Counting, Coffee + Chaos: Life Behind a Quilt Pattern Business

Running a digital quilt pattern business as a single mum to two wildly creative girls is a little like piecing a quilt without a pattern - beautiful, unpredictable and held together by a mix of thread, coffee and sheer willpower.

Let me introduce you to the unofficial “team” behind the business. There’s me - designer, late-night pattern writer, snack refiller, and the one desperately trying to remember what I called that one file I saved in a folder labelled “final\_final\_THISone\_USE”. Then there’s my eldest, a digital artist with more drawing tablets than I have rotary cutters. She critiques my colour palettes like a seasoned designer (“Mum, that pink is giving... 2014 Pinterest”) and occasionally helps with mock-ups - when she's not lost in a creative flow at 7am or stealing my iPad.

Then there’s my youngest: performer, makeup queen, and general life-of-the-lounge-room. She’s been known to choreograph a musical number while I’m filming a quilt tutorial, complete with costume changes and interpretive jazz hands. She once insisted a pattern should be renamed “Sparkle Explosion” and, honestly, she kind of had a point.

This little business was born in the in-between moments. Between school drop-offs and pick-ups, between work meetings and dinner preps, between the never-ending piles of washing and those rare, quiet nights when inspiration strikes and everyone else is asleep.  Designing quilt patterns became a way to stay creatively connected to myself in the chaos. It’s my version of self-care -with rulers and fabric scraps instead of bath bombs.

But it’s not just my joy. The girls see it all: the hustle, the creativity, the flops and the wins. They’ve learned that building something from scratch takes time, that creativity comes in all forms, and that sometimes your “brilliant” idea needs three versions before it actually works. They remind me daily that art and expression look different for everyone - whether that’s quilting, digital painting, or a dance routine inspired by Taylor Swift’s entire discography.

So yes, some days feel like a quilt made entirely of Y-seams - awkward, confusing, and mildly stressful - but the finished piece is always worth it. And in this little home full of thread, giggles, makeup brushes, and digital pens, I wouldn't change a thing. Well.. I would take a few more hours in the day!

Here’s to the juggle, the joy, and the ever-growing stash of fabric that I definitely *will* use one day.