:: A Special Collection

I love designing fabrics. 

From the first Quilt Market I attended & I was able to see all of the quilt fabrics displayed and as I learned more and more about fabric collections - I began to dream of putting prints and coordinates together to create a collection of my own. I was blessed that I was able to realize that dream a few years later, and even today, I still love the process of creating fabric collections. 

Once in a while - there is a collection that comes along that really tugs at my heart, and my newest collection, ‘Georgia’, is definitely one of them. ‘Georgia', is named after my Mom, and there is so much about it that I think she would love.

The colors in my ‘Georgia’ collection are the colors that my Mom loved from the time she was a little girl. When I first started quilting, my Mom & I made a quilt together. She had embroidery squares that she had used on another quilt, & she wondered if I’d like to use them in a quilt. She would do the embroidery - and then I could design a quilt setting to use them in (. & it was the very first quilt setting I ever designed!). When Mom gathered the embroidery squares, she asked me what colors I wanted her to use.  I honestly hadn’t even thought about it & in creating something with my Mom - I wanted it to be special, so I asked her what her favorite colors were as a child. She said quickly that she had always loved lavender, soft green & soft yellow together, & from that moment, I knew that this colors would be perfect. I remember while she was stitching on the embroidery squares, Mom commenting how much she was enjoying working with the colors she had always loved. It was, & still is a precious memory & a favorite quilt of mine.

So, when it came time to choose colors for this collection - using a soft green & soft yellow with the lavender was in honor of my Mom & then I added the soft white & pebble colors to round out the grouping.

The other thing I was happy to get to do was to re-release a quilt I had designed several years ago called, Remember ‘Whooo’ Loves You’. 

This is a very special quilt that I designed in honor of my Mom - for when her grand-daughters (that she loved so much!) started having their own babies. Here is what I wrote for the pattern:

“As we were growing up - my Mom collected owls. She truly loved them. Mom even made adorable little owls from yarn & driftwood - (one of which is a very special treasure of mine!) Another thing that Mom loved, were babies. . . & when she became a Grandma to her five grand-daughters. . . she loved every minute she had to hold and snuggle them, and to sing to them.(Mom had a beautiful singing voice!)

Now that those grand-daughters are becoming mommies. . . & since Mom is no longer with us. . . I just knew that these precious little ones (& all the ones to follow) somehow deserved to be held & loved by their Great-Grandma Georgia.  So, when it came time to make each one their first quilt - the idea of this little owl design fit perfectly. Even though Mom couldn’t snuggle them in person - they will always know that - even so - she loves them still.”

I’ve made many of these quilts, &  it was extra special to be able to make a new ‘Remember ‘Whooo’ Loves You’ quilt using my Georgia fabrics. As soon as I finished this one, I sent it off to one of my nieces to welcome her first baby - a sweet little girl. I just received a photo from my sister-in-law while they were in the middle of a photo shoot… notice the quilt? … & I couldn’t love it more.

Along with ‘Remember ‘Whooo’ Loves You',  I also designed three other quilts that feature ‘Georgia’ - ‘Cherish’, ‘Field of Stars’, ‘Little Baskets’, & a new embroidery design ‘Faith, Hope, Love’.  

For now - you can find them on the website - & I’ll do another post featuring them.

To see all the prints in ‘Georgia’ - click here.

If you got this far in this lengthy post - thank you!! You’re the best!

I hope that you find a place for some 'Georgia' in your home! Be sure you ask your local quilt shop if they will be carrying 'Georgia' fabrics. Moda fabric reps are currently showing them to quilt shops & so be sure to ask. If you don't have a local quilt shop - we are taking reservations for some of the precuts. The Georgia collection is scheduled to ship in July 2024.

♥︎  Bren

:: Grace is (finally) Here!

 After quite the journey - my Grace collection has finally made it to the U.S. (!!!)

Grace was scheduled to arrive this past August... but she - along with so many other items sat off the California shore for months just waiting to make her way to Moda... & then to us!  (I actually started waving to my TV screen whenever the news would show all the shops sitting off the coast  - & said "Hi!" to Grace...I knew she was out there somewhere!)

I have a limited amount of the pre-cuts for Grace (fat-quarter bundles, fat-eighth bundles, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, Charm packs, & Mini-charm packs) listed on the website - so if you've been waiting - now's your chance!  I will also be making & adding some Grace gingham bundles (half-yard & fat-quarter bundles) to the website in the next few days - so be on the lookout for those too!  (If you think you might want a gingham bundle - but want to secure your other pre-cut(s) - just add a note to your order letting me know & I can hold your order & ship everything together.)

The patterns for the quilts I designed using Grace (Grace, Fresh Picked, Emmie, & Coming Home) are also all available on the website - in both paper &/or PDF versions. (More info about these designs in my previous post.)

So, while we all were waiting for 'Grace' to arrive - three (yep! ...three!) new fabric collections were designed & born, and are in various stages of production in the very skilled hands of Moda. I want to give a big shout-out to Moda for all the ways they have been so pro-active to make sure they do everything they can to get the fabric collections here as soon as possible. They have been amazing!

I hope that you had a very special Christmas celebration this year. I know that I have been so blessed as I have been reflecting on the precious gift of Jesus & of His love & sacrifice that he made for each of us. So, as this crazy year comes to a close, I feel so blessed, & I look forward to all the this upcoming fresh new year brings!

♥︎ Bren

Grace upon Grace

When finally sitting myself down to write this post, I checked back on the last journal post I did to announce a fabric collection - which was for Dover - & I had to laugh because I was also late in writing a post about Dover - & also at the date… which was also April 21. There must be something about this date where I finally get my act together(!) (By the way… what ever happened to me doing a post about my Sophie fabric collection…! (Sorry Sophie!)

So… needless to say - even though I’m late in introducing my next collection… I am beyond happy to introduce you to Grace! 🌸

Because I’m a little late in getting the word out - I’ve seen some social media posts about Grace (…thank you to Moda & some of the quilt shops that have ordered Grace!) - & what’s been fun is to read how folks are finding somethings that are very familiar about Grace… & they are right!

Grace actually had a different working name in its creation. I was referring to it as ‘Return to Ambleside’… as well as ‘Ambleside’s little sister’.  That’s because that over the seven years since the release of Ambleside, my first collection with Moda, I have continually been asked if folks could still find Ambleside fabrics. So, when it came time to design this collection, I chose a few prints from Ambleside - resized them (to keep it fun!) - & then added some fun new prints. I worked with the same colorways that I used for Ambleside - so it will work wonderfully for the folks who have been holding on to their Ambleside bundles & scraps. Or, if you missed out on the original Ambleside - Grace is just as charming & sweet!

I have to admit that when it came time to renaming this collection, I tossed out a couple of options… but I knew that ‘Grace’ was the perfect name. Also, because we submit collections about a year before they are introduced - I was working on this collection during the time period of my Dad’s passing. With all the events of the past year, it has made me reflect - quite a lot - on all the blessings in my life, & for how thankful I am for God’s grace & how much comfort it continually brings  me. (On top of that - the hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’, was one of the songs my Dad had requested for his memorial service. For the service, his great-grandchildren were the ones who led the congregation in singing the song together - & that memory, & the words to the hymn have brought so much joy in this past year.

So, for those reasons, my Grace collection is a very special one for me. But also, because it is ‘related’ to Ambleside - it holds a special place in my heart. As I mentioned, Ambleside was my first collection with Moda, and the story of how that happened has ‘grace’ written all over it. One day, I will share how that happened… but for now, I’m just so pleased to carry on the legacy into this fabric collection. I can honestly say it has captured my heart & brings me such joy.

I hope that you will also enjoy Grace & create something that brings joys in the years to come.

Grace is being shown to shops now (so don’t delay & let your local quilt shop know if you would like them to carry it!), & is scheduled to arrive in August 2021.

I will have the new quilt designs & information about pre-ordering some Grace pre-cuts posted to the website tomorrow - so be sure to check them out! (There will only be a couple of days to pre-order bundles…!)

Here’s to Grace!! 

🌱 Bren

Finnegan - pebble & sky ::

I'm back with the final two colorways for Finnegan!

First is the 'pebble' colorway. This colorway is becoming a semi-regular in my collections - as I love the grounding it brings. I also love the grey-taupe-linen hue it has. For me it's not too light, not too dark,... it's just right. I first used this colorway with Ambleside my first collection for Moda, & I remember a shop owner coming up to me at that Quilt Market telling me they had ordered the entire collection... & that I, "should always include this colorway!". While it hasn't been in every collection,  it is one of my favorites. (I know... the girl with all the soft colors... & the pebble colorway is one of  my favorites!) In past collections - I've mostly used it as an accent color - but I've always wanted to use it as a background & so for Finnegan - I have a very fun design that uses the 'pebble' colorway for the background!...I can't wait to show you (soon!).

So... if the 'pebble' colorway brings a 'grounding' to the collection - then the perfect compliment to that would be the 'sky' colorway. Once again - I've included a soft blue with just a hint of aqua in it.

Sigh.

I just love the fresh feel this colorway brings to the collection. If you've ever looked closely - I like to use this color in the tiny little accent flowers of many of my floral designs. I just love the way the 'sky' colorway brings a little bit of sparkle... & a breath of fresh air.

So there are the colorways of my Finnegan collection! I hope you will enjoy them! As a reminder, Finnegan is scheduled to arrive in shops around the end of August 2019, but it is being shown to quilt shops as you read this... & so if you want it in your quilt shop... let them know!  Just in case, we will be adding some pre-order options to the website this next week, so if you would like to check those out - be sure to visit the website in the next week or so! (** A little sneak 'heads-up'... there will also be a couple of kits for a couple of the Finnegan quilts available for pre-order too!)

Speaking of new quilts... I do have some new designs I am making with my Finnegan collection - & I will be posting those this next week... Hope you can come back to see!

♥♥ xo, Bren

Finnegan - lilac & sunny ::

Next for the Finnegan colorways, we have lilac & sunny (yellow). I'm so pleased with both these colorways & they have a special place in my heart. 

Both of these colors (along with a light green) were some of my Mom's favorite colors. When I first started quilting, I wanted to make a quilt for my Mom. When I asked her what colors she liked, she responded, "All of them". But, when I pushed her a little more to narrow it down, she told me that when she was a little girl, she had a quilt on her bed that was light green, yellow, & lilac/lavender and she loved it so much! She then told me that she had never really thought about that - but if she had to choose - she would pick those three. (...& she also told me not to make her choose between the three!)

The lilac colorway is a new colorway for me (but I'm thinking it won't be the last!) and I love how it turned out. (I can almost smell lilacs when I look at it... it's too bad we don't have 'scratch & sniff' blog posts!)

And, I couldn't help but name the yellow colorway sunny. I love how it works with all the other colors... so agreeable... so... sunny!

So, these two colorways add a special touch for me to my Finnegan collection. 

I hope you love them to!

♥♥ xo, Bren

Finnegan - blossom & sprout ::

The next two Finnegan color ways I wanted to give you closer peeks of are 

Blossom (pink) & Sprout (lt. green). Looking at these makes it feel like you've walked into a spring garden!

I love being surrounded by a soft green... this is such a calming color for me... (I think that's why it's pretty much in every collection I design!) For Finnegan - I'm calling the light green colorway 'sprout'. When I was working in the interior design field - I remember learning that green is actually the most predominant color that we are surrounded by. Also, while some people claim they don't care for green & they don't want it (at all) in their interiors... once it was pointed out that then it would mean that there would be no plants or flowers... & in most cases they would need to have block out curtains (trees, grass plants outside!) ... most every one admitted that why yes!... they actually do like green & want it somewhere in their interiors.  It was always fun when those kind of statements were made - & I have to admit that I enjoyed the process of what I would call 'leading them down the green path'.(!)

The blossom colorway  in Finnegan is a little smaller this time as the pink hue is already on most of the floral prints - regardless of the background. This way - the blossom color is scattered all through the collection - with a few blossom coordinates to accent all the pretty flowers & buds.

Tomorrow I will be back with two more Finnegan color ways... 

(& one of them is a new colorway!)

Hope you're enjoying these Finnegan peeks as much as I am!

♥ ♥ xo,  Bren

Finnegan - linen whites ::

I don't know if you are aware... but a soft white - or what I call 'linen white' is a staple of all of my fabric collections.  It's kind-of like a signature color for me.

I love whites. When I taught art & design - I loved the color theory lessons. It was so fun to introduce students to all the elements & nuances of color and it's relationship with light. One of my favorite aspects of color theory is it's relationship to light, & how it changes & affects color. I think that's why I like white so much... In color theory white represents light & is "the presence of all color".  (I'm going to stop myself there - because I could go on for a very long time with all the amazing facets of color theory...)  But - because I love so many colors... when someone asks me what my 'favorite' color is... I like to say "white!"... because white actually includes all the colors. (!)

Also, I love a soft white... (no surprise there, huh?) and so I use it quite a bit. The soft white that is in each of my collections (that I call 'linen white') is actually from Moda's Bella Solids - Off White (9900-200). I use it all the time & I actually have bolts (& bolts) of it in my studio at all times.

So, the first colorway for Finnegan I'm sharing is the 'linen white' color.

Fresh, clear, clean... There's just something about linen whites!

♥ xo, Bren

Introducing... Finnegan! ::

I had a very big (& heavy!) box arrive at my house a few weeks ago… and once again, Moda made it feel like Christmas morning at my house.

Finnegan arrived!

Finnegan is the name for my latest collection for Moda Fabrics, and I have admit, I am a bit smitten with it! There are a couple of prints in this collection that have jumped up high on my all time favorites list.(!) The colors for Finnegan are my classic softer palette - with names like sky, sprout, sunny, lilac, blossom pink, pebble, and of course my classic linen-white. All hues that embrace & celebrate the freshness of spring! What’s been fun for me is how well they work set with not only the linen-white, but I’ve been setting them with the pebble colorway as well & I’m loving how they sparkle on both!

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some of the new designs & some of the new patterns that are in the works! If there is something that catches your eye… be sure to let your local quilt shop know, as the Moda Reps (yay for the Moda Reps!) are going around to the quilt shops taking orders for what is known as the March collections… (also known as Pre-Spring Market Collections).

Being part of the Pre-Market collections group is allowing me a little extra time to make all the samples for my new quilt patterns… & for that I am so very thankful! I will have five new quilt designs for you… & I’m having so much fun making them!

So please check in again to see more of Finnegan… & the new patterns!

Thanks so much for checking in with my blog… there are some changes coming (big ones)… & so I sincerely appreciate your visiting (& not giving up on me ever blogging again!)

 ♥ xo, Bren

:: Spring Quilt Market 2017

As I was on my way home from Quilt Market, I realized that I feel that I never take enough photos... but I do carry home a lot of memories. This was a Quilt Market like many other Quilt Markets, but this time it was held in 

St. Louis, Missouri. From what I understand, St. Louis was one of the first locations for a Spring Quilt Market, but it hasn't been held there for about 20 years. So, it was fun to find new restaurants to tryout & I do believe there was quite a lot of site seeing, with the beautiful Arch, & with the St. Louis Cardinals having baseball games every evening, & so many new things to experience. 

The Americas Convention Center - St. Louis, MO

For me, this was a Market where I did a lot of reflecting - about the journey the Lord has led me on, as a designer, & how thankful I am for the people I get to work with & the amazing team at Moda & the great bunch of designers that I have the privilege to be part of. In an odd way, I think that's why I didn't get a lot of photos taken, because I was absorbed in the moments of catching up with, & listening to other around me. I don't want to take any of this for granted. I consider it a great blessing. I truly do. 

The Moda Designers - Spring Market 2017

One of the very best parts of this Quilt Market for me, was that my Dad, Aaron, came to visit for the last day! After Quilt Market last fall, he let me know that he, "would like to see Quilt Market." He sees all that I do getting ready for it, hears the stories, & after all these years, he really wanted to see some of what his daughter had been a part of. 

Family members with Moda designers - there's Dad in the back row(!) - second from right.

Lissa Alexander even had a very special photo take with all us designers - that includes any of the family members that happened to be there for the photo too… This will always be a very special photo for me. (Thanks again Lissa! )

Needless to say, he was a bit overwhelmed with the size of Market (even Spring Market... & it's always smaller than Fall Market!) & he thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet the folks at Moda & was full of stories for everyone he met. I will always treasure this time we got to share.

Dad & I in my booth space in the Moda Designer area.

My booth space.

My new fabric collection - Caroline

You can see it all here

So, now that I'm back home & pretty much recovered from the post Market stupor that overcomes us... I've been busy getting things organized in the studio (...the office is next!). I've also made the decision to take pre-orders for bundles of Caroline as well as pre-orders for some of the new quilt designs (but for a limited time!). If you'd like to see more - check out the latest e-newsletter, or you can see it all on the website - under 'New Items'.

Next time, I want to share with you the very special side trip my Dad & I took after Market...

Sweet, sweet memories...

♥ Bren

:: Spring 2016 International Quilt Market

Quilt Market... there’s so much preparation (weeks & weeks . . . & weeks!) & then the actual weekend seems to just fly by! (& then sometimes it feels like it takes at least a week to recover... but maybe that’s just me!) 

(Warning... this post is bit wordy!)

Spring Quilt Market was held in Salt Lake City a few weekends ago, & SLC certainly kept us on our toes! The whole area around SLC is beautiful & the Wasach Mountains greet you whether you arrive by air or land... & they are a stunning backdrop for a great city. The one thing I’ve learned is that you never know what to expect for weather when Spring Market is in SLC. THe last time I was here for Market - it snowed! (Well, flurries... but when that happens in May... I declare it to be full blown snow!) This time, it was the wind & thunder/lightning storms that made themselves known.  The wind was predominant (I never knew it could be so windy in SLC!) & pretty much re-styled your hair every time you went outside. The lightning & thunder did their part on the first night of Market by taking out one of the areas main electrical power stations & all of downtown SLC & beyond (they reported over 83,000 customers) were thown into a complete blackout.

Salt Lake City - (actually you're looking at several big tall buildings!)

Thankfully it didn’t happen until later in the evening (about 10:45 pm) & most everone was already at least in their hotel rooms (or slept right though it!) I must say it was really interesting to see the whole city dark...! By morning... thankfully everything was back to normal. (On a funny note... one of my thoughts - as I was drifting off to sleep was ‘Oh!... I hope I’ll be able use my blowdryer in the morning...!... & then it really didn’t matter with all the wind!) :-)

Market was wonderful - although I didn’t get to walk around all that much. What I did see was - as always - so inspiring & encouraging to see this industry continue to grow & draw folks in. My little spot for Spring Market was in the Moda Designer ‘neighborhood’ (my favorite place to be!!) I was showing my next collection, called ‘Fleurs’. Fleurs is filled with softness & lots & lots of flowers! (...of course!) The colorways for Fleurs are very similar to those from my Ambleside line (with the addition of a little bit more reds & I also added a sweeet lavender to the mix) so, if you want to add some to your Ambleside stash - Fleurs is perfect! (Although - actually it will work well with any of my lines as well!)

 By the way - the yardage of Fleurs will be shipping in October 2016 - bit if you just can’t wait - keep checking back to the website as we will have a very limited amount of precuts & some fun scrapbags of all my lines - including ‘Fleurs’ available soon!

I will post about the new patterns in the next week - but her you see peeks of the new designs - Snowflake Fleurs (center - on wall), Little Stitches (front left on quilt rack), Hopscotch (mini & large on wall right side), & hanging on one of the Moda pillars - Coventry. (All of the patterns are up on the website in paper & PDF format - click here to see all the new items.)

What was so great about the new set-up was that we were able to visit with each other so much more easily... it really was a little neighborhood of Moda designers! Here are some of the sweet designers (when I remembered to bring my phone & that I could catch in their booths!)

Kathy Schmitz - Kathy Schmitz Designs

Janet Clare

Alma Allen - Blackbird Designs

Betsy Chutchian

The final memory I have of Spring Market was that on the final night - we were evacuated from our hotel rooms at 3:00 in the morning! I learned all too well what going down 12 fights of hard concrete stairs will do to your calves in about 48 hours... (ouch!). Thankfully it wasn’t anything threatening (a hot water pipe had burst & the steam set off the fire alarm for the 12 - 15th floors... (& I was on the 12th floor... of course.) What I learned is that the LOUD alarm that sounds & the voice that sternly states, “Hotel emergency. Leave NOW!” makes you not want to question anything... but when it doesn’t repeat... call down to the front desk... just to be sure. (It’s better than going down 12+ flights of stairs - ending up outside on the sidewalk with a bunch of strangers - having to walk arund the corner to the hotel entrance - only to find there was really no need to evacuate (... go ahead... get a good mental picture of this... it’s good for a giggle!). (sigh...) At least we could all take the elevator back up to our floors! 

So there’s the highlights of my Spring 2016 International Quilt Market! If you stopped my little spot in the Moda neighborhood - thank you! The people... that’s the best part of Quilt Market!

I'll bee back soon with the close ups of the new designs.

♥ Bren