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Quilting Tips & Tutorials

Deadlines, Design Wall issue and Mistakes

August 21, 2019November 24, 2019 2 comments

Hi friends!

I am sitting here trying to decide what part of this topic to start with, the deadlines, the design wall or the mistakes!

Deadlines

Let’s start with deadlines. When most people learn that I left my nursing career for a quilt design career, they (wrongly!) assume that I have an easy job.

Now, I love what I do! I love designing quilts, I love making quilts, I LOVE going to guilds and doing lectures and classes… but make no mistake, it is work! And sometimes the deadlines are tough.

New mini project- coming soon!

 

Right now, I am working on about 14 quilts and at least 12 Pack It UP! bags that all need to be done by either Quilt Market in October or in November for a fabric company deadline. That’s a lot of quits and bags in a short period of time! I like making quilts, so if I can just remind myself to be in the moment with each quilt, focus on that one and not worry about the next one, it should be a very busy but very fun fall!

Pillow made using the Mini Braid- soon to be a mini pattern!

 

I wish I could show you images of what I am working on because some of them are pretty cool. But right now, they are all super secret until the fabric comes out! 

Super Secret Island Batik projects!

 

Design Wall Issue

What I can show you is my design wall dilemma! I have shown images of my studio before in this post and in this post. (Studio makes it sound so official! And large! Which it is not.) I have a lovely window looking west towards the mountains, a large opening with a short wall that overlooks the living room so I get a lot of light, a nook that I have turned into a storage closet and one wall. Yup. One wall.

On that wall, I have my cutting table and a bookcase that holds some books, projects, rulers and my tv for the days when I need some distraction while I sew. I also have a small design wall- great for putting up a couple of blocks to see how they look. But too small for an entire quilt.

 

But sometimes you really need to see the whole quilt top done so you can check for errors! I don’t have room for a large design wall, but I have this wood beam running down the hallway.  So I hung some curtain hooks from it so I can hang a quilt there. That way I can see the whole top and make sure there are no mistakes before I send it along to the long arm quilter. 

Quilt Hanger

 

Hmmm… I have found it only works if I actually use it. Which brings me to the next subject of this email…

Mistakes

Yup. In my rush last spring with my many deadlines for spring Quilt Market, I made a mistake in one of my quilts. Funny thing is, I had made a mistake, caught it and “fixed” it. What I didn’t do is check to see if I fixed it correctly! Oops!

Don’t you hate it when there is an error? Do you feel the quilt is ruined? Do you see the error every time you look at the quilt?

Want to see my error?

It is in my quilt Foothills. 

Here is the crib version. No mistake.

Foothills Crib Quilt in pinks

 

Here is the lap version. Do you see the mistake?

Foothills Lap Quilt

 

I bet some of you found it right away and and others had to search. And guess what? It is still a pretty quilt. Yes, I made an error but if I were to gift this quilt to someone, I bet they wouldn’t care. 

And luckily for me, I put both quilts on the cover and the crib quilt covers the “oops” in the lap quilt! 

Pattern Cover for Foothills

 

Moral of the story- I should slow down, even when facing multiple tight deadlines and make sure I got the piecing right.  And when I do make a mistake, I should not beat myself up about it. It happens. It is still a pretty quilt!

 

Facebook Live

In other news, I am starting to do some Facebook Live sessions. I did a few back in the spring for the Adventure Quilt quilt along, but it is time for me to start doing them on a more regular basis to share things with all my quilty friends on Facebook. My first FB Live of the new series will be tomorrow, Thursday August 22 at 10am MT. 

 

So if you are on FB, please come check it out! And if you can’t see it live, you can always check it out later on. 

 

Instagram

There are a few fun things happening on Instagram right now!

First, I have a project in the Quilter’s Planner 2020 and tomorrow on the QP feed, they are going to feature my projects! So if you don’t already follow QP on Instagram, they are @quiltersplanner.

QP 2020 cover in Coral- that is the cover I finally chose for mine! Did you see all their options?

 

Second, I am doing an Instagram takeover over on the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine Instagram feed starting on Friday thru Sunday! I have a quilt in their latest issue and so they asked me to post some images! They are @allpeoplequilt! Please check out my posts on their feed and leave comments.

 USED WITH PERMISSION FROM AMERICAN PATCHWORK & QUILTING®. ©2019 MEREDITH CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

Third, Jessica VanDenburgh of Sew Many Creations is hosting and Instagram hop showing off her new fabric line with Windham fabrics called Juniper. Such a cute line! Here are some of the fabrics I am using in my project.

Juniper fabrics

 

The hop started August 18th and my day on the hop is next Wednesday August 28th. Jessica is @sewmanycreations  on Instagram and here is the entire list of quilters who are posting. (I was going to call them “posters” but somehow it didn’t sound right!)

August 18- Jessica @sewmanycreations
August 19 – Shayla & Kristy Wolf  @Sassafraslane
August 20 – Natalie Crabtree @njcrabtree
August 21 –  Nikki Maroon @thegirlwhoquilts
August 22 – Lee Chappell Monroe @maychappell
August 23 – Heather Givans @crimsontate
August 24 – Leslie Meltzer @lelliebunny
August 25 – Tammy Silvers @tamarinis
August 26 – Tiffany Sepulveda @sewtiffany
August 27 – Alison O’Grady @sewbeeitclothier
August 28 – Kate Colleran @seamslikeadreamquilts- ME!
August 29 – Jamie & Jill @Sunflower_quilt
August 30 – Sherry Shish @poweredbyquilting
August 31 – Linda & Carl @colourwerx
September 1 – Karen @LadyKQuilts 
September 2 – Stephanie Soebbing @quiltaddictsanonymous
September 3 – Jessica @sewmanycreations
 
 
I am off to get some sewing done today… I hope you have a great rest fo your week!
 
Happy quilting!
Kate

 

 

Design WallDesignsInstagrammaking mistakesMini braid templatenew projects
About Kate

About Kate

Hi! I'm Kate Colleran, a designer who creates quilt patterns, fabric and surface designs. I lecture and teach about quilting. Welcome to my online home!

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2 comments

  1. Fran Sakelarides says:
    August 22, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    I’ve looked and looked and I cannot see the mistake. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder??.

    Reply
    1. Kate Colleran says:
      August 27, 2019 at 4:55 pm

      Fran,
      Thanks!
      Just an FYI- it is near the bottom where I switched two triangles. But I think that just shows the mistakes we agonize over aren’t always that bad!

      Reply

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