No Kit? Go Stash Bandit Scrappy!

Written by Diane Harris on September 30, 2019. Posted in How-tos and Ideas, Trunk Shows

I’m within half a breath of being caught up with my deadlines, which means I have a rare opportunity to sew what I want to sew. There are many projects on my personal list but because it’s almost October, the new Halloween Figs has risen to the top.

The fabrics in the original quilt are from a Moda line by Fig Tree called All Hallow’s Eve, but I didn’t wish to buy a kit and it seems that little yardage is still available. I’ve heard rumors that it will be reprinted but in the meantime, I want to make my quilt.

I didn’t name my business Stash Bandit for nothing. Of course I want to sew this sampler from my stash. I’d like to use fabric that I already own. Who doesn’t love doing that?

It’s a good opportunity to show you how I go about pulling fabrics for a scrap quilt with a particular color scheme.

These fabrics were my starting point.

I like the softness of the original quilt, so I started with a handful of fabrics from All Hallow’s Eve and one orange polka dot from Fig Tree. I used these as a starting point to pull fabrics from my stash.

First came the oranges.

I pulled out my orange drawers and used whatever fell in the same family. Lighter and darker, brighter and duller, reproductions and modern fabrics, too. I pulled different scales, which just means the size of the print. Not all of the fabrics will end up working but at this point that’s okay. It’s like fabric brainstorming.

Next came the lights. At the top of the photo above are four fabrics from All Hallow’s Eve. Below them are the lights and mediums I pulled from my stash. Every taupe didn’t have to be the same. In fact, it’s better if they are not. I’m always thinking about creating a bit of tension between the fabrics.

Sameness is dull, but tension is exciting!

I chose black and charcoal fabrics next. I never thought I’d use the word “bright” to describe black fabrics, but indeed I had to eliminate many of the blacks in my drawer because they were too crisp. They were too bright to work.

The fabrics I chose were dull blacks, almost charcoal. Some tan showed up as well.

Now for some mediums.

This group was the most fun. Fabrics I would not have guessed looked great!

I’ve made two blocks and am doing the applique for a third block now. It’s always tricky at the beginning of a scrap quilt because it can look really ugly at first and you just have to keep sewing. I’ll keep you posted as I progress.

Thanks for reading today! I hope you have a great week.

~Diane~

Halloween Figs will become part of a new trunk show for quilt guilds in 2021! When your group needs a speaker, will you keep me in mind? With 50 years of sewing and 35 years of quilting experience, I bring 14 years of industry experience to the table with five entertaining lectures and engaging classes of many types. Give me a call and Let’s Talk Quilts! 

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Tags: color for quilters, fabric savvy, fig tree quilts, halloween, halloween figs, Joanna Figueroa, make extraordinary scrap quilts, sampler quilts, stash bandit trunk shows, taste test