Stash Bandit
  • Home
  • Booking Inquiries
  • Blog
  • Ideas & How-tos
  • Trunk Shows by Diane Harris
  • Classes
  • Galleries
  • About
  • Contact
  • Calendar
Stash Bandit

Yule Glow, or You’ll Glow!

Written by Diane Harris on August 11, 2020. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Trunk Shows

This blog post originally ran in October 2019.

This is Yule Glow, my latest design for McCall’s Quilting and their Nov/Dec ’19 issue, on newsstands now.

Yule Glow, designed and made by Diane Harris. Appears in McCall’s Quilting Nov/Dec ’19.

I wish I could tell you that when it’s time to design a quilt, I sit down and lightning strikes and then comes something wonderful.

But that’s not what happens.

Today I’m letting you in on a secret. I’m going to show you some of the evolution that Yule Glow went through to find its eventual finish. It was a circuitous journey.

I can only credit “Julia.” I wish I knew more, because this is brilliant.

An illustrator named Julia drew what is above and oh how I wish I knew who she was, because this is brilliant. Was anything ever more true? Anyway.

Here’s what happened.

I’ve designed a handful of pictorial quilts with giant features, like Prancer’s Peppermints and Welcome.

Prancer’s Peppermints

Get my free instructions for the pineapple! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought it might be fun to design a quilt with candles, and I was thinking giant candles like the huge peppermints. Big enough to cover a twin-size bed.

I design in EQ8 from The Electric Quilt Company. Here’s how it went.

1. Big candles.

2. Better greenery.

3. Add a snappy border.

4. Add interest to the background because the flames look lonely.

5. An idea seed is planted with what I’m seeing in the background!

6. Could I create a glow around the flames?

7. What if I made it in the shape of traditionally pieced stars?

8. Create more contrast.

9. Play around and play around some more.

10. Hit upon a winning combination.

11. Cue HALLELUJAH CHORUS.

Months later, the issue arrives. It’s on newsstands now!

(Somewhere in there I realized that the candles would be more charming if they were not monstrous. But I still have giant Christmas items up my sleeve for next year.)

Yule Glow.

I can’t help it, I keep thinking of it as “You’ll Glow.”


Get your copy of McCall’s Quilting Nov/Dec ’19 while they last, on newsstands now. Yule Glow is 28″ x 34″ and it’s part of my Jingle Bells Trunk Show of dozens of Christmas and holiday quilts. I’d love to bring it to your quilt guild! 

Please follow and like me!
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram

Tags: christmas quilt, electric quilt company, EQ8, jingle bells trunk show, quilt design, yule glow

Comments (7)

  • LeAnn Frobom

    October 7, 2019 at 6:09 pm | #

    Thank for the glimpse into your creative process!! I love the final version!

    Reply

  • Shasta

    October 7, 2019 at 7:29 pm | #

    Each of the designs are so pretty, and you hit on the right combination.

    Reply

  • Kaye Mattson

    October 7, 2019 at 9:41 pm | #

    Thanks for sharing your design journey. Yule Glow is really pretty and I like it sized as a wall
    Quilt. The glow around the flame adds alot. Congrats on a beautiful design!

    Reply

  • Carol Weber

    October 8, 2019 at 7:49 am | #

    Diane, I love it! You’ve motivated me to go pick up a copy of the magazine!

    Reply

  • Nann

    October 8, 2019 at 9:06 am | #

    Thanks for the insights into the story of the design — which I admired when the magazine arrived a couple of weeks ago. Do you always save each draft of a design? (A good thing here so you could show the steps). And you have another pattern in the new Quiltmaker with an intriguing block design.

    Reply

    • Diane Harris

      October 8, 2019 at 9:36 am | #

      Hi Nann! I usually have many versions of a design that are leftover in EQ. They can number into the dozens when you take into account all the color auditions that didn’t make the cut. I used to think that designers came up with something striking on the first try, just like magic. But now I know better! And thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you like it! The new QM design is another rendition of the Baby Windmills of which I am so fond. 🙂

  • Robin

    October 16, 2019 at 10:30 pm | #

    Thanks for the pattern and the insight to designing. What would designers do without EQ? Back to color pencils and paper. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a comment

Search

Contact

Stash Bandit
Diane Harris
Bladen, NE
402-756-1541
Email Diane

Sign Up Links

  • Follow the Blog
  • Get Stash Bandit News by Email

Social Links

Popular Topics

baby windmills Christmas quilts classes color for quilters Dresden plate easy quilts electric quilt electric quilt company EQ8 fabric fabric savvy free quilt block free quilt pattern free quilt patterns giveaways guild programs helpful how-tos holiday quilts how-tos improv piecing inspiration International Quilt Study Center and Museum jingle bells trunk show machine quilting make extraordinary scrap quilts one hundred small quilts original quilt designs quilt design quilt ideas quilting 101 Quiltmaker quilt museum quilt retreat sampler quilts scrap quilts stash bandit classes stash bandit trunk shows stash sewing trunk shows UFO UFOs value vintage quilts wagner's quilts windy wonders
© 2017 Stash Bandit     Site Credits: Infuze Creative
  • Home
  • Booking Inquiries
  • Blog
  • Ideas & How-tos
  • Trunk Shows by Diane Harris
  • Classes
  • Galleries
  • About
  • Contact
  • Calendar