Posts Tagged ‘scrap quilts’

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.

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!

 

Unify diverse fabrics in scrap quilts

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

One of the tricks to making cohesive scrap quilts is finding a way to unify diverse fabrics.

In my Make Extraordinary Scrap Quilts trunk show, I talk about using “glue”—something to hold all those fabrics together. Today I’m sharing a few types of glue along with examples where they’re used.

Color

Using a single color for a scrap quilt is an easy way to achieve unity. That one color automatically holds everything together quite nicely. It’s such a simple idea but I think it’s true.

Scarlet Spin by Diane Harris for Quiltmaker. Photo by Mellisa Karlin Mahoney. Used with permission.

Scarlet Spin came together easily because “all reds clash well,” according to the late Mary Ellen Hopkins. If you’re brave and you use all the reds together, it will work. You truly can’t mess it up.

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!

Threads Across Nebraska: Quilts, shopping, fun!

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

If you’re in or near Nebraska, I hope you’ll join me at Threads Across Nebraska in Kearney Friday and Saturday.

I’m very excited to have 30 of my quilts on exhibit during this event, hosted by Nebraska State Quilt Guild. And I’ll have more quilts in my vendor booth, something that is new for me. I might be in over my head with the vending but I trust that people will give me grace as I learn how to do it.

I’ll be doing a “walk-and-talk” through my exhibit at least once each day, likely around 10 each morning.

This is a casual stroll past the quilts, chatting about the quilts and sharing some of their stories. I’m looking forward to this a lot. I realized yesterday that I’m not nervous about this because it will just feel like talking about quilts with my friends. Nothing comes more naturally to me!

My quilts hung at Maine Quilts in July, and it was interesting to watch people analyze, enjoy or be inspired!

I had to leave out a few quilts that I wish I could have included but they’ll be in my booth so I hope you will stop by to see them. I’ll have a bunch of stuff for sale:

Featherweight sewing machines, vintage quilts and tops, Stash Bandit scrap bags, curated fat quarter bundles and several patterns of my designs.

Raspberry Limeade, a new quilt, pattern coming soon.
Quilted by Julie Lecher.

I’m also running a special for quilt guilds to which I can drive: Book a trunk show for $425 ($100 off) and a class for $500 ($200 off) and pay only one-way mileage (50% off) when you book by October 15! 

If this sounds good, be sure to get in touch soon and we’ll find a date that works for both of us. My 2026 is filling up fast so please don’t delay. I’d love to visit your group!

Lingering Effects by Diane Harris, quilted by Julie Lechner

If you’re not close enough to attend Threads, I’m putting together some exciting things for 2026 and I can’t wait to tell you all about them. Until then, quilt on!


So many scrappy ideas: New book!

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

Is there anything more fun than a brand new book that is packed with possibility? I think not.

Scrap Quilts from Crumbs, Strips & Strings by Emily Bailey is hot off the press and let me tell you, it’s a good one!

Click image to pre-order!

Emily has taken traditional patchwork shapes like hexies, Log Cabins, stars, braids and Nine Patches and turned them on their head by using up leftover bits and bobs.

I can’t say I wanted to make a Grandmother’s Flower Garden before…but now I do!! Look at the size of those scrappy hexagons. And the dark scrappy ground is marvelous.

And if I ever make a braid quilt, it’s going to be this one in the coolest colors of all.

How about a little improv to make some flowers? They’re the perfect place for those favorite tiny scraps you couldn’t bear to toss.

Of the 15 patterns inside, the cover quilt called Fireworks is one of my favorites. The dullness of the grays with the brightness of the colored strips makes my heart sing. I’m probably going to make this quilt!

You can preorder the book now right from Emily, or ask for it at your local quilt shop when it arrives mid-October. Official publication date is 10/14. Get a better look at the quilts in the video below.

Let’s have a giveaway! Leave a comment for your chance to win Scrap Quilts from Crumbs, Strips & Strings by Emily Bailey. I’ll choose a winner on Oct 15 and notify by email.

Quilt on,

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!

A scrappy good time at Maine Quilts

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

Last week I traveled northeast for Maine Quilts and it did not disappoint.

Mainers remind me of Nebraskans: friendly, down-to-earth, truly good-hearted people. I loved them all.

Today I want to share my favorite quilts from the show, which had both judged and non-judged categories. One quilt that captured my attention was “Magic Pocean’s Salty Dogs.”

Magic Pocean’s Salty Dogs: Jennifer Smith. Quilted by Meliss Swanson. Design: Kinship by Angie Wilson @gnomeangel