Scrap Doodles project beginnings by Sue Peck (top left), Shawn Dubin (top right), and Sue Fox, (bottom)

In a workshop using Sashing Stash scraps for inspiration, three participants ended up collaborating on a post workshop project. The three beginning blocks (above) were made by Sue Peck, Shawn Dubin, and Sue Fox of Berkeley. Shawn reports, “After some serious concentrating on how best to use Sashing Stash in vintage recreations and art quilts, a bunch of us decided just to be goofy and see what we could come up with very quickly with some scraps. Our results may or may not inspire you to your future triumphs.”

It was nearing All Souls Day, and resonating to the happy vibes of the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrated here in highly Hispanic California, the designers collaborated on using their blocks to build an upbeat Día de los Muertos house, rich with symbolism and joyous tribute to our ancestors.

House for Día de los Muertos altar

Those of you older quilters or who know their quilt history will recall the great kerfluffle that began in 1994 with the first effort to display one of Jonathan Shannon’s spectacular Day of the Dead quilts at a large show which will remain anonymous. Its rejection for fear it might offend visitors caused a rebound of interest in the imagery and spirituality of Día de los Muertos, and hundreds, maybe thousands, of Day of the Dead quilts have been made since then.