Darby Lane Designs

Darby Lane Designs Darby Lane Designs was established in 2008. Darby Lane Designs was created as a hobby in 2008 when I began making handmade gifts for friends and loved ones.

For a short period of time, I sold items on Etsy, but then put my sewing machine away while I worked full-time and started my family. During the 2020 pandemic, I began making cloth face masks for my friends, neighbors, and patients at the local hospital. Sitting at the sewing machine again sparked the fire for this hobby that I had put aside for so long. These days you will find me in my sewing st

udio in Lakeland, TN. While I do not currently run Darby Lane Designs as a business, I do enjoy making baby shower gifts, aprons, throw pillow covers, children’s clothes, and quilts. I also love upcycling materials to reduce waste. When I’m not sewing, I am the Chief Domestic Officer of my home. I also enjoy making soy wax candles while also dabbling in knitting, cross-stitch and painting. Cooking, baking, reading fiction, and traveling the world bring me so much joy too! Thanks for stopping by and supporting my hobby.

I started 2026 with the desire to use up some more of my scraps. So I got inspired by who had posted instructions on ho...
04/01/2026

I started 2026 with the desire to use up some more of my scraps. So I got inspired by who had posted instructions on how to do a string quilt. This was my first foray into FPP (foundation paper piecing).I used old scraps of computer paper that I cut to an 8” square and sewed down a 1.5” strip as my center piece and then folded the paper back to sew the rest of the strips across the shape of the square. I felt like I needed a few more scraps so a friend gave me some of hers to add variety and I love how it turned out. There are so many scraps in here from early 2007 to 2008 when I started my side sewing business. It’s almost like a walk down memory lane to remember old projects. The backing is a flannel fabric my friend gave me - also my first time using a flannel back in a quilt. I took it to be longarmed . The pantograph is: loops and swirls.

Snow day project: I’ve been hesitant to order the fabric I’m going to need for my next project because we have not recei...
02/06/2026

Snow day project: I’ve been hesitant to order the fabric I’m going to need for my next project because we have not received our mail in over a week nor had any deliveries on our street due to the “snow concrete” that we got over a week ago. So in the meantime, I have been working on some scrap projects. These are placemats that I have made using Frankenstein batting & scraps of German print/shwe shwe fabric (from Botswana)🇧🇼 .

The beginnings of a scrappy string quilt. I watched some reels from and I love how fun this is! I am using a 8x8” piec...
02/06/2026

The beginnings of a scrappy string quilt. I watched some reels from and I love how fun this is! I am using a 8x8” piece of paper to sew the first seam and I’m doing 1.5” wide white strips for the center strip on each block. I can’t wait to see how this scrap buster quilt will turn out!

I went to my first meeting today and it dawned on me while they were doing show and tell that I had not posted my most ...
01/11/2026

I went to my first meeting today and it dawned on me while they were doing show and tell that I had not posted my most recent quilt project. I actually finished this one back in October. The story on this one goes like this: I was in a quilt shop to drop off one quilt for longarming and saw a jelly roll by Ruby Star Society in their Juicy print. I picked it up and then asked my friend, Mandy, for some jelly roll quilt patterns. I borrowed the Cabin Valley pattern by Cotton & Joy Patterns. So I began the journey to put this quilt together in July. To date, I have been the “reluctant quilter”. I am a 3rd generation quilter but only because my grandmother and mother passed away with a mass of unfinished projects. So for this quilt it was really only the second time in my short journey as a quilter that I began a project for me with fabric that I liked. I had no idea what I should do with it when I was done. All my other projects have been for family or quilts for friends having babies. So I decided I would contact a local NGO to donate the quilt. was the recipient of the finished quilt and it was given to be auctioned to raise money to support families with terminally ill or chronically ill children. I finished it with Kona Peach solid for the back and I took it my local quilt shop to be long armed with the Ginger Snap pantograph. I finished the binding by machine with a teal calico. I hope whoever got the quilt is reminded of the joy-filled mission of Spreading Sunshine when they see the bright cheerful quilt.

This quilt was a process! Swipe to see how it goes from start to finish! When I heard my friend, Erin, was expecting a b...
10/20/2025

This quilt was a process! Swipe to see how it goes from start to finish! When I heard my friend, Erin, was expecting a baby boy, I knew I needed to make a quilt for her. I had recently learned that our mutual friend could sew - so I chose a pattern that was simple and scrappy while incorporating earth tones and Winnie the Pooh fabrics which Erin likes. So in June, I shopped my friend’s fabric stash - .enchantedstitchco - to see what she had in the way of earth tones. I used the earth tone Pooh fabric from Hobby Lobby to coordinate the colors. After that, I cut the rectangles and sewed a few and gave the rest of the stack to my friend, Danielle to sew and press the seams open. We used the pattern to create the quilt top. We collaborated on the layout and I sewed the rows together into the quilt top. Next, I found a backing and sent it off to the longarm quilter. Danielle and I debated several different pantographs but ultimately we chose the honeycomb edge to edge by . The honeycomb and bees tied the quilt together perfectly. Once I got the quilt back from , I had to trim and bind the quilt. We chose the Pooh fabric again for the binding to bring it all together. Tonight - we gave the quilt to our friend, Erin - who is due anytime now! Amazing how from June until September the project came together with patience, love and coordination! Once we had it finished, we had to wait for her surprise shower. I hope the quilt is loved by this baby boy for years to come.

Here it is! I started this quilt back in April and I worked on it until this past weekend when I got it back from the lo...
08/15/2025

Here it is! I started this quilt back in April and I worked on it until this past weekend when I got it back from the longarm quilter. I love this quilt so much!! Quilt pattern: Bjorn Bear 🐻 by Fabrics: & Bonnie & Camille florals / Thank you to Mandy .enchantedstitchco for letting me raid your fabric stash and for your encouragement! Longarm quilter: Anna

After hours of cutting out tiny strips and squares, then trying to precisely sew them ….I was definitely questioning my ...
04/10/2025

After hours of cutting out tiny strips and squares, then trying to precisely sew them ….I was definitely questioning my life choices. I didn’t realize just how much work this block would be! Brings new meaning to “labor of love”. ❤️ I was also contemplating my friend’s suggestion of getting the Creative Grids Stripology ruler. It’s expensive but might save my sanity.

Gathering inspiration today in my Lakeland, TN sewing studio. Looking out the window at the new life that is springing f...
04/09/2025

Gathering inspiration today in my Lakeland, TN sewing studio. Looking out the window at the new life that is springing forth from the forest 🌳 and the pink azaleas 🌺 below. Planning this quilt for a baby girl who is on her way. for the Bjornholm Bear 🐻 quilt pattern. for the majority of the fabric. .enchantedstitchco for sharing her fabric stash with me and helping me to plan this quilt! Moda Fabrics United Notions for Bonnie & Camille florals and stripes.

Back to my regularly scheduled sewing. I am recovering all of my outdoor pillows on the screened porch with fabric I got...
05/08/2024

Back to my regularly scheduled sewing. I am recovering all of my outdoor pillows on the screened porch with fabric I got from . So far today, I’ve done 4 pillows. These are 18” pillows and I designed a hidden zipper on the back with a 3/4” fl**ge. Hoping these last a while - the fabric is ☀️-resistant.

The final heirloom quilt is ready for my sister’s 40th birthday gift. Grandma hand stitched the blocks, they sat in stor...
05/07/2024

The final heirloom quilt is ready for my sister’s 40th birthday gift. Grandma hand stitched the blocks, they sat in storage for nearly 30 years, I got them in November, and I started putting a design together. This quilt is offset with white tone on tone sashing, trimmed in a cute yellow fabric with white polka dots and framed with a white border. The pink back ties the pastel 9 patch blocks together. Though the long arm quilting is more modern, the flowers and butterflies coordinate with the florals in the quilt and my sister’s love for butterflies. 🦋 I’m so glad to be finished with these vintage quilt blocks. There are more unfinished blocks, but I think I can rest now knowing the quilt loop is closed. Any more quilts made with grandma’s projects will just be a bonus! 😍 This quilt is the pastel partner to my older sister’s bold quilt I finished a couple weeks ago.

The process of taking grandma’s hand stitched 9 blocks that sat in storage for 20+ years from pieces to a quilt top, the...
04/28/2024

The process of taking grandma’s hand stitched 9 blocks that sat in storage for 20+ years from pieces to a quilt top, then quilted with a Baptist fan pattern by , then I added the binding and washed it! Putting these quilts together has been fun and sometimes challenging, but I’m so glad I get to pass them along as family heirlooms. It was so sad to me that hand stitched blocks sat for years without seeing the light of day. Now 4 generations of ladies have touched these quilts.

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Lakeland, TN
38002

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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