Seven Years of Nollie Bean: Reflections from My Journey as a Quilt Pattern Designer
Seven Years of Nollie Bean: Reflections from My Journey as a Quilt Pattern Designer
Seven years!! That number feels a little surreal to type.
When I started Nollie Bean seven years ago, I never imagined I'd become a quilt pattern designer with a growing collection of modern quilt patterns, quilting tutorials, and an amazing community of makers around the world.
Fast forward seven years…. Twenty-one quilt patterns, countless blog posts, a growing YouTube channel, thousands of hours spent behind a sewing machine, and, most importantly, a community that still surprises me every single day.
Designing modern quilt patterns has become one of the greatest joys of my creative life. Every pattern teaches me something new about color, construction, and helping quilters build confidence one project at a time.
As I sit in my sewing room today with a fresh cup of coffee nearby and a brand-new fabric pull waiting on the cutting table, I feel two overwhelming emotions: proud and incredibly grateful.
Whether you've been here since the very beginning or you discovered Nollie Bean yesterday, thank you for spending part of your creative journey with me. Let's celebrate together!
Looking Back on Seven Years of Quilt Pattern Design
If I had to describe this past year in three words, they would be:
Scrappy. Centering. Colorful.
Those three words tell quite a story. This year brought new quilt patterns, slow and steady YouTube growth, and something I never expected, I actually fell in love with my scraps.
If you've been around for a while, you know that scraps used to intimidate me. I'd admire beautiful scrappy quilts from afar but rarely knew what to do with the overflowing bins of leftover fabric in my own sewing room.
Somewhere along the way, something shifted. Instead of seeing scraps as leftovers, I started seeing possibilities.
Now I have three scrappy quilts in progress, and I genuinely can't wait to see them finished. It's funny how creativity has a way of changing us when we're willing to stay curious. Exploring scrappy quilting has also reminded me that creativity isn't about perfection, it’s about experimentation, curiosity, and making quilts that tell your story.
This year also reminded me that sometimes life has other plans. Between my full-time job, family life, swim meets, and simply keeping up with everyday responsibilities, quilting had to compete for my attention more than usual. There were moments when projects sat quietly on the shelf much longer than I intended.
My Cholla Quilt pattern is probably laughing at me as it patiently waited at least four months while life happened around it. But maybe that was exactly the lesson I needed.
My Favorite Quilt Finish of the Year
If I had to choose just one finish from this year, it would be my Claremont Quilt.
Not because it's my newest or most complicated, but because it patiently waited for me, too.
I started this Claremont quilt several years ago after choosing what felt like the perfect collection of fabrics. I absolutely adored that color palette, but somehow the quilt kept getting pushed aside by newer projects and tighter deadlines.
Eventually, I decided it deserved my attention and I finished it one or two blocks at a time. When I finally finished it, I found myself wondering why I'd waited so long.
That quilt reminded me of something I think we all need to hear from time to time: Slow progress is still progress.
Sometimes the quilts that stay with us the longest end up teaching us the biggest lessons.
The Scrappy Heart Quilt Block Tutorial
What Running a Quilting Business Taught Me
This year taught me something that reached far beyond quilting. It taught me to slow down. Early in the year, I found myself trying to do everything. I created deadlines for myself and then tried so hard to launch every project exactly on my made-up schedule.
But, you know how that story usually ends. Burnout! Eventually, I gave myself permission to pause and ask a simple question: What parts of Nollie Bean bring me the most joy?
The answer came surprisingly quickly. Designing quilt patterns, teaching, sharing my creative process, writing tutorials, and helping someone feel brave enough to try something new.
That realization led to one of the biggest changes this year: I stepped away from Instagram and chose to focus my energy on creating longer, more meaningful content here on the blog and over on YouTube. Creating quilting tutorials on YouTube has become one of my favorite ways to teach because I can walk alongside beginner and experienced quilters as they learn new techniques.
I also started giving myself permission to adjust my own timelines, because life is life. Projects take longer sometimes. Creativity isn't meant to be rushed. And honestly? Nothing terrible happened when I stopped putting so much pressure on myself.
Building a Creative Quilting Community
While quilts are wonderful, they aren't actually my favorite part of Nollie Bean. You are!
One of my favorite moments this year happened after I took a short break from sending newsletters. When I finally hit "send" again, I received replies from readers checking in, saying hello, and telling me they were happy I was back. I can't tell you how much those messages meant!
I read every email, every YouTube comment, every blog comment. Even the ones that politely tell me the background music could use a little work. (Trust me...I see those too. 😂)
One of the things I love most about quilting is that it has never felt competitive. Instead, it feels like we're all sitting around one giant quilting table. Someone is making their first quilt, and someone else is finishing their hundredth.
Someone is learning flying geese, while someone (like me!) is finally using the scraps they've been saving for years.
Scrappy Maple Star Quilt Tutorial
And every finish deserves celebrating. Thank you for making this such a kind, encouraging little corner of the internet. It truly means the world.
Behind the Scenes of Nollie Bean
Like many of you, this year wasn't perfectly stitched together. Balancing a full-time career, family life, motherhood, creative work, and recovering from burnout wasn't always easy.
There were days when quilting had to wait. There were evenings when I was simply too tired to sew. There were projects that stayed folded in the closet way longer than planned.
But I also learned something important. Creativity doesn't disappear just because life gets busy. Sometimes it simply waits patiently for us to come back. And when we do…. It welcomes us exactly where we left off.
What's Next for Nollie Bean
One of my favorite parts of an anniversary is dreaming about what's next. This coming year, you'll definitely see more YouTube tutorials as I continue working toward my goal of creating companion videos for all of my quilt patterns.
There are also new quilt patterns quietly taking shape behind the scenes, including another Block of the Month sampler that's already making me smile just thinking about it.
I'm also setting three creative goals for myself this year:
1. Experiment with more color.
2. Spend more time sewing just for me.
3. Finish a few more quilts.
Thank You for Seven Incredible Years
If you've been with me since the beginning, Thank You!! You've watched me grow as a designer, a teacher, and honestly, as a person. I can't believe you've stayed by my side through all of it.
If you're brand new here, Welcome!! I'm so glad you found your way to this little corner of the internet. Here, you'll find encouragement instead of perfection, curiosity instead of comparison, and lots of colorful fabric along the way.
My greatest hope is that when you finish one of my quilt patterns, you don't just end up with a beautiful quilt. I hope you feel proud and accomplished. I hope you discover that you're capable of more than you thought.
Because that's really what quilting has given me. It's given me a creative outlet, a quieter mind, and friendships I never expected.
And seven incredible years that I wouldn't trade for anything. So here's to another year of quilty fun, slow stitches, colorful fabric pulls, and making functional works of art together.
Whether you're making your very first quilt or your fiftieth, I hope Nollie Bean continues to be a place where you can find modern quilt patterns, quilting inspiration, and the confidence to create something beautiful.
Thank you for being here. I truly can't wait to see what we create next. Until next time, happy quilting!!
