Saturday, February 24, 2024

:: New Patterns featuring Georgia!

 When working with a collection that has a special meaning to me, as my Georgia collection does, it made deciding on the projects that feature the collection a little special too. In my previous post, I wrote about my ‘Remember ‘Whooo’ Loves You’ quilt, & so I wanted to introduce the remaining quilts (& a stitchery) in this post.

First up is ‘Cherish’. The name came from a song (by the Lettermen) that I would hear on the radio when I was growing up & have always loved, & the name seemed perfect for a quilt that features fabrics named after my Mom. (… Although it would also be beautiful in so many different colorways - &/or scrappy!) It is based on a classic quilt block & is the kind of block that I refer to asl a ‘puzzle block’… which means you don’t really see the entire design until the blocks come together. (I love those kind of designs.)  

Next is ‘Field of Stars’. What I love about this one is the options. (… & the classic stars!) The star blocks are created so that you can enjoy making this quilt no matter if you are a beginner - or if you are an experienced quilter (or anywhere in-between!) What I want to encourage anyone making this quilt is to make it your own. 


The star centers can be either a single square - featuring the fabrics you are using, or you can choose from any of the fifteen pieced options for the star centers. When I started quilting, I always changed the design a little & made my own, & I really hope this pattern encourages folks to do just that & end up with a quilt that is uniquely theirs.

One of my ‘collections’ I have is one of baskets… many of them I found with my Mom while out & about. We always said that there could never be too many baskets & that there’s always room for one (or two!) more - especially if they were little ones. So the next design, ‘Little Baskets’ celebrates the little baskets that can be tucked into your home… either as open vessels, ready for whatever treasures they might hold for you - or as I liked to do - to place a little greenery or flower sprig to bring a little of the outdoors into your home. 

Using a Layer Cake - or even scraps from your stash is a great way to make a ‘Little Baskets’ quilt of your own!  

And finally… a long overdue stitchery (embroidery) design! This one is named ‘Faith, Hope, Love’.  Inspired by one of my Mom's favorite Bible verses  - 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. It is also one of my favorites, & I wanted something to remind me daily of the truths in this scripture passage. 


I included a pillow option in the pattern - but the stitchery framed is the perfect reminder for ourselves - or as a thoughtful gift.

12" x 16"  •  8" x 10" (stitchery)

Be sure to let your local quilt shop if you would like for them to order any of the patterns for you… & if you don’t have a local quilt shop - all of the patterns are available on my website in paper & also PDF options!


Thanks so much & I hope you enjoy these new designs. I sure had fun putting this collection together.


♥  Bren


Friday, February 9, 2024

:: 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