The good, the bad and the ugly from Stash Bandit

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

It has been quite a summer, friends.

I’ve experienced it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. It can be hard to know how much personal stuff to share. I do want you to know that my family has its ups and downs like everyone else. Lately there have been a lot of downs. Below is a video showing how I get in a little patchwork when things are rough.

If you’d like a bunch more ideas for using bricks, come to Sunday’s event: Beautiful Bricks.

It’s the next in my Scrappy Sundays with Stash Bandit series and I’ll share a bunch of things you can do with a simple rectangle. You won’t believe how versatile they are! Here’s a link to the $12 tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1997845618024?aff=oddtdtcreator

I had to cancel a guild event in Kansas City this week, something I have never done before. I felt horrible but it was unavoidable. They were gracious and kind. I was really grateful for that.

I hope you are sewing up a storm.

Scrappy Sundays is tomorrow!

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Classes, Inspiration, Open Classes for Everyone

We are just 24 hours away from a new edition of Scrappy Sundays with Stash Bandit. I hope you will join me tomorrow!

The featured quilt is called Surround Sound, and it presents a bunch of opportunities for learning. I’m looking forward to sharing helpful ideas for this quilt and others made from scraps or a scrappy vibe.

Tickets are just $12 and they include the pattern, more design ideas and a recording to watch at your convenience. Save your seat! 

I had a great time playing with this concept and I will share many other ideas in addition to the featured quilt. And the “hangout” time at the end is always enjoyable because we all just want to share about making scrappy quilts. I hope you’ll join me and I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Get a ticket now.

I wish you loads of happy quilting!

Scrappy Sundays with Stash Bandit: Surround Sound

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

Today I finished piecing the featured quilt for the next Scrappy Sunday session. It’s called Surround Sound and I hope you like it.

As so often happens with ideas, one thing led to another. There is the featured quilt, which I quite like, but then there are several more interesting designs that were inspired by it. Ticket holders will get them all!

Surround Sound by Diane Harris

I’ll be sharing how I make small, medium and large half-square triangles along with other methods so you can find the one that works best for you.

April’s Scrappy Sundays with Stash Bandit: 4/19

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

Please join me for the April edition of Scrappy Sundays with Stash Bandit, Sunday, 4/19 at 1 pm Central on Zoom. Tickets are $12 and the featured quilt is Wild Romp, a new design I’ve had in my back pocket for a while. It is throw size, roughly 55″ x 70″.

Wild Romp by Diane Harris, an EQ rendering

Each Scrappy Sunday session includes a quilt pattern plus my demos and tips for making it work with lots of different fabrics. This quilt is much easier to make than it looks—a real bonus!

Your ticket also includes a bonus scrappy quilt pattern because I want to give you a lot of bang for your buck. The bonus pattern will be a surprise. And there’s time to interact with me and others in attendance if you like.

Wild Romp in blues and golds

Each session is recorded so you can attend live or you can take in the recording for two weeks afterwards.

You can make Wild Romp less scrappy if you like this look better. Here’s another version:

I will have a supply list and yardage for the scrappy version (below)

in an email sometime after you get your ticket.

This quilt does take scraps that are a little bigger. You will need a variety of colored pieces that are about 6″ square. You don’t need to have the fabric or even cut anything before the Sunday session. I would wait to shop until you hear the tips because there are several important things to consider. And you might be able to just shop your stash!

This quilt is throw size, about 55″ x 70″. Throws are my favorite size because they don’t take me a year to make and they are easily quilted on a domestic machine. And they’re useful!

If this sounds good, reserve your seat right here.

And please invite your friends! Word of mouth is an important way of getting this info out. Thank you!

I will look forward to spending time with you on Sunday, April 19. We’ll all be in the comfort of our own homes!

Until then, happy quilting!

Quilters Paradise summit March 9 to 13

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

Next week I’m giving a talk on bricks during the Quilters Paradise summit and you’re invited.

The Quilters Paradise summit is a complimentary online event from March 9 to 13, in which 26 instructors will share on a variety of topics of interest to quilters. There’s a little something for everyone!

Framework is one of the first brick quilts I made. It started me on a journey and I see no end in sight.

There are so many things you can do with bricks! I’m going to tell you how I define a brick and what makes it special. You’ll get a handout that shows a boatload of brick ideas.

This gorgeous brick quilt by Marcia was part of show and tell when I visited a quilt guild in Houston. She started it during a Stash Bandit online workshop. It makes me so happy when people bring their quilts to share with me and others. It never fails to blow me away!

My Break of Dawn quilt design is based on bricks. There’s no end to the fun!

Let me tell you more about the Quilters Paradise summit.

This is a new style of event in the past several years. A group of instructors present material over a period of days and registrants can watch all of the talks at no charge for a limited time.

If attendees want to upgrade to a paid ticket, they get extended access to watch the talks and a bunch of bonus content. But it’s totally optional and you’ll get a lot out of it whether or not you choose to upgrade.

Sunday, March 8 is the last day to register for your free ticket.
Click right here to get it now! 

I can’t wait to share all the best info about bricks with you!

 

Scrappy Sundays: March 22 is a great quilt block!

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Classes, Open Classes for Everyone

I’ve been working on the ideas for the March edition of Scrappy Sundays with Stash Bandit and I hope you’ll love them.

They are based on a very simple quilt block called Strength in Union. I found it in Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. It’s block #1807 and it has a lot of potential.

Here is the first version I made. I thought about going huge but since I was on a deadline, I opted for this smaller one instead. But it’s easily customizable to whatever size you want to make.

This is a great block through which to learn more about value and contrast, because you really need to place the values correctly or you’ll get a bunch of mush.

Here is an alternate look made with solids. Of course this is an EQ rendering although I did start sewing these blocks a few days ago.

The pattern for Strength in Union is included with your ticket which is $12, and Eventbrite adds a few dollars in fees. Just like last time, there will also be a bonus pattern included—something that helps build your skills in fabric selection.

Get your ticket here: $12 on Eventbrite

There are other ways to set these blocks and I’ll show you those during our time together. I can’t give too much away beforehand! But believe me when I say this is a great block for learning and playing.

This session stands alone. In other words, you don’t need to have been in the first session for this one to make sense. Each Scrappy Sunday presentation will be fine all by itself, but I hope you’ll come to more than one!

And yes, the session will be recorded and made available for you to view for two weeks after the live event.

If you’d like to attend, get your ticket promptly because the first session sold out. I am figuring out if and how I can make the recordings available for purchase when an event sells out, so please stay tuned.

Get your ticket here: $12 on Eventbrite

I can’t wait to share all the fun of this quilt block with you!

Tango, StarQuar classes now open to all

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

I’ve just listed two upcoming classes and they’re open to everyone, everywhere.

Tango is a popular design that goes together quickly and easily and looks great in lots of fabric combinations. Simple piecing has rarely been this much fun!

Tango: Saturday, Oct 18, 2025, 10 to 2:30 Central
Online class
Tickets: $65
Get your ticket here

Tango by Diane Harris. Quilted by Julie Lechner.
Photo by Kristin Laing Photography.

Find the supply list for Tango right here.

Tango by Stephanie Lockhart.
Started in my online Tango workshop!

StarQuar Scrap Quilts: Saturday, Nov 15, 10 to 2:30 Central
Online class
Tickets: $65
Get your ticket here

StarQuar is a little unit I’ve been playing with for several years. I’ll show you how to make it from just one patch size and then together we’ll discover the myriad things you can do with it. It’s fun and addictive!

Star Silhouettes by Diane Harris.
Quilted by Julie Lechner.

StarQuar supply list

This workshop will help you to let go of using matching fabrics and to embrace a little clash. Your quilts can be unique, beautiful and exciting like never before! Let me show you how to create something brilliant with fabric you already own. StarQuar is the perfect playground!

Spot On by Diane Harris
Kitties in Windows by Diane Harris

I’ll look forward to seeing you in a workshop soon. I can’t wait to meet you!

Free week! What to do?!

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

I was supposed to spend the next eight days with my grandchildren in Washington. But life had other plans.

A nasty stomach virus is making its way through the family of two adults and four children.

We decided late last night that I should postpone my visit. While I’m bummed not to see them, there’s an up side:

I have a free week!! Oh my gosh, what a gift!!!

I’ve been brainstorming all night (when I should have been sleeping) about how to spend the time. Here are some of the things I want to do.

  • Make shortbread cookies (for the first time) using this recipe
  • Learn Cat Bordhi’s “magical knitting” and create a Moebius scarf
  • Clean up the studio
  • Finish writing a long overdue pattern
  • Prepare for Quilted! The Virtual Summit (happens Tuesday and Wednesday, don’t miss it!)
  • Finally sell my countertop compost maker (because I need more compost than it can make)
  • Try some new recipes; get the groceries needed
  • Walk, walk, walk (because we’ve been having warm weather for January in Nebraska)
  • Layer, baste and quilt one of the tops in my huge pile
  • Ready one top for the longarm quilter @beenquiltin
  • Make an appointment at Calico Cottage to rent their longarm

Make sure you don’t miss this event that starts tomorrow!

I’m giving a talk on bricks, which are one of my favorite shapes. There is so much you can do with them!

Click right here for your free ticket.

And here’s another brick quilt, just for fun.

Have a wonderful week!

New Talk: Build a Scrap Quilt Brick by Brick

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

You’re invited to an online presentation I’m giving soon:

Build a Scrap Quilt Brick by Brick, tickets $20 on Eventbrite

It happens live Sat Aug 24 but it will be recorded to watch at your convenience, too.

Brick Block baby quilt by Diane Harris, EQ rendering

If you attended the Conquer Your Fabric Scraps Summit and upgraded to the bundle, then a ticket to this talk is included. But if you didn’t and you’d like to come, you may purchase a ticket any time this week.

Just Bricks by Diane Harris

One of my interests is taking simple ideas and seeing how far I can run with them. I love designing quilts that feature just one patch, such as a brick.

In this talk, some of the things we’ll cover include:

  • What IS a brick
  • What sizes to cut
  • Many ways to use bricks for scrap quilts
  • The Brick Block
  • The L Block
  • The Frameup Block
  • The Windmill Block
  • Pictorial quilts with bricks
  • And more!
Basic Baby Windmills quilt by Diane Harris. Photo by Kristin Laing Photography.

And the best part? I’m creating a handout that will show you how the bricks are arranged for many of these ideas! You can print it and have it at your fingertips as you begin your own journey with bricks. Normally, each quilt idea would be developed into a pattern for sale, which would retail for around $12. So if you get 10 ideas worth $12 each, that’s $120 worth of content that is included with your $20 ticket to the talk.

Trust me when I say that you’re going to get excited about making scrap quilts with bricks!

Get your ticket now and I’ll see you on Saturday. And remember, you can watch the recording if you can’t attend live. 😊

Home for Christmas is a brick quilt by Diane Harris.