gets rave reviews. See more Drezzup here.
The trunk show I’ve been giving the longest—10 years now—is One Hundred Small Quilts.
This one doesn’t translate well to virtual so I only give it in person. Part of the appeal is seeing about 130 small quilts in one place, laid out on display after I talk about each one (quickly!). It’s a great evening with tons of ideas and takeaways. Everyone gets so excited and I love that!
Please get in touch: diane@stashbandit.net
I’m putting the finishing touches on a brand new class that is open to everyone and you’re invited!
Let’s turn your scraps into something amazing, happy and FUN!
I’m so excited about my newest class, The StarQuar Party for Quilters, part of my Scrap Quilt Secrets series.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of what is possible and I can’t wait to show you. Below is the start of LEMON ZEST, one idea I will share when you attend.
I did a Facebook Live about yellow for quilters this week and you can see it below.
I didn’t have time to answer all of the yellow questions that people left me so I’ll start to do that in this post.
If you’ve arrived here because you saw one of my videos for Annie’s and Quilter’s World, welcome! I’m happy to have you. Things you might be interested in:
The free pattern for Baby Windmills, which is my favorite little block.
Sign up for my emails, full of scrap quilt tips once or twice a month.
If you’re in a quilt guild that hires speakers, you can check out my trunk shows full of unique scrappy quilts.
I have taken much of the summer off to preserve my own mental health. It has been a very difficult season, and I know I’m not alone in that experience.
I do have a few upcoming magazine designs that I’m excited about. It’s always a challenge to keep that sewing under wraps until the pattern is published. I usually make those quilts six to nine months before you see them in a magazine. By the time the magazine appears, I have moved on!
My pile of tops to be quilted is ridiculous. I did a lot of piecing during 2020 when we were at home for weeks on end. I can’t say it saved my sanity but it probably helped a little.
I’m in the process of scheduling more on-demand classes. Ticketing is always a challenge, and I have to balance on-demand events with guild events for which I have contracts. I am also a gardener and that takes up a fair amount of time during spring, summer and fall. It seems there are never enough hours in the day.
So these are just a few random thoughts to give you a sense of what my scrap quilts are like and to say thank you for visiting my website today.
Quilt on,
One of my favorite freelance jobs is with Annie’s Craft Catalog and Quilter’s World magazine. Each month I do a Facebook Live and talk about one of their pattern. I love putting my scrappy spin on things and it’s a great opportunity to be seen by their followers, who number in the hundreds of thousands.
For the July FB Live, I chose the Healing Quilt designed by Lyn Brown. It is perfect for demonstrating how you can take a pattern that’s shown in just a few fabrics and scrap it up into a happy party!
I read obituaries. It doesn’t matter if I knew the people or not—death notices are endlessly fascinating. I read them in the local paper, I read them in my hometown paper, and I read them in other places when I’m traveling. I’ve learned to find obituaries and burial sites online, which has greatly expanded my reading material, let me tell you. So that is one part of today’s story.
I’m excited to offer a new class on a simple design called The Brick Block. It will be held live on Friday, June 25, but if you can’t attend live you can take in the recording and you won’t miss a thing!
This beginner-friendly block has so many possibilities that more experienced makers can enjoy it, too. And while you don’t need a teacher to make the block, I am going to unlock many secrets about fabric choices for you—ideas that you’ll be able to apply to all your future quilt projects.
You can make it scrappy, or coordinated, or scrappy coordinated! You can make the blocks big or small or somewhere in between. You can make a few blocks or dozens. And I will show you how to make any combination work so that your quilt is smashing!
Best of all, as long as you have a bit of a stash (that is, fabrics on hand that you love), you can make this project from the fabrics you already own. And the pattern is included in the price of the class.
Here are the details:
Here are a few more things you can do with The Brick Block:
You could make a patriotic quilt with scrappy or more planned fabrics.
You could make a baby quilt with batting or without, in which case you’d be making more of a receiving blanket.
You can use just one background as shown above in the barn raising setting. You may not want to make all of these decisions before the class, but if you come and see all the possibilities, I think you’ll quickly narrow it down. Then you can shop your stash, and if you need to purchase something, you know it won’t go to waste.
You can even go completely scrappy like I did with Scrappy Bricks. I’ll show you how to make this work!
I can’t wait to meet you.
A few more details:
Still have questions? Email me: diane@stashbandit.net
Today I decided to stop analyzing and just get some events scheduled. The first one is coming up on Sunday, June 6. We had so much fun learning together during Scrap Quilt Secrets so I created a Sunday Sew-In. We’ll hang out and sew on Zoom, and I’ll share a block pattern plus some scrappy tips.
I’ll share a few quilts that are not in any of my trunk shows and you’ll get to see what I’m currently working on. If you want to, you can share what you’re working on, too!
You’ll need a ticket and they’re priced right at just $5. Get your ticket on Eventbrite now!