:: 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

:: Lots of Grace & Cottage Linen Closet quilts!

Today I’m back with some new patterns that have been released for a couple of months (these are the ones for my Grace collection) & then some even newer patterns that I created using my Cottage Linen Closet collection. And, while Cottage Linen Closet is just now being shown to shops (be sure to let your local quilt shop know if you want them to carry it…! Now’s the time!) - I think that all of these patterns would look great in any of my fabric collections - (or a mixture of them!)

For these first four patterns - these are the ones that feature my Grace fabric collection. I tried to use several precuts - if you are one that likes the convenience & a little head-start that some of the pre-cuts have. (But please know that you can also easily use cut yardage to make any of these too!

So here’s the ‘Grace’ patterns…!

Coming Home ~  That place that we all come home to... no matter where we my go. Sometimes it’s a home with a roof & walls, sometimes it’s a group of friends, & often times it’s with family. ‘Coming Home’ reminds me of coming back home... in big & small ways, and celebrating the homecomings our hearts long for.

Coming Home quilt measures 87” x 87”.

Emmie ~  You just know that I would need to have a quilt named Emmie sooner or later! I chose this sweet star flower design because it was just so cheerful & sweet… & well that fits my Emmie perfectly! There are three options & two sizes included in my Emmie pattern, so you can make anything from a baby quilt, table topper, wall quilt, or what I like to call a snuggle size.

Emmie quilts measure 48” x 48” (2 options) - or 60” x 60”

Grace ~  Grace. The man-made definition starts with the elegance & beauty of movement, which I have always loved about the process & choices provided when assembling log cabin blocks. This design celebrates this process.

But there’s more to ‘Grace’... The definition doesn’t end there. There is the meaning it carries of ‘grace’ being the divine, unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it. It goes hand-in-hand with mercy. Blessings this quilt design will always remind me of. I like to think of the light & color sections working hand-in-hand... a reminder of the grace - & mercy - we all need.

Grace quilt measures 72” x 72” & uses a jelly roll (2 1/2” strips & some accent fabrics).

Fresh Picked ~  Right up there with having a needle, or a paintbrush in my hand, is having a garden trowel or pruners for my newfound love of gardening. (Especially the joy of growing (& gathering!) flowers.) ‘Fresh Picked ’ celebrates the gathering of flowers & the enjoying all the things we love to do with the works of our hands!

Fresh Picked measures 78” x 78” 

… & for the latest patterns that I designed using Cottage Linen Closet - they are designs that are classics designs & remind me of those quilts that lived on our linen closet shelves & blew in the fresh air on the clothesline. While the original quilts we are up with were ‘loved’ until they were no more - the quilts I make from these patterns will definitely be ones that live on my linen closet shelves (when not on my beds or on display!) 

Lily Corners ~  One of the quilts in the linen closet as I grew up was made by my Grandma Floye - who was a hand-quilter - & while growing up - I never knew that quilt designs had names, I remember, when I was older, a conversation with Grandma about the quilt. It was a favorite & was one that was well-worn (almost threadbare at that point of time) & she let me know that it was called ‘Lily Corners’... although she new it had another name... she couldn’t remember the name anymore. But she told me she liked the name ‘Lily Corners’ best anyway... (She was a gardener & loved her flower garden.) I love the idea of quilts & flowers together - so I give you Lily Corners!

Lily Corners quilt measures 88” x 88”

Serenity ~   This quilt design is one that was inspired by a vintage quilt top that my Mom had while I was growing up - but it never was quilted. It lived in the linen closet with all of the quilts my grandmas had made - & even though it never was completed, I always loved it. It looked so airy & cozy. So, I made this version to honor that beautiful quilt top.

Serenity quilt measures 66” x 66”

Sentimental Nines ~  It’s not a big secret... I love me a good nine patch quilt. There were several in my Mom’s linen closet (& all well-’loved’). I love the simplicity of them & the movement they bring to a quilt design, & when it came time to design my own... I couldn’t make up my mind as to the size & style... so I included several options, & while I made them very scrappy - they would all look amazing as two color quilts as well. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Sentimental Nines quilts measure - A - 66” x 66”, B - 42” x 42”, C - 90” x 90”, D - 57” x 57”

The Picnic ~  One of the quilts I grew up with was always the one that my Mom would use for church picnics & outings. I remember it having one main fabric in the middle & patchwork ‘diamonds’ on the edges... & I always thought it was so special.As I learned more about quilting, I came to recognize the quilt center as a ‘whole-cloth’ quilt (where the quilting can shine!) & while the quilt from the linen closet had scalloped edges, I’ve streamlined & simplified this version, & show two fabric options.

The Picnic quilt measures 54” x 73”

So there you have it… the news designs! (whew!) All of them are available on the website in paper & PDF versions. (link to website in left-side column.)

(… & just a little heads up - I will be posting some pre-orders of some Cottage Linen Closet pre-cuts & kits in the next couple of days…) (whew again!)

I hope you have a great beginning of your week… as summer starts to make it’s exit for the year…! 🌿

♥︎ Bren

:: Cottage Linen Closet

 As I’m writing this… my newest fabric collection with Moda is being shown to quilt shops around the world. (!)  

(I know that it seems like I just wrote about a new fabric collection, ‘Grace’ , & I wanted to give you the update that as with so many of the fabric collections this year - there is a delay in Grace arriving. From the slowdowns at the mills - to the shipping process (wait times at ports & then customs) … delays have been more the rule rather than the exception. SO… the delivery time for ‘Grace’ is now looking to be October… (about 2 months later than originally planned.) And, just so you know - Moda has been very pro-active about the reality of delays & have moved up debut times for collections - so that hopefully we can try to gain a little ground with all the delays (that we can’t control). So - if it feels like you’re seeing new collections a little faster lately… that’s why!)

So - with all that… I am personally so excited to introduce to you my newest fabric collection - Cottage Linen Closet!

This collection is so very special to me.

Whenever I would be asked to write a bio about myself for a book, website, workshop/class, etc…, I have always started by quilting experience (& my love of quilts) back to the quilts we had when I was a little girl. Here’s a little bit of what’s written…

“Then there were the beautiful patchwork quilts that my grandmas had made that Mom kept on the higher shelves in the linen closet. They were a little higher than I could reach but I would always take a peek at them whenever I was asked to get something for my Mom from the lower shelves or when putting away the towels while “helping’” my Mom fold the laundry. (True confession… I still like the process of folding laundry.) The quilts were saved for special occasions, when snuggling and comfort was especially needed – like a cold or just those times when my Mom knew that getting cuddled while wrapped in one of the quilts would help make everything little better. She was so right, they still have that effect on me.”

Those quilts… the softness of them, the faded colors (from years of them being hung on the clothesline to dry in the fresh air) are the inspiration for the quilts I design & designing fabrics as well. With Cottage Linen Closet - I set out to try to capture the feel of those quilts & the soft, cozy, & (albeit a little faded) colors of those quilts. It’s what I’ve had going around in my imagination for all the years I’ve designed quilts. 

I hope that you will embrace & surround yourself with the colors, & comfy feel of Cottage Linen Closet fabrics - as they are or as a starting point for creating cozy heirlooms for your family & loved ones.

(And, be sure to let your local quilt shop know that you would like for them to carry  Cottage Linen Closet in their shop! Moda is taking orders now!)  (Cottage Linen Closet is scheduled to arrive in quilt shops January 2022.)

Tomorrow, I’ll be back with a bunch of new patterns that I’ve designed using both my ‘Cottage Linen Closet’ collection & also my ‘Grace’ collection.

Here’s to all the comfy, cozy & clean fresh air feels!

♥︎  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

:: A Little Catch-up

 So... that was quite the blogging break wasn't it?!!

Actually, as you can see from the posts below - when I set up my new website a little over a year ago, I also started a 'journal' there. At first, I thought that I wanted to just post there - to consolidate things, but I'm re-thinking that.

I've been re-thinking a lot of things when it comes to 'social media' - & I'll be writing more about that in the next few months... but for now I wanted to let you know (if anyone is still here!!) that I will be posting my journal posts both on my website - but also here on my Blogger space.

Too much has happened over this past year (another reason why my postings have been far & few between) - so if you would like to catch up on the couple of journal posts that cover the 'whys', then here's a few links to those journal posts:

The Best Laid Plans

Dreaming of Dover

A Little Time

I'll be updating the blog here & also post a new post (or two) this weekend... (in both places).

Thanks for being here... I'm looking forward to being here more often.

♥︎ Bren