Behind the Scenes with Designer Jen Daly

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Bright butterflies flutter gently about in a sweet patch of posies in Jen Daly’s easy, colorful wall quilt, Butterfly Ballet. She cleverly created a delightful garden symphony with colorful prints from just one pack (!!) of precut 5″ charm squares. Although our request was too late for Jen to capture photos of her making this quilt, she graciously agreed to share images of her quilting studio. Let’s go behind the scenes with designer Jen Daly!

Butterfly Ballet Charm Pack Quilt

*Butterfly Ballet*, designed and made by Jen Daly, patterned in **Love of Quilting** March/April and May/June 2024 double issue. Digital download available at QuiltingDaily.com.

Jen was inspired by butterflies dancing from flower to flower in a summer garden. She selected a background fabric that contrasts nicely with her precut fabric pack.

Use the same fabric collection as Jen (Bee Dots by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs) or have fun making your own medley with your chosen pack of 5”-square precuts (known also as 5” Stacker or 5” Charm Pack).

Jen Daly’s Quilting Studio

The first picture is of my cutting and sewing tables. My husband actually pulled the table out of a pile at work that was headed for the trash so I guess you could say it’s upcycled. I love it—it’s plenty big, the height is adjustable, and it’s very sturdy. Underneath my cutting table I’ve got a drawer unit that holds all of my supplies for cutting, notions, paper/pens, etc. My sewing table is an inexpensive pine table that my husband and I modified to be able to inset my sewing machine—much better ergonomically.

Another view of Jen’s quilting studio, featuring space for quilting pals and so many beautiful windows to illuminate her workspace.

The second picture shows a wall in my room that’s got another work surface (with storage below), a book shelf with storage for my fibers, wool, and fabric scraps, a little chair for visitors, and my dog Casey’s bed.

Jen’s Fabric Stash Organization

Jen keeps her fabric stash well-organized, and ready to pull from at a moment’s notice!

The third picture shows one of the best features of my sewing room—my fabric closet. Inside I store my fabric on shelves and my thread and small precuts/various finished small projects on racks installed on the inside of the doors.

Jen’s fabric stash is primarily sorted by color.

The fourth picture is a close-up of how I store my fabric—folded and stacked and sorted primarily by color, although I do have separate stacks for specific types of fabric such as homespuns or reproduction.

Charm packs of fabric get their own dedicated space on wire racks installed on the inside of Jen’s closet door.

The fifth picture is a close-up of my charm pack collection—yes, I have a little charm pack problem.

Quilting Buddy

Who doesn’t love a little quilting helper, ready to lend an ear and support every design decision?

Finally, the sixth picture shows Casey, my sweet Goldendoodle and quilting companion.

Editor’s note: Learn more about Jen and her quilting at jendalyquilts.com.

Make Your Own Butterfly Ballet

Jen added a delicate detail to each patchwork butterfly: hand embroidered antennae.

Each butterfly features hand embroidered antennae.

Jen artfully sorted her 42 charm squares into groups of warm hues (pinks, reds, golds, corals) for the center blocks and border patches, cool hues (aquas, teals, greens) for the outer blocks, and neutrals (browns and taupes) for the centers of the posy and butterfly blocks. She used the remaining purple and mint prints in the outer corners and the center posy block. We provide a sidebar in the pattern to help you plan where to use the fabrics from your chosen charm pack.

Find Butterfly Ballet in the March/April and May/June 2024 double issue of Love of Quilting, or download the digital pattern instantly.