LINE & WASH

One of favourite things of all time is line and wash style artwork. This is a style where the artist paints (typically with watercolour), a scene or object and then draws in the detailing over top of the wash...hence the "line" and "wash". Sometimes the artist starts with the linear sketch first and fills in with colour. Today I decided to do that drawing first and fill it in like a colouring book. I almost forgot how much I absolutely LOVE drawing. Florals, portraits, architecture, you name it. You get so caught up in doing one style of art for so long that the others get neglected and you forget how much you love them. My only problem with line and wash is that once I've made the drawing, I'm always so in love with it in just black and white that I can never decide if I want to actually paint it or not. I never want to risk potentially ruining what is already a beautiful piece of art by adding the wrong colour, or too much colour, or too saturated a colour. I suppose I don't mind having those kinds of problems. Ultimately, I'm glad our IG friends helped me to decide to paint it! Thanks followers!

June's Cottage // Fall 2017 Lookbook!

Friends, we are so excited to present our digital lookbook for our new and debut collection, "June's Cottage".  In this lookbook you'll find not only beautiful photography by the one and only Nicole Nield, but you find gorgeous quilts and projects designed by our very own Julia Wentzell, including yardage! Here you'll read a little bit about our process, our backgrounds and our inspirations behind the collection and the patterns. We're so proud of it and can't wait for you to see it! Just click the link and take a gander. PS - every time I try to type lookbook, autocorrect wants to replace it with cookbook. Face palm.

Briar Hill Designs Lookbook / Fall 2017

Old But Gold

Some of you will know what a pleasure it is to move your family across several provinces (or states). My husband works as a dentist for the military and we were posted over the summer to northern Ontario. He and I have been actively unpacking and organizing for months and still we are coming across things we'd forgotten about. I'm only now finding peace and organization in my new studio, but only because we spent hours going through boxes and containers full of paperwork, and art supplies and scraps and paintings and drawings and sketchbooks and reference books and and and...

I have a love/hate relationship with organization and too often find myself and my work desk buried in the paraphernalia of an artist. I like to think that we artists specialize in chaos. Although I religiously follow artists like Natalie Malan, and Yao Cheng (my HEROES of life), and everything in their world seems to pristine, so calm, so clean, so organized, so.....white! HOW? How the heck?? I'm going to go ahead and assume that their lives are just as chaotic as mind to make myself feel better. Literally as I wrote that sentence, my oldest son sauntered into the studio, his face and hands covered in Nutella, like it was no big thing. This mom's life is real, folks.

Anyway, so while I've spent hours making sense of this work space, I've loved coming across old projects, sketchbooks full of unused ideas, and bits of paper with watercolored stems and blossoms, just waiting to be scanned and edited. I love gauging my growth as an artist and entrepreneur. Some of those old ideas are golden. Others are laughable but lead me to other great things and I'm grateful for all of them.

I guess the benefit of being regularly displaced is the opportunity to review; expand upon old gems and remember past mistakes to change for the better.

Coast to Coast Mini Quilt-Along --Countryside Charm

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Theme for the year’s assortment of Minis- Countryside Charm

When the perfectly planned, pieced and pressed pattern creator Julia of Briar Hill Designs meets up with the fabulous free motion facilitator Dara of Stitched Quilting Co the result is the magnificent Monthly Mini Quilt Along. Julia and Dara have never met in person as they live on the extreme east and west coasts of Canada, however their love of all-things-quilting drew them together to create ‘Coast to Coast’ and this first collaboration project: Monthly Mini Quilt Along. A "block of the month" that also provides community, skill building, free motion instruction, and finishing skills.

Thorn & Thistle

Quilting happens at all levels. If you would like to increase your skills and abilities, come and tap into the rich knowledge base of these two quilters who will teach you starting from the basics of quilting to a variety of quilting techniques ranging from piecing methods to curves, foundation paper piecing, english paper piecing and more. FMQ skills will be taught through Dara's developed method which will build your FMQ confidence more with each tutorial.

Heartfelt

Why Minis? Minis are so versatile! The blocks can be incorporated into other projects you are making, they are a quick gift, a fun way to decorate your sewing space, and a way to learn and practice a new skill without the intimidation of a large project.

Homespun

We are so excited to share this Monthly Mini Quilt Along as it has been created so that your quilting skills will develop and grow in a sequential way with small time commitments yielding huge improvements in your skills, building your quilting repertoire.

Shawl

Benefits of being part of our 2018 Monthly Quilt Along: (in addition to surprises we'll be pulling out of our sleeves when you least expect it...)


* Receive a new mini pattern designed by Julia Wentzell of Briar Hill Designs. Pattern includes instructions, diagrams, tips, and new skills to expand your quilty repertoire.


* Video Tutorials by Dara of Stitched Quilting Co. showing three different ways to FMQ your minis on a domestic machine every month.


* Belong to a community of quilters who share your passion for quilting in a supportive and encouraging private facebook group.


* PDF copies of the blocks can be printed and used to plan out colour placement, and practice FMQ designs before putting needle and thread to mini!


* Opportunities to share your progress, and win monthly giveaways. Enter a photo of the completed block at the end of the month, for an entry in our monthly giveaway by fabulous sponsors.


*If (when) during 2018, any of these patterns turn into quilt patterns, receive an exclusive discount for all digital patterns upon pattern release.


*First dibs at any exclusive offers from both Julia and Dara.

Autumn Orchard

What to expect:


(January's plan will be different with the Month's festivities starting on the 22nd)



First day of the month- new mini will be introduced.


Second week- fabric pull of your mini show and share.


Third week- demo video for the free motion quilting.


Fourth week- share completed mini for entry in that month's giveaway.

Here's where you can sign up!  We're offering two great ways to pay:

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12 monthly payments of 9.50 CDN automatic withdrawals through Paypal's secure server.

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One payment for all 12 months, discounted - pay for only 10 months.  $95 CDN payment through Paypal's secure server.

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We sure hope you'll join us!