… my first Needlework Market

First, I'm just going to post a bunch of my (long overdue) photo from Needlework Market. . .

(the TNNA Needlework Market neighborhood)

I had visited a couple of  TNNA (The National NeedleArts Assoc.) Needlework Markets,  but I took my time before 'dipping my toes' into the needlework industry. . .

. . . & I'm so happy that I (finally) did!

What a fun time. . . & what a great way to have a trade show market!

For this Market - instead of setting up a booth, the Market is held at an Embassy Suites, & as exhibitors, we simply set up our displays in the living room area of our suite! It makes for such a home-y & comfy setting, with comfy furniture (if needed) & a coffee maker, sink, microwave, & bathroom right there! It's like hanging out in your little house & the shop owners come to visit. . .!

I made up some samples of Betsy's Closet - In Stitches, & Benji's Pockets - In Stitches, for the needlework shop owners to get for their own shop displays, & then I also made some bunting for my window. . . (had to have a little quilt-y pretties in there somewhere!)

The photo's pretty much take you around my suite from when you walk in the door.  You may see a little peek of the fact that I 'slipcovered' the sofa & then covered it with one of my quilts (Opie's Home).(It was a pretty sofa. . . just with a pretty busy print that would have been a bit of a distraction.)

I'm really looking forward to the Nashville Needlework Market (in February), & am already starting on new designs(!)

The (cross stitch) designs I presented at this Market are on the website. . . & they are:

By My Hand

Hill Farm Hydrangea

Vintage Christmas

Amazing Grace

Believe

The other (embroidery) designs I took were:

Betsy's Closet - In Stitches

Benji's Pockets - In Stitches

Floye's Garden

Seasons of the Heart

By My Hand - for stitchery

Stitching Winter Memories

(you can click on the pattern name & see it closer on the website.)

Whew! Long post. . . lots of photos. . . (!) If you hung in there for all of this. . . thanks. :o)

(p.s. . . . the sale is still going on - on the website (including the new designs), but will be ending this week. So, if there's anything you've been thinking about. . .  

Hope you have a great week!  (. . . the last few days of summer!)

♥ Bren

... late summer days . . .

Once again, 

days seem to be passing so quickly! (Hi September.)

. . . I even lose track of what day of the week it is sometimes! (seriously, all day Thursday, I thought it was Wednesday. . .)

Except for working on shipping orders, I've not even at my computer hardly at all, so I decided to try a new app for blogging so that I could blog from my iPad. A while back, I had tried a different blogging app, & wasn't too crazy about it, so we'll see how it goes with this new app with this post.

Okay... so, to catch up... 

The Needlework Market was wonderful! It was so fun meeting needlework shop owners, other designers, & there were even several quilt shop owners who attended (my dream shop! . . . stitchery & quilts!)

I did take some photos & I will post them in my next post.

Upon my return from Needlework Market, my days have been filled with filling orders, & believe it or not, I've been back to quilting!

I've been quilting & binding the smaller version of a new 'farmhouse collection' quilt. It's called 'meriwether', & it's based on a courthouse step block with embroidery (or appliqué in a larger version) around the borders. I'm hoping to have the patterns ready by the end of next week, & good news (!) . . . there will be kits available for the smaller quilt (seen above). I'll let you know as soon as they are ready.

I've been loving getting to sit & bind a quilt... it is one of my favorite things to do. I actually get a little melancholy when I'm almost at the end of finishing the binding! For me, put on a good movie, & I'm a happy camper getting to sit & bind while I 'listen' to the movie.

One little bump in our daily routine has been that little Mr. Bailey has reverted to licking on his front left leg again . Even though he's been such a brave little boy with all the thunderstorms we've had this summer, & I think with my going away for Market, he succumbed to being a little anxious, & reverted back to licking on his leg. So... you guessed it... yesterday the cone had to go back on...

He's being such a good sport about it... He was even wagging his tail when I pulled it off the shelf & was putting it on his collar. It was as if he was saying, "Well hi there buddy!" So, with the addition of  a couple of drops of 'Rescue Remedy (a natural stress relief formula by Bach - Original Flower Remedies) to his water dish, we're taking it day by day with the cone wearing.

So, even thoug it feels like its flying by... life goes on here at home & in the studio... & I'm plugging away & will hopefully have new patterns posted.! Until then, take care, & thank you for caring.

xo, Bren

… a couple little updates

. . . oh my goodness!

. . . time is flying by so fast! I'm just trying to keep up with my 'to-do' list, & the next thing I realize is that we are (again) entering into a new month.

So. . . firstly - Happy August! It's hard to believe that kids around here have either already started - or will be starting back to school this week. I got the letter from the school that used to teach at, 

wondering if I wanted to be one of their substitute teachers again this year, & I'm looking forward to it. 

As you can see from the photo above. . . my head has been pretty much parked at my computer screen, working on completing the new patterns. . . patterns that will be released at the TNNA Needlecraft Market, in a little over 2 weeks! (eeek!) 

I have five cross stitch patterns (photos soon. . . I promise), & since the needleart division is 'counted thread & embroidery', I'm also going to be taking several of my existing embroidery patterns as well.

I'm so very excited about this new branch of my designs!

. . . & with this 'branching out' comes some changes that you will be noticing. So, with that, I thought I'd give my blog a little updating. . . simplifying, as that is what I'm needing these days. There will be some more 'tweaking' in the near future with some additional pages & fun (I hope!).

Also with the addition of the cross-stitch branch - I have needed to re-organize my company. Actually the re-organization was done about a year ago. . . I just took my time to jump into the needlework market. But, what you will see is the new company name, brenda riddle designs reflected on the website & also in other places. You will see the new cross-stitch & needlework only designs under the brenda riddle designs label. Please know that Acorn Quilt & Gift Company is still ongoing, & I will still be designing quilts! It is now simply a division under the umbrella of brenda riddle designs.

If you visit my website, you will notice that there is a new 'logo' that reflects both divisions, as the website will be representing both divisions. In the next couple of weeks, there will be a bit of rearranging happening on the website. . . so just to say "please excuse the mess". . . I've decided to have a sale of all patterns & books. They will be 25% - 75% off. . . just to say thanks for putting up with the 'remodel'.

So that's the latest. . . Sorry I haven't posted the most interesting photos lately. Actually, because of the ease of use & how fast I can post, I've been posting to Instagram more often. It's so easy & fun to follow folks!. . . must be the visual side of me that likes it so much. 

I've put a link on the sidebar. . . or . . .my Instagram  page is brengr.)

Wishing you a great week. . . & I'll be back with more soon.

♥ Bren

… summer days

 

Hi folks.

I finally got to do a little catch-up blog reading, & so I know I'm not alone when I say that it feels like days are rushing by! It's the middle of July already!?!. . . really? 

whew.

I've been keeping so very busy, finishing the stitching on all my new stitchery designs (counted cross-stitch) that I will be debuting next month at the TNNA Fall Market in St. Charles. I still have the framing & finishing to do, but I feel good to have all the stitching completed. . . & I loved every minute of it.

I hadn't done any cross-stitch for several years, & as I have been drawn back to it, I have realized how much the scope of it has broadened & how much love there is now for samplers & how so many stitchers are taken by & love the history of needle-working. It excites me very much, to be creating new designs that are inspired by the past & somehow, in my heart, connect with the needleworkers of the past (& hopefully of today as well!). I will try to take some peek/teaser photos of some of my new designs to share. (. . . & I will try to be a better blogger!)

I also have a few new quilt patterns that are taking a bit of a back seat to the stitching, & one that I'm finishing up the embroidery border for, as I seem to always have a needle in my hand for some project. (♥)

Because I had been away from my sewing machine for a little bit, I was missing piecing, . . . & when I saw the cute little basket block challenge from Temecula Quilt Co., I was immediately hooked. (scroll down to the June 30 post for the info & link to the pattern)

They are wee little blocks (finishing at 2" x 2")!. . . but are honestly addictive. The challenge is to make one each day for the months of July & August, but with the needlework market in August coming up, I cut all the background fabrics for all the blocks first (I'm using Moda Muslin - warm white), so that I could make some ahead of the one-a-day pace. For my basket fabrics, all the fabrics I am using are coming from my stash. Yesterday was my sew day with some friends, & so I used the time to cut all but a few of the rest of the basket pieces as well.  This means that in the next few days, as I'm fine tuning the charts & patterns for the new stitcheries. . . & the *need* to walk away from the computer for a little bit, I can go in & sew together another wee little basket block! 

(. . . happy girl) !

I also want to thank all of you who left comments & sent messages about Bailey & asked how he did with his 'Thundershirt'. 

(Bailey says "thank you" too!)

Believe it or not. . . we didn't have to put it to the test on July 4th. Not a single neighbor shot off fireworks! I was amazed. . . (& so thankful!) Since then though, the summer thunderstorm season has started & so we have put it into use & it does help calm him. He's not oblivious to the big booms when they happen, but he doesn't pace or pant like he used to. So I'm feeling that it does help him. . . & anything that helps out my little boy not to be so scared is great in 

my book. 

So, for today, I'm off to finish up the charts for the new stitcheries. . . & maybe make a basket block or two. . . (. . . or three. . . or four), & I'll be checking twitter now & again to see if there is any royal baby news(!)

Thanks for stopping by!

♥ Bren

. . . gatehouse gardens

There have been several quilt designs that I have had requests (over & over) for different sizes. So, every one in a while, I'm going to be re-doing some of my most popular patterns - including the original design & some additional sizes & styles using the same design.

First up, is my design that was called 'Gatehouse'.

The original is the yellow version. It was done, using One of my favorite Moda lines, 'Faded Memories'. It measures 48" x 48" (& embarrassingly enough, when re- writing the pattern. . . I discovered that on the original pattern, the overall size of the quilt was 6" too large, & that there was a boo-boo in the original directions, for the border measurements... (!) We never caught it & were never made aware of it for all the years it's been out there (more than six years!), & even though I saw lots of photos of it made, no-one mentioned the mistake. (... until this past week or so, someone email a question about it & wondered if she had made an error...) I feel so bad!!! Be assured that these directions have been combed over thoroughly at least half a dozen times. (Sigh.) 

Anyway, instead of going larger for the alternate designs, I went a little smaller... & then smaller still. The next option, is a bit smaller than the original 36” x 36”, & is done with wool appliqué. Wool on flannel. (Oh how fun that was!) I used wool from my stash & then I used flannels from the Primitive Gatherings line for the background & for the piecing of the churn-dashes. It is a great size for a wall hanging, or for a table topper, & could be used year round.

The smallest version is the embroidery version... (you knew that I would have to do a stitchery version!) it is 27” x 27”, & if ever you wanted to do a mini size of a quilt... This is a fun one to do! With the stitchery (that goes by so much more quickly than you'd ever think!), the details of this little design have become one of my favorites. I'm currently using mine as a table topper (for spring), & I know that it will go into my office after that. (I don't have big wall space in my office - so I need to use smaller quilts.). 

I love this 'littlest' version so much, I've put together a limited number of kits. It uses one of my (favorite) paisley prints from my first Durham Anew Collection, & the kit also includes the background fabric, floss & a printed pattern. You can find them here if you would like a great spring/summer stitchery project... or even for that 'make it someday' stash!) 

Oh yeah. . . There is also available as a PDF download-able version of 'Gatehouse Gardens' as well. (How could I forget that?!?)

So. . .  there's the latest pattern release... for now at least! (& yes... there are still two new designs that need to be quilted yet, so they will be out sometime this summer.) 

(For you shop owners, please know that it will be about a month before the distributors receive the pattern... So if you would like to get yours sooner... please contact us, & we will be sure to get some to you!)

Hope you have a great week!

♥ Bren

... keeping busy

Took a little trip to Texas for a wonderfully fun surprise birthday party for my Aunt Trudy. A whole bunch of my cousins 'descended' on the cute little town of Lampases where we all celebrated her 90th birthday. My Aunt Trudy is the only living sibling of my Mom's family... & there were 10 kids in their family! It was a lovely time, & I was reminded what a great bunch of cousins I have. We took up two rows of pews at church, & it I couldn't help but smile as we all sang together. (All of my cousins have amazing voices...!) I know that my Mom & her brothers & sisters were looking down on us, so pleased that we were all together. (& I know it won't be the last time!)

Beside's navigating airports (with Dad too), I've also gotten some stitching done. Although I'm not prepping for Quilt Market (not going), I have been 'teaching' a wool club at a local quilt shop, The Quilt Basket (one of the new Top Ten Shops in the latest Quilt Sampler!), & in May we are starting a new design, 'Tavern House' by Maggie Bonanomi. (I love this design!) I am doing mine on linen (the original is on black wool). Also, I've started the borders for the embroidery version of a new quilt that will (hopefully) be released by the end of May.

(I tried to post the photos first - but I couldn't figure out how... This is my first time posting with 'Blogger for iPad'. For those of you who use it... any tips are welcome!)

I'm thinking that these... as well as the cross stitch designs I'm working on... should keep me plenty busy... for now at least!

Hope you have a great week!

xo, Bren