Welcome to the Stash Bandit Studio!

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

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.

Baby windmills in a small quilt called Christmas Dance by Diane Harris

Sign up for my emails, full of scrap quilt tips once or twice a month.

Petit Patchwork, designed and made by Diane Harris

If you’re in a quilt guild that hires speakers, you can check out my trunk shows full of unique scrappy quilts.

The easiest scrappy brick quilt ever! Designed and made by Diane Harris.

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.

Father & Farmer, designed and pieced by Diane Harris, quilted by Julie Lechner.
Pattern: Fons & Porter’s Quick + Easy Quilts Feb/March 2021.

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!

This quilt is in the “to be quilted” pile. Maisy Daisy was designed by Maho Schwartz and is a complimentary pattern from McCall’s Quilting.

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.

Framework, designed and made by Diane Harris.

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,

Going Scrappy with a Pattern

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

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.

The Healing Quilt designed by Lyn Brown, patterned in Quilter’s World, Summer 2021.

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!

Obituaries, quilt labels

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

and the wonders of the internet.

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.

Sunday Sew-In Coming Up

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

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!

Out with the old, in with the new

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

I might be hard on ironing boards.

It became apparent recently that my old and trusty Shirtmaster had to be retired.

I bought it 15 or 20 years ago from a woman named Ellen who had a business in Colorado. Ellen had provided ironing boards for the classrooms during QuiltNebraska (the annual meeting of Nebraska State Quilt Guild). When the event ended, they were for sale at a discount.

Quilts by Accident

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

A lot of the quilts I make start off by accident. That’s what happened with the Daydream sampler from Quilter’s World.

Daydream sampler from Quilter’s World,
designed and made by Carolyn Beam; quilted by Donna Smith.

I do a monthly Facebook Live for Quilter’s World.** I brainstorm a few topic ideas for each one, and together we settle on that month’s focus. A few months back, I thought it would be fun to show how I would make the Daydream sampler with lots and lots of different fabrics.

Mother’s Day Baggage

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

I have Mother’s Day baggage. It’s not that I had a bad mother. On the contrary, I had a great one. She was amazing in so many ways. Her name was Doris.

My mom and my daughter, 1986

I miss her and I think of her fondly today, so that isn’t the problem at all.

My baggage stems from many years in ultra-conservative fundamentalist or evangelical churches and their practices surrounding this holiday (which I think Hallmark invented as a way to make money, but that’s another issue).

Scrappy Backgrounds: What I’ve Learned

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

When I started making scrap quilts, that is, quilts with lots and lots of different fabrics, I thought that I still needed one big chunk of background fabric. I’d see the materials list and it would look something like this:

Sometimes it would require even more background fabric. Think 3 or 4 or 5 yards. I’d scurry off to the quilt store (which in my case means driving almost an hour) to buy the background.

Wild Goose Chase Handout

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

Hi, if you’re here for the Quilter’s World/Annie’s Catalog Wild Goose Chase handout, welcome!

Here’s a link to the math for making 2.5″ x 4.5″ Flying Geese three different ways as shown on the FB Live on Thursday, April 8.

Get the Wild Goose Chase Handout here.

Watch the recording:

Watch the video recording of Wild Goose Chase: Three ways to make Flying Geese with Diane Harris of Stash Bandit.

Check out the Quilter’s World FB page for other video tutorials I’ve done in the past. And if you’re into other kinds of crafts, too, Annie’s Catalog is chock-full of great ideas.

Giveaway #6 at Stash Bandit

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

There’s been a resurgence of interest in cross stitch. Have you noticed? I have a special place in my heart for cross stitch because when I married in 1981, my new sister-in-law Ruth Ann introduced me to it. I was a fanatical stitcher for decades. I still have many samplers in my home, and recently my daughter asked if she could have one. I think she considers it part of her heritage!

Now a number a quilt designers are also designing cross stitch patterns, including It’s Sew Emma (Fat Quarter Shop’s house brand) and Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet.

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