Brenda Riddle on “Comfort and Joy”

We are very excited to welcome my dear friend Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt & Gift Company to our blog! We have been friends for several years and she is very dear to us! She has been our designer for all of our Patchwork Party quilts! The Patchwork Party Fall 2007 edition launches tomorrow, and you don’t want to miss her Holiday Homecoming quilt.

I was so happy to first hear that my dear friend Kimberly was going to start her blog… and I am honored that she asked me to write a little bit about me & a little bit about our new book Comfort & Joy for it!

Comfort & Joy is our first book, released at the last spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. In the book, we put seven quilt designs, both pieced and applique, and designs for three home accessories – from yo-yo’s to sweet little pillows with pleated ruffles. Each of them follow the ‘philosophy’ of Acorn Quilt & Gift Company, that by taking small steps (“little acorns”), they will add up to great things (“mighty oaks”)!

Even though our designs are made for not only experienced quilters, but beginners as well, we hope that quilters & needle-crafters will realize that even the most seemingly complicated designs can be broken down into simple smaller steps. I want to encourage folks to the things that they may first think are a little beyond their experience… those are the projects that often end up being our favorites!

Creating a book was a lot of fun as I am also a graphic designer and so planning the layout & creating the book was a real treat for me! My degree is in graphic design & architectural design, & although I spent several years doing interiors in Santa Barbara & Minneapolis, the last several years I have spent in Oro Valley, Arizona where I teach classes (graphic design & drawing) at a small private school. I teach at the high school level. My two classes are first thing in the morning – allowing me the rest of the day to focus on running my business, Acorn Quilt & Gift Company.

The other part of my life these days that fills my days with so much joy is my little guy, my little buddy… Bailey. Bailey is a Bichon-Poo and is a constant source of love & laughs. He constantly keeps me on my toes (as well as the bunnies that like to visit our backyard!), and soon we will be starting our second level of obedience training. My goal is for Bailey to get certified as a therapy dog so we can make visits to hospitals & nursing homes. He is such a soft, fluffy little guy who just loves meeting people!

But most of my time these days is spent doing what I have dreamed of – designing new quilt & needlework designs, blogging and running this little business that is growing and keeping me quite busy! Also these days, I’m also working on my first fabric line, so stay tuned for details!

(from L to R: Cheryl, Debbie, Kevin, Kimberly, Emma, Brenda, and Anne Sutton)