The Five Favs Series with: Julia of Julia Wachs Designs

Episode 18

The Story behind Five Favs

This series developed out of my love of movies, and specifically, movie lists. Critics and film geeks alike spend hours pouring over lists, ranking everything from best movies of the year (pretty standard fare) to top five music documentaries (getting a little more granular) to top five movie characters that shaped who you are (pretty personal and specific!). I thought it would be fun to play with this idea in the quilting world. Since we spend so much time in our sewing spaces, they contain interesting snapshots of who we are as creators, and can offer a sneak peek into other aspects of our lives, too. And so- the creation of The Five Favs Blog. This is a top five of the guests favorite items in their sewing space.

This month, I am honored to have Julia from Julia Wachs Designs on the blog! I first met Julia through her newsletter, when she sent an email talking about her experience moving from the US to Spain. As an American who has made a similar move, I reached out to say how much her email resonated with me, and was delighted when Julia wrote back! Since then, I had the pleasure of meeting her in person at QuiltCon this past February (it’s such a joy to be able to meet online friends in real life!), and hope to someday meet up in her new home of Madrid.

And her work? Julia’s designs are effortlessly cool. She uses unexpected shapes and vibrant color combinations, resulting in stunning quilt designs. There’s so much movement and so many clever ways the pieces interact with one another- all together it makes her quilts so fun to admire.

Welcome Julia!

About Julia

“Hi, my name is Julia from Julia Wachs Designs! I got my start in quilting in 2014 and have been designing my own patterns since 2020. I love for my quilts to include bold shapes and colors, and oftentimes design using foundation paper piecing and applique. I enjoy teaching quilters how to foundation paper piece and other techniques meant to take their quilting to the next level. When I’m not quilting, I enjoy making garments, reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors. I live in Madrid, Spain with my husband and our two pets.”

Where Julia Works

“I do all my sewing and designing in my studio in our apartment. We were lucky to be able to find an apartment in Madrid with enough space to quilt. It’s a tight fit, but I added furniture with intention and a lot of measuring, so everything I need fits pretty well. I use the same roller chair for working both at my computer and my sewing machine. My studio has direct access to our small balcony, which brings lots of morning light and a nice view of the coffee shop at street level. I can also keep a close eye on my chili plants out on the balcony. My studio came with a ton of built in storage, which as been excellent for my fabric/quilt storage needs (just don’t ask me to open the doors).”

Fav 1 - Janome M8

“Anything that comes out of my studio has been put together with my Janome M8 sewing machine, which is a total beast. Before I bought this machine, I had been happy with my old sewing machine in Seattle. However, I knew that it would not function in Spain due to the power differences. It was so hard letting that machine go, but I'm glad it went to one of my prior guildmates. This Janome machine was a huge upgrade for me, and in a way, represents how far Julia Wachs Designs has come since the beginning. I'm always learning something new on it. The massive throat space alone makes quilting so much easier!”

Fav 2 - Computer Set Up

“Any quilt designer will tell you that they spend more time in front of their computer than behind a sewing machine, and I’m no different! A lot of my computer accessories could be their own favorite item, so I’m calling this fave my ‘quilt designer battle station’. With the help of a friend, I built my own PC. This petite but mighty PC traveled in my suitcase all the way from Seattle to Madrid! The components within, especially the graphics card I picked out, allow me to run a lot of RAM intensive programs all at once. I also LOVE my Ducky One 3 mechanical keyboard and my Logitech MX Master 3S mouse. My Asus ProArt monitor is wonderful for viewing color accuracy and wish I had the space for a dual monitor setup! All these components together make for a more pleasant experience in front of the computer screen.”

Fav 3 - Cutting Table

“When setting up my studio from scratch last year, I knew I wanted an area with a large cutting surface. I couldn’t find anything within my price range available, so I decided to create a custom cabinet. I used the biggest cutting mat I could find as a starting point. I was inspired by all the quilters who used an Ikea cabinet to make their own cutting table, so I did the same! I started with a lovely green kitchen cabinet from Ikea and customized the feet and handles. I then created a custom order for a tabletop from a local woodworking shop here in Madrid. My dad helped me varnish it and then mount it to the cabinet. It works really well as a cutting surface, and the extra storage space is invaluable.”

Fav 4 - Sketching Notebook

“Despite doing a lot of work on my computer, I almost exclusively brainstorm and sketch out new ideas in my graph paper composition notebook. My friend Linda made this beautiful cover, and it makes my time generating new ideas feel like a separate creative practice, and not work. I’ll usually sit out on the couch, in the park, or on our balcony to minimize distractions. It’s chock full of ideas and new projects, many of which will eventually see the light of day!”

Fav 5 - Fabric Swatches

“I personally love using only solid fabrics in my patterns, so I keep a large library of fabric swatches from three different manufacturers (Art Gallery, Kona, and Michael Miller). Having fabric swatches is key if I want my design to translate accurately from screen to actual quilt, especially since I need to order them online from either Germany or the UK. There are nice quilt fabric stores here in Madrid, but they do not have the solid fabric selection that I’m used in the US. I use a plastic photo storage box to keep my swatches separated by color and fabric manufacturer!”

Thank you all so much for checking out this series and learning a little bit more about Julia and her sewing space! I’ll have a new guest talking about their favs coming soon!

Where To Find Julia and Julia Wachs Designs:

You can follow Julia on Instagram and TikTok, and be sure to check out her website!