:: Changes... in process...

There are days (weeks... months...) where I feel like I'm so quiet on the blog & social media front, & I find I feel a little guilty about it... but so often there are a lot of things I'm working on that I can't show while working on them... & these past few weeks have been just like that. (Oddly enough - you'd giggle at how many times I compose posts in my head while I'm working on things... but then I can't really write & post them because of the timetables & keeping things under wraps that I - as a designer - need to work with.)

But - even so, I wanted to touch base - as much as I can, to try to keep in touch with you. And, as I was just writing that sentence, & if you are reading this post... I just want to let you know how much it means to me that you choose to check in on what's happening with my company & with the things I share about my life. It means so much - I can't really express how much it does mean to me. So, thank you for being here!

There are a few things I wanted to let you in on... that have been filling these past few weeks. First is that this past week, I received the strike-offs for my next collection. What that means is that pretty much everything else gets put on the back burner so I can review all of them, sort through them, make any corrections or tweaks, make the notes for all of that & get them sent back to Moda!

So for now... this little sneak peek is all I can show... but I am really excited about these fabrics... the prints & the colorways. They are (of course) still soft, but it is a wonderfully unique collection & I can hardly wait to get the fabrics, make things & surround myself with them!

The other (very, very) big project that I've just been able to get started (after wanting to start on it all summer)... is a new website. It's still a couple of weeks out - as having to wait for domains to transfer can take time... but I'm excited about it. I'm doing it myself - as I like to know how to make changes as needed... & I like doing that myself. (I think it must be part of the graphic design student that still remains inside of me.) I have to admit - it's quite a learning curve since I haven't updated the layout or host of my website for over a decade! (... & oh my how things have changed!) But, I know it will be a great step. You will be able to enlarge photos of designs, see the pattern backs to see the supplies needed, & a lot more payment options.

The other thing that will be contained within the website is a blog... & I will be switching over to posting there as soon as it's all up & running. It will be so great to have everything all in one place!

For now though - the current website will stay up, & hopefully there will a smooth transition! I will let you know as soon as the new website goes live. 

The one thing that will not be on the new website is the page with the sample quilts. I listed a large grouping & they will not be available on the website after the transition. 

SO... I am reducing the prices on all the ones that are currently listed & they are now 40% off! (That includes the original 'Betsy's Closet' quilt & some other quilts where the patterns are being 'retired' - so this will be the last chance.)

If you see one that you would like - but would need to separate the payments into 2 or 3 payments - just email me & let me know & we will be happy to work with you!

So, there you have it...!  My 'exciting' life for the last several weeks...

I'm planning to take Dad up to Mt. Lemmon this next week... for our annual autumn visit, & I'm so ready to see some fall leaves (aspen & maples) & smell the pine trees!

Hope you have a great week!

♥ 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

:: Sometimes…

 ...a quilt just grabs ahold of your heart & decides to live there...

This is one of those quilts!!

I didn't go to Quilt Market this past week, (God has an amazing way of knowing way ahead of me - when I will need to be home… & this was one of them.) - but, I was watching as often as I could on Instagram to see what was new. I first saw Moda's new 'Color Cuts' pre-cuts... I liked them right away.  But then... when I saw the'Color Cuts Quilt' they have designed - using the Color Cuts... I was smitten! (literally... I gasped when I first saw it!)

… & the best part?… Moda is kitting the quilt design!

So... because I want to share this beautiful quilt kit with you... I wanted to let you know that you can pre-order the quilt kit on my website! 

Because the kit will be shipping in April 2018 - you will only need to register for the kit now... & the rest of the balance will be billed when the kits are ready to ship. This way you will reserve your kit & know that we will have one just for you! Also... when you pre-order a kit - you get it at a discounted price!

The quilt is approx. 70” x 78” - a perfect snuggle quilt size! But… I’m also thinking of carrying more of the Color Cuts (link to Modas page) - which will come in layer cake 10” x 10” squares, fat quarters (18” x 21”), and ‘dessert’ rolls (5” x 42”). I’m thinking that there may be some who might want to make the quilt bigger (for a bed size… queen?) & with extra fabrics - either layer cakes, fat quarters, or dessert rolls…. you could do that. So, if you are interested in the Color Cuts as well… shoot me an email of what you would want & I’l be happy to special order it for you.

Also, I’m thinking of playing around with making the quilt bigger with a couple of borders mostly made of a background fabric with a little set in pieced border… Again - if you think you might be interested in that option - email me & let me know.

For more info about the pre-order  registration for the quilt kit - click here to go to the pre-order page.

Any other questions - just let me know! (brendariddledesigns@comcast.net)

Here’s to lots of pretty quilts in the coming year!

♥  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

:: Bella & Gingham Love...

This is just a little post - just to let you know (if you don’t know already) that I’ve added some sweet little bundles to the website. One of these bundles is a selection of some of the sweet little ginghams that are from my Moda fabric collections. (By-the-way the ginghams are printed on the diagonal - so they are also great for binding!) There are currently twelve colors in the bundles &  are available in fat-quarter & half-yard bundles. I’ve received a couple of requests for a one-yard bundle, so if that’s more of what you would like - just email me & we will be happy to put that together for you.

The other bundles are bundles of twelve Bella Solids that work wonderfully with all of my Moda collections. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this - but I have chosen & specified the colors for my fabric collections using colors already in Bella Solids. So, I’ve chose the twelve that I’ve used the most (& that I love!!) & we’ve got them available for you to enjoy as well! They can be used to extend any of my fabric collections as well as looking really pretty all on their own. They are also available on the website in fat-quarter & half-yard bundles... & just like with the gingham - if you might be interested in a one-yard bundle of the Bella Solids... email me.

Now I’m off to the studio...

Hope you have a wonderful day!

♥ Bren

:: More patterns... & oh!... those Scrap-bags!

Lookie!... I'm back... & not after a months absence! 

(I'm trying!... I'm really trying hard!)

So... on with the new pattern introductions...

The next recently released pattern is actually a favorite design from my book ‘Comfort & Joy’ with some updates & a much requested mini version. (Which is a true miniature - the full size scaled down to a baby quilt or smaller wall quilt size.) It’s called ‘Coventry’ & it’s a wonderfully classic star block in a quilt always lends an aire of both comfort & sophistication at the same time. Here the Ohio Star blocks are placed with setting squares - giving the quilt an airy-ness & then bordered withfun ‘dotted” borders. This quilt could be made an any colorway & look wonderful!

The final recently released pattern is called ‘Hopscotch’  - a classic quilt design brought to you with two setting options - straight set - or on point... and two sizes for each - so that you have four options to make the size for any occasion! I had so much fun with this design - as it can be made with either your stash of fabrics - or simplified even more with using a Layer Cake™ (for the larger sizes) - or a charm pack (for the smaller sizes) & some background & border fabrics. In fact - I will be kitting this pattern in a couple of the options & there will be a pre-order opportunity coming up in the next month... so if that sounds good to you - keep checking back! (If you are signed up for the e-newsletter - you will get the first opportunity to sign up! - You can sign up for the e-newsletter either through the link at the top of the page (if you are looking at this page on a computer or on the web version) - or to make things easier - by clicking here!

The bundles & scrap bags I mentioned in the last post have been flying out the door (thank you!) & some are already sold out. So, if you’re thinking about getting some... don’t delay. It’s been fun with the scrap bags - squishing them down to get as many into a box (or a smaller box) for reduced shipping costs (that we refund back to you!).... We’ve been kept very busy!

Hope you’re having a good summer. I’m keeping busy with getting new designs started for the next fabric line, as well as looking at what’s in store for next year (already!)... & trying to avoid the summer heat. We had a really nice lingering spring this year - & usually we ease into summer temperatures - but not this year. We went from days into the 70’s - 80’s straight to the 110’s. Ouch. Thankfully, our monsoon season has started & we’re getting some rainy days that help cool things off a little. But the silver lining is that it makes for perfect times to stay indoors (where there’s air conditioning!) & get stitchery & designing & pattern writing done.

Here’s to keeping cool! (or warm for you in the southern hemisphere!)

♥ Bren

:: Already?... it’s mid-July already?... Oh my!

I have to admit... the summer & events are distracting me something fierce! I was going to introduce each of the new patterns last month.... & so much more. (sigh) I will also admit that because of the ease of Instagram, I had thought a lot about whether to end blogging or not... but then Instagram changed from a chronilogical order of posts to one that is pretty random. (I hear it’s the same as Facebook’s algorithm - which makes no sense to me & is a big reason I really don’t ‘do’ Facebook.) So... I’m going to really try to be better about posting here on the blog. (... & I know you’ve probaby heard that before from me... so I appreciate you humoring me here & for your patience!)

Here's what's new on the website!...

Ambleside - fat eighth & fat quarter bundles

Windermere - fat eighth & fat quarter bundles

 

Bespoke Blooms - fat eighth & fat quarter bundles

Fleurs - fat eighth & fat quarter bundles

Before I get to the pattern intoductons - I wanted to give you the heads-up that I have been in the studio for the past few weeks & have been bundling & packing scrap-bags & have a bunch of new bundles available on the website! For most of the bundles - many are the last of the fabrics I have available so when they’re gone - I won’t be able to offer them again. Also, there are three types of scrap-bags & for a limed time they are priced at only $5!

So, on to the new designs...

Here’s the first of the new patterns featuring the fabrics from my upcoming fabric collection for Moda - called ‘Fleurs’. The first pattern is called ‘Snowflake Fleurs’... a vintage design inspired by one of the beautiful quilts from the ‘Infinite Variety - Red and White Quilts’ exhibition. While the original quilt was white appliqué on a red background, this version playes with a scrappier variety of fabrics & a little version as well! I had so much fun making this quilt - that I also made a smaller version using the reds & greens from ‘Fleurs’ that I can use for a Christmas table topper or sweet little wall quilt.

The next quilt is called ‘Little Stitches’. I just love stitchery, & I know this love of stitchery is shared by many quilters. These quilts celebrate those stitches with wonderfully simple blocks in settings to echo a couple of my favorite stitches. I hope you enjoy the cross between quilting & stitching as much as I do! ... & you’ll notice there’s two versions of this design (one of them being red & green version again... Which hopefully shows how wonderfully flexible the ‘Fleurs’ line is!).

I’ll be back with some more designs & goodies!

(Thanks again for your putting up with my sporadic posting...!)

(p.s. You can find all of the items on this post in the 'New Items' section on the website.)

♥ 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