DESIGNER PROFILE
In a little over a year, Meghan Buchanan has established herself as a leading modern quilter with an eye for bold piecing and bright colours. We caught up with the founder of Then Came June to finds out what it takes to put yourself out there
I decided going into 2017 that I just wanted to create to create. I wanted to be inspired and see what I enjoyed making instead of let ting others cloud my vision
In a little over a year, Meghan Buchanan has established herself as a leading modern quilter with an eye for bold piecing and bright colours. We caught up with the founder of Then Came June to find out what it takes to put yourself out there
Describe a day in the life of Meghan Buchanan.
Working from home with my three and a half year-old son, Everett, means that each day is different. He goes to preschool two mornings a week and that is the only consistent non-interrupted “work” time I do have on a weekly basis. Some days I work at the kitchen table while he plays (destroys my house). We live in an 800 square foot house which means any kind of mess can seem like a world-ending explosion, but at the same time, I can quickly clean the place in about 15 minutes… you win some, you lose some!
Working from home can be draining since I am pulled in so many directions all day long. Most afternoons I am cleaning up the messes of the day, starting to think about dinner or seeing if my husband would be up for cooking, and in the evenings, right when my husband gets home, I hop back into sewing or computer work for another hour or so until we eat. There is a bit of consistency to our flexible schedules and I do love that. It allows for me to work extra hard on some days and it means other days I get to do play dates and not work.
How did you find yourself becoming a quilt designer?
When my son was around six months old, I realised I had more free time once he was consistently napping. I felt a little bored (surprising, I know) and my friend encouraged me to find a new hobby… so, I downloaded a tutorial, bought a basic rotary cutter and mat kit, found some fabric and gave it a go! It was so fun to see something come to life that I made. After that, I started making custom baby quilts for family and friends. In the beginning, I really only wanted to cover my material costs so I could keep practising and get some experience. In the last four months of 2016, I made over thirty quilts and was just breaking even.
I decided going into 2017 that I just wanted to create to create. I wanted to be inspired and see what I enjoyed making instead of letting others’ design wants cloud my vision. I really had such a fun start to the year, because it felt so freeing to make a quilt for no other reason than to enjoy the process. But, it also meant I wasn’t making money to
help cover my costs. I thought the next step would be to start designing quilt patterns myself. I had been doodling in a journal for a while on future quilt ideas and so I thought, "Why not?". I could draw the designs and do the quilt maths, but I needed to figure out how to make them digital to sell as a PDF. Emily Dennis of QuiltyLove taught me the basics of making shapes and diagrams in Adobe Illustrator. I really owe so much to Emily as she has been an amazing mentor and encourager of my skills, my business and me. After I learned the basics, I went for it. In 2017 I released nine quilt patterns, one of which was in Love Patchwork & Quilting issue 53! Where did the name Then Came June come from?
I wanted to have a business name but didn’t want something super random. The name needed to have meaning to me. I realised that I made my first quilt for my son, and that he was born in June. My life then changed and became infinitely better, and that’s represented in the name 'Then Came June'.
What’s your favourite aspect of designing quilt patterns, and what’s the hardest part?
My favourite part of designing quilt patterns is the initial idea creation. You won’t find a single pattern of mine that doesn’t highlight
I made my first quilt for my son, and he was born in June. My life changed and became infinitely bet ter, and that's represented in the name 'Then Came June'