How it's Made-Skip to Dessert

Original Sketch

 I love the show "How it's Made" that is on the Science Channel. I have always wanted to draw the curtain back and see what goes into making something from a pile of materials and what tools are required. So I guess it is not a surprise that I went to school for Industrial Design.

So that being said, I would like to share with you how some of the quilts are designed at our studio.....

Our example to today is my newest quilt "Skip to Dessert"

1. Which came first the fabric or the design?????

I would have to say it varies from project to project. In the case of this quilt, I have had an idea in my head for a turkey for several years now and sometimes it takes awhile to get it to the paper. 

Pieced and Appliquéd

So when I found the border fabric at Timeless Treasures last year, I knew it was time for the turkey. So which came first the design or the fabric???? 

2. The Sketch

Nothing is scarier than a blank piece of paper. I have so many ideas rolling around in my head and wish they would just flow down my hand and onto the paper the way I see it in my mind. 

Unfortunately this rarely happens. It takes a few sketches in my sketch book to get the image to look the way I imagine it. For this quilt I spent about an hour working on the original sketch. Once I have the idea down on paper, I make some notes on the drawing about changes I would make or if I have a name in mind. Then it is off to the computer, where the image is scanned in, redrawn and I make any adjustments I wanted to make from the original design. From this drawing I make a materials and cutting list for the project. 

On the Long Arm for Quilting

3. Fabric Selection

Now that I have an idea of what the quilt will look like, I select the fabrics for the design. In this case I had the border and inner fabrics selected and I just needed the coordinates for Tom.

4. Off the the Studio

With my fabrics and design in hand, it is off to the studio and time to cut and sew. This is also another chance to make sure I love the fabrics for the project. I can sometime switch fabric 3 or 4 times before I am happy with the final selection. This is also when I check my measurements and make sure I have all the information written down for the pattern. We make the quilt top and then it off to be quilted.

5. Instructions

While the quilt is being quilted, we start on the instructions, they are written by my partner and then sent back to me to edit and  add the illustrations and templates.

6. All comes together

Once the quilt is quilted and bound, I photograph the quilt for the pattern cover. We put all the components of the pattern together and it is edited one more time. Then it is off to the printer.

Once the pattern is printed we package the patterns and we then start cutting the fabric kit. 

Now that everything on this list is finished, I add the new product to our website and share it with all of you. 

Hope you have enjoyed this peek inside "How Its Made" at The Whimsical Workshop.

Until Next Time.....