Cataloging Your Quilts, Saving Their Stories, and the My Quilts App with Kiley of Kiley’s Quilt Room

Originally recorded as an episode of The Quilt Scouts Podcast

Some quilts are easy to remember.

The baby quilt you made in a rush because the shower was suddenly two days away.

The quilt you brought on every road trip for three years.

The one you made during a weird season of life and still feel a little emotional about.

But some quilts start to blur together over time.

Who did I give that one to?

What pattern was that?

When did I make it?

What fabric did I use?

And why, for the love of rotary blades, did I not write any of this down?

In this episode, I sat down with Kiley Ferons of Kiley’s Quilt Room, the creative mind behind the My Quilts app, to talk about documenting quilts, saving quilt stories, and why cataloging your projects does not have to feel like a full-time archival job.

This episode was originally recorded as part of The Quilt Scouts Podcast, before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound. You’ll hear the old name in the recording and transcript, but this conversation fits beautifully into the Quiltbound world: honoring the quilts we make, preserving the stories behind them, and building a creative record that future-you, and maybe future quilt historians, will absolutely thank you for.

Also, this conversation inspired a brand-new badge.

Because of course it did.

Listen to the Episode

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Overview

In this conversation, Kiley shares how her quilting business has grown from longarming in her basement to pattern writing, publishing books, designing fabric for Moda, and building an app specifically for quilters.

We talk about the story behind the My Quilts app, how Kiley and her husband built it together, why quilt documentation matters, and how quilters can start cataloging their projects without spiraling into “I have to document every quilt I have ever made by Friday” mode.

Please do not do that to yourself.

Start with one quilt.

That’s the whole trick.

Meet Kiley of Kiley’s Quilt Room

Kiley’s quilting career has taken a lot of creative turns.

She started as a longarm quilter, then began writing her own patterns because following instructions was not exactly her favorite sport. Relatable. Painfully.

From there, she became the founder and editor-in-chief of Modish Quilter Magazine, published two quilting books, started work on a third, and began designing fabric for Moda.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, she and her husband started brainstorming ways to work on a project together.

Her husband is a software developer.

Kiley is a quilter who wanted a better way to track her quilts.

And that is how the My Quilts app was born.

A marriage of fabric and tech, which feels very millennial quilter of us.

Why Kiley Created the My Quilts App

The spark for the app came from a very real problem: Kiley was starting to forget the details of her quilts.

When did she make that one?

Who did she gift it to?

What was happening in her life at the time?

What fabric did she use?

Then, after her grandmother passed away, Kiley’s family found boxes of unfinished quilt tops made from older clothing and reused fabrics. They could tell the quilts had stories, but they did not know what those stories were.

Who made them?

Where did the fabrics come from?

What year were they started?

Why were they never finished?

That experience made the need for quilt documentation feel even more urgent.

Because a quilt without a story still matters, of course.

But a quilt with a story?

That becomes something else.

A record.

A memory.

A piece of family history.

A little fabric breadcrumb trail for the people who come after us.

What Is the My Quilts App?

The My Quilts app is a quilt journaling and tracking app created specifically for quilters.

At its core, it gives you one place to record your quilting projects. You can add photos, save important details, track project stages, and write journal entries about the quilt.

The app also has a social side, kind of like a quilter-specific mix of Pinterest and Instagram, but without the parts that make your brain feel like it needs to lie down.

You can follow other quilters, like and comment on projects, save quilts that inspire you, and create a kind of project wishlist inside the app.

Your projects default to public, but you can also make them private.

So if you want to document a secret gift quilt, a chaotic work in progress, or the project you are not emotionally ready to explain yet, you can keep it tucked away.

We love options.

Why Quilt Cataloging Matters

A lot of us think of quilting as a hobby.

And it is.

But it is also art.

It is family history.

It is documentation of our lives, our tastes, our skill growth, our relationships, our grief, our celebrations, and sometimes our very questionable fabric eras.

Kiley compared quilt cataloging to genealogy, and that felt so right.

A name is interesting.

A story is better.

Future generations may not just want to know that you made a quilt. They may want to know who it was for, what was happening when you made it, why you chose those colors, where the fabric came from, or what the project meant to you.

And if you give quilts away, documentation matters even more.

Once a quilt leaves your house, the story can get lost quickly.

One or two generations later, people may be guessing.

And honestly, I would love to spare future descendants from saying, “I think Megan made this? Maybe? During some kind of emotional fabric phase?”

What to Document First

If you’re new to quilt cataloging, Kiley recommends starting with photos.

You do not need a full professional photo shoot. You do not need a studio. You do not need to stage the quilt on a windswept cliff while wearing a linen dress.

Unless you want to, in which case please send me the pictures.

For a simple quilt record, Kiley recommends taking:

• A full photo of the quilt front
• A close-up of the quilting stitches
• Close-up photos of special blocks, details, or techniques
• A photo showing the front, backing, and binding together
• A photo of the recipient with the quilt, if it was gifted

That gives you a solid visual record without overcomplicating the process.

If you take more photos, great.

If you only manage a few, also great.

The goal is progress, not turning quilt documentation into a second unpaid job.

What Information to Save

The My Quilts app walks you through the important details, which makes the process much easier.

Some helpful things to document include:

• Quilt name
• Pattern name
• Pattern designer
• Fabric used
• Quilt size
• Date made
• Who it was made for
• Who quilted it
• How it was quilted
• Any special notes about the project

The journal entry is where the real magic can happen.

That’s where you can write about why you made the quilt, what was happening in your life, what you learned, what went sideways, or what you want to remember.

Some quilts will have a big emotional story.

Some will have a very practical story, like “I made this for a fabric collection deadline and drank a lot of coffee.”

Both count.

Not every quilt needs to be profound.

But every quilt deserves a record.

Tracking Works in Progress

One of the features I love is that the app can track works in progress, not just finished quilts.

You can enter a quilt as soon as you choose fabric, then update it as the project moves along.

That means your record can include the whole process:

Fabric pull.

Cutting.

Piecing.

Quilting.

Binding.

Finished photos.

This is especially helpful if you’re the kind of person who has multiple projects in different stages and occasionally finds a stack of cut fabric with no memory of the original plan.

No judgment.

The sewing room is a mysterious ecosystem.

The Resources and Tools Section

One feature I did not realize the My Quilts app had?

Calculators.

And not just one.

The app includes quilting calculators and charts for things like half square triangles, half rectangle triangles, backing, binding, curves, and other quilt math situations.

That is wildly handy.

Because how many times have we all stopped mid-project to search for a formula, conversion, or cutting chart?

Having those tools right in your pocket makes the app useful beyond cataloging.

It becomes a little quilting field guide.

And I do love a field guide moment.

A Pattern Library Is Coming

Kiley also shared a newer feature they’ve been working on: a pattern library.

The idea is that quilters will be able to track the patterns they own, whether digital or physical, so when they’re shopping for fabric, they can quickly pull up the pattern and check fabric requirements.

This is such a smart feature.

Especially for anyone who has ever bought a pattern twice because they forgot they already owned it.

A classic quilter move.

The pattern library is planned as part of a subscription option for the app, while the free version will continue to be available with ads.

A Big Quilting Community in One App

At the time of the interview, Kiley shared that the My Quilts app had over 40,000 users and more than 90,000 projectsadded.

That is a lot of quilts.

A lot of stories.

A lot of “wait, what fabric was that?” saved from the void.

The app has quilters from all over the world, with many users in the United States and Canada, plus quilters in places like the Netherlands, Australia, and Germany.

That social side makes the app feel like more than a personal archive. It becomes a place to browse, save inspiration, and read the stories behind other people’s quilts too.

Kiley’s Fabric Design Journey

We also talked about Kiley’s work as a fabric designer for Moda.

Her first fabric collection, Potted, was inspired by her love of indoor plants and featured soft, dusty colors like pinks, blues, greens, and taupes.

Her Christmas collection, Gingerbread Lane, pulls from holiday memories and traditional Christmas colors, with deep reds, greens, gingerbread tan, sage, and soft pink.

And her newer collection, Petalush, includes bugs and flowers in a pretty, springy color palette.

Yes, bugs.

But pretty bugs.

And I fully support this.

Kiley shared that her design style tends to lean soft, earthy, muted, and modern, with inspiration coming from whatever catches her creative attention.

Sometimes that’s indoor plants.

Sometimes it’s Christmas memories.

Sometimes it’s a bug photo from a friend.

Creativity is weird. We simply follow it.

The Quilt Cataloger Badge

This conversation inspired a brand-new Quilt Cataloger Badge, which is all about documenting your quilts, tracking your projects, and building your own creative archive.

This badge invites quilters to start saving the stories behind their work, whether that means using the My Quilts app, creating a physical quilt journal, photographing finished quilts, or adding proper labels.

The goal is not to document every quilt you have ever made overnight.

The goal is to begin.

Start with the quilt you just finished.

Or the quilt you’re working on now.

Or the one sitting on the back of your couch that has a story you do not want to forget.

One quilt is enough to get started.

How to Start Without Getting Overwhelmed

Kiley’s advice here was beautifully simple:

Start with one.

Not your entire quilt history.

Not every quilt in the closet.

Not a weekend-long documentation marathon that ends with you surrounded by quilts, receipts, and regret.

Just one quilt.

Take a few photos.

Add the basic details.

Write what you remember.

Then the next time you come across another quilt, add that one too.

Little by little, you’ll build your archive.

No panic required.

Rapid Fire with Kiley

Before we wrapped up, I asked Kiley a few rapid-fire questions.

Her answers?

How many quilts has she made? Around 60 or 70, possibly more
Solids or prints? Solids, even as a fabric designer
Press seams open or to the side? To the side
Seam ripper or intentional design choice? Usually seam ripper
Picnic quilt or campfire quilt? Picnic
Mountain or desert color palette? Mountain
Plan everything or figure it out as she goes? Plan everything

That last answer made perfect sense.

Someone who builds quilt apps, designs fabric, writes books, and tracks projects clearly has a spreadsheet soul in the best way.

Where to Find Kiley

You can find Kiley here:

Kiley’s Quilt Room website:
https://kileysquiltroom.com

My Quilts app:
https://myquilts.app

Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube:
@kileysquiltroom

The My Quilts app is available for both iOS and Android. You can search for My Quilts in your app store.

Note: This episode was originally recorded before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound, so some older names, links, and references appear in the audio and transcript.

About The Quiltbound Podcast

The Quiltbound Podcast is a cozy, campfire-style quilting podcast for quilters who want more creativity, confidence, and connection in their quilting lives.

Episodes explore quilting skills, creative ruts, tools, design, community, quilt history, outdoor adventures, and the small moments that help us grow one stitch at a time.

You’ll find solo episodes, quilter interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and plenty of permission to start documenting your quilts one project at a time.

Episode Transcript

Below is the full transcript from this episode of The Quilt Scouts Podcast for accessibility and reference.

Note: This episode was recorded before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound, so the transcript uses the original Quilt Scouts language to match the audio.

Read the Full Episode Transcript

Kiley (00:00)
know, trying to think about cataloging all of your quilts can sometimes sound really daunting. Like, I just don't know. Yeah. Just start with one. Like start with the one you're working on now or the one you just finished and just start with that.

Megan (00:05)
Mm-hmm, overwhelming.

Kiley (00:17)
I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed. Like, my gosh, I really need, I need to catalog everything right now. especially for people who are super prolific quilters. so yeah, just start with one or two and you'll get the feel of the app and.

what is important for cataloging for you and then you can go from there.

Megan (00:35)
Welcome to the Quilt Scouts podcast. I'm Megan, your quilt scout leader and fellow adventurous quilter. This is a cozy campfire chat for quilters who crave creativity, community, and a gentle nudge to try something new. Each week we'll talk about quilting, and the small adventures that help us grow more confident one stitch at a time. I'm so glad you're here. Let's get into it.

Megan (01:02)
Okay, quick little life update before we dive in. If you noticed, there wasn't a new episode last Thursday. Hi, it's me. I took the day off because it was my birthday and honestly, zero regrets. Highly recommend, cake over deadlines. But I may have been holding on to this episode just a tiny bit longer than usual because I have a fun little surprise to go along with it.

if you're part of my world, probably already know what that means. A brand new badge is coming your way. And this one ties in perfectly with today's conversation because today's episode is one of those chats that might just change the way you think about your quilts, not just as as stories worth saving. I'm sitting down with Kylie Ferons the creative brain behind Kylie's Quilt Room and the My Quilts app. And let me tell you, her quilting journey is such a fun one.

She's done everything from long-arming to pattern writing, publishing books, designing fabric, and now building a tech tool specifically for quilters, which is honestly so cool. In this episode, we're diving into the idea of cataloging your quilts, why it matters way more than most of us realize, and how to actually start without getting overwhelmed. We also chat about the evolution of our business, what inspired the app, and some of the features that make it super practical for everyday quilting life.

So if you've ever finished a quilt and thought, I should probably write this down somewhere and then didn't, this episode is for you.

Megan (02:26)
Kiley, hello. Welcome to the Quilt Scouts podcast. How are you doing today?

Kiley (02:30)
I'm so good, thanks for having me.

Megan (02:31)
Yeah, thank you. I'm really excited about this conversation we have lined up for today. So want to jump into it. for anyone that doesn't know who you are and what you do, do you mind introducing yourself

Kiley (02:43)
Absolutely, yeah. So obviously my name is Kiley and my business is Kiley's Quilt Room and it has evolved a lot over the years. I started out just as a long arm quilter in my basement and ⁓ over the years making quilts I just, I was never very good at following patterns and instructions and so I started writing my own patterns.

And I'm still not good at following even my own instructions, but it evolved from there. And I, for a little while, found myself as the founder and editor in chief of a digital magazine. And that was called Modish Quilter Magazine. And we ran that for a couple of years. And then after that, I got a contract with a publisher and have published two books. And I'm working on a third.

Megan (03:13)
I

Kiley (03:36)
⁓ And then I started designing fabric for Moda and I've been doing that now. I'm going on my fourth fabric line, which is pretty exciting. And then my husband and I on the side, my husband is a software developer. And so we love kind of brainstorming business ideas together and have always wanted to do something together. So our baby project

that has a not so baby project is called the My Quilts app. I really wanted a easy location to record all of my projects and I was like you know talking to my husband about what would be the best way to go about this and he's like how about an app and so so we built this app together and and that has been a really fun project for us.

Megan (04:03)
Yeah.

Yeah. So

you've had such an evolution through your quilting career. And it's so funny you mentioned Modish Magazine, because I also talked to Megan Saenz recently on another podcast, because she was like your co-creator kind of on that digital magazine, right? Like she did the photography and then So cool. And I loved that magazine too.

Kiley (04:37)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, it was really fun to work on it, but it was so much work. think I listened to Megan's podcast and I'm pretty sure she also said it was so much Well, and then over, yeah. And over the course of three years, our lives changed a lot as well. And so it just kind of came to a natural end and, and it was okay with us.

Megan (04:46)
Okay.

It ran its can't even imagine how much work it is.

Yeah.

Yep.

Yeah, that happens. I love seeing how our businesses are able to evolve and adapt to our lives just because we are entrepreneurs and we're self-employed and we can really just pivot and make it work for what we need in whatever phase of life we're in. So it's kind of cool.

Kiley (05:19)
Yes, and I think that a lot of that has to do with our creative mindset and being able to be creative when we need to evolve. ⁓ think that that is, I love seeing that in other people's businesses as well.

Megan (05:27)
Mm-hmm.

So at some point along this journey, like you said, you decided to create an app, which was not a casual decision by any means. Like that's a big deal that I feel I take on building an app.

⁓ So take me there, what sparked the MyQuilt app?

Kiley (05:45)
Yeah, so I really was starting to forget when I had made certain quilts or who I had gifted quilts to. You know, just, just time passes and you can't remember details anymore, unfortunately. And the longer I quilt, the more that I'm forgetting about some of those early quilts and ⁓ even five years ago, like when did I make that? What was going on when I made that? Or...

I know I gifted them something, but what was it? can't remember. So I really just wanted to have a ⁓ one-stop place to record all of the information I might want about each given About two years ago, my grandmother passed away and

we found a bunch of boxes in her home of quilts that her mother had started making. And none of them were finished. It was just a bunch of quilt tops and a lot of them were very wild, weird fabrics. But what was cool was that there seemed to be, know, quilts back then were brought about by necessity and reused and...

during the depression, use whatever you can. And so it was clear that a lot of these fabrics that were used in these quilts were old t-shirts, old dresses, clothing. it just would have been so cool to have a record of where did these fabrics really come from? What year did she make these? And was it for sure my great grandmother that made them? I don't even know. So yes, it's just a guess.

Megan (07:22)
Yeah, we're just guessing,

Kiley (07:26)
And by the time we found it was right before my grandmother passed away. But at that point, she couldn't remember anyway. And then she passed away soon after. we have no idea. We can make there's tons of stories like that out there.

Megan (07:41)
Yeah, there's no

Kiley (07:44)
And you know, when we go to these markets and we find vintage quilts and heirloom quilts and there's no story. What's the story behind these beautiful works of art? And really that's what quilting is, is a work of art. And I think a lot of us just think of it as a hobby and there's no need to keep record of your hobby, but there is because it's a work of art.

and years down the line, if you're making quilts now that you want to be passed down, what do you want them to know about those quilting projects? Anyway, that's a long-winded reason as to why we started this project, the quilting app, because I wanted to be able to record my quilting art in a central location that was easy to access that I...

Megan (08:17)
Yeah.

Kiley (08:34)
could use on my phone preferably because in today's world everything is on our phones. Everything's at your fingertips. So it just made sense to have it be an app.

Megan (08:40)
sorry.

Yeah, because it makes it ⁓ more convenient to like if you're in the car, you're like, I forgot to and you could pull out your phone and just, you know, jot it down and document it. And unfortunately, I feel like your story is not like you said, unique. You're not the only one that has found these quilts or heirlooms and you're like, I have no idea who made this or why. And it's so funny you say that I was talking to Carolyn from the International Quilt Museum and

Kiley (08:57)
Absolutely.

Yes.

Megan (09:06)
and she curates exhibits and stuff and they research their quilts and she's like there's so many times like we don't know the story behind this quilt she's like it's so important to label your quilts and document because exactly what you just said I mean one or two generations goes by and that story gets lost or even just I we have a hard time remembering like you said like I don't even remember why I made this quilt what was going on in my life ⁓

time, what is the MyQuilts app?

Kiley (09:34)
so the My Quilts app is first and foremost a journaling and tracking app. and it's specific to quilters. You could add other things in there, but it's specifically set up for quilting projects. So the main purpose is to allow quilters to go add photos, add important information, and of course you can also add a journal entry.

for each quilting project. And I really love the journal entry aspect because like I said before, like what was I doing during that time? Or like some of the quilts I made during COVID, like this big worldwide thing was happening when I made this quilt. So, you know, just important information you might want to remember at a later point.

friend of mine a couple years ago had passed away and left behind four children. And it was really awful, but I was able to take her clothing and turn it into a quilt for, I made four quilts, one for each of her kids. But the great thing about having a journal entry aspect of that is that I could jot down notes of things that I thought of about my friend.

or her children while making those I feel like we tend to think about the person that we're making a quilt for if it's a gift or if it's for ourselves, you know, what's going on in our own lives. How are we feeling mentally, physically, emotionally? We become attached to these things that we're making. And so it's, I love having a journal entry there so that.

you can record your thoughts and feelings. Now there's plenty of times where I have no thoughts or feelings about a given quilt. Like I needed to make this for my fabric collection, I don't know. ⁓ And so sometimes it doesn't matter so much, but in case you have a significant story to tell with your quilt, then you're able to post it there. But the other thing that's really great about the My Quilts app is that it's also social.

So it's kind of like taking the best of Pinterest and the best of Instagram and taking out all the negative and all of the algorithms and making it just for quilters. So you can follow other quilters, you can like and comment on other quilters projects. Your automatic default is that your projects will be published publicly, but you're also welcome to make them private.

Megan (11:46)
Ha ha ha.

Kiley (11:59)
And then you can save projects that inspire you and create your own sort of wish list or Pinterest board, if you will, ⁓ right there within the app.

Megan (12:09)
That's really But rather than filtering through a bunch of Pinterest pins, this is like you with quilting projects in particular. So that's really love that social aspect of it too, where you, like you said, you can kind of share the different ideas and the inspiration behind it

Kiley (12:17)
Yes,

Yeah,

it's really fun to go through and just read people's journal entries sometimes and just like, that's interesting or that was a fun way to make something. So we plan to do spotlight in the app. We're working on rolling that out this summer where we just take somebody with a fun journal entry and we push it to the top so that

Megan (12:29)
Yeah.

Kiley (12:47)
other people can read the fun stories about quilts and be encouraged to write their own stories.

Megan (12:51)
Now remind me, does your app also have the ability to track works in progress? Like I'm able to document like what stage a project is in? Okay.

Kiley (12:59)
Yes, yeah, there

is a section when you're filling out a new project to put the stage of the project. if you, even if you've only picked out fabric, you just, you know, say fabric chosen and if you wanted to include a photo of the fabric you've chosen and then as you progress through the project, add updated photos, you could certainly do that.

Megan (13:05)
⁓ that's my thought.

Mm-hmm.

So you could really document the whole process of making a quilt not just like the product. Okay, very

Kiley (13:26)
Yes, absolutely.

Megan (13:27)
So this is the part I'm really excited about because I think a lot of quilters don't even realize it's something that they should be doing, documenting and labeling and providing all that information for future generations. So why is it so important for you to catalog your quilts?

Kiley (13:43)
⁓ I think, you know, it also kind of ties in with why is it important to document your own personal history? ⁓ there's been a huge movement lately of people looking into like ancestry.com or, know, find my, yeah, you too. My dad has been like diving deep into our family history and making all these connections and yada yada. But what is more interesting than just finding a name is finding a story.

Megan (14:00)
Yeah.

Kiley (14:11)
especially when it connects to you or your family. so kind of along that same vein of the importance of documenting your history, it's also important to document your quilting, your artistic products, really. like I said before, especially if those are going to be passed down throughout your family or even given to somebody else, especially actually if it's going to leave your family.

then a couple generations down, that family is gonna have no idea where that quilt came So being able to record your history so that later, it's obviously, it's not necessarily for you, although it's nice to remember where things are going and coming from and when I did what, but also for future generations to be able to look back and say, my grandmother made this for her sister or for her daughter or whatever.

Megan (14:39)
Yeah.

Kiley (15:03)
or she gifted that quilt and I found that quilt or something. Being able to track it, it's fun and it's interesting just like genealogy is. And now, like I said before, nowadays we have so many vintage quilts that we don't know where they came from. I can't remember exactly organization does this, but they...

specifically work on documenting vintage quilts and trying to track down origins basically.

Megan (15:33)
⁓ interesting.

Kiley (15:35)
the Quilt Alliance and then there's, ⁓ I'll have to look it up. I can't remember off the top of my head now. But the Quilt Alliance also is a major nonprofit organization that specifically is trying to influence the quilting community to be better about labeling their quilts, documenting their quilting journey.

Megan (15:41)
that's

Kiley (15:56)
and keeping a record of these things because it's just so important and people just don't think about it as being important.

Megan (16:05)
Yeah, I can say that I feel like I was one of those people, my earlier quilts have absolutely no documentation, so to go back and be able to take pictures, photograph them, put them into the app, document that all while it's somewhat fresh.

Kiley (16:18)
Yes,

Megan (16:19)
So for those of us that are new to the

app, what are some tips that you would recommend for like, what would you document in the app? Like most, would be the most important?

Kiley (16:27)
Okay, yeah, so the most important things to document via picture would be to take a photo of the front of your quilt, like a full front view of the quilt. Take a picture of a close-up of the quilting, like the actual stitching on the quilt. If there are any particular blocks or techniques in the quilt that you really loved, take a close-up photo of those.

And then I like to take a picture a little bit closer of the front, but flip the back over a little bit. So you get the front, the back and the binding all in one shot. that's like three to five photos, Anything other than that. And on top of that is just bonus. Especially if you gifted it to someone, a picture of who you gifted it with would be fantastic.

But yeah, those three to five photos I think would be most important. And then when you are adding the information about your quilt, it'll walk you through some of the other important information that you should write down. So it'll have you write the name of the pattern you made, the author, what fabric did you use, what size of the quilt, how did you quilt it, who quilted it, those kinds of important information.

Megan (17:41)
Yeah, okay.

What are some of your favorite features?

Kiley (17:46)
So right now, some of my favorite features, obviously being able to track my projects. But I've gotten this feedback a lot from other people, and I also love this, that sometimes we want to show somebody a project that we worked on. And so being able to have one spot where you know all of your photos are going to be.

is so easy and convenient. And then one of my other favorite features about the app is that we also have a resources and tools section where we have calculators and charts of conversions and ⁓ like, let's say I wanna make a three and a half inch half square triangle or half rectangle triangle.

what do need to cut for that? It's all in there. You can put it in the calculator or you can look at the charts. So there's lots of resources.

Megan (18:35)
wow. So like calculators

for like HSTs, flying geese, what about like backing and binding calculators? Are those in there?

Kiley (18:43)
Yep, there's

backing and binding calculators, curves. Let's see what else I can tell you. Yes, that's a newer feature that came out. Let's see back maybe in the fall of last year. But yeah, that has been super fun. And I love that, you know, it's me as a designer, it's super, you know,

Megan (18:49)
that's, I had no idea you guys had calculators in there too. That's cool.

Yeah.

Okay.

Kiley (19:08)
convenient to use those conversions all the time and those, that math, know, is something that I'm always looking up and so it's nice to kind of have it all in one spot.

Megan (19:09)
Yes. Yeah.

Yeah, I was just thinking about like all the times I've had to go to my computer and look up some, know, but again, being able to have it in my back pocket, pull out my phone, pull out the app and just have a calculator right there. Multiple calculators all in one place is super handy. Yeah, that's a fun feature. I like that. is there anything in the app that people are surprised by?

Kiley (19:24)
Yes.

Yes. Yeah.

Every January I do a cataloging challenge and I give prompts to help facilitate people exploring different features in the app because we're constantly updating app or adding new features. And so I want people to A, know that those features are there and B, become accustomed to them and familiar with

Megan (19:49)
Mm-hmm.

Kiley (20:00)
Using them ⁓ so this last January when we did it, I had people like go find this calculator and calculate, you know, find out how much fabric you need for this or whatever. And I got tons of responses about that being like I didn't even know this was here and. So so that's been pretty fun, but we're we have some more features that we're going to be rolling out soon and ⁓ and so it'll be fun to.

I think that'll be a fun surprise for people as well. ⁓ Hopefully by mid April. ⁓ The problem with rolling out features is that it's just my husband working on it and he has a full-time job. So he works on this, you know, in the evenings and on the weekends. And then, you know, I'm standing there like, why haven't you done this yet?

Megan (20:32)
When is the next update planned?

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Kiley (20:58)
Like I designed it weeks ago. Why haven't you built it? I know. So anyway, he works very hard at it, but it is just a slow process. And on putting out a new feature to be able to export all your projects to your computer so that you can have a backup on your own computer.

Megan (21:00)
Come on, give the people what they want.

Yeah, I can imagine.

Mm-hmm.

that's smart.

Kiley (21:20)
Yes, and then we also, ⁓ at last year at some point we ads into the app so that we could get paid somehow with the app because it's currently free for everybody. So what we're working on now is having a subscription plan if you want. So you can continue doing it free and get having ads or you can do an ad free version and pay for that. And with that you would get

⁓ bonus features and one of those features we're going to roll out with the subscription is being able to have a pattern library. So keeping all of the patterns that you've bought, either digital or physical, in one place. So like how many times have you been at shop and been like, this fabric would be so cute with this pattern or this fabric is so cute, what can I make with it? And not knowing what patterns you have at home.

you would basically be able to snap a photo of the cover and then snap a photo of the fabric requirements and keeping it all there in your phone in the My Quilts app and just being able to pull it up and say, I need this much fabric and this much fabric and this much fabric for this pattern. Or here's a pattern that requires a fat quarter bundle and this is, look, I found this pretty fat quarter bundle. So.

So being able to keep track ⁓ of all of the patterns you've purchased, think is going to be really helpful for people. So I learned to quilt from my mother-in-law and she has on more than one occasion purchased a quilting book or pattern and then gotten home and realized she already had it.

Megan (22:56)
⁓ no. It's like I liked it so

much I bought it twice. ⁓ no. Yep. I haven't done that, but I do that all the time at the grocery store.

Kiley (23:00)
Yes, yes. So for her to be able to be like, let me check, let me make sure that I already have that would be helpful.

Yes.

Megan (23:15)
That's

so funny. I can see that being so useful. So that's one of the new features that's going to be coming out in the new update. Okay, cool. Very cool. Do you know what?

Kiley (23:20)
Yes. Yes, that'll come out

for sure before summer, hopefully by the end of April.

Megan (23:25)
Okay.

How many people are using or on your app? Do you know by chance?

Kiley (23:31)
Yes, so we have over 40,000 people using the app. Yeah. Yeah, it is. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, so it's pretty cool. It's fun being able to see like, we've got people in the Netherlands or in Australia or Germany. But the majority of users are from the US and Canada, which is pretty in line with the quilting industry anyway.

Megan (23:34)
What? That's crazy! That's awesome. That's a huge community. I'm guessing this is global, so like worldwide, 40,000 quilters around the world.

Yeah.

I was gonna say most of the cultures are in the US anyways, but

Kiley (24:01)
Yes.

And of those 40,000 quilters that are on the app, there are over 90,000 projects that have been added to the, to the My Quilts app. So there's a lot to look through and a lot to find inspiration from.

Megan (24:21)
Yeah, that's really cool. Is there like a way to filter through like you're looking for specific patterns or like on the app if you're trying to search for something specific?

Kiley (24:29)
Yeah,

we're working on making that better, but there is a search bar and You can add tags to your quilts when you enter them. And so if you wanted to search for like baby quilts or AGF fabric or Moda or whatever, then anything that has been tagged with those words would show up for you.

Megan (24:39)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Okay, oh that's super helpful.

So I know we talked about your evolution of your business and it seems like the MyQuilts app has been the latest, evolution of your business, right?

So tell me more Kiley's quilt room. So you're designing patterns, you're designing fabric, and what else did you say you've been doing?

Kiley (25:07)
authored a couple of books. Yeah.

Megan (25:09)
That's right.

Okay, so tell me about your quilt pattern writing right now. Do you have anything in the works or any new releases coming up?

Kiley (25:17)
Yeah, so ever since I started ⁓ designing fabric, I found more enjoyment and love in doing that. And so pattern writing has really taken a backseat. When I first started pattern writing, I wrote between that and the magazine that I was doing, I think I wrote somewhere between 40 and 50 patterns in the span of like three years. It was a lot. Yeah.

Megan (25:40)
my goodness, that's a lot of patterns.

Kiley (25:45)
It was a lot of patterns, yeah.

So I got a little bit tired. I mean, yes. I mean, it was patterns for the magazine. I did, you know, two books and all the patterns for those. And then not to mention, you know, just doing patterns on my own as well throughout all of that. I got a little bit burnt out and trying to find like what about my business really made me happy.

Megan (25:49)
burned out I can imagine.

Kiley (26:09)
It really had more to do with like I loved designing quilt patterns not so much writing them but designing them I really loved doing that and And I was kind of during that time kind of going back and teaching myself digital art and learning through some other avenues online and ⁓ So that's when I you know, I was able to create a collection and a portfolio to then

Megan (26:17)
Mm-hmm.

Kiley (26:37)
know, offer to some of the fabric companies and was beyond thrilled when Moda decided to pick me up.

Megan (26:46)
was gonna say, when did your first collection come

out? Because I feel like it was a year or two ago. It wasn't that long ago, right?

Kiley (26:50)
Yeah,

the process of designing fabric is so long. So I'll tell you about it, but really quickly to answer the first question, my pattern writing, I only write patterns now when I come out with a new fabric when I'm coming out with new fabric line, yes, I'll write a new pattern and release it with a new fabric line. So usually I'll do one or two new patterns.

Megan (27:07)
That makes sense, yeah, to like to coincide. Yeah.

Kiley (27:17)
with each fabric line. So the life cycle of a fabric line is kind of crazy. I first got signed on with Moda with two collections that I had already made. They immediately wanted those two and so that was in March of 2024. And then it wasn't until

October of 2025 that that first line finally was in stores. So. Yeah, so just this last fall, my first line finally came out into shops for people to get their hands on. But it's kind of tricky because you might be confused because I start talking about it and sharing about it back in March or February of 2025.

Megan (27:52)
so not that long ago. I thought it was, ⁓ wow, just this last fall.

Okay.

Okay.

Kiley (28:15)
because

that's where shops can order it. So it's kind of like six weeks of prep or six months of prep and then six months of waiting for it to actually ship to stores. And so, and now, now that I've gotten kind of like the ball is rolling, I have fabric lines, different fabric lines in every stage of the process. And it's a little tricky to like keep track of like which fabric line you wear in the process.

Megan (28:21)
Yes.

Yes. Okay, your

husband's gonna have to make an app just for you to keep track of your your fabric collection stages. ⁓ my goodness. You four out right now. Released.

Kiley (28:43)
Yes.

Honestly, not a bad idea.

You

I have four, no,

have three out right now. So there's one that's in stores, one that will be in stores in May, that's my Christmas line. And then I have one that just closed orders for shops and that was my Petalush line. And that one I just finished like promoting on my Facebook. So it seems like it's out, but it actually isn't.

Megan (29:00)
Three.

Okay.

Okay.

Kiley (29:25)
and won't be in stores unless... Yes, it's been a long time. Yeah, I know. It

Megan (29:25)
That explains why I was feeling confused. It like, there's no way it was just out in October. So I feel like I had seen it earlier, like you said on your social media, it's like way sooner than that. ⁓ got it.

Kiley (29:35)
is really difficult. So yeah, the one that I just announced on my Instagram won't be in stores until July. And then I already have another line that will be launching in May, I believe, or June.

Megan (29:42)
Okay.

Kiley (29:50)
and then I just turned in a fifth one. I, like I said, I really have one line in every stage of the process, which is fun, but also I'm like, okay, wait, no, which line is that? No, wait, that's, I'm like, which color palette goes with which? Anyway, it is a little bit tricky.

Megan (29:58)
Yeah.

Yeah!

So,

for those of us and the listeners who aren't familiar with your fabric collections, tell me, what is, where do find your inspiration? Is it more traditional, modern? Like, describe your collection for me.

Kiley (30:17)
Yeah, I feel like I really gravitate towards more muted colors. I'm not like a bright colors type of person. I like earthy tones. like, you know, I, and my home is very minimalistic. So I feel like I like to draw and design things that would fit well in my home. So my first collection,

was very muted, like very kind of pastel-y, like taupes and pinks and blues and greens. it was called Potted and it was all about my love for indoor plants. So I have a lot of indoor plants, like maybe 40 or 50, ⁓ which Megan Saenz is the one who got me into that. ⁓ yeah, we can blame her.

Megan (30:56)
Ha ha ha.

Thank her.

Kiley (31:06)
⁓ so anyway, I, that whole collection was inspired by all the plants that I have in my home and that, that I care for, you know, on a regular basis. ⁓ so that was, thank you. Yeah. It's very, like I said, it's very soft, very dusty kind of colors. and it was a big collection too. It was almost too big. Like there were so many skews that it was like, how am I going to use all of this? Cause like I said, I'm a pretty minimal.

Megan (31:16)
Yeah, I remember that collection. It was very cute. I loved that one.

Mm-hmm.

Kiley (31:33)
person and that follows through even in my quilting like I don't like big prints. love solids like I want ⁓ Yes, it is it is and then trying to use all the fabric when my natural Instinct is to like only use half prints and half solid or something ⁓ so yeah, that is kind of tricky,

Megan (31:39)
Yeah. So then you had to write a pattern to go along with that collection, which was probably the next challenge.

Yeah.

Kiley (31:58)
And then my Christmas line is Gingerbread Lane. And that one has got to be my favorite of all of my lines so far because I pulled from memories and traditions and ⁓ I tend to be very modern and my designs are modern, but the colors I chose for that line are very traditional, of like deep reds, deep greens, the gingerbread tan color.

Megan (32:18)
⁓ pretty.

Kiley (32:21)
pulled in some sage and like a soft pink to help make it feel a little bit more modern. it feels like your traditional Christmas. So, you know, it's just, it really depends on what the fabric line is going to be or what inspires me in the moment. And sometimes I'll like find one thing and I'll run with it and make a whole collection on that thing.

Megan (32:30)
love that.

Kiley (32:44)
Like for example, my new Petalush line that just, I just have been announcing on Instagram. It has bugs and flowers and I'm not necessarily a buggy person, okay? But Megan, my friend Megan, she loves bugs. And so she would find these weird, cool looking bugs and moths and stuff.

around her home and she would take pictures of them and obviously she's a photographer so she takes really nice photos. Yes. So she takes pictures of these bugs and she sends them to me and I was just inspired by them and I started drawing these bugs and so the bug fabric in that collection was the first one that I made and then everything else kind of fell into place around the bugs.

Megan (33:15)
looking at it now because I'm not familiar. Okay, I'm looking up on my Instagram. Okay.

Love it.

I love the bugs. can see it in one of your layouts here. it's so cute. It's like really pretty pastels. It's not like, I think of bugs. think of like a boy fabric, which I'm a boy mom. So like, I'm usually like, I'm all in, but this is like very sweet and like summery, well more like spring vibes with the bugs. That's super cute. Yeah. I love that.

Kiley (33:43)
Yes.

Yes.

Yes, it's very springtime. Yes. Again,

with that soft color palette and ⁓ it's actually the exact same color palette as potted, just brighter. It's the blues, greens. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot that can, that could be mixed. But yeah, that one is super fun. And I actually made a dress for my daughter out of one of the bug,

Megan (34:03)
yeah!

Yeah, so they're almost like sister collections, like you could probably use them together. ⁓

Kiley (34:19)
design and it just is so cute.

Megan (34:21)
Yeah, no, I can fully appreciate that. Because like I said, I have a five-year-old boy and we're all about the bugs. Like we love to explore and look at them, you know, with the magnifying glass and the whole thing. I had to get over my fear of butterflies for the sake of, you know, learning.

Kiley (34:27)
Yes. Yes.

no!

You know,

I feel like bugs are kind of hit or miss. I was really trying to like, let's make these really pretty because otherwise people are going to be like, absolutely not. I don't want bugs on my fabric. In fact, I had a couple of different slugs on that fabric as well. and the design team came back and they were like, maybe we should take these slugs out. I was like, fine, we're keeping one. Yeah.

Megan (34:38)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

They weren't feeling it. At least one, okay. Yes, like it's a little

too sluggy.

Kiley (35:05)
Yeah,

they were like, Slug's not so cute.

Megan (35:08)
Yeah,

it. I love a good book print. Some of my favorite, I have like a beetle print that I like really love to use for different I can totally appreciate the bugs. That's funny. I can see that. Maybe it's not for everybody, but did your, did your daughter like the skirt though, the dress? I bet she loved it. Yeah.

Kiley (35:15)
Yeah, it's not for everyone, it was really fun collection. she loves it. Yeah, she

wears it to school and tells everybody, my mom made this.

Megan (35:26)
yeah. how amazing. Yeah.

For your kids to be able to like wear a fabric that mom designed. Like such a flex. I love it. Wait,

Kiley (35:32)
Yes, yeah. Yes, I

So Megan's daughter, her youngest daughter is also five. They're only five days apart and they're in the same kindergarten class. And so we both made them a dress out of the same design, but in different colors and they wore it to school one day and they were like so cute matching and in little bug fabrics. yeah, they are. It's adorable.

Megan (35:41)
huh. Aww.

Yeah.

Oh, stop. They were like, they're like little besties. Oh, that's the sweetest.

Kiley (36:01)
Yeah.

Megan (36:01)
Aww,

I have to tell you, so this conversation, it inspired a new badge and we kind of talked about this before, but,

We actually created a brand new Quilt Scout badge called the Quilt cataloger badge, which is all about documenting your quilts, tracking your projects, and building your own creative archive. So

badge is now available in the quilt scout shop so I will link it below so if you find yourself wanting to jump on this bandwagon and you're feeling inspired to catalog and document your quilts definitely get the myquilts app that will check the box for this badge requirement and then you can earn another add another badge to your collection

for those of us that are feeling maybe a little overwhelmed with where to start cataloging quilts, do you have any tips for us? Where do you suggest we start?

Kiley (36:44)
know, trying to think about cataloging all of your quilts can sometimes sound really daunting. Like, I just don't know. Yeah. Just start with one. Like start with the one you're working on now or the one you just finished and just start with that. And then, ⁓ you know, throughout the week, if you come across a quilt in your house and think, I should catalog that one, then, you know, take, snap a few pictures of it.

Megan (36:49)
Mm-hmm, overwhelming.

Kiley (37:10)
and add that one, you don't have to sit down and, you know, quilt dump into the app. Of course you're welcome to go for it. If you're really motivated, but I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed. Like, my gosh, I really need, I need to catalog everything right now. And just, you know, cause that would be overwhelming. There's so many, especially for people who are super prolific quilters. so yeah, just start with one or two and you'll get the feel of the app and.

what is important for cataloging for you and then you can go from there.

Megan (37:44)
That was a really good tip. So before we wrap up, Okay.

Kiley (37:47)
Yeah.

Megan (37:47)
So the next thing I want to do is like a quick fire question round. And the rules of this is you can't overthink it. You just have to go with your gut. Just kind of whatever, whatever, you know, whatever you're feeling in the moment. first question, how many quilts have you made? best guess. 60, 70. OK, OK, dang. Do you have a favorite quilt you've ever made?

Kiley (37:55)
You

Ooh, 60, 70, nine more. don't know.

Favorite quilt I've ever made is probably some of the most difficult ones that I've ever made because I feel like that's when I really stretched and learned and felt growth in my own techniques and so a One is with my you know, the first time that I made a fabric collection wrote the pattern and made it all myself that was a really special moment. But before that

⁓ one of my favorites was like an entirely template pieced, diamond quilt. I don't even remember the name of it anymore. It was like a free pattern I found online and it was so difficult, but it's beautiful. And, and I hang it up every winter cause it kind of looks like winter Northern lights type of vibe. anyway, that one was, that one was a cool one.

Megan (38:55)
Very cool. If you have a picture of

Okay, next question. Solids or prints? Do you press your... All right. It says science prints. I totally get it though.

Kiley (39:00)
solids, which I feel like is blasphemous for someone who designs that.

yeah.

Megan (39:10)
⁓ Do you press your seams open or to the side?

Kiley (39:12)
the side.

Megan (39:13)
Do you use a seam ripper or do we call it an intentional design choice?

Kiley (39:16)
⁓ It really depends. I'm very type A. very like I need things to be the way I intended them. So I do not usually let things slide. ⁓ However, if there's like if something doesn't match up like exactly I'll leave it. But there was one time when I made this whole quilt top and I sent it to the long armor.

Megan (39:19)
Or...

Okay.

Kiley (39:43)
had it all done, got it back and realized I had put the bottom row on the top and it threw off the whole color flow and it was driving me crazy and I unpicked that row and moved it down and re-stitched it with all the quilting still intact. It was... So I'm a little bit OCD. It was.

Megan (39:49)
⁓ no!

Yeah.

Yeah.

⁓

That's ⁓ that's like quilt surgery. I'm trying to imagine how that would

have even happened. Wow! I feel like it would have just started over. Like, I'm just, I'm just gonna redo it. ⁓ Redo the whole thing. So I feel like that's the difference.

Kiley (40:14)
It was intense surgery.

I just knew, I

was like, I cannot live with this.

Megan (40:23)
Yeah,

you're like, I can't, I have to look at this. ⁓ I feel like that's the difference between the type A quilter and the type B quilter. I mean, I'll use a seam ripper when I need to, but it's gotta be, it's gotta be needed. how about picnic quilt or campfire quilt?

Kiley (40:30)
Yes.

Some things I'll leave it, but yeah. Yeah.

picnic.

Megan (40:43)
⁓ mountain or desert color palette.

Kiley (40:46)
Ooh, mountain.

Megan (40:49)
And last question, do you plan everything or figure it out as you go?

Kiley (40:54)
Plan for sure. I love those reels where it's like, I can go with the flow if I know exactly when the flow starts and what we're doing in the flow and like, that's me. I'm easy going as long as I've planned everything for the tea.

Megan (40:55)
Yeah. OK.

Yeah, exactly. You're like, I'm easygoing. It's fine. Yeah. So you have to... Exactly.

Exactly. But I feel like that's why you've been able to grow and develop so much in your career. It's really do admire all the things that you've been able to accomplish and do. It's so impressive. And I feel like that's because you are. You're just so detail oriented, I can tell. And the things that you put out are really high quality from your patterns to your collections to your app.

Kiley (41:24)
⁓ thank you.

Megan (41:35)
You know, you don't settle for mediocre and that's really really cool. I can see that. It's very obvious.

Kiley (41:35)
Thank

thank you, I appreciate it.

Megan (41:41)
Yeah, so before we wrap up, where can people find you on the socials on your website? Where's the best place to find Kiley of Kiley's Quilt Room?

Kiley (41:50)
Yeah, so Kiley's Quilt Room is my Instagram handle and kileysquiltroom.com is my website. I am a little tricky though because I don't spell Kiley like most people spell Kiley. It's K-I-L-E-Y, so. But you can the My Quilts app information on that website, but you can also just go to myquilts.app and find all the information. It is available on Android and iOS.

Megan (42:05)
Okay.

Kiley (42:17)
app stores so you can just search for my quilts right there in the app store ⁓ and then of course on Facebook and YouTube and Instagram it's all just Kiley's Quilt Room.

Megan (42:28)
Okay. And I will

make sure to link all of that in the show notes so people can find you very easily. They can download the app start documenting their quilts So thank you so much, Kiley. This was such a fun conversation. I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me.

Kiley (42:41)
Absolutely, thank you.

Megan (42:45)
If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to follow or subscribe to the Quilt Scouts podcast so you don't miss future episodes. And if you have a minute, leaving a review is one of the best ways to help this podcast find other quilters who could use a little creativity and community too. You can find show notes and more from Quilt Scouts at quiltscouts.com. Until next time, happy trails scout.