I’m a thrifter. I like garage sales and flea markets and thrift stores. I visit them when I travel and here at home. I adore a good bargain and I love a treasure hunt. (That’s not the confession.)
When I visited my daughter in Seattle recently, I headed to the Goodwill one rainy afternoon. And just about the first thing I spied was a set of three giant wise men by Jim Shore.
Last year I had this idea: Design a Christmas quilt with giant candy canes. The candy canes would be so big they’d cover the entire quilt. I nestled them together and topped them off with a Starlite™ mint.
Prancer’s Peppermints, designed and made by Diane Harris, appeared in Quilty Nov/Dec. 2018
Quilty magazine published them as Prancer’s Peppermints in the Nov/Dec ’18 issue.
Diane’s giant pineapple “Welcome” quilt, click for free instructions!
Then I thought it might be fun to make a giant pineapple quilt, and that’s how Welcome was born.
I’ve been working on a new holiday quilt called Christmas Figs. It’s been so much fun!
The folks at Fat Quarter Shop sent me a review copy of the Christmas Figs book, and I could not wait to dive in.
My exceptional longarm quilter said to me recently, “I think everything you do is modern.” I’d commented that I didn’t think of myself as a “modern” quilter, and her response gave me pause. I’ve been (very happily) fielding inquiries from modern quilt guilds, and the truth is that some things I design and make lean toward the modern aesthetic, some are traditional, and some are hard to put into a category.
Oh, Christmas Wreath by Diane Harris; quilted by Julie Lechner @beenquiltin
Today I’m introducing Oh, Christmas Wreath! This design is decidedly modern: solid fabrics, negative space, clean and fresh. Oh, Christmas Wreath appears in the Nov/Dec issue of Quilty, on newsstands now. I hope you’ll grab it when you see it or order it online in paper or digital format.
The Nov/Dec issue of Quilty magazine is on newsstands now, and I’m very excited to have two new quilt designs inside.
Ever since I started building the Jingle Bells Trunk Show to share with quilt guilds, I’ve been obsessed with making Christmas quilts. I’m constantly working on new ideas, and these two were a fit for Quilty. You may know that magazines work months in advance, so I actually pieced these in April and May for an early June deadline.
St. Patrick’s Day is nearly upon us, and that put me in the mood to sew something green last week. This is a free quilt pattern for a four-leaf clover design I named Lucky.
After you read the post, you may wish to get the printer-friendly pattern.
If you’re new to Stash Bandit, welcome! I’m happy you’re here. Today I’m sharing a bit about a new trunk show called “Jingle Bells” that I’ve prepared for quilt groups.
No matter the time of year, the Jingle Bells trunk show of Christmas quilts is sure to get you in the mood for holiday quilting. Large and small, pieced and appliquéd, modern and traditional—there’s a little something for everyone.
Nested Nicks by Diane Harris. Photo by Mellisa Karlin Mahoney. Used with permission.
I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I’ve had making these quilts. Even though it’s March, I’m humming Christmas carols.