The Great Pumpkin Backstory and Giveaway
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. This design used other pieced pineapples as a springboard for my own interpretation. I wrote free instructions to make this quilt and I hope you’ll help yourself.
The Great Pumpkin, designed and made by Diane Harris, appears in Quiltmaker Sept/Oct ’19
I thought it might be fun to do a great big pumpkin in a similar way. So I designed the quilt above in Electric Quilt design software and submitted it to the titles in Golden, Colorado. Pretty soon they responded. “We’d like to publish your pumpkin quilt, but without the Flying Geese.”
I thought about it for a while and then politely said that without the piecing at the center, it was just a giant pumpkin and I didn’t think that was very interesting.
Before long they relented and let me have my pumpkin just the way I wanted to make it. Find the issue on newsstands now or get a digital version you can download instantly.
A couple of years back I designed Pumpkins and Patches for Quiltmaker. The image above is from EQ7 but it was huge at 77″ x 101″, so the editors wisely decided to pattern it as a throw-size quilt instead.
The striped border is playful but I would prefer a more subdued choice. To each her own, right? You can still get Pumpkins and Patches in digital format, instantly downloadable.
Let’s have a giveaway!
I have a copy of Quilty with Prancer’s Peppermints inside, the Sept/Oct ’19 Quiltmaker with The Great Pumpkin inside, three issues of McCall’s Quick Quilts including my Christmas tree pattern (below), and this very useful Stash ‘n Store cutie-pie from It’s Sew Emma.
Its little compartments hold all your skinny and medium size tools upright for a quick grab when you need them.
The Stash ‘n Store also comes in lime and purple and other delicious colors and is available from Fat Quarter Shop. I love mine!
Twinkling Bright by Diane Harris for McCall’s Quick Quilts Dec/Jan ’18
For your chance to win the giveaway, leave a comment before the day ends on Thursday, August 29, 2019, telling me if we’ve ever met in person and if so, where.
I love learning who visits the Stash Bandit blog. I’ll announce the winner sometime on Friday, August 30. Good luck!
The winner of this giveaway is Wendy in Maine. Thank you for playing along, everyone!
(Please don’t worry if your comment doesn’t immediately show up. In order to avoid spammers, I have to approve comments one by one and I’m usually at my sewing machine, not the computer!)
Tags: Christmas quilts, EQ8, fall quilts, free quilt pattern, giveaways, guild programs, holiday quilts, make extraordinary scrap quilts, pumpkins, quilt design, Quiltmaker, scrap quilts, stash sewing, trunk shows
Rebekah Newell
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We have not met in person!! I do love reading your blog!!! Ive been getting to read alot sinnce our house fire and i really enjoy your blog!!
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Heidi Lehnig
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I love your blog, designs and ideas ! Thanks 💕
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Cherie in St Louis
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We’ve never met but, hey, it could happen someday, right? Glad you stuck to your guns regarding the giant pumpkin 🎃 quilt!!!
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Tammy Howell
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We have not met in person. I love seeing all your best ideas on Facebook.
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Jean
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Hi Diane! We met at your presentation for Cottonwood quilt guild in Elkhorn, Ne. I believe it was 2016 or 2017. At that time I was a quilt pattern tester for 100 Blocks. I even had someone take my photo with you! I love your scrappy ideas……we are kindred souls when it comes to quiltmaking. I hope to come to one of your presentations again.
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Donna Petrmichl
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We have met! I was a guest at the modern quilters meeting in Omaha Ne. I enjoyed your talk and have a stash of scraps piling up for my windmill blocks 🤣🤣🤣
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Diane Paul
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We’ve never met in person. I’m glad you held your ground on the pumpkin. it’s much more interesting with the flying geese.
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Edwina
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Yes! We met when you came to the Lee’s Summit Quilters’ Guild and I have been following you ever since!
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Sally Howard
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We haven’t met yet, but I see on your calendar you’ll be visiting my quilt guild next July! Thanks for the chance.
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Wendy
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Unfortunately we’ve not met in person but I’d love to have that change! You’ve an open invitation to come visit in Maine! 🙂
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Susan Conner
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We haven’t met, but I’m always eager to read your posts. I’ve made a baby quilt using the baby windmills and I see more in my future. They were so fun.
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Diane Harris
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Hi Susan, I’m so glad to hear you’re making use of the little windmills! Always music to my ears! 🙂
Monica Gerhart
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My Hanky “quilt” from your class won a red ribbon at the county fair. Love following your blog.
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Diane Harris
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That’s great news, Monica! Congratulations!
Pat Davis
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Unfortunately, I haven’t met you in person, however I have been a Nebraskan for 55 years and one never knows what will happen tomorrow ☺️. I love reading your blog ❤️
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LeeAnn
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Yes, we have met!! And I love your blog. I always learn something.
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Teri
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We have not met in person but I do enjoy reading your blog. Love the pumpkin.
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Paula
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We have not met in person. I love following you on Instagram.
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Janice Stuhmer
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I met you when you did a program for Lone Tree Quilt Guild in Central City. Love following your Facebook posts and blog.
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Leslie Schmidt
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I’m afraid we’ve never met. But maybe if the stars align someday, we may.
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Barb K
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I have not met you in person but enjoy reading your blog! I really enjoy Fall and Halloween decorations, so think your pumpkin is great.
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Cindy
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I prefer the flying geese in the pumpkin myself. We’ve never met.
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Rita K Wilson
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We have never met in person. I enjoy reading your blog and seeing your patterns in magazines.
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Lea
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We have met! We were at the same table at a 50th anniversary party this spring! I love your ideas and only wish I could sew faster! Keep those ideas coming!
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Ann
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We have not met in person but I know we would be friends. I would not have approved the pumpkin without the piecing either.
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Ruth-Anne Fullerton Hayes
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We’ve never met but I love your blog. I stumbled upon you through Instagram. Thanks so much for the chance at such a fabulous giveaway!! 😁🎃
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Julie
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Hi Diane! We met through quilting a couple years back. I’m a fan of your scrappy quilts and how you put colors together! Thank you for all your tips and fun patterns and freebies! I hope to make the Twinkling Bright soon..I’ve started collecting my fabrics.
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Julie Mirdoch
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I haven’t met you yet! But maybe one day! I really enjoy the blog – always so interesting!!!
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Jan Fitch
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we have never met in person. i am a relatively new acquaintance and I’m loving this new friendship!
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Tina M Bolin
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We have not met before but I am thinking I would love to meet you and pick your brain. i just found your website and immediately signed up for your blog. Thanks for sharing your fabulous ideas.
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Leslie martin
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We’ve met at the Holdrege and Kearney quilt guilds. Leslie🍎
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Jan T
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We met and visited at the Quilt Museum in Lincoln, NE a few years ago. Maybe at the Featherweight conference? Not sure. Always enjoy and read your blog. Wanting to try baby windmills soon as a leader/ender project.
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Beth T.
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I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, but we’ve never met in person.
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Tabatha smith
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We have never met in person, in fact, today is the first time I’ve come across “stash bandit” love everything I see!
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Diane Harris
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Well then, welcome Tabatha! So happy to have you here! 🙂
Terri in BC
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I discovered your blog not that long ago, and have enjoyed reading back as well. We have not met in person, but who knows…someday!
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Lynn
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We have not met in person. My sister sent me to your site, which she found when a friend told her about it after finding it and realizing that she knew you back when!
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Laura Anstruther
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Hi, we have never met, maybe one day you will visit Vancouver, Canada . Love your work !
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Kathi B
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We’ve never met in person. I love reading your blog – it is very inspiring!
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S. K. Richardson
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No, I don’t believe we have ever met in person. I do enjoy reading your blog “Stash Bandit”.
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Diane Oakes
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We’ve never met in person, but I’d love to! Love this pumpkin, need to add it to my list.
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Connie Luers
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We haven’t met but I enjoy your posts and look forward to them. Your designs always have that “something extra” to them. Thank you!
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Deb McD
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We’ve met. We worked together, belonged to the same guild and probably have more connections that I can’t think of off the top of my head right now. I sure enjoy keeping up with you and your creativity through your blog.
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Bonny Hall
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We have not met, but I relate to your Scrappy sensibility. Keeping it fun is an encouraging outlook! Thank you!
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Betty Koenig
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I have met you and I really enjoyed your program and hope to see you again.
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Kathy Klobucher
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such cute patterns!!! I love anything pumpkin!
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Gretchen Barclay
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Quilting Kindred spirit from Scandia, Kansas. A pumpkin quilt is always fun!
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Gail
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Haven’t met you but enjoy your blog and IG page!
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Cindy Kennedy
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I have not never met you. I do like reading your blog and Facebook page. I watch your videos when I have a chance. You have inspired me on some quilting projects.
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