Small guild? Big idea!

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Open Classes for Everyone, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

There are hundreds of small quilt guilds all over the world.

And I know firsthand that their programming is limited by their budgets. So I’ve come up with a plan to make it easier for smaller groups to book a program with Stash Bandit (that’s me!).

Diane Harris presenting a quilt guild program in Holdrege, Nebraska

Here’s how it will work.

The live presentation will be virtual through Zoom.

Available to groups with 50 or fewer members on their paid roster (honor system).*

The fee for a one-hour trunk show of your choice is $10/person on the roster. For example, if you have 35 members, $10 x 35 = $350. (The standard fee is $525.)

You will be guaranteed a seat for every person who registers for the meeting on Zoom.

I will make the remaining seats available to others.

The deadline for your members to register for the meeting is 10 days before. This gives me time to fill the rest of the seats.

For very small groups, I may request a date other than your normal meeting time.

I will limit the number of these programs I do each year.

The Jingle Bells Trunk Show is great from July to December.

Does that sound good? 😊

Please share this info with the program chair at your quilt group.

Cope & Hope is part of “Make Extraordinary Scrap Quilts.”

I have six trunk shows from which to choose. Today I’ll highlight three.

Controversy in the Quilt World

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle, Uncategorized

There’s a hubbub in our part of the universe, have you heard?

About a week ago, on Jan. 28, Mary Fons posted a YouTube video called “Stop Cutting Up Quilts to Make Clothes.” A graphic image (below) was used on Instagram to publicize the video.

And the graphic did its job. Not only did it entice me to watch the video, almost 15 thousand other people watched it too. Many of those watched after this became news in the quilt world, but still. For the sake of comparison, Mary has about 8000 subscribers and her videos mostly garner a few hundred views each on YouTube/Twitch.

So here’s a little background if you need it.

Mary Fons is the 40-something daughter of quilting superstar Marianne Fons. Marianne and her business partner Liz Porter created an empire of sorts selling magazines, books, videos and tools for quilters, among other things. They became widely known before selling the business.

Mary Fons

Mary Fons has long been inside the quilt industry. She hosted Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting television program on PBS, she founded a magazine for beginning modern-leaning sewists called Quilty, she wrote a long-running column for Quilts Inc. (the organization that gives us International Quilt Festival), she more recently served as editor-in-chief of Quiltfolk magazine and she’s an active live-streamer on various quilt topics via YouTube and Twitch. (There’s much, much more to her quilting resume.)

The internet has not always been kind to Mary Fons.

And that’s an understatement. There were quilters at every turn who did not like her and they weren’t shy about saying so. They made awful comments and personal attacks. Mary called them out and forged ahead.

There was a time when I wondered if it wasn’t convenient to ride (into the industry) on her mother’s coattails, but then I heard Mary speak at QuiltCon and she was eloquent. She is smart, she generally does her homework and she isn’t afraid to take a stand.

Part of her background is in theatre and so she is…theatrical. She’s very expressive and it seems like many of her detractors have taken issue with that. But it’s how she communicates—her way of being in the world.

Now back to Mary’s recent video.

Mary spoke passionately about famous designers like Emily Bode and regular quilters like you and me cutting up quilts to make garments. She strongly opposes the practice and she tells us why.

A Bode jacket on singer Zayn Malik

But a lot of people have told Mary that she is…

…wrong, privileged, dramatic, clickbait, condescending, gatekeeping girl boss and more. So much more. The general idea among these folks is “how dare you tell me how I can make art.”

Fashion designer Emily Bode and one of her jackets

On the other hand, many people agree with Mary

and have applauded her bold stand.

Bode shirt

There are plenty of knickers in knots over this controversy. Learn more and decide for yourself:

Mary’s YouTube video: What started this storm

Lots of opinions via Reddit: Mostly negative comments

Bode jacket

Passion for patchwork: make-do-and-mend hits the Paris catwalk: More about Emily Bode and her fashion designs made from old quilts

Bode’s homepage for lots more quilted clothing: See the weird and wonderful here

Bode menswear

I’d like to know what you think. Is it all right for someone to use an old quilt to make something else? Does it matter if they’re a famous designer or a regular quilter?

I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Quilt on,

One more thing: International Quilt Museum has a Fons & Porter exhibit hanging through Feb. 26. Learn more.

Visit International Quilt Museum through Feb. 26 to see the Fons & Porter exhibit.

It’s Quiet Over Here.

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Open Classes for Everyone, Quilt Lifestyle

I think the holidays took the wind right out of my sails.

Or maybe it’s that we’re sailing into Year Three and that’s disheartening. I’m having a hard time concentrating, organizing, motivating. I think I am not alone.

Before and during cleanup

The start of a new year always feels like a good time to clean up the studio. Of course I do it periodically but I’m no clean freak and my husband would say that I’m a walking tornado. When I can’t see the top of my sewing table, I know it’s time.

Manage your scraps beautifully: Two online quilt classes!

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Classes, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Open Classes for Everyone, Quilt Lifestyle

Join me online January 26 and 28 for scrappy fun during the Quiltfest Virtual Schoolhouse.

Simply Bricks by Diane Harris


#1: Wednesday, Jan. 26, 10 to 4 EST, online workshop for Quiltfest Virtual Schoolhouse

Scrap Management: Brick by Brick

Bricks are so easy to cut and sew but the potential for amazing designs is endless! This class is beginner friendly but more experienced makers will gain new insight regarding value, contrast, scale and more. You may choose from several sizes of bricks and you’ll precut so you’re ready to hit the ground running. A ridiculous amount of fun!

Machine Quilting Help

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Machine Quilting, Magazines

What has tripped me up more than anything else in the quiltmaking process?

Without a doubt, it is the quilting.

This morning I did a Facebook Live for Annie’s Catalog and Quilter’s World.

It was sponsored by Handi Quilter and I quilted live on their HQ Capri, a stationary longarm with 18″ of throat space. It is dreamy.

In this video, I share tips on what questions to ask yourself and I quilt several different kinds of patterns on the HQ Capri. Take a peek, we start officially at about 02:10. You can drag the progress marker to 2:10 if you don’t care to hear the friendly chit-chat at the beginning. 😊

Quilting on the HQ Capri by Handi Quilter

https://fb.watch/93Qah978LY/

Learn more about the HQ Capri stationary longarm.

Christmas Bells was designed by Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring.

The original Christmas Bells by Wendy Sheppard appears in the Winter 2021 issue of Quilter’s World.

Find the pattern for Christmas Bells in the Winter issue of Quilter’s World, on newsstands now.

You can also order it online or check out the digital download.

You might wonder why I create online content for companies like Annie’s, Quilter’s World and Handi Quilter.

I do freelance work for companies that provide valuable tools and supplies to quilters around the world. I promote companies I truly believe in. I am paid for my work whether you make a purchase or not so everything is upfront and transparent here. I am honest about what I think you’d use and benefit from.

Thank you for visiting Stash Bandit! 😊

Quilt on,

The Big Cheese and Quiltmania

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

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!

Sunday Sew-In Sept. 19

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Open Classes for Everyone, Quilt Lifestyle

I’ve scheduled another Sunday Sew-In for next week on Sept. 19 and I’d love to have you join me.

This is a time to sew together, get inspired by a new scrappy block pattern and make some new friends!

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.

I’m in! Take me to the tickets ($5) on Eventbrite.

Trunk Shows: Ripe for Picking

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Classes, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

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.

Petit Patchwork, designed and made by Diane Harris of Stash Bandit

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.

Father & Farmer by Diane Harris. Quilted by Julie Lechner.

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.

Framework by Diane Harris, top before quilting

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.

Ring Around the Rainbow, designed and made by Diane Harris

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!

So if your quilt group is hiring presenters for the next couple of years, I’d appreciate being considered. I’m happy to provide references—people who’ve hired me and been happy with my performance.

Please get in touch: diane@stashbandit.net

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